Video: “The Voice” elimination episode airs tonight, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame hosting “Swatch Party” for Swon Brothers tonight

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As previously reported, Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers delivered a poignant and tuneful tribute to the late, great George Jones Monday night during “The Voice” live playoffs.

“The Voice” performance recap will air from 7 to 8 tonight on NBC, following by the live elimination episode from 8 to 9 tonight.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 401 S 3 in Muskogee, is hosting a “Swatch Party” tonight in honor of the hometown contenders. The doors will open at 6:30 tonight. The event is free and open to the public.

The Swon Brothers are competing in the Top 12 on Season 4 of the hit reality TV show. The first duo to make it to the show’s live founds, they are among the three remaining contestants on fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton’s team.

Zach and Colton Swon took to the piano and guitar to perform an acoustic rendition of The Possum’s classic “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.” It showcased both their voices and musicianship as well as their diehard love for country music.

George Jones died April 26 at the age of 81.

In addition, the Swon Brothers and the other Team Blake and Team Shakira joined forces for a group rendition of The Script/will.i.am hit “Hall of Fame”:

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Video: Pistol Annies perform on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”

Pistol Annies-RandeeSt.Nicholas

Pistol Annies Concho, OK

Concho Concerts & Shows on wimgo

Pistol Annies, the country music trio comprised of Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert and singer-songwriter pals Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, performed “I Feel a Sin Comin’ On” Monday night on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

The song is off the trio’s sophomore album, “Annie Up,” which came out last week. (If you have trouble finding the performance on the full episode video, remember the musical guest is the last segment on the show.)

Lambert also sat down on Leno’s couch and chatted with the host about her recent Academy of Country Music Awards victories, her starstruck reaction to partying with Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Shania Twain, her first concert – Garth Brooks at Texas Stadium “when he fly and like lit the stage on fire” – and of course, the tabloid rumors about her and her superstar husband Blake Shelton.

As previously reported, the Annies will perform the television debut of “Unhappily Married,” another song off “Annie Up,” tonight on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Ferguson’s show airs at 11:35 p.m. weekdays on the CBS Television Network, according to a news release.

In addition, Pistol Annies will play June 13 at First Council Casino in Newkirk and June 14 at Lucky Star Casino in Concho. For tickets and information, go to www.ticketstorm.com.

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Video: The Swon Brothers pay tribute to George Jones with “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” on “The Voice”

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Muskogee’s Swon Brother delivered a poignant and tuneful tribute to the late, great George Jones tonight during “The Voice” live playoffs.

Zach and Colton Swon took to the piano and guitar to perform an acoustic rendition of The Possum’s classic “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.” It showcased both their voices and musicianship as well as their diehard love for country music.

George Jones died April 26 at the age of 81.

The Swon Brothers are competing in the Top 12 on Season 4 of the hit reality TV show. The first duo to make it to the show’s live founds, they are among the three remaining contestants on fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton’s team.

All 12 finalists performed on tonight’s live episode, and voting is now open. To vote, go to http://www.nbc.com/the-voice or buy the song on iTunes, since downloads there also count as votes. Unlike the previous rounds, this time out, the coaches have no saves and no say in who stays and who goes: It’s all up to the public voters now.

“The Voice” performance recap will air from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday on NBC, following by the live elimination episode from 8 to 9 p.m.

-BAM


Video: Swon Brothers compete in the Top 12 as “The Voice” live playoffs continue tonight

swon brothers3Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers continue to vie for the title of “The Voice” as the hit reality TV show’s live playoffs continue at 7 p.m. today and Tuesday on NBC.

As previously reported, Zach and Colton Swon made it through to the Top 12 in last Wednesday’s first Season 4 live elimination episode, becoming the first duo in the show’s history to make it to the live playoffs.

After host Carson Daly revealed which two of Team Blake’s four remaining contenders were safe based on the public’s vote – Danielle Bradbury, 16, of Texas, and Baylor University student Holly Tucker – Oklahoma country music superstar and “The Voice” coach Blake Shelton had to decide whether to save The Swon Brothers or Kentucky country crooner Justin Rivers.

“I love all three of you guys,” Shelton said. “I respect you as men and as great singers and artists. There’s a reason all of y’all made it this far.”

He added, “For the sake of keeping as different and diverse as I can at this point in the competition … I’m going to save The Swon Brothers.”

The brothers show off their Okie charm and hilarious sense of humor in this video interview with “The Voice” social media correspondent Christina Milian:

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The Swon Brothers make it into the Top 12 on “The Voice”

The Swon Brothers

The Swon Brothers

The first “The Voice” Season 4 elimination episode is airing NOW on NBC, and Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton was the first to determine his three finalists.

Oklahoma fans can rest easy: Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers are moving ahead to the competition’s Top 12.

First, “The Voice” host Carson Daly revealed which two of Team Blake’s four remaining contenders were safe based on the public’s vote. Danielle Bradbury, 16, of Texas, and Baylor University student Holly Tucker were the two highest vote-getters on Shelton’s all-country team.

That meant Shelton had to decide whether to save The Swon Brothers or Kentucky country crooner Justin Rivers.

“I love all three of you guys,” Shelton said. “I respect you as men and as great singers and artists. There’s a reason all of y’all made it this far.”

He added, “For the sake of keeping as different and diverse as I can at this point in the competition … I’m going to save The Swon Brothers.”

The Swon Brothers are the first duo in the show’s four-season history to make it to the live playoffs.

After the commercial break, Zach and Colton Swon thanked Shelton but said it was a “bittersweet” moment since Rivers had become a close friend.

During a conference call last week, the Oklahoma singer/guitarists anticipated that saying goodbye to their fellow Team Blake contestants would be difficult.

“For sure, Team Blake particularly, we get to hang out with them a lot. And man, they are like one big family. Like when people say that on show, they mean it. And we’re probably a little too close sometime, but you know, it’s real, and you’re building real relationships,” Colton Swon said.

“And that was why we got in this whole thing is to connect with people and build relationships. And we get to do that with some of the greatest talent on Earth. And so we feel pretty blessed.”

After tonight’s elimination episode, “The Voice” live playoffs continue at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. The winner will be announced in a special live episode Tuesday, June 18.

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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Blake Shelton and Shakira perform “Need You Now” on “The Voice,” elimination episode airs tonight

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Check out this video of Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton and her fellow “The Voice” coach Shakira performing Lady Antebellum’s super-smash “Need You Now” on Tuesday night’s episode of the hit reality TV show, plus the video of Shelton’s four finalists, including Muskogee duo The Swon Brothers, performing Little Big Town’s “Boondocks.”

The live elimination episode will air from 7 to 8 tonight on NBC. The top 12 finalists will be revealed, and The Swon Brothers are hoping to be among those moving ahead in the competition.

Zach and Colton Swon turned in a great performance of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s classic hit “Fishin’ in the Dark” on Tuesday’s performance episode. To watch it, click here.

Rod Stewart and “The Voice” Season 1-3 coach Cee Lo Green will perform on tonight’s “The Voice” elimination show.

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Video: Swon Brothers play “Fishin’ in the Dark” on “The Voice” live playoffs

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Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers again showed off their strong sibling harmonies on tonight’s “The Voice” live playoffs.

Zach and Colton Swon turned in a great rendition of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s hit “Fishin’ in the Dark” that wowed all four coaches.

Now, they are seeking public votes. To download their cover of “Fishin’ in the Dark” – downloads count as votes – click here. To vote online, click here.

To read about other voting options, click here.

The elimination show will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday on NBC.

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Video: Swon Brothers to compete on “The Voice” live shows tonight

swon brothers

Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers will carry on their quest to win “The Voice” as the reality TV show’s Season 4 live playoffs continue at 7 tonight on NBC.

Zach, 28, and Colton, 24, are competing on Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton’s team.

The four finalists each for Team Usher and Team Adam competed on Monday night’s live rounds, which means Team Blake and Team Shakira are up tonight.

The live playoffs mark the first time the public gets to vote for its favorite contestants. For voting information, go to www.nbc.com/the-voice.

The elimination episode is set to air from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The siblings are the first duo in the four-season history of “The Voice” to advance to the live shows. In last week’s knockout founds, their celebrity coach, Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton, pitted The Swon Brothers against Memphis “bluntry” (blues-country) singer Grace Askew, who crooned the Ann Peebles/Tina Turner standard “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and earned kudos from the coaches for her originality.

As with the blind auditions and battle rounds, the Swons’ brotherly harmonies helped them win, this time with their tuneful rendition of the Dobie Gray classic “Drift Away.”

The singer/guitarists started performing with their parents’ southern gospel group Exodus when they were youngsters, so they are accustomed to making music live. They told me in a teleconference last week that they aren’t worried about the added pressure of playing in front of millions of TV viewers on “The Voice’s” live stage.

“When it comes to the actual music part of it, it’s going to be awesome, it’s going to be fun. The stuff that worries me is like falling off stage or something like that,” Zach said wryly. “But other than that, man, I’m ready to have a good time. And it’s going to be the funnest part of the show I think.”

“My brother is pretty clumsy, so I see where he’d worry about that,” Colton joked. “Other than that, bring on the live shows, we’re ready.”

Fans can expect to see them perform more songs that accent their teamwork and tight harmonies, they said.

“There’s no formula for picking songs for us right now,” Colton said. “We just go with our gut and pray about (it), and at the end of the day, you know, you’ve just got to have fun and connect with the audience.”

To read more of my latest feature on the Swon siblings, click here.

The sibling duo’s extensive music-making experience may well be a key factor in how they fare in “The Voice” live rounds. Check out this 2-year-old video shot in Muskogee of The Swon Brothers performing the song “American Girl”:

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Video: Blake Shelton “Boys ‘Round Here” featuring the Pistol Annies and RaeLynn

From left, Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley and Miranda Lambert of musical group Pistol Annies, and singer Blake Shelton perform "Boys 'Round Here" at the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2013. (AP file)

From left, Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley and Miranda Lambert of musical group Pistol Annies, and singer Blake Shelton perform “Boys ‘Round Here” at the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2013. (AP file)

Blake Shelton Tulsa, OK

Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton has released the video for “Boys ‘Round Here,” the hip-hop-infused second single from his new album “Based on a True Story.”

The single and video features the Pistol Annies – Shelton’s wife Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe – as well as RaeLynn, a Season 2 contestant on the reality show “The Voice.”

Shelton will bring his “Ten Times Crazier Tour” in support of the new album to Tulsa’s BOK Center on Oct. 4. For more information, go to www.bokcenter.com.

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Video: Swon Brothers win their knockout round, become first duo to make the live rounds on “The Voice”

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Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers became the first duo to advance to the live rounds on tonight’s episode of “The Voice.”

Zach and Colton Swon won in their knockout round to move on to the final stage of the reality singing competition.

“Thank The Lord & @blakeshelton we are headed to lives,” the siblings posted tonight on Twitter (@TheSwonBrothers).

Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton and R&B hitmaker Usher each narrowed their team to four finalists on tonight’s second knockout round episode.

Shelton pitted The Swon Brothers against Memphis “bluntry” (blues-country) singer Grace Askew, who crooned the Ann Peebles/Tina Turner standard ”I Can’t Stand the Rain” and earned kudos from the coaches for her originality.

But the Swons’ brotherly harmonies again gained them a victory, this time with their tuneful rendition of the Dobie Gray classic “Drift Away.”

“They know their place. Zach’s up there singing the lead and driving it home, and Colton’s up there bringing that energy level up,” Shelton said, who joked he didn’t want to know how Colton hits his high harmonies. “You’re both so good at what each of you do.”

Shelton’s Season 4 finalists just might constitute his most country team yet. Along with The Swon Brothers, his finalists are Kentucky resident Justin Rivers, Baylor University student Holly Tucker, and Texan Danielle Bradbery, who got through her knockout round with her rendition of Checotah native Carrie Underwood’s smash “Jesus, Take the Wheel”.

A special “The Road to the Live Show” episode of “The Voice” airs from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday on NBC. Then, “The Voice” Season 4 continues at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.

-BAM