NYCS Swag Spotlight: Rob Baird

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Memphis, Tennessee native who now resides in Austin, Texas, Rob Baird recalls growing up being surrounded by music. Memphis, although not as famous for music as Nashville, has shaped the landscape of the blues, rock n roll, and Motown genre.  Baird in a recent phone conversation chats about his new record and his switch from a cattle rancher to a singer-songwriter . Growing up he tells us his very first concert was ZZ Top when he was in the third grade but that he was inspired by Al Green and the music that made Memphis famous. “If you grew up in Memphis, you just drive by Sun Records 3000 times in your lifetime,” he tells us. “I feel like Memphis doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves for being such a great music town”.

He started playing music in college and when people started showing up to his shows, he knew that maybe the switch from ranch manager to musician was the best decision to make. After releasing his first two records in Nashville, he made the move to Austin. “I’m obsessed with where I live, I just love it,” Baird tells us of the city. Although all of the writing for his fourth studio record took place at his kitchen table in Texas, he traveled to Nashville to record After All with longtime friend Rick Brantley as the producer under the direction of Jeremy Ferguson (Cage the Elephant and Lucie Silvas).

He called the shots on this record, writing all ten tracks and allowing only people who he felt knew him and his mission, to work with him to achieve it. “For this project, we just needed someone that we really trusted, that knew me well, and cared about the project, we wanted dear friends who understood what we want to do,” Baird explains. The tracks are autobiographical, telling the story of heartbreak, loss, and healing. Featuring Lucie Silvas’ smokey voice on background vocals on “Burning Blue”, it is one of the highlights on After All.

Looking ahead to 2019, Baird is promoting the new record playing shows not only in Texas but across the south. Check out our review from his intimate showcase in Fort Worth, Texas here.

Follow Rob Baird on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and head to his website for all of his tour dates.

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Dierks Bentley Announces ‘Burning Man Tour’ Extended Dates

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Burning Man Tour Dierks Bentley

Early this morning Dierks Bentley announced he will be extending his ‘Burning Man Tour’ throughout the summer with major tour stops across the country included a New York show at Northwell Health at Jones Beach on August 3rd.  Bentley is bringing Jon Pardi and one of our 2019 Artists to Watch, Tenille Townes, and Hot Country Knights for the continued dates.

“The Burning Man Tour is off to a killer start…I’ve loved standing side stage to watch Pardi and Tennille and to feel the energy bottled up in these arenas before we go on,” said Bentley in a recent press release. “We are making the most of every minute out there – on stage and off – and I’m excited to announce we are going to roll it through the summer.”

Fans can purchase tickets now for select cities as part of Live Nation’s Country Megaticket at www.Megaticket.com and other tickets go on sale this Friday, February 15th. Head to http://www.dierks.com/ for more information.

 

Upcoming 2019 BURNING MAN TOUR Dates:
2/14/19  Ontario, CA
2/15/19  Fresno, CA
2/16/19  Reno, NV
2/21/19  Lexington, KY
2/22/19  Nashville, TN
2/23/19  Columbia, MO
2/28/19  Sioux Fall, SD
3/01/19  Wichita, KS
3/02/19  Omaha, NE
3/07/19  Moline, IL
3/08/19  Duluth, MN
3/09/19  Grand Forks, ND
3/28/19  Toledo, OH
3/29/19  Columbus, OH
3/30/19  Grand Rapids, MI
5/30/19  Cincinnati, OH
5/31/19  Indianapolis, IN
6/01/19  St. Louis, MO
6/13/19  Brandon, MS
6/14/19  Alpharetta, GA
6/15/19  Orange Beach, AL
6/29/19  Clarkston, MI
6/30/19  Syracuse, NY
7/18/19  Jacksonville, FL
7/25/19  Cleveland, OH
7/11/19  Raleigh, NC
7/12/19  Virginia Beach, VA
7/13/19  Bristow, VA
7/19/19  West Palm Beach, FL
7/20/19  Tampa, FL
7/26/19  Holmdel, NJ
7/27/19  Burgettstown, PA
8/01/19  Darien Center, NY
8/02/19  Wantagh, NY
8/03/19  Scranton, PA
8/08/19  Charlotte, NC
8/09/19  Tuscaloosa, AL
8/10/19  Dallas, TX
8/15/19  Hartford, CT
8/16/19  Boston, MA
8/17/19  Philadelphia, PA
8/22/19  Kansas City, MO
8/23/19  Chicago, IL
9/06/19  Irvine, CA*
9/07/19  Mountain View, CA*
9/08/19  Sacramento, CA**

*with Jon Pardi, Caylee Hammack, and the Hot Country Knights
**with Caylee Hammack and the Hot Country Knights

FGL and HARDY Duet on New Country Anthem “Y’all Boys”

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Florida Georgia Line and HARDY Y'all Boys

Photo Credit: Robby Klein

As of midnight February 8th, Florida Georgia Line gave fans another reason to be excited for their new album by debuting “Y’all Boys” off their upcoming fourth studio record Can’t Say I Ain’t Country. The song, penned by Michael Hardy, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, and Brett Tyler “Y’all Boys” features Hardy and is the ultimate tribute to being a true down home country boy.

And don’t worry, if you do not know how a real country boy lives, Florida Georgia Line and Hardy explain it to us in the up-tempo chorus “Y’all boys with that Southern drawl boys, hell before ya naw rollin’ off just right / Man that town is small boys but you have a ball boys / Homemade alcohol on a Saturday night.”

That is not before humoring us and saying what exactly a country boy is not with lyrics “Well there’s those boys, got the kind of ride/Get fifty-five to the gallon/They listen to that new school/Never heard of George or Alan.” But even if you don’t know George Strait or Alan Jackson, don’t be offended as it is all good and fun as they say they “ain’t hatin’ on the boys.”

“Y’all Boys” is sure to be a rowdy sing-along anthem for the guys, that many can relate to. Florida Georgia Line’s highly anticipated album Can’t Say I Ain’t Country will be released February 15th and is available for preorder now. They are hitting the road in June along with special guests Dan + Shay, Morgan Wallen, and Hardy and Canaan Smith on select dates for the ‘Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour’.

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Rascal Flatts Announce ‘Summer Playlist Tour’

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Rascal Flatts Tour

Rascal Flatts are headed back out on the road this summer and they have a star-studded line up alongside them. This morning (Feb. 8th) the famous country trio announced their ‘Summer Playlist Tour’ over the course of the whole summer and into September. The “Me and My Gang” singers are bringing out quite the opening acts including Lee Brice and LOCASH along with Billy Currington, Jordan Davis, Jimmie Allen and Morgan Evans on select dates. Along with announcing a ton of new shows, the trio also is creating a playlist containing all of the guests that are joining them on the road. This playlist, along with their newest album Back To Us, will have fans pregaming all the way up until show time.

In a recent press release lead singer Gary LeVox stated, “We’ve been so fortunate on our journey to be able to have the best of the best new and established artists join us out on tour. It’s been awesome to see those artists go on to such amazing successes… We can already feel that this tour is going to rock, come see it live!” Rascal Flatts put on one hell of a show so make sure to get your tickets, you will not want to miss it!

You can visit RascalFlatts.com to join their All Access group to be entered into the meet and greet contests and options for early ticket purchases. Fans can purchase tickets now for select cities as part of Live Nation’s Country Megaticket at www.Megaticket.com. If your city is not on sale now, do not stress! Additional dates will continue to roll out over the next couple weeks. They are bringing their show as headliners of Taste of Country Festival up at Hunter Mountain. We hope to see you there!

Official Rascal Flatts SUMMER PLAYLIST TOUR Dates:
5/16 Cincinnati, OH
5/17 St. Louis, MO
5/18 Tinley Park, IL
5/23 West Palm Beach, FL
5/24 Tampa, FL
5/25 Alpharetta, GA
6/9 Holmdel, NJ
6/27 Charlotte, NC
6/28 Raleigh, NC
6/29 Virginia Beach, VA
7/5 Orange Beach, AL
7/6 Nashville, TN
7/25 Mountain View, CA
7/26 Sacramento, CA
8/1 Irvine, CA
8/2 San Diego, CA
8/3 Phoenix, AZ
8/22 Boston, MA
8/23 Philadelphia, PA
8/24 Bristow, VA
8/29 Sugar Land, TX
8/30 Dallas, TX
8/31 Rogers, AR
9/12 Toronto, ON
9/13 Darien Center, NY
9/14 Indianapolis, IN
9/19 Clarkston, MI
9/20 Cleveland, OH
9/21 Burgettstown, PA

 

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Adam Hambrick Delivers a Summertime Anthem

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Adam Hambrick

Country newcomer, Adam Hambrick is making a name for himself in the industry as both a singer and a songwriter. After finding success with his radio single, “Rockin’ All Night,” and finding himself on many artists to watch lists, the singer-songwriter gives fans a taste of summer with his newly released song, “All You, All Night, All Summer.”

Hambrick echoes this sentiment, sharing in a recent press release, “‘All You, All Night, All Summer’ is a good way to give listeners another taste of what the record will be like and it is a great compliment to my radio single […]. Also, it’s February and we thought everybody could use a little summer in their life.”

With its relatable lyrics and infectious beat, the song is sure to become an instant summer anthem. Penned by Hambrick with Pete Good and AJ Babcock, the lyrics reflect on a hot and heavy relationship that blossomed in the summer and paints the picture beautifully of a carefree romance in a small town. Hambrick’s smooth vocals feel effortless and listeners are sure to have the song stuck in their head in no time.

“Everything you love about the Summer/ Just brings your memory back/ To when it was true life magic/ It was bare-feet/ The radio cranked with the doors off the jeep/ Both arms on the hood with the stars out/ Living large in a small town/ I was all in/ You were all mine/ The hot days, wish I could freeze time/ I may never recover/ From when it was all you, all night, all Summer.”

Diehard fans may feel the track sounds familiar because Hambrick filmed a ‘Blank Slate Sessions’ at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville back in 2017 for the song. Check out the recording artist’s live recording of the track below.

The track is available across all streaming platforms. Take a listen below, and make sure to follow our New Country Song Playlist on Spotify for your country music fix.

Keep up with Hambrick via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Fans can catch the singer at Stagecoach Festival in California this April. Additionally, keep a look out for his debut album that it is currently in the works.

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Brooks & Dunn REBOOT Featuring Kane Brown, Luke Combs and More

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Brooks & Dunn Reboot

For the younger generation of country music fans, Brooks & Dunn may seem like your grandparents country music, but their songs and stories are important centerpieces of the genre.  In their latest news, after taking a break from performing and recording together, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks are back and rebooting their most famous songs with some of the genre’s biggest rising names. The duo has had 20 number one hits over the last two decades and they are now getting ready to reimagine those incredible songs with some of the freshest talent coming out of Nashville.

Artists like Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler Booth, and Kacey Musgraves will be featured on the new project. Released today are the first two tracks from their next studio album, REBOOT slated for release on April 5th. Luke Combs joins the best selling duo of all time on “Brand New Man” while Kane Brown lends his vocals to “Believe”.

“This whole experience has been humbling, to say the least. What a cool rush to hear somebody do one of your tunes in a unique way, and it still holds up,” said Ronnie Dunn in a recent press release. “That’s the greatest compliment you can get as an artist. People used to ask us all the time about the legacy we wanted to leave, and it’s honestly just that – you hope the music stands up over time. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to run it up a new flagpole…and it really flies.”

“Brand New Man” features Combs’ rugged voice and dimensional grit. The multi-platinum singer-songwriter is not new to honoring the duo, he usually performs at least one Brooks & Dunn song in his set. When we caught his set at Madison Square Garden opening for Jason Aldean on his High Noon Neon Tour he covered a rousing rendition of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”.  The entire idea for this project happened when Combs met with the duo’s longtime manager and he explained how important Brooks & Dunn had been to his career. “Brooks & Dunn’s music absolutely had a tremendous impact on me,” said Combs in a recent press release. “To me, they invented that foot stomping, driving sound. And it’s so cool that this has turned into such an awesome album, with artists that actually grew up listening to Brooks & Dunn. Their music was so influential to us that having the chance to come in and bounce ideas off the guys and sing with them in the studio was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Kane Brown may be one of the artists in the genre who is pushing the boundaries of pop/R&B but he recognizes his Georgia/Tennessee roots by collaborating with Brooks & Dunn on “Believe”.  His sultry baritone voice tells the riveting story of Old Man Wrigley. In our opinion, this song is one of their best, and we were lucky enough to experience it live when Brooks & Dunn took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry back in 2017.

Both songs, and hopefully the entire REBOOT  album will keep the integrity of the original songs while adding the fresh new twist and inspiring vocals from rising artists. This album is a chance for an entirely new generation of country fans to experience the beautiful songs that Ronnie and Kix made famous. Take a listen to “Brand New Man” and “Believe” below.

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Chris Janson Effervescently Spreads “Good Vibes” With New Single

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Chris Janson Good Vibes

After the heart-tugging single “Drunk Girl” and fresh off its top 10 success, Chris Janson is back with “Good Vibes,” the lead single off his upcoming third studio album.

Co-written with Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell, “Good Vibes” is all about forgetting your worries, counting your blessings and have a good time. Right from the get-go, the fun, up-tempo production follows Janson as he expresses unhappiness about the news he hears today and all the negativity we are inevitably surrounded by. “If you ain’t got anything good to say, then shut your mouth,” he sings as he firmly ushers in what he is all about— good vibes.

“I’m getting’ them good vibes, I’m livin’ this good life, I’m breathin’ on God’s time and I ain’t gonna waste one breath.”

Recently, at a closed industry event/listening party in Nashville, the 32-year-old shared humbly with CMT‘s Leslie Fram, “I am grateful. I do love my life and I do love the Lord and I do appreciate it when people do nice things for me and work hard with my name on it. I am truly grateful for that. Sometimes when I sing (“Good Vibes”), it’s sort of subliminally reminding myself. They say when you’re giving someone an uplifting talk that you’re really talking to yourself, and I really think (this song) is talking to me, too.” And he shares further perspective on life through the lens of this song: “Every single day, you have the choice to say something really nice to somebody. We just knew we had something, it just felt really right, it felt really good and it felt like no matter the times we’re living in, we’re always going to have ups and downs in life. That is a timeless message. It’s so simple: be nice.”

The singer-songwriter has had great success with past singles like the aforementioned last single (“Drunk Girl”), “Fix A Drink” and the song that started his whole career engine moving at lightning speed, “Buy Me A Boat.” But, honestly, “Good Vibes” might give him a very good chance at attaining his first number one on country radio. Needless to say, it’ll be a great song to crank up in the spring and summer!

“I ain’t tryin’ to hear the negative, I’m just tryin’ to change the narrative,” and we hope this song also changes the narrative of his career and propels him to yet another level of well-deserved success (and possibly, a Mountain Dew sponsorship)!

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‘In Love’ with Riley Green’s Newly Released Song

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Riley Green In Love By Now

Big Machine Label Group recording artist, Riley Green is one of the most exciting acts in country music right now, earning him a spot on NYCountry Swag’s 2019 Artist to Watch List. After performing for us in a live Swag Session back in October, releasing his EP In a Truck Right Now, and hitting the top 15 on the country airplay charts with his radio single, “There Was This Girl,” the singer-songwriter continues to impress country music fans with his talent. Keeping the momentum going, Green released a new song across all platforms today entitled, “In Love By Now.”

The rising country star has another hit on his hands with his new song. The track tells the story of a guy admitting that he probably blew his chance with a girl that has it all together and knows her worth. This mid-tempo beat mixed with the country crooner’s enticing voice is the perfect blend of new-wave country with some classic twists thrown in. The catchy hook and chorus is sure to be stuck in your head, after just one listen.

“She’s probably in love by now/ A girl like that, don’t stay lonely long/ And I bet she’s already found- somebody else/ He ain’t doing her wrong/ Won’t do no good even if I could, somehow track her down/ She’s probably in love by now.”

Take a listen to the track below and click here to check our New Country Music Spotify playlist for your new country music fix.

Next up, Green will perform as a supporting act on Brad Paisley’s recently announced World Tour, alongside singer Chris Lane. The tour begins February 15th in San Antonio, Texas, runs all the way through mid- October, concluding in Dublin, Ireland. The tour hits the New York Area on August 30th at Northwell Health Jones Beach Theatre and again, August 31st at PNC Bank Arts Center. Additionally, Green will continue to play some of his own shows, including a My Country 96.1 radio stations 8th Birthday Bash in Patchogue, New York at Stereo Garden on March 20th. Head to rileygreenmusic.com for details and tour dates.

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Maren Morris Teams Up With Brandi Carlile For Powerful Ballad, “Common”

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Brandi Carlile and Maren Morris

Photo Credit: Al Wagner/Invision/AP/REX/Shutte

In current times, society is often fixated on our differences and they tend to drive a wedge between individuals, well Maren Morris’ new duet with Americana Folk Rock singer Brandi Carlile couldn’t have come at a better time. On Thursday, the 28-year-old announced the March 8th release of her sophomore album, “GIRL,” and surprised fans the same night with a brand new duet and instant-gratification track coinciding with the album’s pre-order.

Morris and Carlile first debuted the song last Saturday night (Feb 1) at the latter’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Weekend Festival’ in Mexico, and since then clips of the song have been circulating online and fans wondered if the track would be included on  Morris’ upcoming release. Well, it is, and we love every bit of it!

This mid-tempo ballad reflects on the current state of society, humanity and the world. “I’ve been tryin to carry on, but I’m crushed under the weight of the world I belong,” Morris laments, as she takes listeners into a dive straight into the importance of seeing past our differences because, “we’ve got way too much in common, so what’s the point of fighting?”

“Common” pleads us to direct our eyes away from the differing social, political and many other differences plaguing our society, but turn them toward our similarities because “we’re the different kinda same.” And, if we want to “get to the bottom of this,” we have to step down from the top, humble ourselves and work together to bring change.

Carlile’s vocals, unarguably, augment the poignancy of the situation and depth of the message. For those who aren’t aware, Carlile is a multi-nominated Grammy artist herself and is no stranger to country music. Last October, she performed with Morris on a stellar rendition of “Natural Woman” as a tribute to Aretha Franklin on CMT’s Artist of The Year.

Above all, the message of this song is important to our current time. “Common” is Morris and Carlile’s aching plea and a personal invitation to mankind to really let our commonalities triumph over our differences, and let love truly bind us all.

Carlile is up for six Grammys, including the all-genre Album of the Year and Morris is nominated for five Grammys, be sure to tune in to the prestigious award show on CBS this Sunday night at 8:00 PM ET.

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New Country Music Friday – The Playlist 2/8/19

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It’s that time of the week again… New Music Friday! Today, we see brand new music from Florida Georgia Line and Hardy, a new track from Maren Morris featuring Brandi Carlile, a killer version of Brooks and Dunn’s “Brand New Man” with Luke Combs as well as “Believe” with Kane Brown. We also see new music from Chris Janson, Adam Hambrick, Swag Session Alumn Riley Green and so much more.

Check out our Spotify New Country Music Playlist below and be sure to follow for updates each and every Friday:

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