Tristan Jackson

NYCS Swag Spotlight: Tristan Jackson

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Tristan Jackson

Tristan Jackson has taken winding rounds to end up where he is now, living in Nashville and pursuing a solo career in music.  Growing up, he and his mother moved around a lot but he tends to call Branson his hometown.  Eventually, Jackson made his way to Los Angeles where he focused on his film and music career simultaneously.  “I was trying to utilize acting to pay for music, landing a small part seemed to be easy, I had a better opportunity getting acting gigs, so I could then put that towards my musical endeavors,” he explains in a recent phone interview.

Growing up in the Midwest, he grew up listening to traditional country music, explaining that his late grandfather was a real cowboy. “My idol is my grandfather, he is a true country guy, a cattle rancher, he played country guitar, he taught me my word is my bond and integrity, he is my hero,” he thoughtfully expresses.  While country remained in his blood, he started a band and was the lead vocalist for The Cavalry in which incorporated his favorite types of music, southern rock, pop, R&B, and country. “I ended up in Nashville and I had the opportunity to write with and work with Nashville writers and artists, I had such a profound respect for Nashville.” he tells us “I started cultivating a new genre that I coined “Nashville Rock” which is a hybrid of pop-rock, country and where the new country style is going but at the same time trying to stay true to my roots to country music in rhythm and blues.”

Now focusing his energy on writing in Nashville he is venturing out on his own as a solo artist.  His first single “Wake Up Call” definitely still has an underlying southern rock vibe but with the addition of Jackson’s fiance, Kirstie Lane, the lyric and delivery allow the country fans to really dive in.  Throughout our conversation Jackson discusses artists from all different genres including Taylor Swift, Post Malone and even Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars, explaining how they have each influenced him and how he doesn’t want to put himself into a box of a genre.  “I love that artists are branching out in different directions now, they aren’t doing it for the money they are doing it because they love certain types of music.  I love adding different elements to my music,” he tells us.  “When I leave this world I want to make sure I leave it the way I want to, as far as my music goes, I want my kids to say ‘That was my dad’.”  Relating genres back to movies, something Jackson is familar with since spending nine years in LA, he talks about why people feel they have to pick a favorite genre of music or why artists must define themselves in that way.  “Actors pick different roles all of the time, people decide to watch a comedy one day and a drama the next, I don’t believe in genres.”

“If you work hard for it, anything is possible, that’s the mindset I try to stay in,” he says of committing to his dreams and pursuing his career.  His debut EP is slated for release later this Fall and he looks forward to sharing his journey through his music.  Listen to his latest single “When the Radio’s Gone” below and follow Tristan Jackson on his social media channels (Instagram, Twitter,  and Facebook,) to keep up with his album release date.

 

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Brandon Stansell

NYCS Swag Spotlight: Brandon Stansell

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Brandon Stansell

For Brandon Stansell, his love of country music collides with his passion for advocacy for the LGBT community, being open with his fans about his journey and using his music to connect.  Growing up right outside of Chattanooga, Tennesee, Stansell recalls his entire family listening to country music.  At the age of six, his mother and sister surprised him with tickets to see Reba McEntire, a night that he says changed everything.  “It was one of the first shows I ever saw, it was one of those moments where I was like ‘Yup, this is what I want to do’.”  Shortly after that, his parents brought him to Nashville and he was one of the children who performed at Opryland.  It’s where he cut his teeth as a performer, learning to sing and dance and spent his childhood around very talented people who all loved country music.  “I was six when I did my first show, it was on the Opry stage so I joke about telling people that my first paid gig was at the Opry house then I’ve spent the rest of my adult life just clawing and scraping to get back to that circle,” he laughs.

Graduating Belmont University in Nashville in 2009, he pursued his music career in Nashville for a few years, but never quite felt like he found his voice.  After a brief stint in New York City, he moved out to the West Coast where he now resides.  It took him leaving Nashville and experiencing the hustle and bustle of New York City to finally start writing his own music and find his songwriter’s voice.

As a songwriter, he has decided that writing about what is going on in his life, or things that are personal to him has really allowed him to come into his own and hone his craft. “I have a strict philosophy that you have to write what you know and up until now, it’s been working for me.”  His most recent single, “Slow Down” features Ty Herndon, an artist that Stansell lived next to in Nashville and became friends with. “I grew up listening to him, he just has one of those quintessential country voices and he definitely made my record better and I am really proud to have him on there, it was one of those unforgettable moments,” he recalls.
Brandon Stansell

Ty Herndon (L) Brandon Stansell (R)Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The 2018 Concert for Love & Acceptance

A big part of Stansell’s personal journey is his coming out story, which he explains to us as something he always is sure to talk about during his live shows.  “It was actually really painful and difficult and it didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but fast forward a decade from there those experiences have really shaped me into the person that I am and that’s a person that I am deeply proud of,” he tells us.  “I just don’t know that I would be the person or be doing what I am doing now if I didn’t have to go through what I went through to get me here.”  Blending artistry and advocacy is what he strives to do with his career, participating in festivals across the country and even playing at the Concert for Love and Acceptance hosted by CMT’s Cody Alan earlier this summer during CMAfest.

I feel like music has been for me, as an independent artist, has been a vehicle where I’ve been able to talk to people especially in the south that I was in years ago, that are having struggles and I have been able to connect with them,” he explains.  “In those exchanges I feel that there is a sentiment that we are not that alone even though we may feel it at times, and it’s an easy thing to feel when you are LGBT in the South and have a conservative or religious family that doesn’t understand you or support you and can’t find a way around their religion to love you in the place where you are.”  Using his platform he is proud to talk about his experiences and to try and help others going through similar things.

His next single, “For You” is available now, take a listen below and be sure to follow Brandon on social media, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Spinn

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Spinn

The ladies of Spinn, twins Stephanie and Cheryl Lynn Spinner have been interested in music since they were in the second grade, learning to play piano and both participating in the church choir.  Growing up in New Jersey, they recall in a recent interview with New York Country Swag that there was always music playing in the house, but it was a rare occasion when their parents would agree on the genre.  Their father although he grew up in New York City, loved country music while their mother loved rock n roll.   “In the house, we would have Bruce Springsteen and Heart then Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and they always battled, music was always playing, but they couldn’t stand each other’s music it was kind of funny,” they explained. They took their first family trip to Nashville when the girls were twelve years old, attending a show at The Ryman, which only solidified their love for the genre.

The duo went to college originally in pursuit of a music business degree, to learn the ins and outs of the industry, then one of their professors told them they were crazy for not pursuing their career as singers instead.  “Having taken those classes in the music business, it helped us understand and guide our career and the failures were more rational, we understand that it is a business and things don’t always go the way you think they are going to,” they tell us.  “It’s not a no forever, it’s just a no for right now.”  They started to play shows when they were in college, eventually leading them to stages in New York like Rockwood Music Hall. They can recall when Nash FM 94.7 hit the New York City airwaves and how that was a game changer for them.  “Nash FM changed our lives, now with the resurgence of country music and finally having a station, it changed everything,” they explain.  The duo went on to compete in Nash’s regional Nash Next competition, beating out 750 other bands or artists and coming in first place.  This then allowed them the opportunity to head to Nashville, compete in their competition then hit the road with all of the finalists. “It was so much fun, the entire thing start to finish,” they explained. “We signed up to push fan engagement since we were about to release a music video. We had people voting, we got to do the live show, we won and it was the craziest thing in the entire world to be able to represent New York City and have that be your stamp “country duo from New York City”.”

Since then the duo has opened for LANco, Kalie Shorr, Drew Baldridge and Trent Harmon and in each instance they take everything in like sponges, absorbing every aspect of the artists’ live show. “We watch everyone and we try to take away what the best things they do at their meet and greets, how they interact on stage. For us, it is a blessing to be able to play in front of their fans and we enjoy bringing our fans to see incredible artists,” they tell us.

Spinn’s latest single, “Crazy For You” was written on a whim at 5:30 in the morning, Stephanie explains.  “I had an epiphany and the first three lines of the chorus just popped in my head, I was feeling so lazy, I did not want to get out of my bed but I laid in my bed and sang it into my phone.”  After some rearranging and writing the rest of the song together, Cheryl and Stephanie had their next song.  “It’s about balance, it’s about the people in your life who balance us out, we are chaotic and all over the place but those people are so important to us and we think finding the balance between the chaos and enjoying the simple things is a really big part of life and keeping us moving forward and on track and something we are focusing on right now,” they tell us.

We discussed their decision to pursue their career in New York instead of moving to Nashville and they explained that their families are here and that they are able to express a different narrative growing up here. “We love country music, but our experience and our journey in life is different than someone who grew up in the south, or anywhere else in the country,” they say.  “Our families and friends are here and they are the ones that shape us and support, our roots are something we hold very dear to us.”  They talk about the family of country music artists that are all making their dreams come true from the North East including Lauren Davidson, Carolyn Miller, and Tommy Cole. “We love Nashville, but this is home for us and for us to be able to experience what we can here, its something we have fought so hard to be able to do what we do here,” they explain.

Looking forward, Spinn is excited to release another EP this fall and plan a tour that will hit the northeast.  Be sure to be following the ladies of Spinn on their social media channels, Instagram,  Twitter,  and Facebook, for all announcements and upcoming releases.

 

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Haley Mae Campbell

NYCS Swag Spotlight: Haley Mae Campbell

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Haley Mae Campbell

Photo Credit: R. Katheryn Photography

Although born in Long Island, NY singer-songwriter Haley Mae Campbell moved to South Carolina when she was just a few months old and explains in a recent phone conversation that she didn’t listen to country music until she was in her teen years. Starting her career in a non-singing role as Abu the Monkey in Aladdin when she was only 10 years old, Campbell was bitten by the performance bug. Her parents bought her a guitar when she was 13-years-old and she explains it all spiraled from there.

“I remember I heard this song, ‘Somewhere With You’ by Kenny Chesney and I just thought that was the most amazing song I’ve ever heard,” she recalls. Growing up, she listened to a variety of genres thanks to her dad, who was the family DJ, including The B-52’s, The Who, and a bunch of 80’s rock.  She was also exposed to rockabilly early on, The Old 97’s being one of her favorite bands from a young age, she explains that she recently was on the bill on an outlaw country cruise where they were the headliner. “It was a childhood dream come true because I grew up idolizing them, because my parents did, so it was a pretty full circle moment to hang out with them as an artist.”

After graduating high school a year early and convincing her parents that she was going to pursue her music career, Campbell made the move to Nashville last August. At just 19-years-old she has already made amazing connections in the industry and has had incredible opportunities.  Back in Charleston at the local radio station, she opened for artists such as Sheryl Crow, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Chris Janson, and Lauren Alaina, watching them and being able to learn from them.  “It’s not only about being talented or original but at the end of the day, you have to be great to work with to be successful and stay grounded and appreciate the people that are around you,” she tells us of what she has taken away from those opening slots.

Her latest release, Lovers Lottery is a good representation of the music she has been inspired to create since her move to Nashville. Four of the songs are solo writes while she tried something different on two of them, co-writing.  “It was scary at first, but now I love it. It’s kind of like going on a blind date when you are writing with someone new for the first time, it can be very awkward or it can be the best thing ever so you just have to take your chances most of the time,” she says.  The band that plays her live gigs with her are also the musicians on the new project, giving the EP a very natural and authentic vibe.  “I really felt like it was the best representation of the songs and the way we play them live which was my goal.  I really think it shows people who I am as an artist.”

“I think it’s just persistence, I am very determined and when I really, really want something I’ll do anything to get it,” Campbell says.  It’s a matter of being strong and positive and building those relationships and eventually, I was able to get those opportunities along the way.”  Follow Haley Mae Campbell on her social media channels including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Trent Harmon

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Trent Harmon

Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez

Trent Harmon was catapulted into the spotlight after auditioning and winning the final season of American Idol on Fox. His charm, incredible skill to connect to songs, and ability to be a true storyteller are what gave him an edge over other finalists.  Now, two years later he has honed his songwriting craft and with the guidance of a major label, Big Machine, has released his debut album, You Got ‘Em All.

Looking back at his childhood, Harmon tells New York Country Swag about growing up in rural Mississippi. “I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to do music, quite honestly, it’s a cliche story, but nobody from my neck of the woods really makes it out of that neck of the woods,” he says.  “I was twelve when I bought my first guitar at a pawn shop.  It took me several years before I could play it.  Then, I started writing songs, too”

Harmon’s parents owned a small steakhouse near their home and growing up working there was a part of everyday life.  When he realized his talents were better served entertaining the customers rather than cleaning up after them, he started singing and taking requests.  “I didn’t realize it then, but I was getting my chops as a performer, those were my first gigs. I quit waiting and cleaning tables, I started playing songs and played for a crowd,” he recalls.  Almost all of the songs that were requested were from the country music genre, but Harmon wasn’t only a fan of country music, he listened to southern rock and was a huge fan of Elvis Presley.

After playing gigs in Memphis, Nashville and Little Rock, he had all but exhausted his options during a six or seven year period.  Running out of money, he decided to take a chance and audition for American Idol. During the toughest week of the contestants journey, Hollywood Week, Harmon suffered through mono to impress the judges and went on to win the entire competition.

He explains that although the industry sometimes regards the winners of national singing competitions as making it easy, he explained that he had to fight through those ceilings to get where he is now.  “Idol showcased one of the main reasons I started doing this, I do consider it a job, it’s how I pay my bills, I take it very seriously,” he tells us. “There might be a weird stigma that you do win Idol and ‘Are they really a musician or are they a reality TV person.’ He took time off after his big win to really focus on writing music, writing a song a day for two years and deciding what he wanted to say with his music.

The title track from his debut album was written in less than an hour, Harmon tells us.  After calling his girlfriend and giving her the great news that his label was ready to release his first single to radio, she gave him the news that she would be moving to Thailand to follow her dream of teaching.  After that devastating phone call, he sat down in a co-write with Justin Ebach and Jordan Minton.  He almost canceled that day but decided to keep the session, and luckily poured out his heart into one of his most personal songs yet. “It was a good day to not cancel,” he laughs, “Let that be the title of your piece.”

Back in February, New York Country Swag caught Harmon when he performed at the Big Machine Luncheon during Country Radio Seminar where he performed “You Got ‘Em All” for radio executives and people who work in the music industry.  “I had one job that day and that was to solidify myself a slot for the next year as a relevant up-and-coming artist in the country format,” he recalls.  He did just that, singing the next single from his forthcoming album and the full room of people, who are not easily impressed, stood up and cheered when he finished.  “When they stood up and I got the standing ovation and everyone clapped, that was one of those moments, that was arguably as big for me as winning the show that night, it was a different kind of win. It’s validation that you are doing something right.  It was the right song, the right time, and the right people to hear it at that moment.” He tells us,  “It was like all of the stars aligned.”

Focusing his energy and songwriting into his debut album, Harmon explains that you never know as an artist if you will get a chance to put out a second album, so he wanted to fill the first full-length with songs and stories dedicated to the people who have helped him get where he is today. “I made a list of the people who were instrumental in getting me to this point and I tried to write a song to each of those people and if it was good enough it made the album,” Harmon tells us. It is a compilation of gratitude to his family, friends, and fans who have lifted him to this point in his career.

Heading out on tour this summer with Rascal Flatts and Dan + Shay, Harmon is looking forward to seeing a bunch of his fans who are nicknamed “The Harmonies” as well as making new fans. For his full tour schedule head to www.trentharmon.com and be sure to continue to follow his journey on social media Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Craig Campbell

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Craig Campbell

Photo Credit: Kelly Marie Photography

Blending traditional country with a modern twist, Craig Campbell is our next Swag Spotlight.  Growing up in Lyons, Georgia, he was a country music fan from a very young age, even winning a singing contest when he was fifteen years old.  “That’s when I realized I really loved being on stage, and so fast forward a few years I graduated high school, I worked a few years as a correctional officer then I put a band together and we played nationally at bars and honkey tonks,” he tells us. His influences that have shaped his sound include 90’s country, Travis Tritt, Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, and Brooks and Dunn which is what his brother would always play in the car on their way to school.  “I think the early 90s was the best era of country music,” he laughs.

After playing in a band for two and a half years, Campbell decided to make the move to Nashville to further pursue his career, singing demos for other songwriters, playing on lower Broadway and even playing piano for artists on tour including Luke Bryan. Fast forward to last summer, Campbell was invited to be an opener on Luke Bryan’s tour.  “It was great, being able to say I was in his band and then to fast forward and then get to open his shows, it was pretty cool and being able to go out on that big tour with one of my buddies was even more special,” he tells us.  “I watched every show and learned that the bottom line is when people pay to come see you play, they just want to have a good time and no matter what it takes, it’s up to the artist to be an entertainer and make it happen and I took it to heart.”

Campbell has had success over the years by releasing songs to country radio and is gearing up to release his next EP this Friday, June 8th.  The EP will feature two versions of the heartfelt “Outskirts of Heaven” as well as his latest single, the flirtatious “See You Try”.  After his record label played the song which was written by James McNair, Bart Butler, Jordan Schmidt, and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Campbell knew it was a great song and wanted to quickly record it before any other artists had a chance to get their hands on it.

As if releasing his new EP this week isn’t exciting enough, Campbell is hosting the 6th Annual Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge in Nashville during CMAFest. The annual event has raised over $300,000 for FIGHT CRC (Fight Colorectal Cancer), a nonprofit organization working to increase awareness, education, and research on colorectal cancer – the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S.  The cause is close to Campbell’s heart who lost his father to the disease when he was just eleven years old.

The all-star lineup for the challenge this year includes Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Walker Hayes, Brett Kissell, Nascar driver Scott Lagasse Jr, LOCASH’s Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, Jerrod Niemann, Taylor Phillips, Dee Jay Silver, Tegan Marie, The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston and Kelby Ray and Brett Young.  “It all started when I got my own platform if you will, I wanted to do something I guess looking around there were a lot of free shows to raise money, golf tournaments, and fishing tournaments and nobody was doing a corn hole tournament and everyone loves cornhole and it is a game that everybody can play so I felt like doing this tournament to raise money for colon cancer was perfect,” he tells us about the decision to co-host the event.  Each artist will be teamed up with a fan who won an online auction to attend the event, all of the proceeds benefitting FIGHT CRC.

For more information about the event or to learn more about Craig Campbell, head to his website here. Be sure to follow Craig on all of his social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Natalie Stovall

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Natalie Stovall

Natalie Stovall had quite the different upbringing compared to other children her age.  She explained her backstory to New York Country Swag in a recent phone conversation.  When she was very young, she knew that she wanted to play music and be on stage for a living.  She started playing the fiddle when she was four years old, growing up in a small town about an hour outside of Nashville.  Her parents were very supportive, driving her back and forth to all of her lessons whether it was for the fiddle, acting or singing classes.

Since she spent so much time in the car, she recalls always listening to music through the car radio. “I was such a child of the radio, it didn’t matter if it was country or top 40, but I kind of knew every song on the radio. I would do homework and listen to music in the car,” she tells us. She was enamored by the making of Michael Jackson’s music video “Thriller” from a very young age, she explains “Thriller” and Cinderella were on repeat in her house.

“I grew up playing and when I was ten I auditioned for a show called ‘The Opry Land Kids Club’ it was kind of like the Mickey Mouse Club type of show, but it was in the same park as Opryland USA,” she told us.  From then on she took every opportunity to be on stage performing, singing and playing her fiddle for an audience. She attended college in Boston at a music school, perfecting her craft until she finally graduated, came right back to Nashville and has been writing and performing ever since.

She explains that most artists don’t spend as much time as she did on the road in the beginning, but right after college her love for being on stage has kept her traveling and playing gigs across the country. “I very quickly started playing over 200 days a year, I realized I had to start asking for days off or I would never be home,” she laughs. “I love being on the road, being on stage, that is where the magic happens and that’s where I want to be as much as possible.”

She has learned that balance is the key component in this industry, balancing her time out on the road with being home and writing new music as well as a balance between recording outside cuts that move her and recording her own songs.  “Nashville is the epicenter of great songwriters and incredible songs, there are more songs that have been written here that are just mindblowing, that will level you,” she tells us “That’s one of those things that Nashville has such an incredible wealth of music that I always want to be open to all sides of it.” When Stovall hears a song that she wishes she wrote, that is how she knows it should be something she should consider recording for her own projects.

Her latest single “Making Out in Cars” is one of those songs that she did not write, but knew right when she heard it that it should be recorded for the world to hear. “It’s messy and complicated but it’s also hopeful and it’s all of the emotions at once; it’s like a snapshot of someone’s life and I just think it’s such a cool song,” Stovall says about the song.

She is looking forward to continuing to release music a little at a time and get to support that music on the road this summer. For tour dates head to nataliestovall.com and be sure to follow Stovall on social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Tenille Townes

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Tenille Townes

Photo via tenilletownes.com

Tenille Townes grew up in Grand Prairie, Canada, about a 45-hour drive away from her current hometown of Nashville, Tennesee.  Townes describes how country music was a big part of the identity of the people in Northern Alberta, always being played around the kitchen table as well as in the tractors on the farms.  Her parents taught her the meaning of hard work from a young age, starting their own business out of their garage, showing her that anything you put your mind to, you can go after.

“I fell in love with music in the backseat of the car and would follow along with all of the lyric booklets and obsess over all of the songwriters and my favorite artists and dreamed of coming to Nashville,” Townes tells us in a recent phone conversation. She explains that what she listened to growing up all depended on who was at the steering wheel. Her dad loved rock music and always played U2. While her mother was a big listener of powerhouse woman vocalists including Shania Twain, Martina McBride, and the Dixie Chicks. Her grandparents however really set the tone for her love of country music, playing Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and even Elvis Presley. “The storytelling aspect is something I love and have grown to love even more since moving to Nashville,” she explains. “The writers like Lori  McKenna, Caitlyn Smith, and Patty Griffin… I just love that element of the songwriting parts of music.”

Her grandparents gave her her first guitar when she was fourteen years old, and she made her first writing trip to Nashville shortly after that.   From a young age, she was in awe of Music City and the community of songwriters it nurtured.

Another element of her life that was important to her besides making music was philanthropy.  Big Hearts for Big Kids is an organization Townes is involved with that has raised over 1.5 million dollars since its inception just under a decade ago.  “Honestly, to me that is what music is for, that’s what it always been about.  I am lucky to have grown up in a home that believes in the power in looking out for one another and that is part of what we did as a family.  As a community you show up at all kinds of local events and reach out your hand to whoever you could,”   she thoughtfully explained. Organizing the concert in her hometown each year and raising money for this shelter is something she is most proud of, seeing a small group of people come together to really make a difference. We asked if it was something she would be interested in continuing now that she has moved to Nashville to which she told us  “Absolutely, one of the things I am most excited for is to draw a spotlight to the things that I love and that I am passionate about and be able to see how that can grow alongside the music.”

Townes has been writing and honing her craft ever since she moved to Nashville four years ago, getting into writing rooms with some of the best writers in town. She released “Living Room Worktapes” which is a project featuring four songs she has written and recorded in their rawest form, no fancy production just her impeccable voice and her meaningful lyrics. “A lot of times Nashville songwriting can feel a lot like a living room where you are sitting around having a conversation with someone you just met or maybe some old friends and all of the sudden you are sitting around talking about something that inspires you and a few hours later you leave with this song that didn’t exist in the world before that moment,” she tells us. She wants the listener to feel the symbolism of a living room, a homey, common place you can have a conversation and feel less alone.

This summer Townes will join her idols Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town on the road for their Bandwagon Tour which will hit the tri-state area on July 19th at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater. “I am so excited to see all of these cities, the only one I’ve been to is Toronto so this is going to be quite the adventure,” she tells us.  Another exciting moment for Townes will happen on June 23rd, as she just announced via Instagram that she will be taking the stage for her Grand Ole Opry debut.  For more tour dates and tickets head to www.tenilletownes.com and be sure to follow Tenille on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Delta Rae

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Delta Rae

Photo Credit: David McClister

Har·mo·ny (noun): The combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect.

Our Swag Spotlight this week shines on Delta Rae, a six-person band that knows a thing or two about creating beautiful harmonies. The band members are siblings Ian, Eric and Brittany Hölljes, as well as Grant Emerson, Mike McKee and Liz Hopkins.  Hopkins took time to chat with New York Country Swag about the band’s inception and their unique sound.

After meeting when they were pre-teens, the siblings and Hopkins formed a strong friendship in high school when they were in productions together and forged a four-part harmony in a vocal group. Remaining close all through college, brothers Ian and Eric decided to form a band and reached out to their sister and Hopkins to join, reuniting the old gang back in 2008.  Eric, who had been in a band with singer/songwriter and producer Mike Posner, and who had written his smash top 10 hit “Cooler Than Me” when they were at Duke University, met drummer Mike McKee and held on to his business card for two years before reaching out and asking him to join their new band.  McKee brought bass player, Grant Emerson in to meet the rest of the band and they just knew they had found their signature sound.

Rehearsing and perfecting their sound while living together in North Carolina, Delta Rae was formed. They officially played their first gig together back in October 2009.  “It was a house that had been neglected so Eric was in there killing spiders and snakes and ripping down funky 70’s wallpaper and we rehearsed every single day,” Hopkins laughs about getting their start.  Now living separately in Raleigh and Miami, the band meets in Nashville at least once a month to record demos, try out new songs and gather before leaving for tours.  When discussing their songwriting process Hopkins explains “Little teams form and then we bring it to the group if it I feels right for Delta Rae.  Ian and Eric are primary writers for the band they have been writing music together since they were seven and nine years old so they have a bond and groove when it comes to that.” she tells us.  “Brittany and I are getting more and more into writing and we do have some cool songs coming from Brit’s perspective, so the women are getting into it.”

 

They work together to decide on harmonies or melodies, depending on the song and always decide as a group which songs they think will work best for them.  “We’ve been together long enough that we know when a song is in our wheelhouse, and when it fits our four-part harmonies or southern gothic mysticism, that’s sort of where we live.” Their latest single, “No Peace in Quiet” was written by Eric after a horrible breakup.  Realizing the song was just a little too personal for him to sing himself, he asked Liz if she would sing it. “I said absolutely, I really thought it would be something he would sing, but he has explained that it was too raw for him to sing a song that came from such a painful place so I said, of course, I’ll sing it and I love singing sad songs anyway,” she tells us. “I think also that song resonates with people on a lot of different levels whether it is a breakup or experiencing loss, many people have gone through that feeling of being alone but not wanting to be alone.”  The haunting song showcases the band’s exquisite harmonies and ability to translate emotion into song. “I think a lot of times in this culture we are sort of socialized to not cry, or not feel sad. we get told to get buck up. But there is a time and a place to process your feelings and let it out and sometimes music is the way that you can do that, I’ve been very glad that we have a song that can be that for people,” Hopkins says.

Looking forward, Delta Rae is constantly writing and recording new music when they are not on the road and are looking to release a new project this fall. They will be performing Friday, May 18th at Gramercy Theatre. Click here to snag your tickets.  If you are heading to the show you can expect a night of incredible four-part harmonies, lots of storytelling, and dancing.  Performing songs from their most recent EP’s as well as throwbacks to their first two albums and maybe even some new music, you can look forward to a great night of music from such a talented group of people.

Keep up with everything Delta Rae by following along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Abby Anderson

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Abby Anderson

“It takes a certain kind of weird to want to leave a social life to play music all day, but that’s me, just a big ol’ nerd that loves to sing,” says our next Swag Spotlight artist, Abby Anderson.  She laughs as she chats with New York Country Swag about her life leading up to releasing her very first single out to the world.

Anderson, born and raised in Dallas, Texas was the second oldest of seven kids, six girls, and one boy.  Growing up around music, she sang, played piano, and nurtured her creative side from an early point in life. After receiving some attention from playing piano one day, Anderson knew in her bones that she wanted to perform in front of an audience. Confidently, when she was just fifteen years old, she walked into her dad’s office and told him that she wanted to be homeschooled the rest of high school and move to Nashville.  Being the supportive parent she needed, he told her to graduate a year early and move there when she was seventeen and that is exactly what she did.  “My parents are awesome, they always taught us as kids, burn the ships, there’s no such thing as a plan B, you’re going to do something you better do it the best you can and you better be successful at it,” she explained.

Right upon her arrival into town she got to hustling, making connections and networking. “That is what’s so beautiful about Nashville, it’s so easy to meet not just people, but kind people who genuinely want to help you out,” she says of Music City.  Focusing on songwriting and getting into rooms with the right people, Anderson was signed to Black River Entertainment, after her friends pitched her songs to their A&R team.  Label head, Gordon Kerr sat her down and said he wanted to sign her, following the conversation, Anderson signed her record deal on the stage at the famed Ryman Auditorium.  “I am the luckiest girl to be over there, they are my family and my team and they are brilliant,” she exclaimed.

Her debut single, which was released last month “Make Him Wait” was written with Josh Kerr and Tom Douglas.  Kerr is a songwriter on Kelsea Ballerini’s smash hits “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” and Tom Douglas is a songwriter on Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” as well as songs for Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack and many more country artists. Their latest collaboration, Anderson’s “Make Him Wait” started out a simple song about her current crush at the time. “Josh turned around to me and said ‘Well Abby, how do you get the guys what are your moves?’ and I told him ‘I make him wait for it, I make him work for it a little bit.’ He turned around and all of the sudden he was like “Make Him Wait” this is the song,” she tells us.  After the three discussed growing up what they had learned about relationships, and Anderson explained what her father taught her about her value and worth, the song was written in 45 minutes.

Anderson’s gentle vocals add such depth to the song, which takes you through courtship and eventually through the wedding day of a couple where the female realized chivalry is not dead and to expect it. It is empowering and a great reminder for women of all ages.  In a time when incredible music is being made by young females in the country music world, she is excited to be a part of this generation of well-respected women. “It’s so exciting and there is great music being made every single day by all kinds of artists and I’m just lucky that mine has a shot at being heard by a bunch of people,” she tells us.

This summer, fans all over the country will get to hear her new music, playing the Breakout Stage during CMAFest as well as shows in California, Boston, and Country Jam in Wisconsin. Hitting the radio tour circuit and opening shows for LANco and Russell Dickerson, Anderson has a busy summer ahead of her.  “It’s just so weird, I mean this in the most humble way, but I knew it was going to happen, in the fact that I knew I was going to be a performer, I knew I was going to get a record deal, but it was always a matter of okay but how, and okay but when? The how and when is what has me absolutely humbled, because I would never have thought this would happen this way this fast as it did, so I am very blessed.”

Be sure to follow Abby Anderson’s journey on her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

 

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here 
for ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests, upcoming events,
and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond!

+ Follow our country music adventures on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook: