Brothers Osborne Devin Dawson

New Year, New Music: Brothers Osborne & Devin Dawson, First Singles of 2018

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New year, new music.

Brothers Osborne “Shoot Me Straight”

This month marks two years since Brothers Osborne released their debut LP, Pawn Shop.  After two Grammy nominations, the reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Duo of the Year are gearing up to release their sophomore project and fans were treated to the first single today.  Clocking in just under seven minutes long, “Shoot Me Straight” is everything the country genre needs to kick off the new year.  TJ’s husky baritone vocals singing about whiskey drinking and the subtle art of honesty along with John taking over with an electrifying guitar solo that takes you through until the end of the song, “Shoot Me Straight” will stimulate your senses and excite you for whats to come.  Check out our review from when the duo played The Paramount on Long Island just a few short months ago here.

Key Lyrics:

“Make it burn the whole way down / Lay my six foot, four-inch ass out on the ground / Tomorrow I’ll have a hard hangover and one hell of a heartache / So pour it on like a shot of whiskey and shoot me straight / Don’t give me that salt shaker and lime / Don’t give me that comeback chaser this time / Don’t muddle it up, don’t water it down / Give me everything you got right here, right now,”

Follow us on Spotify to check out the new tune on our New Country Music Playlist.

 

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Devin Dawson “Symptoms”

Switching gears, Warner Music Nashville recording artist Devin Dawson released another track off of his forthcoming album Dark Horse, slated for release in two weeks (January 19th). “Symptoms” is a slow burn, just another example of how Dawson blends R&B and country to create his own personal brand. The groove runs off a list of evidence and warning signs of falling hard for someone. Dawson’s falsetto at the end of the track provides a whole new dynamic to the already sensual song. Check back for our First Impression of Dark Horse on January 19th and click here for our review from when Dawson played an intimate show at Rockwood Music Hall.

Key Lyrics:

“I’ve been craving more and more / Since I started losin’ sleep couldn’t catch a wink /  High fever in the sheets, knees getting weak / My heart was skipping beats, she was runnin’ deep / Like a toxin that’s all in my system / I’ve got symptoms”

Listen to these jams plus more new music on our New Country Music Playlist below.
Be sure to follow the playlist for new tunes every Friday.

 

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

Are You Following NYCountry Swag on Spotify?

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Are you following New York Country Swag on Spotify? Keep up with all things country music from our ‘Artists to  Watch’  playlist (featured below) to our ‘New Music’ playlists. Going to a country show in the New York Metro Area? Follow our ‘Weekly Round-Up’ playlist for music to gear up for upcoming events!

Click here now & give us a follow.

 

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

 

Tyler and Hayley Hubbard Welcome Baby Girl

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Photo by: Nathan Chapman via People.com

 

Just two days before Christmas, Tyler and Hayley Hubbard welcomed a beautiful bundle of joy, Olivia Rose.  One half of Florida Georgia Line told People.com in their exclusive coverage of the new family,  “I think it’s something that God doesn’t let men do for a reason — I don’t know if we could get through it,” Tyler says with a laugh, adding that he “100 percent” has a new respect for both Hayley “and all women who have babies.”

Click here for the full article and more pictures of the country superstar and his new baby girl… Join us on Instagram in wishing a Congratulations to the new parents!

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

NYCountry Swag’s 2018 Artists to Watch

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The New York Country Swag team loves to discover new artists that are releasing great music and share our favorite songs with New York country fans. Here is a list of 10 rising country artists we think you should look our for in the new year. —

 

 

  1. Ryan Griffin – Releasing his debut EP, Sake of the Summer back in March, the first single “Back Seats & Burnt CDs” hits you with just the right amount of nostalgia.  Fans of Thomas Rhett and Dan & Shay will love this newcomer. P.S. he also co-wrote Kelsea Ballerini’s number 1 hit, “Dibs”.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Ryan Griffin

Listen: Back Seats & Burnt CDs
Stay Connected: @RyanGriffinLive

 

  1. Brandon Lay – Brandon Lay’s debut single packs a punch of small-town living and growing up.  Fans can look forward to a full-length EP in the new year and can catch him as an opening act for Kenny Chesney’s, “Trip Around the Sun” Tour in 2018.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Brandon Lay

Listen: Speakers, Bleachers & Preachers
Stay Connected: @BrandonLayMusic

 

  1. Jordan Davis – Fans of Thomas Rhett and for more of a contemporary country sound will love Jordan Davis.  Just wrapping up his opening slot on Kip Moore’s, “Plead the Fifth” Tour, Davis is currently working on his debut full-length album for Universal Music Group Nashville.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Jordan Davis

Listen: Singles You Up
Stay Connected: @JordanDavisOfficial

 

  1. Jillian Jacqueline – Continuing to change the game for women in the country genre, Jacqueline released her debut EP, Side A, featuring six new tracks along with three acoustic versions of her singles.  Fans of Maren Morris and Cam will relate to the singer’s honest approach to songwriting and compelling storytelling.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Jillian Jacqueline

Listen: God Bless This Mess
Stay Connected: @JillianJacqueline

 

  1. Adam Doleac – With a grit-filled, blues-inspired vocal, Doleac’s debut EP released earlier this year features all kinds of love songs.  The first single on the project “Whiskey’s Fine” earned him a spot on Sirius XM’s Highway Finds Tour and since then the nationwide stations have played “Some Girls” and “Everybody Needs Somebody”.  Doleac even stopped by Refinery Rooftop for Swag Sessions with us back in October.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Adam Doleac

Listen: Whiskey’s Fine
Stay Connected: @AdamDoleac

 

  1. Ryan Kinder – Blending R&B and country to make his own unique sound, Ryan Kinder released the powerful “Still Believe In Crazy Love” earlier this year which has racked up over 2 million streams on Spotify.  Read more about the artist in our review of his first NYC show here.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Ryan Kinder

Listen: Still Believe In Crazy Love
Stay Connected: @RyanKinder

 

  1. Jimmie Allen – With a larger than life personality and catchy songs, Broken Bow recording artist, Jimmie Allen is sure to have a big 2018. During a recent trip to NYC, Allen joined New York Country Swag for a Swag Session to tell us about the trials and tribulations he overcame to follow his dreams.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Jimmie Allen

Listen: Blue Jean Baby
Stay Connected: @JimmieAllen

 

  1. Danielle Bradbery – Reinviting herself in 2017, Danielle Bradbery released her sophomore album, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met which showcases the young singer’s beautiful vocals and songwriting skills. Check out her next single, “Worth It” which features a powerful message for women of all ages.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Danielle Bradbery

Listen: Worth It
Stay Connected: @DanielleBradbery

 

  1. Cale Dodds – Rising artist, Cale Dodds has racked up over 8 million streams with his break out single, “People Watching”. Fans of Dustin Lynch and Ryan Hurd will definitely dig Dodds’ vibes.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Cale Dodds

Listen: People Watching
Stay Connected: @CaleDodds

 

  1. Morgan Evans – Our final ‘Artist to Watch’ in 2018, Morgan Evans hails from Austraila, just married country superstar Kelsea Ballerini and has his first single on country radio.  “Kiss Somebody” is infectious and watching Evans’ live show will mesmerize fans, he uses a peddle loop to play each of the instruments and acts as his own backup band.

NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch: Morgan Evans

Listen: Kiss Somebody
Stay Connected: @MorganEvansMusic

 

Like what you hear? Give a follow to our 2018 Artists to Watch List here.

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

 

2017: The Year of Country Babies

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Country artists released a ton of fantastic music in 2017, however, their biggest accomplishments just might have been bringing beautiful babies into this world.  Here’s a look at just a few of the adorable offspring….

 

Dan + Shay singer Shay Mooney and his wife Hannah welcomed Asher James back in January.

Asher Mooney

Photo Credit: @ShayMooney via Instagram

 

Cadillac Three’s frontman, Jaren Johnston welcomed Jude back in April, taking after his dad he is already one cool little dude.

Jude Johnston

Photo Credit: @TheJaren via Instagram

 

Probably one of the biggest and most exciting baby stories to come out of Nashville is the addition of not one but two babies to the Thomas Rhett Akins’ clan.  Adopting beautiful baby Willa Gray from Uganda in May, then Lauren gave birth to Ada James in August.

Willa Gray Ada James

Photo Credit: @Laur_Akins via Instagram

 

Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany brought a baby boy into the world, Memphis Aldean.

Memphis Aldean

Photo Credit: @BrittanyAldean via Instagram

 

And closing out the year, Hayley and Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line) welcomed daughter Olivia Rose, their first child yesterday, December 23rd.  “Olivia is the best Christmas gift we could have ever asked for,” the new dad told People.

Olivia Rose Hubbard

Photo Credit: @Hayley_Hubbard via Instagram

 

Oh Baby! What a year. Wishing all of the country music families peace, love and health in the new year. We are looking forward to seeing more adorable pictures of these little ones.

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 – #1: YOU

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You Countdown NYCS

And finally, we reach our number one spot in our Top 10 New York Country Swag Favorite Moments of 2017 Countdown: YOU.  Our readers, followers, and friends take the cake when it comes to what we are most grateful for this year.  Every show we produce or cover we meet new friends and hug old ones, building our community of country lovers in NYC one person at a time.

If it were not for each one of you who shop our online store, attend our events, share our stories, ‘like’ our pictures, follow our social media accounts, read our Weekly Round-Up, and so much more we wouldn’t be able to continue to do our part in bringing country music to the big apple.  Our favorite part of our job is introducing New York fans to rising artists and new music.  One thing we notice is that you love it too; downloading the rising stars music after we feature them and following them on social media.

Brown and Gray

We consider our followers a part of our New York Country Swag family and we are thankful that we get to see so many of you throughout the year.  Thank you for tagging us in your pictures when you are rockin’ gear from our online store, or for coming up to us at events and to say Hi. We appreciate the support from every single one of you and can’t wait to see what the future holds.  Here’s to an exciting 2018 filled with more Swag Sessions and more of your favorite country music!

You NYCS Countdown

 

We’re looking forward to bringing you more great events and exclusive coverage in 2018.
Be sure to sign-up for our Weekly Round-Up so you don’t miss a thing!

Wishing you all a wonderful Happy & Healthy New Year!

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 – #2: Luke Bryan Album Release Week…

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The countdown continues as we give you our Top 10 New York Country Swag Moments of 2017. Bringing us to favorite moment #2: Luke Bryan Album Release Week.

 

 

Growing up in a small waterfront community in Queens, New York, our founder Stephanie wasn’t always a big country music fan.  Although a lover of music and live events in general, Stephanie enjoyed everything from Pop to R&B to EDM. It wasn’t until attending her first Luke Bryan concert a few years ago that Stephanie discovered her true love for country music.

“I think it was the live show and the energy in the room that really drew me in. Florida Georgia Line and Thompson Square were the opening acts that night. Although not knowing many songs, from beginning to end I found myself bopping along and enjoying the night. It’s safe to say I was completely hooked. From then, I started going to more and more shows and my love for country music grew,” Stephanie says.

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pandora)

As an events manager for In Good Company Hospitality, Stephanie began curating “Country Night” events back in 2014. After the success of several country music themed events, Stephanie saw the audience she was tapping into and truly discovered her niche. This is where the idea of New York Country Swag would stem from.

Today, Stephanie credits that first Luke Bryan concert as where it all began for New York Country Swag. Fast forward nearly 5 years later to where things truly came full circle when Stephanie and the New York Country Swag team had the privilege of covering Luke Bryan’s Album Release Week. Bryan’s busy NYC week included a Close Up With Luke Bryan for Pandora, an intimate show at Nash FM’s Stage 17 and his early morning set live for Good Morning America at the brand new Opry City Stage.  For more about our Luke Bryan filled week click here.

 

For more of our favorite moments of 2017, make sure to be following us daily as the countdown continues!

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

 

Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 – #3: NYCountry Swag Takes Nashville…

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2017 has brought us so many new and memorable moments to be grateful for. As we countdown to 2018, we are reflecting on our Top 10 New York Country Swag Favorite Moments of the Year. Next up, #3: New York Country Swag Takes Nashville. 

Back in October, the New York Country Swag team took a trip to Nashville and filled it with meetings, concerts, special events and the best places to eat. Check out the full recap of our trip here and below are some of our favorite photos from the week. (click the photo to read more about each stop on our trip)

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more of our favorite moments of 2017, make sure to be following us daily as the countdown continues!

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

 

Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 – #4: “The Day of 4 Shows”…

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The countdown continues as we give you our Top 10 New York Country Swag Moments of 2017.

Typically when people think of New York City, they do not necessarily think of country music. However, we are here to change that perception.  NYC and its surrounding areas are the home to at least one country show a week, if not more! Don’t believe us? just subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up, which highlights all upcoming events in the area. We promise to always have something to look forward to for the country fan in NYC.

In addition to shows and special events, artists often travel from Nashville to New York daily to promote their new music.  This brings us to our Top 10 New York Country Swag Favorite Moment of 2017, #4: “The Day of Four Shows.” Back in September, we caught up with four different country performances all in the same day, proving that not only is country music here, but it is thriving.

Our first stop was to the NASH FM Studios for a Stage 17 show featuring Thomas Rhett in honor of his brand new album, Life Changes.  Rhett answered questions for the NASH FM DJs and played songs off the new album including “Craving You” and “Unforgettable”. For the full recap of the exclusive performance as well as our First Impression of Life Changes click here.

Thomas Rhett NASH Fm

 

Our second stop brought us to Times Square for one of our special Swag Sessions featuring Scooter Brown Band. The three men wearing cowboy hats played songs off their latest album, American Son and answered questions about their backstory and all about the new music.  Check out the video recap below.

 

As the sun began to set, we found ourselves back in Bryant Park for our third country show of the day, an Opry Circle Throwdown featuring Morgan Evans and Michael Ray. Both rising artists played on the Southwest Porch on a warm September night to fans and New Yorkers passing by in Bryant Park. Full recap and more pictures here.

MIchael Ray

 

Finally, we ended our ‘Day of 4 Shows’ as we headed to Dustin Lynch‘s iHeart album release show.  Lynch played songs off his album, Current Mood as well as some fan favorites. Click here for our full First Impression of his latest project.

Dustin Lynch

 

We’re looking forward to bringing you more great events and exclusive coverage in 2018.
Be sure to sign-up for our Weekly Round-Up so you don’t miss a thing!

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag

Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 – #5: Swag Sessions…

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Next up on our Top 10 New York Country Swag Moments of 2017 Countdown, #5: Swag Sessions.

In 2017, New York Country Swag rolled out a new way of connecting New York Country fans with their favorite rising artists.  Utilizing some of New York City’s most iconic spaces, we started Swag Sessions.  A live way to showcase some incredible talent coming out of Nashville.

Our first segment took place back in July, right in the heart of Times Square.  Lucas Hoge, rockin’ our Camo Hero Collection Snapback,  played “Dirty South” and “Boom Boom” for our inaugural Swag Session, before taking the stage at The Cutting Room for his album release party.

 

For our next Swag Session, we invited Adam Doleac to stop by the Refinery Rooftop and sing some songs.  Doleac was out on Sirius XM’s Highway Finds Tour this summer and stopped by to play three songs off of his debut EP.  Singing “Some Girls”, “Everybody Needs Somebody” and his first single “Whiskey’s Fine”. Doleac showcased his storytelling and incredible vocals.  For the part two click here.

 

Winnie’s Jazz, inside the Refinery Hotel, was the perfect location for our Swag Sessions with singer-songwriter, Jo Smith.  In between songs, Smith talked about growing up in a small town and finding her sound.  She sang songs from her debut EP including “Dance Dirty” and “Old School Groove” Full recap video below.

 

Scooter Brown Band, clad in cowboy hats walked through the streets of NYC to find themselves in the middle of Times Square. The group took time before playing B.B. Kings to sing a few songs off their latest album, American Son including the title track, “Won’t Back Down” and a love song, “Pistols and Pearls”.  For more about our Swag Session with the band check out the video below and for our interview, click here.

 

Broken Bow Recording artist, Jimmie Allen while in New York City for promo stopped by the Refinery Rooftop to tell us how much he loves the word “swag” and to play songs from his debut EP.  Allen also told us all about the struggles he faced leading up to his recording deal and what he did to overcome them. Check out the full video below.

 

Before opening for Dustin Lynch at NYC’s Playstation Theater, country newcomer, Mitchell Tenpenny joined us in Times Square for an afternoon of music, laughs and.. jingle bells! Check out our Swag Session with the rising star here.

 

As the weather got colder, we moved our Swag Sessions inside the Refinery Rooftop to a cozy fireplace, adorned with Christmas decorations for our final segment of the year featuring Brown and Gray.  Kaci and Sam recently became a duo after their debut single “Top Down” was played on radio. They played the single and their beautiful original Christmas song, “It’s Not Christmas (‘Til You Come Around)”,  check out the full video below.

We’re looking forward to bringing you more great Swag Sessions in 2018.
Be sure to sign-up for our Weekly Round-Up so you don’t miss a thing!

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
+ Follow our Country Music Adventures on Instagram, @NYCOUNTRYSWAG!

– Team NYCountry Swag