STAGECOACH 2014

It’s been a week since Stagecoach released its line-up for their 2014 festival, and it’s definitely one to get excited about. Apart from the three big name headliners in Eric Church, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, this line-up is jam packed with other well-known names that are sure to keep the party rockin’. I think it’s safe to say that you’ll get your money’s worth on Church, Aldean and Bryan alone as they all bring the perfect concoction of fun, entertaining, in your face party attitude, along with great music.

But what makes this years line-up so special is the second and third tier artists, that will keep you entertained and dancing throughout the three days. The lesser known artists that stand out to me on the first day are Brantley Gilbert, Easton Corbin, Thomas Rhett, Eric Palsay and Jon Pardi. To me the second day is the least to get excited over, but you still have Hunter Hayes and Tyler Farr. And the third day packs the punch with Chris Cagle, Dustin Lynch, Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line.

In my opinion I would have to say that the first day is probably the best, and then you can’t really beat ending the weekend with Florida Georgia Line followed by Luke Bryan on Sunday night. There are two artists that I believe will catch you by surprise and have a great performance are Tyler Farr and Thomas Rhett. Tyler Farr released his debut album, Redneck Crazy a couple of weeks ago and is filled with great rhythmic, in your face, country type of tunes that are sure to excite a large crowed in “Hot Mess” and “Whiskey In My Water”. If I were to put money down on the best performance other than a headliner, it would go to Thomas Rhett. The dude is only 23 and just received his first #1 single for “It Goes Like This” and has an assortment of songs to get people grooving. With that being said, I’m also betting blind here because he has yet to release his first album but is expected to drop on October 29^th, and I’m  sure will be filled with hits.

If you are unfamiliar with the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, it’s time to get aquatinted as it’s one of the best country music festivals in the country, located in Indio, California. The weather is always sunny (and hot, in the 90s at least) and perfect for enjoying a beer and good music. General Admission tickets for the three days go for $250.

Luke Bryan - That's My Kinda Night

Here is a new song out by Luke Bryan that will be featured on his upcoming album Crash My Party.

Greater Than Just Florida & Georgia

The announcement of a headlining tour leaked out of Florida & Georgia earlier this week and spread clear across the country. Florida Georgia Line released the schedule for their Here’s to the Good Times Tour. This is a major milestone for the duo of Brian Kelley (Florida) & Tyler Hubbard (Georgia) who released their FIRST record earlier this year on December 4^th. The Republic Nashville group (part of Big Machine Label Group) now finds themselves traveling around the nation performing their songs.

The single on that album, “Cruise” was an immediate hit and propelled itself to a top 10 song after just 14 weeks and has since sold millions of copies.  The hit song drew the attention of millions of fans, one of them being the rap and hip/hop legend Nelly, who helped boost the bands popularity by collaborating on a Remix. The duo isn’t dependent on just one hit though, as their album is full of other jams such as “Get Your Shine On” and “Round Here”.

FGL is apart of the new wave of country music that we are beginning to experience, bringing a strong presence of rock and rap, along with a unique combination of lyricism to their songs. These rookies are not a household name…yet, but it is crazy to think that they have their first headlining tour after releasing just one album. To put this in perspective, lets look at the headliners for the top country tours going on in 2013 according to gatv.com: Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith and George Strait…  These are the top artists in the game right now, and to throw FGL in there with their own national headlining tour means that these dudes are legit and here to stay.

Meet Cole Swindell

He’s an artist that not many people know about… yet. But Cole Swindell’s music has probably hit your ears at some point without you even knowing it. This Georgia boy has been in the music game since 2007 and has made a splash with his ability to write catchy country songs. Paired with fellow Sigma Chi Luke Bryan at Georgia Southern (not a bad friend to have in this industry), Cole took to tour with LB after college and worked merchandise as well as writing songs.

If you’re a Luke Bryan fan, then you’ve probably listened to his Spring Break records and heard the tracks such as “Love In A College Town”, “Shore Thing” and “Shake The Sand”. Those are songs that Swindell wrote along with an assortment of other songs, so there’s no doubt the dude can write. That ability led him to getting noticed and he eventually signed a publishing deal with Song/ATV Music. Cole has been hitting the stage recently doing shows of his own as well as opening for LB on his Dirt Road Diaries Tour.

Cole has made a big splash with his single “Chillin’ It” hitting iTunes in March of this year. If you haven’t heard it, you better check it out as it’s a perfect summer anthem to blast over your speakers. Swindell has a knack for creating a concoction of creative lines in his songs that tell a great story. He brings a new wave of sound to country music, incorporating rap like lines, heavy beats and even a little synthesizer to go along with the guitars and southern vocals. Give a listen to his songs “HeyY’all”, “Ready”, “Lemme See Ya Girl” and “I Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” and as your dancing around to them you’ll begin to realize while some of the top artists such as Chris Young, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan are all using his songs.