On April 7, I walked into the House of Blues in San Diego with three of my girlfriends. Being a long-time fan of Carter Winter, I was excited to enjoy an evening of country music, one of my true loves. After standing in line to get a drink, we walked over to the stage, where the band Leaving Austin opened the show.

Leaving Austin set the tone for headliner, Winter, performing countless acoustic melodies with a modern country feel. Don’t let the tattoos, skinny jeans and all black clothing fool you, both Leaving Austin and Carter Winter resemble a new image rising up in today’s country music.

Winter’s latest album, “The Whiskey in Me” achieved No. 34 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. This lead clothing company, Durango Boots to choose him as their official country music brand ambassador and performer of the year for 2017.

Traveling from Columbus, Ohio, Winter and his band arrived in San Diego on their 15th stop of a 36 event tour. Showing off his rock flair and deep soulful country voice, Winter shared the stage with many award-winning artists such as Sam Hunt, Travis Tritt and Chase Rice.

After performing back-to-back cover songs from country legend Garth Brooks, Winter stated, “I can play you all of the covers I want, but I would rather sing you something that means something to me.” Diving into an array of original songs, the entire venue of fans erupted with excitement. Every person in the room was smiling, swaying and singing along with each and every word to his original tunes.

Having seen Winter live several times , every single show I have attended he has stepped off the stage and created an intimate moment by picking one lucky girl out of the crowd and slow dancing with her as he sings his hit song, “Whiskey and Wine.”

Singing songs such as “Fight With” and “My First Love,” Winter connects with his audience by singing heartfelt, relatable lyrics. After wrapping up the night with album hit “Whiskey in Me,” Winter remained humble by taking time to visit with his fans, sign autographs and take pictures with every person left standing.

If you’re a fan of country music be sure to keep an ear out for this talented new musician. You can follow Carter on Instagram @CarterWinter.