NYS Music 20​16

Author: Jenn Curtis

  • Cole Swindell Brings the Sold Out Down Home Tour to the House of Blues Boston

    Cole Swindell brought his Down Home Tour to the sold out House of Blues in Boston December 10 for what promised to be an exciting night of up and coming country talent. Swindell, who is no stranger to selling out the nation’s largest House of Blues, was also able to do so the last time he played the venue. This time he brought along Cole Taylor and Travis Denning as his tour support.

    First to take the stage was Travis Denning. The Georgia-native has been working to make a name for himself since his move to Nashville less than two years ago. In that time, he has worked both as an artist and a song writer to create a career for himself in music, a dream he has fostered since he was young. Denning did a great job catching the crowd’s interest with his own songs, including “Red, White, and Blue,” which he introduced by speaking not only about those over seas fighting for the country but also all of the people who protect the nation here at home, like police, EMT’s and firefighters. This truly seemed to resonate strongly with the sold out crowd. He carried on into the sing along portion of his set, where he played a song that he penned, “Everyone We Know Does,” which was recorded by Chase Rice. The crowd’s energy peaked during this song as everyone was happily able to sing along word for word. He closed out his set with “Southern Rock,” a song that he explained was very important to him as southern rock is what he grew up on and what inspired his love for music and guitar.

    Cole Taylor was up next and he kicked things off with a fan favorite, “Drop Top,” off his self titled EP, which immediately had the crowd off their feet and singing along. Taylor took the stage with an energy and command of the crowd that one would have expected from a seasoned performer. He demonstrated a great deal of potential when he kept the energy in the room alive during songs the crowd was not necessarily as familiar with as they’d been with “Droptop.”

    A noteworthy song from Taylor’s set was one off of his self titled EP called Boom. The catchy, up tempo song captivated those who knew it already as well as those who were hearing it for the first time. The highlight of his set came when he played a song that he penned for Luke Bryan and Karen Fairchild. The popular “Home Alone Tonight” had the entire crowd singing along word for word. He carried the energy from that song into his closing song, “Cold Beer,” which has been gaining popularity recently. Taylor did a wonderful job amping up the crowd for Cole Swindell and showed a great deal of potential for his career going forward.

    Swindell took the stage with a great deal of energy and command of the stage with “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” the second single from his self titled full length release that went platinum and helped create the loyal fan base Swindell has today. He continued on with “Wildlife,” a song from Swindell’s Down Home Series which was released Fall of 2016 and “Brought to you By Beer,” from his self titled release. Other noteworthy songs that Swindell played from his self-titled release included “Chillin’ It” and “The Back Roads and the Back Row.” “Chillin’ It” was the single that helped catapult Swindell onto the map with country radio as it garnered a #1 spot on the US Hot country chart and a #2 slot on Country Airplay, in addition to going RIAA platinum. Its extreme popularity was certainly recognizable among the sold out crowd who all seemed to be singing along verbatim with Swindell.

    Swindell took a few minutes before a performance of “Flatliner” to introduce it as a song he was very excited to have created with the help of Dierks Bentley and even more excited to get to play next spring when he tours in support of Bentley, a tour which should bring much success to both artists. From there he went into a string of songs he penned for some of the most popular artists in country right now, including “Get Me Some of That,” which was recorded by Thomas Rhett and “Roller Coaster,” which was recorded by Luke Bryan. Swindell also took some time to reflect on the origins of his musical journey. Prior to having his own successful career as a country artist, he sold merchandise for Luke Bryan, so later penning a song for Bryan was a career milestone for him.

    Another noteworthy moment of the set came with the last two fan-favorite songs Swindell played: “No Can Left Behind” from his latest full length release You Should be Here and “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” from his self-titled release. Swindell returned to play two of his own songs, “You Should be Here,” the somber yet catchy lead single and title track from his recent release, and “Let Me See Ya Girl,” the last single from his self titled release. His rendition of “Let Me See Ya Girl” was a treat for fans as it was intertwined with a cover of the ever popular “Closer” which was recorded by the Chainsmokers and Halsey.

    With the Down Home Tour winding down fans should be looking forward to the next run of tours for these three talented young men. Each took the stage with great energy and charisma and demonstrated why they are making a name for themselves within the genre as writers and musicians.

  • Thunder 106 Brings Kelsea Ballerini to Starland Ballroom

    Thunder 106 brought up – and – coming country artist Kelsea Ballerini to Starland Ballrom in Sayerville, NJ, for what promised to be a rocking night of female country artists. Kelsea Ballerini was supported by North Dakota’s Hailey Steele and NJ native Madeline Smith. Starland Ballroom has been hosting a slew of talented country artists in the recent months including Kip Moore and Michael Ray on the Wild Ones Tour and the upcoming show on February 14th with Dustin Lynch and Chris Lane.

    Madeline Smith opened up the evening with a mix of her own songs and various covers of popular country songs to get the crowd engaged and involved. Among the covers played by Smith were “We Were Us” by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, a good choice for a local artist to catch the attention of the crowd with a song they could sing along to, and her closing song, another by the extremely talented Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart”.

    Hailey Steele was up next after travelling from North Dakota to play two shows with Kelsea Ballerini, this show in NJ and the show the next day in Boston, MA. Steele took the stage with nothing but her guitar and strong vocals to captivate the crowd. She too played a good mix of songs including some of her more popular music from 2014 and 2015. “Another Like You”, an original by Steele was one of her most popular of the evening drawing strong favor from the crowd. The other song that seemed to stand out most with the crowd was “I Want Your Boyfriend” with a catchy chorus and highly relatable lyrics.

    By the time Kelsea Ballerini was set to take the stage the crowd was more than ready to see what the 22 year old, up – and – coming country artist would bring to the stage. Ballerini took the stage with command and confidence of someone well beyond her years. She has a stage presence and charismatic personality that sets her apart from many other rising artists and will enable her to continue to grow as a musician.

    Ballerini kicked things off with “Looking at Stars” off her first full length release, The First Time (2015). She continued on with a mix off songs off that record that had the crowd engaged and singing along including “Sirens” and her most recent single “Dibs” which was clearly a fan favorite from the crowd’s strong reaction. She carried on into “Peter Pan” which she introduced as a song for all of the girls who have encountered a guy that refuses to grow up and act his age, which is entirely relatable to the demographic of her fan base and the song “Stilettos, another relatable song for young girls about moving on from heartbreak and carrying on with your life. Ballerini is one of the stand out female artists in country currently that have been making a splash on country music radio with her strong willed, confident lyrics that resonate very strongly with the younger generation of country fans which is why she will continue to amass a dedicated fan base.

    A highlight of the evening was her cover of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” in which she enlisted the help Hailey Steele and had the entire crowd singing along emphatically as the two young women commanded the stage together. Ballerini ended the night on a very strong and memorable note with the spunky “XO” once again showing off her confident and spunky flare, and her most recognizable song, “Love Me Like You Mean It”. Ballerini took the country music world by storm with this song reaching gold as well as number one on the Billboard Country Airplay with her debut single. She is among ten other women in history to achieve such a feat including Carry Underwood most recently in 2006. Ballerini has had a lot going for her since her start and has capitalized on the many opportunities she has earned including her most recent nationwide tour opening for Jake Owen and Dan + Shay.

    The night was a memorable concert with three talented young women looking to make a name for themselves in country music. Each showed great potential to carry on and further their careers. It will not be long until Ballerini, especially, is preforming on much larger stages much like the ones she was on during her fall tour.

  • Chase Rice Brings the JD and Jesus Tour to the Nearly Sold Out Fillmore

    On January 8, 2016, Chase Rice brought his Jack Daniels and Jesus Tour to the nearly sold out Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA. The Cadillac Three and young, up-and-coming artist, Tucker Beathard joined him on the road to help get the crowd ready for what promised to be an incredible night. Each of the three acts brought their own unique flare to the stage, captivating the audience from beginning to end.

    Tucker Beathard, one of Big Machine Label Group’s youngest artists, and son of heralded songwriter Casey Beathard took the stage first. The 20-year-old, like his father, has shown a penchant for songwriting, and blends country elements with a rock influenced sound. In addition, Beatard was recognized as a hot new country artist when he was recently named one of CMT’s Listen Up artists for 2016. After seeing him perform, it is no wonder that he has already captured the attention and recognition of the country music world. While it seems that he is still finding himself as an onstage performer, his passion for music and love for his craft comes across very clearly to fans and makes his set memorable. From the beginning, Beathard did a good job of connecting with the audience with songs like “Better Than Me” and the very catchy, radio-ready “Rock On”. Big things are coming for Beathard with his rebellious lyrics and growing stage presence.

    Next up was another artist off of the Big Machine Label Group roster, The Cadillac Three. By the time the group consisting of Jaren Johnston, Kelby Ray and Neil Mason, took the stage the crowd had grown considerably larger and more energetic thanks to Beatard’s exciting opening performance. The country trio with a serious southern-rock flare captivated the crowd with their unique sound, stage presence and eclectic style.  Johnston, Ray, and Mason, are skilled writers, having penned hits both for themselves and for other country stars, including Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen and Dallas Smith. They performed a variety fan favorites including, “The South,” “Party Like You” and “Girls on Fire,” but their most recent hit “White Lightning” drew the strongest reaction from the crowd.  Also included in their set was “Days of Gold,” a top 20 hit for Jake Owen written by Johnston and Mason. The group’s spirited rendition of the song had the entire crowd singing along emphatically.

    The last time Chase Rice was in Philadelphia he sold out The Theater of the Living Arts (TLA) with ease. So while it was a natural progression to step up to a bigger venue, it was astonishing that he came as close as he did to selling out the 2,500 capacity Fillmore. This feat truly shows how much he as progressed as an artist and performer since this time last year. Rice opened his set with the funky rock tinged “How She Rolls,” from his 2014 album Ignite The Night.

    Rice turned the heat up during his set with performances of the “50 Shades of Crazy,” and the sensual “Ride.” During the latter, which has fast become one of Rice’s signature songs despite not being a single, the North Carolina born singer brought a swooning fan onstage to the delight of the crowd to sing the somewhat explicit lyrics to her up close and personal.

    Rice also performed numerous notable covers spanning multiple genres including Puddle of Mudd’s “She Fucking Hates Me,” Blink 182’s “What’s My Age Again!?’ and Garth Brook’s Friends in Low Places,” in addition to a collection of tracks inspired by his college partying days: “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Living On a Prayer,” “Free Falling,” “Dust on the Bottle,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”  Some of Rice’s own party songs, such as “Do It Like This,” and “We Goin Out,” had the crowd dancing early and often. Slower, more intimate tracks like “Carolina Can,” inspired by his father, and “Jack Daniels and Jesus,” a track highlighting Rice’s inner battle and struggle to be a better person, as well as faith that has helped him keep pushing forward, showcased his writing ability and more serious side. The hypnotic top 10 hit “Gonna Wanna Tonight” had fans singing along emphatically, even carrying the chorus on their own.

    Towards the end of the show, The Cadillac Three and Tucker Beathard rejoined Rice on stage for a joint performance of Florida Georgia Line’s smash #1 hit “Cruise,” one of the most popular country songs in recent memory. Rice co-wrote the song with the the duo, Joey Moi and Jesse Rice. The collaborative performance was one of the most memorable parts of the show, and it had the crowd reacting thunderously to one of their favorite tracks.  Rice closed the show with his own top 5, certified platinum hit, the hard driving and edgy “Ready Set Roll,” an incredibly catchy song that brought fans to their feet and had them singing along.

    Each of the performers at The Fillmore left a lasting impression on the audience, and left them eager for more. The Cadillac Three and Beathard both illustrated why they’re making a splash in the country music, while Rice displayed the charisma and ever growing star power that has him shooting up the ranks as a performer and and artist. There is no doubt that the best is still yet to come for each of these three talented acts.