(Press Release) Americana husband-and-wife duo Swearingen and Kelli are set to release their sophomore album, The Marrying Kind, on  July 21, 2017.  Unafraid of spilling their guts in their music, the Florida-based twosome of AJ Swearingen and Jayne Kelli presents 12 songs that challenge the listener to explore life’s hard questions while embracing what you have in the moment.  

The Marrying Kind   is an album steeped in the sounds of Americana and country-folk with rich harmonies and character voices that are a modern echo of the singer-songwriters of the ’60s and ’70s. Organic, honest, and real, their music springs from a connected, closely shared life. “The creative process is very vulnerable and we trust each other completely,” says Swearingen.  
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Drawing from influences and inspiration unique and shared, they trade off lead vocals, showcasing the strengths of both members.  Says Swearingen: “We really dialed in our Americana country sound on this album. I used lap-steel on many of the songs. I was very inspired by the sounds of David Lindley (Jackson Browne) and Jerry Douglas (Alison Krauss). I even used a 1936 Rickenbacker to replicate some of those early sounds from the ’70s.” Kelli gave up a pull towards perfection for the sake of genuine, emotional performances.    

Judges Include Martie Maguire (Dixie Chicks), Sara Evans, John Esposito (Warner Bros.), Gordon Kerr (Black River Entertainment), and More
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May 17, 2017 -- The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2016 Country music winners. Now in its 16th year, ISC is the world’s largest international songwriting competition, receiving more than 16,000 entries from 137 countries throughout the world. More than $150,000 in cash and merchandise is awarded to 71 winners in 23 categories covering all genres of music, including Country, Jazz, Latin, Rock, Pop, R&B/Hip-Hop, and much more.

Taking home First Place in the Country category are co-writers Keith Armstrong, Jeannie Lurie, Matias Mora, and Caitlin Notey for their song  “Figure Me Out.” Second Place is awarded to Caitlin Rushing for the song “Hold On You,” and Third Place goes to Katrina Burgoyne, Goran Kralj, and Joe Doyle for their song “When I'm Broken.”

“The Country category was very strong this year and was definitely one of the most competitive in the competition,” states Candace Avery, ISC Founder and Director. “The judges praised many of the songs, even calling many of them hits. It was clearly a most challenging task this year for our panel of judges. However, when the dust settled, three songs were selected as winners.”
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The 2016 Country winners include:

Since their inception in 2012, Portland's Jenny Don't and the Spurs have risen to become one of the Pacific Northwest’s premiere Americana/Country bands.  Following a string of self-released singles and their debut, self-titled LP (2015), Jenny Don't and the Spurs are debuting their music video for their new song, “My Only Desire," from their upcoming album, Call of the Road, due in June.

Frontwoman  Jenny Don't had  this to say of the song and video " [the song] is written from the view of someone so enamored with another that it borders on obsession.... we wanted the video to have a kind of strange/dark vibe incorporated into it somehow. The director, Scott Ballard, had the idea of the band abducting people and bringing them to our show. The premise is that I am the ring leader and the Spurs are my thugs hauling people to the show - and then at the end while they're all there the victims end up being entranced by the song. It's all very mysterious."

Prepared to be entranced by Jenny's captivating vocals and the song's  mystical, hypnotizing vibe. Watch "My Only Desire" below.

Music Video for Debut Single “Boy” Premieres HERE

Nashville, Tenn. (May 19, 2017) — With his new single, “Boy” (written by Nicolle Galyon and Jon Nite) — available digitally today and impacting radio on  June 19 — Lee Brice gears up for the release of his fourth career album, a self-titled effort he co-produced with Jon Stone, Kyle Jacobs and Dan Friszell. The project is due out  November 3  on Curb Records.

“We wanted to make ‘Boy’ our first single for a couple of reasons,” says Lee. “First, Sara and I have two sons, Takoda (9) and Ryker (3). This song is a tribute to them; it’s my way of saying how proud I am to be their dad. The second reason is because, coincidentally, we have a daughter on the way in a couple of weeks and we wanted to share this song for our boys before she arrived.”
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Of the forthcoming album, Lee says, “Writing this record was a personal and vulnerable experience. Every song is a snapshot of who I am right now. I’ve labored over every word and every note, and I can’t wait to share it.”