Cole Swindell Chillin’ in Traverse City
Some musicians wait for years to get their big break. For country musician Cole Swindell, the waiting game felt even longer.Swindell has been part of the Nashville scene since 2010, but in a different capacity. He was a songwriter, penning tunes for Luke Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Craig Campbell and Florida Georgia Line, among others. It wasn’t until SiriusXM’s country music channel The Highway picked up Swindell’s track, "Chillin’ It," that he finally got some attention for his own music.
For Swindell, it was worth the wait. "It felt like perfect timing," he said. "I thought I was ready before then, but seeing and experiencing what had happened up to that point, while I was not in the spotlight, I was better prepared for when my own music started to gain a fan base."
The popularity of "Chillin’ It," alongside Swindell’s smash performance at the 2013 CMA Music Festival’s Highway Find Stage, snagged him a record deal with Warner Bros. Nashville. Swindell’s debut album hit outlets in February 2014 and, shortly after, he went on the road as opener for Luke Bryan.
The songwriting foundations he’d laid early on, and the friends he’d made, really paid off. Florida Georgia Line co-wrote the song "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" for Swindell’s album and a song he’d co-written with Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan was also climbing the charts.
"It’s always a blast to write with FGL," Swindell said, "and to have two songs that you wrote with your buddies out at the same time – well, it doesn’t get any better than that."
In addition, Swindell is now one of three final nominees for the 2015 Academy of Country Music New Artist of the Year award, which will be announced April 19.
The Georgia native has seen a lot more interest in his live shows, too, thanks to a symbiotic relationship between attention to his recorded music and his touring.
"It’s cool to see the rows of fans singing along to my music, where a year ago, it may have been only a couple of them," he observed. "The experience of watching my fan base grow is all I could ask for as a new artist. It truly is the ultimate reward."
Traverse City’s Streeters represents that growing fan base. They’ve been trying to book Swindell for quite some time.
"We’ve been working on getting Cole in because of his success and radio airplay with those two tracks," Doug Streeter said. "And since we’ve scheduled him, he also has a new single climbing the charts ("Ain’t Worth the Whiskey"). So, needless to say, the response for people wanting to see his show has been great!" The fans aren’t the only ones eagerly anticipating this concert. Swindell already has his "shades on/top back/rollin’ with the music jacked," as his hit song says.
"I’m looking forward to getting back to Traverse City because of the country music fans up there," he said. "Every time we get to Michigan, it seems like a rowdy crowd – and myself and the band are going to be rowdy – so let’s see what the fans are going to bring to Streeters!"
Cole Swindell will be performing live at Streeters in Traverse City on March 15. Advance tickets are $30, plus $3 handling. For more information, visit groundzeroonline.com or call 231-932-1300.
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