Michael Ray Announced as Brand Ambassador for GIVN Water

This Giving Tuesday, country music’s Michael Ray announces he has partnered with GIVN® Water as a brand ambassador. Ray has already mobilized his fans to donate over 100K meals to shelter animals on stops along his Get To You Tour through his own Wrigley Cares program, and will continue his mission to give back as he prepares to release his sophomore album through a collaboration with GIVN to help provide clean water to communities around the globe.

“When I learned that GIVN provides a day of clean water to those in need for every bottle they sell, I immediately felt that significance and the ripple effect it could have not just in the U.S. but also on a global scale,” shares Ray. “Growing up in a small rural town in Florida, I learned at an early age that showing people you care is the greatest way to strengthen a community. Whether it was something as small as taking a neighbor a meal, my grandfather not only told me but he showed me the importance of being there for one another. I think we all need that right now. No gesture is too small.”

Recognized as a 2016 Best for the World Honoree, GIVN® Water provides one day of clean drinking water from each bottle sold, having provided over 850,000 days of clean water thus far. As a brand ambassador, the man the Tampa Bay Times calls a “passionate, inked-up country rocker” will support GIVN® Water and their inspirational work via social media and at his live shows.

Cole Swindell To Launch His Reason To Drink Tour in 2018

Cole Swindell, the Platinum-selling 10-time No. 1 hit singer/songwriter, will wrap up his sold out fourth annual Down Home Tour at the end of January and will launch right in to his first career headlining tour, the Reason To Drink Tour, on February 15 in Allentown, PA. Joining Swindell for each of the dates on his first headlining tour are two of country music’s biggest rising stars Chris Janson and Lauren Alaina.

Since he launched his career in 2014, the Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville recording artist has been on some of the biggest tours with some of the biggest superstars in country music including Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Dierks Bentley. The Georgia native is excited to finally take this step in to his own headlining tour.

“I am excited to be able to take everything I have learned while on the road the last four years watching all that Luke, Jason, Kenny, Dierks, Tyler and Brian did as headliners.” said Cole Swindell. “Everything from how they treat their fans, their high-energy performances, to how they treated EVERYONE on the tour. They were great examples of how much work it takes for a successful tour. I can honestly say I’ve learned from the very best in the business. I’m ready to get out there with two of my friends, Chris Janson and Lauren Alaina. Start to finish, it’s going to be an amazing show and we’re ready to share it with you all.”

Pre-sale tickets for the Reason To Drink Tour will go on sale November 28 and will go on sale to the public in most markets December 1. Check ColeSwindell.com for on sale dates in each market. To purchase tickets go to www.ColeSwindell.com. Live Nation is the official tour promoter.

Cole Swindell’s Reason To Drink Tour:
February 15 Allentown, PA PPL Center
February 16 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena
February 17 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
*February 22 Brookings, SD Swiftel Center
February 23 Madison, WI The Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center
*February 24 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena
March 2 Hershey, PA Giant Center
March 3 Kingston, RI Ryan Center
*March 8 Asheville, NC Asheville Civic Center
*March 9 Fayetteville, NC Crown Coliseum
*March 10 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
March 15 Saginaw, MI Dow Event Center
March 16 Kalamazoo, MI Wings Event Center
*March 17 Bloomington, IL Grossinger Motors Arena
March 22 Huntington, WV The Big Sandy Superstore Arena
March 23 Roanoke, VA Berglund Center
March 24 Corbin, KY The Arena
April 6 Temecula, CA The Summit at Pechango Casino
April 7 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
*tickets on sale Dec 8

LANCO Set To Release Debut Album ‘Hallelujah Nights’ on January 19

Rooted in the southern storytelling of Country music with the modern punch of rock & roll, HALLELUJAH NIGHTS (Arista Nashville) serves as LANCO’s coming-of-age debut album, out January 19th. Equal parts nostalgic and forward-thinking, lead singer Brandon Lancaster wrote all eleven songs and found success breathing new life into universal themes.

Simultaneously, LANCO’s first-ever No. One “Greatest Love Story” reigns at the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart for its second consecutive week, while the GOLD hit also claims the top spot on the Mediabase Country Airplay chart today. HALLELUJAH NIGHTS is available for pre-order today in a limited edition bundle through Sony Nashville here (http://smarturl.it/lancohnalbumd2c) and beginning Friday (12/01), will be available for pre-order at all retail partners.

“We all go through more of the same experiences than we realize and songwriting is a process of observing those moments,” said Lancaster. “Our stories have different people, different names, different places, but they all have the same emotions attached to them. It’s not fantasy-related. To me, this album is about glorifying the reality of life.”

Fans can experience a first taste of the new music off HALLELUJAH NIGHTS with a four-song video trailer that’s was revealed with Billboard here: http://bit.ly/2AfsIEG.

Hallelujah Nights Track List:
1. “Born to Love You “
2. “Long Live Tonight”
3. “Pick You Up”
4. “Greatest Love Story”
5. “We Do”
6. “Troublemaker”
7. “Singing at the Stars”
8. “Win You Over”
9. “So Long (I Do)”
10. “Middle of the Night”
11. “Hallelujah Nights”

David Fanning To Release Second EP ‘Lovers’ from Four-Part EP Series on December 1

Lovers, the anticipated second EP in a four-part concept series by musical maverick David Fanning, is scheduled for release by MV2 Entertainment on Dec. 1.

The EP follows the release in September of Dreamers, which was the first in the series titled Dreamers, Lovers, Liars, Strangers. The collection pushes the boundaries of Electronic Country Music with Fanning redrawing the line between country themes and progressive beats with a brave new sound.

The response has been encouraging.

“The EP, titled Dreamers, is a combination of country, pop, and R&B influences that fuse together seamlessly to showcase Fanning’s original sound,” opined CelebSecretsCountry.

And of the breezy debut single, observers had this to say:

“’Ridin’ To The Beat’ makes me think of late summer days back home on the river eating seafood and dancing with friends. The guitar riff and percussion give you a reggae feel but the song stays true to country with David’s rich voice and relatable lyrics,” wrote PopDust.

“Fanning cruises through new love over a layered dancehall groove,” said AXS.

And from Toofab, “The country music landscape is shifting and David Fanning is ‘Ridin’ to the Beat’ of the new sound.”

The new installment, Lovers, is an optimistic slice of love at the instant of commitment – from the prospect of forever to “What have I done?”

The title track is hopeful, “In a world that feels so tragic, we could be magic.” On “Good Problems” Fanning looks at the lack of sleep as a positive, not a problem. “Basic” is love affirmed and “Simple” explores how it feels when everything feels right, but something is definitely wrong.

With smoldering good looks Fanning has a rich source of material to draw from for the series as a study of relationship – the euphoria of the ones that work as well as the inevitable fallout from the ones that were never meant to last.

Fanning is delivering his music in a way that is a true reflection of his vision of entertaining a new generation of fans with Electronic Country Music.

Fanning, who produced the collection with creative collaborator Ben Stennis, is no stranger to musical expression. He has produced three No. 1 hits for Thompson Square and Parmalee. His songwriter credits include cuts by Tyler Farr, Dylan Scott, Parmalee, Thompson Square, Bonnie Tyler, Scotty McCreery, Tracy Lawrence, and Lindsay Ell. He first turned heads with his country version of Justin Timberlake’s “Drink You Away,” which was endorsed by the superstar.

Fanning released his debut EP, First, on MV2 Entertainment in September 2016. The single “First” was added to Spotify’s “New Boots” Playlist, where it currently has more than 3 million streams.

Lovers Tack List:
1. “Lovers” (David Fanning, Ben Stennis, Thomas Archer)
2. “Good Problems” (Fanning, Stennis, Archer)
3. “Basic” (Fanning, Stennis, Archer)
4. “Simple” (Fanning, Stennis, Archer)

Granger Smith’s Alter Ego Earl Dibbles Jr. Releases His Latest Music Video

The wait is finally over for Yee Yee Nation. Country star Granger Smith‘s comedic country boy alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., shoots the city boys straight in his new music video for the raucous and heavy-hitting track “Don’t Tread On Me.” 

This is the fifth song delivered by Earl which appears on Smith’s current, acclaimed album When The Good Guys Win. It follows his previous fan-favorites like “The Country Boy Song,” “Country Boy Love,” “City Boy Stuck” and “Merica,” and is his most ambitious to-date.