Brown and Gray Archives

Brown & Gray Released Brand New Single “First Light”

May 20, 2021/in Blog, New Music, News /by Erica Zisman

Brown & Gray released a brand new song, “First Light”, available now, May 14th, on all streaming platforms. Take a look below as we dig a little deeper into the new song.

We had the pleasure of interviewing rising U.S. and U.K. singer-songwriter duo Kaci Brown and Sam Gray of Brown & Gray back in 2017. Since then the duo has defied odds, growing tier fanbase worldwide. Most recently the singers put out their new song “First Light,” following their touching song “Last To Know”.

As the brand new track was released and began being added to Spotify playlists, Brown & Gray took to social media to remind their fans how precious they all are to them. “We are very SMALL, independent fish in a very BIG, political pond with no bought likes or streams. No bought verification. No budget for main-stream radio,” began the artists, “Our hope is in people like YOU streaming and sharing your music, and FAITH that if we keep putting out great music, it’ll eventually pay off. Just keep streaming, y’all!”

Written by the duo with Kipp Williams and James Droll, “First Light” tells the story of pain to healing through a relationship. The imagery that the song conveys makes you appreciate the words that are being said through song. Brown and Gray take turns singing the verses, portraying both the male and female perspectives in a heterosexual relationship. Their talent truly shines in this hopeful and relatable song.

“Went out I was drunk and lonely // Told myself it was one night only // Wasn’t proud of the way you found me // Dancing with my broken heart // Didn’t care where the time was going // Before we knew it the bar was closing // The hell you do to me last night? // I’m waking up in love at first light”

If y’all are loving “First Light” as much as we are, make sure to download and stream the song as much as possible to help out this one-of-a-kind independent act in country music!

Brown & Gray’s new song, “First Light” is available now, May 14th, on all streaming platforms

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Brown & Gray announcements and releases.

To keep up with Brown & Gray, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“First Light” is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

[Watch] Brown & Gray Perform “Home” on Pickler and Ben

October 25, 2018/in Blog /by Christina Bosch

Earlier today rising country duo Brown & Gray performed their next single “Home” on Pickler and Ben, a lifestyle talk show hosted by country singer Kellie Pickler and journalist Ben Aaron. “Home” is a beautiful love song and the duo showcase their sensational harmonies and obvious chemistry when they sing it together.

In addition to their performance, Kaci Brown and Sam Gray head to Vanderbilt University Hospital as a part of #PANDBKIND, an installment on the show of giving back. “We are here at Vanderbilt Medical Center to find some people who work their butts off and we just want to share a little love today,” Brown says. “We wanted to spread a bit of music to people and just cheer up their day,” Gray adds. The singer-songwriters travel around the hospital spreading joy to everyone they meet and singing little jingles they wrote for each of their visitors including a woman who works in the cafeteria, a diligent mailroom worker and a mom of seven who is also a surgical recovery nurse at the hospital. Watch the full video below.

Let’s take you back to when we first introduced you to Brown & Gray back in December of 2017 when they joined New York Country Swag for a LIVE Swag Session at Refinery Rooftop. Check out their performance and hilarious interview with our team below.

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NYCountry Swag’s Favorite Concerts of Summer 2018

September 5, 2018/in Blog, Team Picks /by Team Country Swag

Christina Bosch: The Fest Featuring Brown and Gray, Mitchell Tenpenny, Russell Dickerson, and Dustin Lynch

This summer as Managing Editor for New York Country Swag we attended at least one show a week, sometimes two or three. Narrowing my favorite concerts to one was a hard decision but as a big fan of rising artists, I think one of the greatest experiences we had was attending The Fest out on Long Island. The lineup featured Brown and Gray, Mitchell Tenpenny, Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch. Over the past year, we have seen each of these artists perform separately whether it was a Live Swag Session like we did here with Brown and Gray or Mitchell Tenpenny or catching Dustin Lynch at Playstation Theatre or Russell Dickerson at his sold-out NJ show.

Seeing them all on one stage was truly incredible, their unique talents and the different vibe each bring to the country music genre made for the perfect night of music. Between Brown and Gray’s summer hit “Top Down” to Dickerson’s venue-wide sing-a-long to his latest single “Blue Tacoma” the audience was loving these rising artists and the smash hits they are releasing.

Stephanie Wagner: Mitchell Tenpenny at Mercury Lounge

As Christina mentioned, we had the incredible opportunity to see so many amazing shows this summer. One of my favorite things to do with this company is to support rising artists which is what makes Mitchell Tenpenny’s Mercury Lounge show my favorite show of the summer.

We first worked with Mitchell back in December when we did a Live Swag Session in the heart of Times Square. This was before he had a song on the radio and before his record deal with Riser House/ Sony Nashville. I had been a fan of his since the first time I heard his music, so I was excited to work with him that day. To see how hard he has worked and watch his debut single hit the Top 20, makes me so proud of the artist and person he is. Tenpenny sold out his Mercury Lounge show two weeks before the date, which is a huge accomplishment for a new artist on a NYC play. There was a special sense of magic in the room that night catching Tenpenny’s performance while the packed house sang back every word to his hour long set. You only get to experience your ‘firsts’ once, so being in the room to experience Tenpenny’s first sold out headlining NYC show is a memory I will treasure.

Crystal Fenton: Trip Around the Sun Tour Kenny Chesney

Seeing Kenny Chesney live has LONG been on my bucket list, so naturally, the Trip Around the Sun tour was my absolute favorite concert of summer 2018. Plus, with Old Dominion & Thomas Rhett as openers, even a multi-hour rain delay at MetLife stadium couldn’t damper (see what I did there?!) the vibe of No Shoes Nation. The show was amazing from start to finish. What a perfect & appropriate way to close out the summer while kicking off September, my birthday month where I’ll take another trip around the sun myself; My first Kenny show definitely won’t be the last! For a full recap and more photos of the Metlife Stadium show, click here.

Photo by Matthew Paskert

Molly Holmberg: Jake Owen, Chris Janson, and Jordan Davis

Jake Owen has always been the barefoot blue jean icon in country music and when he takes the stage, he embraces that. During his “Life’s What You Make It” tour this summer he came out barefoot every night and ready for a party. Playing hits like “Good Company”, “Beachin’”, and even a mash-up between Eight Second Ride / Mountain Music / Tennessee River / Dixieland Delight, he puts on a show.

With opening acts Chris Janson and Jordan Davis, the night gets started with a kick. By the time Owen steps foot on stage, the fans have been on their feet the past two hours and are ready for more. The 37-year-old’s big smile with a loose and carefree attitude brings so much life and energy to the stage. He comes to not only entertain but to have a good time with the fans. He is engaging, charismatic, and an overall nice guy. His concert puts you in a feel-good mood by the end of the night. So if you are looking for a great concert, Jake Owen’s is definitely worth every penny.

Owen is putting out music that is real country. And real country is the reason Jake Owen’s future keeps looking promising. Check out his latest party song single “Down To The Honkytonk” here.

Nicole Piering: The Bandwagon Tour Featuring Tenille Townes, Little Big Town, and Miranda Lambert

When it comes to summer in New York, Jones Beach is undoubtedly the best place to see a concert. While I attended quite a few this year, my favorite show of the summer was definitely Little Big Town and Miranda Lambert’s “The Bandwagon Tour.” For one, it was great to see these two superstar acts play at Jones Beach, but even better, the set they did together was electric. While both Lambert and LBT played their own shows, they also combined forces into an epic super-group for a 40-minute set that included some of their biggest hits and some incredible covers. “Boondocks” is always one of my favorite songs to hear live, and their joint covers of “Goodbye Earl,” “Say My Name,” and “Let’s Go Crazy” were all phenomenal. I’d love to see other acts join forces and make shows like this more popular in the future. The full recap of The Bandwagon’s Jones Beach tour stop here.

Nicole Sellati: CMA Fest

This year I was lucky enough to attend the music event of the summer, CMA Fest! This was easily my favorite week of the year! The week was jam-packed with amazing artists, going from concert to concert with no stopping. Some highlights for me were going inside to the fan fair as well as attend the fan parties of Michael Ray and Luke Bryan. These were the events I was looking forward to the most while in Nashville, getting to see the artists up close and personal in an intimate setting. Luke Bryan’s fan club party was in celebration of 10 years of the Nut House where he got to play an acoustic set, performing songs he hasn’t in years. CMA Fest as a whole was amazing but if I had to choose my favorite night at Nissan Stadium I would say Sunday was hands down the best. The last night had all my favorite artists starting with Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, and closing the night was Luke Bryan. It was a night I never wanted to end and thanks to Luke Bryan he made it last a little longer. He was just getting warmed up and ended up playing for over an hour closing out the best concert of my summer. CMA Fest was as perfect as I imagined and I can’t wait to be back next year!

Shanna Vitaliano: Ashley McBryde at Taste of Country Music Festival

My favorite concert of the summer was seeing Ashley McBryde at Taste of Country Music Festival in Hunter Mountain, NY on June 9th. Ashley has an infectious personality onstage. She is down to earth, extremely humble, and her stage presence along with her sense of humor had every festival goer’s attention. Her incredible songwriting ability shined through during “The Jacket” and powerful voice captivated all during “American Scandal.” It was my first time seeing her live after being a fan of her album Girl Goin’ Nowhere and I look forward to seeing her again. Her next show in the NYC area will be December 5th at Gramercy Theatre, grab your tickets here.

Danielle Tornatore: Sam Hunt and Kane Brown in Atlantic City

I attended almost twenty concerts this summer but my favorite had to be Sam Hunt and Kane Brown at Atlantic City BeachFest on July 1st. There are so many reasons why this was my favorite show, one being, I got to road trip there and back with two of my best friends. It’s about two and a half hours each way from us so we were able to make some great memories together. Between jamming out to some great music, sharing stories and just making each other laugh, it was overall a great trip. The day this show got announced, we knew we had to go. We’ve seen Sam Hunt together multiple times, but we had yet to see Kane Brown and he is one of our favorites. We missed Kane when he played at Irving Plaza in New York City in 2016 so we knew this was our perfect opportunity. It was literally 100 degrees out that day and the show was on the actual beach, toes in the sand and all, and despite the heatwave, both guys put on an incredible show which made me admire them even more. Myself, along with the rest of the crowd, were sweating. So much. But the two of them somehow made everyone forget about the weather and just get lost in the music. In the middle of Kane’s set, most of the sound equipment went out from the intense heat but he kept the show going and that is one of the many reasons why I am a huge fan of his. Sam was jumping all around the stage, as usual, during his entire set and maintained his high energy the whole time. It honestly was a day I will never forget and another memory I’ve gained with my best friends.

Erica Zisman: CMAFest (Lee Brice at HGTV Lodge)

Public service announcement: Go to Country Music Association Fest (CMA Fest) in Nashville, Tennessee at least once. Although there are a ton of wonderful concerts held in New York, especially those good ole’ country shows at Jones Beach Amphitheater on Long Island, CMA Fest is a once (or more if you’re lucky) in a lifetime experience for any country music lover. The four-day festival combines some of the biggest names in country music, such as Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett, with new artists and up and coming artists, like Dylan Scott and Morgan Wallen, into a musical extravaganza. The event is packed with free shows all day long, free shows at night, and the ticketed Nissan Stadium line up.

I was able to experience CMA Fest for the second time this summer. One of my favorite free venues is the HGTV Lodge, which is an intimate venue that gets you up close and personal with an artist, while the singer performs acoustically. I was able to see Lee Brice perform, for the first time in June. Hearing some of his hits: “Drinking Class”, “Love Like Crazy”, and his most recent single, “Rumor”, live and stripped down, was one of my favorite concert moments of the summer. Brice was extremely charming, poised, and humble; despite, his major success and even opened the doors to extra fans, who were unable to get into the lodge, due to it being over capacity. Being able to relate to Brice’s songs, but also, Brice as a human being was a really special moment for me and my friends. It was a “concert” I will never forget.

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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!

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Long Island’s The Fest Kicks Off The 4th of July

July 5, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

The perfect way to kick off the 4th of July holiday is seeing some of your favorite rising country acts after tailgating in the parking lot. The Fest which takes place each year at Bald Hill Amphitheater on the east end of Long Island is known for showcasing rising talent and for being one big party. If you arrived early you would see tents, corn hole games and a whole lot of American pride. Men and women alike were decked out in the American Flag, some with their faces painted, drinking beer and celebrating their freedom. With three seating options, the lawn section was filling up quickly as Emily Brooke took the stage to open the festivities.

Fans gathered close to the stage in the pit to see the duo from Texas and London, Brown & Gray, who sang each song from their brand new debut EP Salt in the Coffee. Kaci and Sam announced that their next single is “Home” before playing the first track from the EP, which highlights their perfect harmonies. They closed their set with their first single to country radio, the perfect summertime hit “Top Down” and mashed it up with Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, the perfecting ending to a set that fans were excited to see.

Next up in the lineup was Mitchell Tenpenny, an artist New York Country Swag has been following since last year when we hosted a Swag Session with him in Times Square. Tenpenny who’s gritty vocal and catchy lyrics have earned him a current spot on country radio attracted a ton of fans to watch his 40-minute set. Along with singing songs from his debut EP, he covered Billy Currington’s “Good Directions” and sang the song he wrote that Granger Smith cut, “If The Boot Fits” which he said completely changed his life. Closing out he played three of his biggest hits so far, “Alcohol You Later” which fans knew and sang along to, his current radio single “Drunk Me” and “Bitches” which he said is for all of the assholes, liars and cheaters that we all have dealt with in the past. With obvious charisma, we are so excited to watch Tenpenny’s career soar.

The next New York Country Swag favorite to take the stage was Russell Dickerson, bringing his high energy set, which we know well from our early Country Night events with Russell, to Long Island. The sun just started to set as Dickerson performed songs from his debut album for a packed crowd including “Would You Love Me”, “Every Little Thing” and “FLOAT”. Taking time to slow things down just a bit, Dickerson paused to recognize the reason we were all there celebrating. “Thank you to all of the men and women overseas, we send our love and support to our troops and our service men and women of this country, it’s why we get to celebrate the 4th of July,” he exclaimed. Immediately following you could hear “USA” chants throughout the entire open venue, proving country fans are absolutely proud of their country. He closed his 50-minute set with his current single “Blue Tacoma” and then, of course, his very first number one, the love song he wrote for his wife Kailey, “Yours”.

The Fest concluded with country superstar Dustin Lynch who took the stage around 9:30 PM, ready to close out the night of incredible acts and patriotism. Kicking things off with “Hell of a Night”, he also performed songs from his latest album including “I’d Be Jealous Too” and “Love Me Or Leave Me Alone”. During his first ever single “Cowboys and Angels” he changed the words to include “Long Island girls and guys like me” pausing to recall his 2012 single that got him started in this business and brought him to Long Island for the very first time, changing his life. “I wrote that song about my grandma and my grandad who have been married 63 years this summer and to see y’all sing and dance to this song is unbelievable,” he told the crowd. His most recent number one single, “Small Town Boy” was the perfect way to end a night of celebrating America and the country music that we all love leaving fans already excited for next years The Fest.

For more country music in New York, make sure you are following us on Instagram, @NYCountrySwag.

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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!

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NYCS First Impression: Brown and Gray ‘Salt in the Coffee’

June 11, 2018/in Blog, First Impression /by Christina Bosch

Brand new duo Kaci Brown and Sam Gray, also known as Brown and Gray have released their debut EP Salt In The Coffee. The EP is a compilation featuring five new songs including their smash breakout hit “Top Down”. We first caught up with Brown and Gray in December when “Top Down” had just hit the radio waves. The duo has already played across the country as a part of Sirius XM’s Highway Finds Tour as well as playing at Stagecoach.

Sam hails from the east coast of England, while Kaci is a Texas native, combine the skills and craft they honed before becoming a duo. They take turns taking the lead on vocals but always harmonize beautifully. The EP features “Good Night” which showcases a catchy, EDM backbeat, perfect for driving with the windows down or late night in the bar. While “Home” and “This Is The Stuff” is more country and traditional and “Outta My System” has a reggae vibe, the duo is proving their versatility.

Brown and Gray are performing on Long Island this summer as a part of My Country 96.1’s The Fest including Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch. For tickets click here, and be sure to follow Brown and Gray on their socials, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out Salt In The Coffee below.

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

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

December 27, 2017/in Blog, Swag Sessions, Top 10 NYCountry Swag Moments of 2017 /by Christina Bosch

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
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– Team NYCountry Swag

Long Island Packs Stereo Garden For Secret Holiday Show

December 5, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Each year MyCountry 96.1, a country radio station out on Long Island puts on a secret show. The artists remain a secret until they hit the stage which is an exciting way to attract their listeners and fans. The opening act, Brown and Gray took the stage as the venue filled up. They played their latest Christmas song, “It’s Not Christmas (’til you come around)” along with their debut single “Top Down” which has been spinning on the radio station for the past few months. For more about the duo check out our Live Swag Sessions.

A quiet hush came over the crowd as MYCountry’s DJ’s Phathead and Jay Letterman took the stage to announce the next secret act to take the stage. Already having an incredible year, adding another accomplishment on Monday, having her single “Hide the Wine” go most added to radio, Carly Pearce was announced. Pearce sang songs off of her debut album, Every Little Thing including “Color”, “Careless” and of course her first single which hit the top of the charts “Every Little Thing”.

As the DJ’s took the stage again, the surprise was a little anti-climatic when high pitched screamed interrupted their introduction because one of country’s biggest rising stars, Brett Young walked onto the stage. Young who’s voice is smooth and unique in this genre performed songs off his debut album including his number one hit “In Case You Didn’t Know” and his debut single “Sleep Without You”. He also sang a haunting version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. He spent time thanking country radio, specifically MyCountry 96.1 for not only playing his music but for helping him achieve so many accolades over the past year.

The final act to play the secret holiday show was LoCash, the duo who enjoyed their first number one single “I Know Somebody” earlier this year. They sang their radio hits as well as a cover of a song they wrote that Keith Urban cut “You’re Gonna Fly” and a venue-wide sing-a-long of Garth Brooks’ classic “Friends in Low Places”.

Listeners of the station stayed well into the weeknight to dance and sing to their favorite artists all thanks to MyCountry 96.1. For more on the radio station click 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

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