Nash Fm Archives

Tag Archive for: Nash Fm

New York’s Country 94.7 Kick Off to Summer with Russell Dickerson

May 28, 2019/in Blog /by Christina Bosch

The perfect way to kick off not only the summer but Memorial Day Weekend is with some cold drinks, a beautiful sunny day and country music. New York’s Country 94.7 and Radio.com hosted its annual summer kick off at Headliner on the Jersey Shore on Friday featuring Jessica Rose, Matt Stell, and Russell Dickerson.

Stell who kicked off the event was also celebrating the release of his brand new EP, Everywhere But On, by taking the stage in New Jersey. Fans of the artists and the radio station came out early to support, grab a drink and listen to the great music. He performed songs from the EP including “Last Habit”, and “Better I Drink” as well as his radio single, “Prayed For You” which is currently climbing the charts. Although it was early, the fans raised their drinks and danced along as Stell covered Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” as well as the classic John Michael Montgomery hit “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)”

Next up, Russell Dickerson took the small stage, to bring his high-energy set to the intimate crowd in New Jersey for an afternoon of hits and even revealed a few new songs. Rocking a tie-dye shirt and pink sunglasses, Dickerson danced around the stage performing songs from his debut album, Yours, including “Float”, “Would You Love Me”, and “All Fall Down”.

He played two brand new songs for the New Jersey crowd, “Some Things Never Get Old” and “Something To Dance To”. The afternoon wouldn’t be complete without his latest radio single “Every Little Thing” and the two songs that have reached the top of the charts “Blue Tacoma” and “Yours,”. All three tracks had the crowd singing along. Closing out his set in the most epic way, Dickerson not only climbed the stage but with the help of New York’s Country 94.7 radio personality and morning show host, Kelly Ford, got his shoes off and ran through the crowd, jumping and doing a cannonball into the pool.

Dickerson now heads out on the Very Hot Summer Tour with Dustin Lynch, Rhett Akins, and headliner Thomas Rhett. The tour hits our area on September 20th at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Grab your tickets now.

Keeping the music going, New York City artist and local Nash Next winner, Jessica Rose entertained the crowd next, closing out the afternoon. She performed her songs “One of The Boys”, “Rose Tattoo” and even covered Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman”. The perfect weather along with the high-energy performances, it was the ultimate way to kick off the weekend.

Keep up with New York’s Country 94.7 by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

—————————-

Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC & Beyond!

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:

Chris Young Entertains Nash FM 94.7 Winners at Stage 17

August 8, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Nicole Piering

To cap off a whirlwind Tuesday in New York City that started with a 3 am wake-up call for Good Morning America, Chris Young played an intimate show at Nash FM 94.7 Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17, just after an interview with NYCountry Swag. Backed by two guitarists and strumming his own acoustic, Young charmed fans during his six-song set that included some of his classic and future hits. He also took time to chat with Nash DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy, telling stories about summers as a teenager, recording with Cassadee Pope and Vince Gill, and his arena tour, which hits Long Island in December.

Playing the “Up Close and Country” stage atop New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Young recounted his last visit to the famous arena, taking his mom to see Billy Joel. He also took a page from Joel’s book for the acoustic show, recalling how the Piano Man announced, “I’m not gonna play anything new, I’m just going to play stuff you guys know.” Young promised the same, “So that’s what we’re going to do today, play stuff that you guys put on the radio.” He then played some of his earliest hits, including “Getting You Home” and “The Man I Want to Be.”

While introducing the latter, Young admitted that the song had slipped from his set-list, but returned at the request of an unusual person, The Rock. “So I didn’t play this song for a long time, and there’s all different kinds of reasons that you end up putting something back in your set. This was a multi-week #1, and we had it out of the show, I really don’t know why, but when the Rock tweets at you, you kinda gotta put the song back in the set, and he did so…”

One of the highlights of the show was its impromptu vibe, as Young turned to his guitarists, asking what song they should play next, and Ryan Haas chose “You,” while Kevin Collier and the Rock had similar tastes, choosing “The Man I Want to Be.” Young also played “You” and “Aw Naw,” much to the excitement of the lucky fans in the audience.

While tuning his guitar to introduce his penultimate song, Young recalled a hilarious story of playing at a funeral convention as an up and coming artist. He admitted that he opened for an Elvis impersonator and played in front of a casket that cost $100,000. He then began to play one song, while his guitarist played another, adding to the spontaneous hilarity of the night. They were quickly back in tune with each other, playing Young’s current single, “Hangin’ On,” which is the follow up to his 10th #1, “Losing Sleep.”

Young ended the evening with a song that “changed his life,” “I’m Coming Over.” Before launching into it, he thanked and praised Nash FM 94.7, and the great city in which it resides. “This is one of my favorite cities on the face of the planet,” Young said of New York City. “I love getting the chance to come up here, especially when we get the chance to do so many cool things in the span of like two days.”

Judging from the reaction from the fans in the audience and on Facebook Live, New York City loves having Chris Young here as much as he enjoys being here. If you didn’t have a chance to attend last night’s intimate show, you’re in luck because you can watch a replay of it below.

—————————-

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:

[Listen] Chris Young Chats About Google’s “American Rapper” Mistake

August 8, 2018/in Blog, Interviews /by Christina Bosch

Managing Editor, Christina Bosch interviewing Chris Young

As country fans, we all know that Chris Young is a multi-platinum selling artist, responsible for hits like “I’m Comin’ Over”, “Think of You” and most recently his 10th no. 1 song “Losing Sleep”. The internet, however, had something entirely different in mind. For a brief moment when you Google ‘Chris Young’ pictures of the country star appeared on the page, but something very strange was written underneath his name…”American Rapper”. Young documented the moment in a recent Instagram post commenting “Um…@google I’ve been described in a lot of ways…this is the first time “American Rapper” has been used tho. #hanginon #googleisdrunk”

Photo Via @ChrisYoungMusic Instagram

When we spoke with him last night before his Stage 17 performance at Nash FM 94.7 studios, Young laughed when we brought up the mishap. “I just started laughing, it’s one of those things that, with all of the stuff that lives on the internet, there are so many things that can get edited.” he joked. “I’m not surprised that something like that happened but it’s still really funny because it’s next to all of these photos of me, right underneath where it said it.” He laughed as he told us that although he probably could rap if he was put to the test, he doesn’t think anybody would buy the record.

Coming off of an early morning, playing for Good Morning America, Young told us that it was great to be back on that stage explaining he would get up at 3 AM anytime to play for those viewers. He performed his latest single “Hangin’ On” which is about to be Top 20 on the charts as well as his most recent number 1 single “Losing Sleep”. Young told us that he just found out that “Losing Sleep” also has hit platinum status. “It’s always a two-prong thing, you want a number 1, but you also want people to buy the song, so having both of those marks for a song is just really, really cool and especially since it was the first single off the new record,” Young says.

His Losing Sleep World Tour resumes in September and hits the New York area on December 7th at Nassau Veterans Coliseum. When discussing how he keeps it fresh for his loyal fans, Young explained “For me the biggest thing is putting on the best show possible, there are a lot of things when you get to the size and scope of an arena tour where it’s locked in, these songs are happening in this order and there is video content to go along with them and then there are parts of my show that I like to keep very much organic where I can do whatever the hell I want to be honest.” He told us that fans can look forward to acoustic parts of the night where the set list will change from city to city.

For the full interview, take a listen below.

—————————-

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:

Nash FM 94.7 Summer Shindig Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend

May 29, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Photo Via @NashFm947 Instagram

This past Friday (May 25.), was without a doubt the most beautiful day of the long weekend and New York Country Swag headed down to the Jersey Shore to celebrate the official summer kick off with Nash FM 94.7 and their Summer Shindig. Taking place right on the boardwalk of the New Jersey beaches, DJs, Katie Neal and Jesse Addy broadcasted live from Spicy Cantina prior to the concert event. Fans gathered early rocking their bathing suits, American flag attire, and smiles as the boardwalk was filled with country music lovers and beachgoers alike.

Photo Via @NashFm947 Instagram

As the tri-state area’s lifeline to new country music, Nash FM 9.47 brought a full line-up of incredible artists to the beach for their very first Summer Shindig including Jessie Chris, Michael Tyler, Carly Pearce, Chris Lane and Granger Smith. First up, Jessie Chris sang a few of her original songs before local high school student Bri Dorso took the stage to sing an incredible rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with the American Flag waving behind her.

Michael Tyler photo via @NashFm947 Instagram

Michael Tyler was next to the stage after Nash FM 94.7 DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy welcomed the crowd to the event. Tyler who sang his singles “Hey Mama” and “They Can’t See” also put a spin on a song he co-wrote for Dierks Bentley, “Somewhere on a Beach” which was fitting for the boardwalk, beach setting. Tyler told PIX News 11 in an interview it was the first time he was singing the song actually on a beach.

Carly Pearce photo via @NashFm947 Instagram

After a short break, Carly Pearce was next up, wearing a tank top with the word “Wine” in a heart, which boded well considering it was National Wine Day and played perfectly when she sang her second radio hit “Hide the Wine”. Check out a clip from the song here. Pearce sang album cuts including her very first single and number one song, “Every Little Thing”. “Thanks to stations like this one, shout out to NashFM 94,” Pearce exclaimed for helping her to achieve the accomplishment with “Every Little Thing”.

Chris Lane Photo Via @NashFm947 Instagram

Chris Lane’s stage presence and energy brought Nash FM’s Summer Shindig to another level, performing his singles “Let Me Love You”, “Fix”, and even some throwback Tim McGraw with “I Like It, I Love It”. The singer also invited a pint-size fan to the stage, she sat on a stool while he serenaded her with his love song “For Her”. Lane asked the ladies in the audience to sing Tori Kelly’s part in his most recent smash hit “Take Back Home Girl”, check out our exclusive clip here.

“Nash FM 94.7 knows how to throw a party, this is awesome! Thank you guys for coming out here and letting us live our dreams tonight,” Granger Smith said after taking the stage as the final artist of the afternoon. Smith sang songs from his latest album When the Good Guys Win including “Happens Like That” and in true Earl Dibble’s Jr. form, “Don’t Tread on Me” complete with “Yee Yee’s” from the crowd. Check out our exclusive from the stage video of “If the Boot Fits” here.

Nash FM DJs Katie Neal & Jesse Addy introducing each act to the stage. Photo via @NashFm947 Instagram

The blue sky and sunshine was the perfect setting for a day filled with American pride and great country music. For more info on events that NashFM 94.7 is hosting this summer head to their Instagram or their website.

—————————-

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:

NYCS Woman of the Month: Kelly Ford

May 15, 2018/in Blog, Woman of the Month /by Christina Bosch

Photo by: Tyler Andrews for Cumulus Media

“I always knew I wanted to do something fun”, our May Woman of the Month Kelly Ford tells New York Country Swag in a recent phone conversation. Ford has worked in the radio broadcasting industry since she was in college, working hard at internships and proving she can follow her dreams and make it in this business. After making an impression during her final internship in college, she was bitten by the radio bug and knew this would be the career she would pursue. Growing up in Louisville, Ford was not a country fan, “I didn’t like it at all, when you grow up in the south you either love country or hate country and particularly back then and rock was so much better back then, U2 and Springsteen and it was just a great time for rock music.”

For twenty-two years, Ford honed her craft on the morning show in Denver on 98.5 KYGO, a highly regarded heritage country radio station. The year she started in the country music genre was also the year Garth Brooks started, making it a great time to be broadcasting country music. “I believe he changed country music and made it the kind of country I liked to listen to,” she explained. When the unique opportunity arose to be a part of launching New York City’s very first country radio station in 17 years, Ford took the chance, moving across the country to the Big Apple. “It was the most magical career moment of my life, even after winning three CMAs, an ACM and a Marconi, nothing replaced just that gratitude to be part of launching that,” she humbly tells us.

(l-r) New York Country Swag Founder Stephanie Wagner, Kelly Ford, Russell Dickerson, Nash FM 94.7’s Jesse Addy at New York Country Swag’s Country Night on the Water, June 2016

Ford’s voice was the first to be played across the tri-state area when 94.7 NASH FM station launched back in 2013. The station now serves as the flagship station for NASH brands all over the country, reaching over 85 million country music fans. “I can’t explain it, it was pretty magical and to be able to reinvent myself after being in a market for so long, as a broadcaster then, going to the number one market is even cooler. There are lots of elements to it, but the most exciting is being a part of history and launching something that nobody will ever be able to take away from the group of us that did it,” she recalls.

She continues to explain how the New York City country music fan base is unlike any other fans in the country. Because New Yorkers didn’t necessarily grow up with the music on the radio it didn’t become the soundtrack to their lives the way it was for anyone growing up in the south or the west, they are actively choosing to seek out the genre and now defending it. “They are New Yorkers, so the passion level is off the charts and artists notice it, we notice it,” Ford says. “I miss the fans on a daily basis, because it is a level of passion that you don’t see everywhere.”

When the syndicated morning show which was based out of Nashville needed a leading lady, Ford decided to make the move, leaving her station in New York, but still having hte ability to be broadcast there. “I get the benefits of New York without the taxes, and I am still on the air in New York which is really important to me. The thing about the syndicated show, I am such a big believer in local radio, but we are bringing Nashville to country fans. For this one case, the show needed to be syndicated out of Nashville. We are part of the community here, we have deep seeded relationships with the artists and the town.”

(l-r) Nash FM’s Ty Bentli, Kelly Ford & Chuck Wicks with New York Country Swag’s Stephanie Wagner & Christina Bosch

Ty, Kelly, and Chuck is a morning show syndicated across all of the NASH stations and is live on the air weekdays 5:00 AM-9:00 AM CST. It always brings you the biggest country songs, as well as featuring up and coming country acts, big country stars and fantastic banter between Ty Bentli, Chuck Wicks, and Kelly Ford.

“I missed New York greatly, I still miss it on a daily basis, but I get the best of both worlds doing this show and I hope we get up there more. Our New York audience is one of the major priorities and to be able to bring country music to the listeners there is awesome,” she tells us.

Her favorite part of her job is not what you might think, interacting with huge stars every day, but rather to interact with all of the listeners. She admits that Dolly Parton is the only artist that she gets nervous around, but that when it comes to the other artists, she appreciates them as people, not for what they’ve accomplished. “I look at them as people, a few people I get excited about coming in, because they are fun and interesting and are good humans, Garth Brooks, Chris Janson and Jennifer Nettles.” she tells us “I have a personal connection to them and I enjoy them as humans. I’m never impressed by what someone does, I am impressed by who they are, about having a good conversation and just liking somebody.”

Her advice to women pursuing a career in broadcasting and in the music business, in general, is to forge ahead and do you, pick your battles and stand up for yourself. “The cool thing about women is they’ve been quietly ruling the world anyway and we are now saying, we actually also want some recognition for doing it,” she conveys. “Good women on a like-minded mission are unstoppable, honestly. We have to make a statement by showing up every day and doing the best job we can do and that’s in everything, relationships, in motherhood, at work and everything. Your best one day may not be your best the next day, but keep your head up, keep your word.”

Keep up with Kelly on her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

* EDIT: Kelly Ford has since returned to New York City on the rebranded New York’s Country 94.7. Check out the announcement here.

—————————-

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:

Brett Eldredge’s ‘The Long Way Tour’ Hits NYC with Devin Dawson & Jillian Jacqueline…

May 7, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

“…I didn’t really care where else we went, all I knew is I wanted to end in New York City” Brett Eldredge tells his adoring fans who spent the entire concert on their feet at Hammerstein Ballroom. The last stop on The Long Way Tour just happened to be right here in our favorite city in the world. Prior to the evening show, Eldredge along with his supporting acts, Devin Dawson and Jillian Jacqueline stopped by Nash FM Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 to perform a few songs, which Nash FM 94.7 DJ Jesse Addy cleverly titled “The Short Way Tour”.

Jillian Jacqueline at Nash FM 94.7 HMH Stage 17

Photo by Nash FM 94.7 via Facebook

Jacqueline was up first, performing her single “Reasons” and “Hate Me” giving fans a sneak peek of what they would hear later on during her opening set. “Life is weird sometimes, you can’t always choose the timing of things,” she explained to the Nash DJs about getting engaged and having her song “Reasons” which is a breakup song about a previous relationship head to country radio. She ended with a brand new song that she wrote called “Tragic” about making it through tough times and not taking herself too seriously.

Devin Dawson at Nash FM 94.7 HMH Stage 17

Photo by Nash FM 94.7 via Facebook

Devin Dawson was up next to preview his set for The Long Way Tour. Dawson sang “I Don’t Care Who Sees”, “Asking For a Friend” which just happens to be his next radio single and his breakout single, “All On Me”. “This is one of the funnest tours I’ve ever been on, I’m sad to say this is the last night of it, but we are going to leave it all out on the floor for you guys tonight,” he told the in-studio audience.

Brett Eldredge at Nash FM 94.7 HMH Stage 17

Photo by Nash FM 94.7 via Facebook

Brett Eldredge took the stage lastly, but not before running up and down the aisle high fiving all of the fans who spent their Saturday at Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17. He answered some questions from Facebook Live, including a shout-out to his mom who was watching live as well. He took a seat on a stool and grabbed his guitar to sing an intimate acoustic version of “Mean to Me” as well as “Wanna Be That Song” before handing out a pair of coveted tickets to that night’s show to a lucky audience member.

Check out the full live show from Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 below…

Fast forwarding a few hours, The Long Way Tour had its final run at The Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. Jillian Jacqueline and Devin Dawson once again acted as the supporting artists. Jacqueline sang songs from her EP including “Bleachers”, “Hate Me” and “Reasons”. Devin Dawson then took the stage to perform songs off his debut album Dark Horse including “War Paint”, “Symptoms”, “Prison” and of course his first single “All On Me”. The audience was so loud singing back the words, Dawson was taken back and finally got emotional when the packed room of three floors was lit up with flashlights for his finale, “Dark Horse”. After watching the swaying lights dance in the darkness, Dawson said: “New York City, I’ve never cried on stage before, this is a night I will never forget”.

Eldredge who had saved most of his energy for this last night of the tour, took the sold-out room by storm, singing all of his hits, including “The Reason”, “Something I’m Good At”, “Lose My Mind” and “Don’t Ya”. Pausing to slow things down a bit, the crew brought out a full-size bed, Eldredge put on a “Bed Head Jamz” zip-up sweatshirt and had his dog Edgar on stage with him to perform a live version of the Instagram famous “Bed Head Jamz”. The audience sang along with him to “You Are My Sunshine” and then performed “Raymond” one of the first songs he had ever released which is about his grandma.

He invited back to the stage his opening acts to join him in singing Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” then ended the night of incredible music with “Cast Away” and “Drunk on Your Love”. The Long Way Tour closed out its Spring run with a sold-out New York City show and the three levels of fans will agree it was a night to remember.

Jillian Jacqueline, Brett Eledredge and Devin Dawson with NYCountry Swag's Christina Bosch and Stephanie Wagner

Jillian Jacqueline, Brett Eledredge and Devin Dawson with New York Country Swag’s Christina Bosch and Stephanie Wagner. (Photo by Nash FM 94.7 via Facebook)

—————————-

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:

NYCountry Swag Sends Lucky Winners to Meet Brothers Osborne at Nash FM 94.7

April 25, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Nash FM 94.7’s Katie Neal with New York Country Swag’s Christina Bosch & Stephanie Wagner

Coming off of their latest album release, Brothers Osborne stopped by the Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 at the Nash FM 94.7 studios last night (Apr. 24) to chat with DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy about their brand new album Port Saint Joe and the making of the new project.

Partnering with Nash FM, New York Country Swag hosted a giveaway for the event, inviting followers to attend the intimate concert through a ticket giveaway contest hosted on our Instagram. Stephanie and Christina, from the New York Country Swag team, hopped on stage with Katie Neal to greet the audience as well as introduce them to what New York Country Swag is all about before Brothers Osborne hit the stage.

The duo sang the debut single off the record to kick off the performance, “Shoot Me Straight” as well as “Weed, Whiskey, and Willie” and “Pushing Up Daisies”. TJ announced that although they would be playing new record tracks, of course, they would play “some oldies, but goodies”. Chatting about the goals of the album, TJ explained that over the two years that have passed since Pawn Shop was released, they have matured a lot and played hundreds of shows. They are now confident in the artists they have become and feel this record is a more improved version.

They closed their performance with the song that really got everything started for them, “Stay A Little Longer” and you could hear the audience singing along to every word, then after asking for audience participation the boys sang their upbeat hit “Ain’t My Fault”. Their hilarious banter along with their incredible guitar and vocal skills made for one of the best Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 shows Nash FM 94.7 has hosted. The audience was excited to be able to sit and hear stories about the recording process and then to finally get to meet the duo after their set.

Keep up with all things Nash FM on our social media pages and stay tuned for more giveaways for your favorite artists.

—————————-

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:

Nash FM Stage 17: Jason Aldean

April 20, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Flying straight from Las Vegas, where he accepted his third consecutive ACM Entertainer of the Year award to New York City, Jason Aldean continued his album release week with performances at Opry City Stage, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and finally, Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 in the Nash FM 94.7 Studios.

Aldean took time to chat with Katie Neal and Jesse Addy about the music and stories behind the tracks off of his new album, Rearview Town. In between broadcasting a few of the songs, Aldean was joined by his band to perform some of his biggest hits including “Take A Little Ride”, “Tattoos On This Town”, “My Kinda Party”, as well as closing the Up Close and Country Performance with “Dirt Road Anthem”. He also performed the debut single off the project “You Make It Easy” as well as the title track, “Rearview Town”.

He discussed his High Noon Neon Tour and bringing along rising stars Lauren Alaina and Luke Combs, reminiscing how in the past he has had some incredible acts open for him right before they blew up in the genre including Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Eric Church. “We’ve tried to time it where those guys were right on the verge of becoming big stars, we looked at it and we thought Lauren was one of those people,” he told the DJs “And Luke Combs, I loved his first single, “Hurricane”, I thought that was great”.

Aldean explained that there are a few iconic venues in America, Madison Square Garden definitely being one of them and that he is excited to headline the famous arena for the second time this summer. The High Noon Neon Tour hits Madison Square Garden on August 11th, grab your tickets here. Tune in to the full performance below. For more intimate shows, be sure to be following us on social media and subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up for chances to win your way in.

—————————-

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

NYCS Woman of the Month: Katie Neal

March 8, 2018/in Blog, Woman of the Month /by Christina Bosch

In our latest series, we’re bringing you stories from women who are chasing their dreams and building a life that they love with New York Country Swag’s, “Woman of the Month.”

Each month, we will highlight a different female pursuing her passions. Introducing you to women who are taking risks, working relentlessly and turning their dreams into reality. These are empowering women who serve as role models and should be celebrated.

On this very special National Women’s Day edition of our Woman of the Month, we are highlighting one of New York’s most popular names in country music radio, Katie Neal. Growing up in a small town in Illinois, Neal recalls driving down backroads in her father’s red Ford pickup truck and always listening to country music. During college, as she pursued a degree in TV Production, she had to take a radio class to complete her major. “I was so nervous to record my voice and then have to listen to it in front of other people, I was petrified of it,” she remembers. After a semester of radio, she started a morning show with one of her friends that is still on the air today. She caught the radio bug and after college worked for a local Cumulus station in Bloomington, IL. Working three jobs in order to keep her job in radio, she realized quickly that working hard and working towards a goal wasn’t always going to be easy. When they cut her shift at the local station, Neal decided to take a chance and asked to be transferred to a bigger market.

“I think when I moved I kind of made peace with the fact that I might not get a job on air if I did this, but honestly I was flying by the seat of my pants and I felt like in my heart this is what I had to do, if I had moved somewhere else it wouldn’t have been what I wanted,” she explains. “I love traveling, I love being out and about and I feel like NY was the place for me to be.” Borrowing money from a friend to pay for her flight to NY, she interviewed for a sales position and shortly after packed up her Mitsubishi Eclipse with everything she owned and drove across country to start a new chapter in her life. She laughs looking back at the moment she exited the Holland Tunnel and was right in the middle of China Town, never having driven in New York City, things were quite different from her small hometown.

Sharing a three bedroom apartment with six roommates was the reality, knowing that was the only way she could afford to live in NYC her first year here. Starting her job at Cumulus on January 2nd of 2013, she was there just a few short weeks later when Nash FM was flipped on as a country station for the very first time. It was the first country station in NYC in over fifteen years. “It was strange to get here and to realize that NY doesn’t have a country station so I always took an interest in Nash because it was something that was comfortable and familiar in a place where everything was so foreign,” she tells us. “I listen to all genres of music but country music feels like home to me and I feel like it’s like that for a lot of people.”

When a full-time position opened up as a Nash DJ, Neal had been working closely with the program director and filling weekend and part-time slots so after auditioning she landed the job. She is on air weekdays from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM and entertains her audience with their favorite country music as well as anecdotes about the artists and news relevant to the tristate area. Throughout our interview, she continually discusses how lucky is she is be working in this industry alongside men who support and champion her career every single day. “I can see where it could be very difficult as a woman. We are up against a lot in society but I think it’s a really exciting time to be a woman and not just in this industry,” she explains.

Photo Courtesy of NASH FM 94.7 Facebook

Her one year anniversary as a full-time DJ just past last month and she continues to work closely to help the brand and the station meet goals and reach new heights. She tells us how grateful she is every day to be working for the only NYC country radio station and how it feels like old friends are dropping by when the artists stop by when they are in town. Artists swing by the Nash FM studios weekly, whether they are just doing an in-studio interview to chat about their new music or playing for a select group of winning fans at the Stage 17 studio. Radio has adapted so much with the growing popularity of social media, so each of the Stage 17 shows are now streamed live across their social media platforms. Along with Jesse Addy, Neal hosts these artists and chats about their upcoming music and what they have going on in New York City.

“I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by people in my life who have taken an interest in me and were able to identify my strengths and guide me in the right direction,” she says humbled. “It has taken a village to get me here but I am very grateful for them.” While discussing her favorite part of her job she explains that she loves how she gets to be a small part of someone’s happiness during their day. She hopes she brings some light into the world and is proud to be listening to the music she loves alongside side the listeners of Nash FM. Follow along Katie’s adventures at Nash FM and to all of the country concerts she attends by following her on Instagram.

—————————-

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

Nash FM Stage 17: Midland

January 30, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Kicking off their epic Grammy weekend, Nash FM Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 hosted two-time nominees, Midland. The band made up of Mark, Cameron and Jess took the stage in their signature outfits to play songs from their debut album On The Rocks.

“We’re going to put you right in the middle of a west Texas honky tonk,” the lead singer says before they kicked off their set with “Check Cashin’ Country”. The trio sang “Burn Out” as well as their current single, “Make A Little” and talked about what an honor it is to be nominated for not one, but two Grammy awards. “We take great pride in being able to write, record, and perform our songs live and to be recognized and validated by our heroes, it’s really surreal.”

Commenting on their “ten-year-overnight success” story, they proudly played their debut single and first number one song, “Drinkin’ Problem” to close out the set. “Follow your heart, put one boot in front of the other and some pretty amazing things can end up happening,” Mark said about their determination in this business.

Listen to Midland’s debut album On The Rocks below. Be sure to Like Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 on Facebook to get a notification everytime they go live and listen to Nash FM 94.7 daily for. your chance to win a seat at these intimate shows.

—————————-

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