Music

Hanging around your grandfather’s pawn shop just might ignite a passion for guitars. For New York City’s Sam Kogon, that love has lead him to his debut self-titled EP, out on April 1. A son of Kingston, N.Y., Kogon wrote and made demo recordings of these four news songs at home on to his 4-track tape recorder.

This story is GOLD. Of course, if you know anything about Dale Earnhardt Jr., then you probably know he and his wife, Amy, are big country music fans. Amy even surprised Dale Jr. with a Dwight Yoakam concert after his NASCAR Hall of Fame induction earlier this year. And naturally, Amy, who’s a native Texan

I thought a little Koe Wetzel would be fine to play in my minivan, as long as it didn’t have an “E” for explicit next to the title. I was wrong. “I DON’T love you, Daddy.” My toddler seethed and hit me right in the heart with a verbal harpoon while I stood in his

Margo Price wants fans to know that there’s a seat for everyone at her table. Today (March 22), the country singer-songwriter released a timely cover of ”You Don’t Own Me” exclusively via Bandcamp. The song has a special meaning for Price, who stands as one of the genre’s few outspoken activists for equality and inclusion. “I began covering Lesley

This just goes to show you that these competition shows don’t give a shit about actual talent, they’re far more concerned with ratings. In an interview with Whiskey Riff from back in the day, Luke Combs opened up about his experiences auditioning for The Voice, the popular singing competition show that made Blake Shelton famous. I’m

Nate Smith recruited singer-songwriter Tenille Townes for a new version of his song “I Don’t Wanna Go to Heaven.” This version finds the two singers alternating verses on the soaring love song about finding a piece of heaven with a partner. They join their voices in the chorus, creating a harmony that builds throughout the rest

If there’s one thing for certain about Aaron Lewis, it’s that he has his own opinions, and he’s gonna let you know about them too. You know exactly what you’re getting when you sign up for an Aaron Lewis concert. You’re gonna get some decent country music, you’re gonna get some Staind tunes from the early

Courtney Jaye The Awakening: “The Kingdom is Inside of Me/Hymns and Hallucinations” Courtney Jaye returns with her first solo album since 2013, and these tracks serve as part one of her story. The record is a spiritual journey, accompanied by a short film that she will share in installments leading up to the full length that

Nowadays, it’s almost become trendy to call out the powers that be in country music. I said almost… Whether it’s Kelly Clarkson’s rant about the state of country music, Tyler Childers’ rejection of the term “Americana” for traditional country artists that the radio won’t play, or the dozens of artists addressing the lack of women on

A huge congratulations are in order for Cody Johnson. He officially scored his very first #1 on mainstream country radio with “‘Til You Can’t” this weekend. The song previously hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for airplay, streaming, and sales-based songs about a month ago. But this weekend, it hit #1 on the Mediabase Country

Looks like Jamey Johnson has made his last guest appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. The next time he steps out into the circle, it will be as the newest member of the country music institution. Jamey was surprised with the news during his appearance tonight at the Opry, when Bill Anderson pointed out that

It’s always cool seeing some old footage of country music superstars, before anybody even knew who they were. It’s also crazy to me how many stars competed in these singing competitions, trying to get their name out there, and didn’t even win. Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves both got their start on Nashville Star – and neither

Taking it WAY back… Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Kacey Musgraves… all three got their early exposure on the competitive singing show Nashville Star. Chris was the only one that won his season, but Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert have gone on to become the most decorated stars the show has ever produced. Back in 2003, at

It’s finally here. We’ve been looking forward to Randall King‘s major label debut album Shot Glass for quite awhile now. Randall’s one of a crop of traditional country artists who seem to be ushering in a new era in country music, with his country-to-the-bone sound that easily flows between steel-soaked heartbreakers and boot stompin’ honky tonkers. After

Well, you knew that had to happen… In the midst of Morgan Wallen’s 3-night stint at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, a hometown show of sorts for the Knoxville native, you just know that some famous faces are going to show up. On night one, the one and only Ronnie Dunn stopped by to duet Brooks &

She’s one of the most talented artists in all of Nashville, and her third studio album is fantastic. This record was inspired by her experiences growing up in the Midwest, and I think that’s pretty obvious in just the title alone: “I wouldn’t be who or where I am today without the people and place

Carrie Underwood has a new single out today, “Ghost Story”. She’d been teasing new music in the lead-up to the release, and many fans were wondering if CU7 was on the way soon. It looks like Carrie is just releasing this one song for now, as she’s gearing up for a new run for her

Wheeler Walker Jr. is back at it again. The man dropped yet another single for his upcoming Sex, Drugs & Country Music album, titled “She’s A Country Music Fan.” The follow up to lead single “Fucked By A Country Boy,” this tenderhearted ballad finds ol’ Wheeler giving us a little introduction to the woman of his dreams.

Happy Friday. This week on the Whiskey Riff New Music Friday Playlist, we have new tunes from Hailey Whitters, Randall King, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ray Fulcher, Hardy, Wheeler Walker Jr., Vincent Neil Emerson, Jewel, Eric Paslay, Deborah Allen, Carrie Underwood, Jesse Daniel, Kaitlin Butts, William Beckmann, Elle King and more. Turn it up, tell your

Kip Moore just released the music video for his longtime fan favorite, “Crazy One More Time”. He recently sent the song to country radio as his current single after re-imagining it for his upcoming album that has yet to be revealed. All we know about said album so far is that it’s (hopefully) coming sometime this