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Who Are the Nashvillains? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music

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Who Are the Nashvillains? The country-rock trio joined us to chat about their journey to country music. Get to know the rising stars here…

who-are-nashvillains

Nashvillains // Photo credit: Annie Noelker

The Beginning:

Today our spotlight shines on one of the most unique acts in country music right now. The Nashvillains, comprised of three incredible musicians, Troy Johnson, Brett Boyett, and Scott Lindsey are a band you are going to want to know about ASAP. The trio is a true gift to music fans.

Johnson, Boyett, and Scott were all primed for success in the music industry at an early age. They all lived full and prosperous lives, prior to forming their band. Nashvillains’ lead singer, Johnson has been playing music all his life. “I have always done it since the age of 5, I kind of woke up singing and I just haven’t stopped. Music has always been the trajectory of my life.” The singer headed to Belmont University in Nashville for college and has been cutting his teeth in the industry since.

Scott also attended Belmont University around the same time. “I’m originally from a place called Beaver Dam, Kentucky, in the heart of bluegrass music,” shared the band member. “I was raised on music and I thought everyone played music, baseball, and basketball growing up.” Scott grew up heading to writes in Nashville with his father, as well as, playing gigs at honky-tonks in music city at as early as sixteen.

Nashvillains’ guitar player and record producer, Boyett got his start in his home state of Colorado. The artist even studied classical guitar, when he attended college in Texas. “I was playing the country circuit in Texas and I was writing songs and he encouraged me to move to Nashville,” shared Boyett about the encouragement he got from George Jones’ bass player. The artist also played in a rock band in New York City, but it was in Los Angeles, where he really honed his skills as a composer and as a songwriter.

Boyett’s faithful move to LA, where he worked on shows like Reba and wrote and produced, the highly-acclaimed feature ‘Forever My Girl’, was the start of the Nashvillains. He just did not know it yet!

The Turning Point:

While working on Forever My Girl, Boyett hired Johnson to sing the demos and background vocals. The two immediately bonded and formed a working friendship. Boyett also was introduced to Scott, during the same time in his life. “We hit it off and I started talking about how I was moving back to Nashville and I wanted to work with this singer I had been using for demos, Troy Johnson, and he was like, ‘oh yeah, I know Troy. We write for the same publishing company.'”

As it turned out, both Scott and Johnson had offices across the hall from one another at the publishing company and knew each other well. After the trio all became friends, Boyett finally pitched his idea of the Nashvillains to the men. “I had this idea of the Nashvillains, this kind of dark, country, cinematic country thing and we all got together,” shared Boyett.

After some convincing, both Scott and Johnson were on board, and the trio that is Nashvillains was born.

Today:

Fans can look forward to the Nashvillains debut album Tumbling Down coming out this Friday, March 4th. “I think that our uniqueness comes from the fact that we actually did draw from each other’s unique backgrounds,” shared the trio. “There’s a lot of different influences in this band. We all three have such diverse backgrounds with where we are from and the music we grew up on.”

The record is a complete concept album that is a unique conglomerate of everything that makes the trio mesh together effortlessly.“We’re all kinda musicologists in a sense that we get all the genres, but we each have a different proclivity to play. And I think because of that a push and pull that’s what creates the [Nashvillains.]”

Tumbling Down is both unique and relatable, begging listeners to listen to the project from start to finish. “One of the coolest things about this is that people should listen to the album from start to finish. It’s a concept album, so there’s an overall story and an arc to the entire album, so each song relates to the next one,” begins the band. “We hadn’t heard of anyone else doing that in country music, so we thought that might be a really cool approach to take with this and we had a pretty good story that we thought would work and we kind of wrote around that.”

Fans can also anticipate unique instrumentation to go along with the rock-country vibes of the upcoming project.“I think we’ve really embodied the name ‘Nashvillains.’ We’re definitely country and we’re definitely based in Nashville, but we sort of have a skewed view of what the Nashvillains sound is and we can kinda explore.”

Country music fans can look forward to the trio supporting the record with tour dates in the upcoming months. Until then, make sure you check back this Friday for our full review of the record!

Connect:

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

To keep up with Nashvillains, follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“Tumbling Down” 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.

Who Is Alana Springsteen? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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Who is Alana Springsteen? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

Alana Springsteen

The Beginning:

This week our Swag Spotlight artist is the young, but extremely talented Alana Springsteen. She is a fiery pop-country singer-songwriter, who realized her passion for music at the tender age of 7 years old when she first picked up a guitar. Springsteen was destined to make music for a living and we chatted with the songstress about her blossoming career and her brand new music that we are sure fans will love.

“I’m originally from Virginia Beach, total beach girl,” she begins, “I grew up loving music from a super early age. My dad was always playing music around the house and stuff and both my grandads are pastors, so I grew up in church and I think that’s where my love of music started.” After learning to play guitar from her uncle at seven years old, Springsteen became obsessed with performing, singing the National Anthem across the country when she was just a child.

Around that time, the songstress starting writing her own music and found a love for country music. “I was inspired by a lot of strong, female country artists,” she shares with us,  “I listened to Carrie Underwood a ton growing up, Faith Hill, Shania Twain [and] Taylor Swift obviously was one that influenced me just because she was so young and doing it. Just watching her, I was like wow I can do this” Her musical taste has since expanded to the likes of artists like LANY, Sam Hunt, Ariana Grande, and Julia Michaels.

The Turning Point:

As fate would have it, Springsteen was recognized by a music industry executive during one of her anthem performances, and that experience introduced her to the world of Nashville. She signed her first publishing deal at just 14 years old, and soon after that, Springsteen and her supportive family made the big move to Music City.

Flash forward to today, the singer-songwriter finally feels like she has met her people in Nashville, and feels ready to share her music with the world. With a team of people who believe in her vision behind her, the songstress has already released a debut EP, which was well-received, as well as, an incredible cover of ILLENIUM and Jon Bellion’s “Good Things Fall Apart,” and her brand new song “Think About You,” a duet featuring fellow country artist Filmore.

In regards to the former, Springsteen decided to record the song because of how much she loved it. “As soon as it was released, it was my jam for the longest time,” she tells us about the original, adding, “I just started messing around with it- just a guitar, and once I stripped it down, I realized it could totally be a country song because it’s kinda just a story. There are so many word pictures, it kinda takes you on this journey.” Springsteen’s version is heartfelt, vulnerable, and most definitely personifies her vibe.

Today:

“Think About You,” an original, is just as creative and sincere. The song has received love by our home radio station New York’s Country 94.7, as well as, by fans. Interestingly enough, during the writing process, Springsteen did not plan to make this song into a duet, but during the recording process, she was hit with inspiration and asked Filmore to be apart of it. As she shared the story behind the song, the songstress surprised us with an anecdote about how she and Filmore became connected in the first place.

“My dad actually drives for Lyft on the side,” she begins, “He would play [my demos] on loop, while he was driving these people around, he wouldn’t say anything about it, he would just kinda wait for them to notice.” That is exactly what happened one day when her dad picked up Filmore and his friends unexpectedly. Springsteen calls the whole whirlwind experience from that moment until the pair cut the single “an absolute dream.” Not to mention, the song is incredible.

This is just the start for Springsteen, as she is sure to deliver more and more music this year. She has spent years honing her craft and is ready to share her stories and experiences with the world. Before this year is up, she is sure to release more covers and maybe more originals, and of course, as soon as it is safe, she hopes to get a chance to tour again. Until then, make sure to keep this rising talent on your radar!

To keep up with Alana Springsteen follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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

NYCS Swag Spotlight Featuring Joe Lasher

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Joe Lasher

Joe Lasher, born and raised in Weaverville, North Carolina, is the definition of a small town boy who grew up around music and decided early on that it would be his career choice. His grandfather was in a southern gospel quartet for 55 years and his dad was in a 90’s rock band that toured around the North and South Carolina area. In a recent chat with New York Country Swag, Lasher explains how his father’s music influenced his sound as well as grunge bands such as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana.

Throughout high school, Lasher had wanted to make football a career, being that he is 6’3 and always very into sports but he tells us “I think God decided I was supposed to play music when I broke my leg the first play of the second game in high school, so I had to set aside everything I loved to do and I think that is when I realized I can’t do anything I love right now with a broken leg. That’s when I picked up my guitar.”

Playing open mic nights when he was 15-16 years old, he fell in love with being on stage, despite his nerves.  “People would put money in the tip jar, and what was really cool, I came back the next week and all of the same people that were there came again but this time they brought their friends so it was at that point that I realized I enjoyed being up on the stage and playing music and seeing the people in front of me enjoying what I was doing,” he explains. “I was very quick to get addicted to that feeling.”

Mixing his rock and roll background with his traditional country upbringing he started playing the rodeo circuits throughout the region and practicing the craft of live shows.  He became friends with songwriter and producer Jeremy Stover who has worked with a ton of country artists including Justin Moore.  Stover encouraged Lasher to make the move to Nashville right out of high school and they worked together on a 5 song EP to get his feet wet in the industry.

Now at twenty-one years old, Lasher has released a new single “Nothing Better To Do Friday Nights” which was written by Stover and rising country artist Michael Ray. Although he isn’t a co-writer on the song, Lasher tells us that the first time he heard it, he knew that it was the perfect way to introduce himself to a new fanbase in Nashville.  “From where I am from, we lived that life “Nothing Better to Do Friday Nights”  that was our way. We had nothing to do, so we gathered up, there was a parking lot, like a shopping complex, we used to gather around with our trucks on Friday nights, it was where all of the small-town gossip came together, and sometimes, some of us, we got in trouble,” he laughs.

“I want to play feel-good songs and I want people to relate to everything I am doing and I want them to know when they come to my show that I grew up doing the same things that they did so it will feel really homey and cozy,” Lasher explains of his live show.  He wants fans to know that although he is pursuing a country music career, he will never lose the rock and roll influence that his father instilled in him from an early age.

He looks forward to hitting the road to promote his new single, seeing new places and meeting new people. Be sure to follow Joe Lasher on social media, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Carolyn Miller

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Carolyn Miller

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Carolyn Miller is our next Swag Spotlight.  Just like Tommy Cole and Lauren Davidson, Miller is pursuing a career in country music by growing her fanbase up north and taking frequent trips down to Nashville for meetings and songwriting sessions.  She tells us in a recent phone interview that like most performers, she was performing before she even knew it.  “When I was 2 in church if my parents blinked I would run up onto the altar, as I  got older they just realized it was I just loved to perform and be in front of people,” she laughs.

Besides not having the typical ‘growing up on a farm’ experience, Miller also went a different route during her early years, acting for television and Broadway. Starting with local community theater when she was merely six years old, and being signed to a top children’s talent manager when she was eight, Miller has worked professionally since then, working on a national commercial with Rosie O’Donnell, voiceover work for Jenifer Lopez’s perfume, landed a role in Daredevil with Ben Affleck and guest starred in Law and Order SVU.  All of this before she exited her teen years, Miller was accepted to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College on scholarship.  After graduating college she was inspired by some friends who were posting cover videos on YouTube. She gathered some friends, Mikel James and David Wong and they recorded their own version of A Great Big World’s “Say Something”. Within 48 hours the video garnered over thirty thousand views, reaching now almost a hundred thousand views.

The exposure from the YouTube cover lit a fire under her to start exploring the recording artist side of her passion, something she had never really thought about before.  Although she grew up on Long Island, which did not have a country radio station for almost 20 years, she recalls seeing Carrie Underwood win American Idol and being hooked.  “the reason why I connect with it so much is country music is so real, honest, authentic, it tells a story, it’s vulnerable and it has something to say and there is always a purpose,” she explains.  “Coming from my acting background I love authentic stories and I love really getting up and singing I don’t want beats and autotune, country is just that real beautiful pure genre of music.”

After a chance meeting with Russ DeSalvo who has produced Celine Dion and Lionel Richie, Miller started working with him on her debut EP which will be out this summer. The EP features five songs that songwriters in Nashville, LA, and NY wrote, songs that she felt spoke to her.  She looks forward to honing her songwriting craft and performing songs in her live shows and for future albums that she has written herself.

Her background in performing and acting has given her the foundation in this industry to move at a much faster pace than someone just starting out. “I learned discipline, dedication and work ethic from the time I was 8 years old. I understand how it works, I’ve been exposed to it all from a young age,” she tells us. “Everything I’ve been through just proves to me that I know I am ready for this and I know this is what I am meant to be doing and the ups and downs of the industry are expected.”
Miller considers herself pop-country crossover, very New York City meets Nashville and is excited to release her debut EP, Unbreakable later this year.  While in NY she has performed at shows all around town, including the Country Christmas Showdown, was a Nash Next Finalist and is booking opening slots with bigger acts for the remainder of this year. “You have to live and eat and breathe and sleep your craft and feel it in your blood and DNA that there is no other option,” she thoughtfully exclaims.  “If that this is your happiness then you just know that this is what you are meant to do.”
Follow Carolyn Miller on her social media platforms, Facebook,  and Instagram, for announcements on upcoming shows and releases.

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Swag Spotlight: Jillian Jacqueline

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Jillian Jacqueline

 

New York Country Swag 2018 Artist to Watch and our next Swag Spotlight, Jillian Jacqueline, grew up in Pennslyvania where she found herself the odd one out, listening to country music.  Her mother who was from South Carolina only listened to country music and CMT was the only television station they would watch, she recalled during our recent interview.

From a young age, music was important to Jacqueline and her entire family.  Her sisters were in a family band that sang at weddings and festivals. They covered everything from The Beatles and Carol King to James Taylor and The Eagles, rounding out her childhood influences. Moving to New York City with her family when she was thirteen, her musical palette expanded. Throughout her teenage years she was a fan of punk rock bands such as Third Eye Blind and All American Rejects.  “That heavily shaped my melodic sense on top of the country music that I grew up on. Now what I do is sort of a melting pot of all of those different influences. As it is with a lot of artists, I feel like it is the roots of what you grew up on and then the music you got into in your teen college years, that all meshes together.” she tells us.

Jillian Jacqueline was signed to Big Loud Records in March of 2017, she released her first project for the record label, Side A back in September. The project as a whole is in one word, vulnerable.  Showcasing her songwriting skills and unique take on the country genre, Side A has a little something for all fans and is completely relatable. The lead single from the EP is “Reasons” and has racked up over 12 million spins on Spotify since it was released.  The song was written after Jacqueline decided to tap into her emotions and use her songwriting sessions as therapy after a tough breakup.  “It turned out to be some of the most honest stuff I have ever written,” she explained.  Just a week ago, she made her late night TV debut on Seth Meyers to sing “Reasons.” Check out the video below.

Each song highlights a personal detail of her life, which has prompted fans to reach out and explain how the songs have helped them.  “I like to say it was sort of like jumping off a cliff naked, releasing these songs, it was so true to life,” she laughed.  Proud of the human connection she has created, she says, “That’s why we are here”.  When she recorded the songs for Side A, she explained she had seven more songs that she recorded as well, so hopefully, in 2018 she will release her first full-length album.

Jacqueline hits the road this summer with opening slots on two of the hottest tours this year, Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes Tour and Brett Eldredge’s The Long Way Tour.  She will also be joined by another one of our NYCS 2018 Artists to Watch, Jordan Davis on The White Wine and Whiskey Tour.

For more about Jillian Jacqueline be sure to be following her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here for her full list of tour dates for the new year.

 

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Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
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