TobyMac and Cole Swindell Added to State Fair of WV Concert Series
State Fair Officials announced today that TobyMac and Cole Swindell have been added to the 2019 State Fair of WV Concert Series. TobyMac with special guest Aaron Cole will take the stage on Saturday, August 10, while Cole Swindell will play on Thursday, August 15!
Tickets for both shows will go on sale at 10 am on Friday, March 15, 2019.
“We are extremely excited to be able add TobyMac and Cole Swindell to the 2019 Concert Series,” State Fair CEO Kelly Collins stated. “Both are at the top of their game in their respective genres and will make great additions to our 95th celebration.”
Ticket prices and details on how to order can be found at www.statefairofwv.com. Tickets will only be available via ETIX at https://statefairofwv.com/entertainment/ or by calling 1-800-514-ETIX (3849) Monday through Friday 9 am – 6 pm or Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the State Fair Box Office until later in the spring.
TobyMac
Trusting his instincts and leaning into his faith spurred this veteran artist to make the most personal album of his career with The Elements. “I let go of worrying about the charts and if I’m good enough – things that come along with the business of artistry,”
TobyMac says of his new approach. “The most important thing to me now is when I walk into a studio to record a song ‘does it make you feel something?’ And, is there a reason for it to exist in this world?”
Processing life as an artist, husband and father of five has continually fueled his work and made TobyMac one of the most successful innovators in any genre of music with 7 GRAMMY® Awards, 6 Gold Records from his solo career, an American Music award, twice named Artist of the year at the Dove awards, BMI songwriter of the year and numerous other accolades to his credit. “I just need U.,” the lead single from The Elements, spent 12 weeks at the top of the charts making it the fastest charting single of his career. “I knew it was something fresh for me from a lyrical standpoint,” he says. “I knew it was intriguing and said exactly what I wanted to say. There’s depth and maturity to it. At some point, you have to look up and say, ‘If I’m not offering people some wisdom from the journey that I’ve been on, then I might as well hang up the cleats.’ It’s my responsibility to offer people wisdom from the road I’ve traveled. That’s what I’m supposed to do. I have to depth to offer right now.”
TobyMac admits that in the past he’s been “the king of the features,” as he usually includes multiple special guests on his albums, but The Elements is different. “I do truly love collaboration,” he says, “but these songs are so personal, it was hard for me to imagine someone else singing the lyrics.”
Among the most personal songs on the record, and one of TobyMac’s very favorites, is “Scars.” “I love ‘Scars.’ It is a different melody for me. It was kind of cool to keep it real low key,” he says. “It’s the closest song to me on the record. I had a few people in mind when I wrote it, but subconsciously I started focusing on my first-born son. For the first time in my life I found myself sending ships of out the harbor–up to now our family and home have been the harbor. The people I love the most are going out there facing all the pain, struggle and temptation this crazy world brings. It can be so hard to watch. I’m very aware of the scars that come with life’s journey but sometimes we insulate those from our children—so to see them go out and there and do this real world is painful. I wanted to let him know that I’m here for him and even bigger than that, God is there for him. You are not alone—so lift your head up my son—to where your help comes from.”
“Starts with Me” is one of those very personal offerings, and yet he knew it would be even stronger with another voice. He invited Aaron Cole to join in and each man shares their unique perspective on race and family legacy. “I think that coming from both perspectives is important,” he notes. “We say some bold things about how we’re all reared, and about the households we were raised in. The type of things that were passed down to us from generation to generation. We weren’t shy about saying exactly what we both experienced, but at the end of the day we agreed on the importance of confession, repentance, and forgiveness. And it has to start with me. I really believe that individual change leads to societal change–relationships with people who are not like us is where the change begins. These relationships are not the sole answer, but they will lead us to the answers. That is how we will change the culture.”
For everyone out there in the world braving the elements, TobyMac has served up a musical invitation to stand firm and let go of the worry that can beat a soul down. To find strength in faith and love in family. “I want to write songs that move people toward each other, out of isolation and into dialog, I want to encourage people to rise up against the elements.”
Cole Swindell
In just over four years since he made his debut on Warner Bros. Records, Swindell has racked up an impressive and incomparable record-breaking EIGHT No. 1 singles (the only solo artist in the history of the Country Aircheck/Mediabase to top the charts with first seven singles); 10 No. 1 singles as a songwriter; one 1 billion+ audience reaching single (“You Should Be Here”), six Platinum singles; one Gold single; a Platinum-certified debut album; a Gold-certified sophomore album (You Should Be Here) and over 1 BILLION on demand streams as well as numerous SONGWRITING honors and awards including being the reigning NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Year (2016), winning two CMA Triple Play Awards in both 2015 and 2016 (for penning three No. 1 songs in a 12 month span) and Music Row’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year during his debut (2015). The Georgia native released his current and 9th career single “Break Up In The End,” the first single from his third album, All of It, for Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville on August 17. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country album chart and No 7 on the Billboard Top 200.
Swindell performed the hit single on this summer’s ABC Television special CMA Fest and performed it when he headlined the NBC’s Citi Concert Series on TODAY on August 17. Swindell debuted his current new single “Love You Too Late” LIVE on Dancing With the Stars on ABC Television and he will perform it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 10. Swindell will close out the year performing the post-game concert at this year’s highly touted TaxSlayer Gator Bowl game on New Year’s Eve in Jacksonville, FL. His performance will conclude with fireworks at midnight to ring in 2019.
Last year, Swindell performed his 7th career No. 1 single “Flatliner,” which features his mentor/friend and 2017 WHAT THE HELL WORLD TOUR mate Dierks Bentley, on the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards telecast live on CBS and again on the ABC Television “CMA Fest” special. He also realized a career goal with performing “Stay Downtown” on both The Ellen Degeneres Show and the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Since launching his career in 2014, Swindell has toured with the biggest superstars in country music including Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley and has sold out all four of his Down Home Tours in support of each of his Down Home Session EPs (I, II, III and IV).
The 10-day State Fair of West Virginia is celebrating 95 years with “Summer’s Greatest Adventure”, on August 8-17, 2019. The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook and Twitter.
