Miranda and Ella got into a little bit of a competition to see who could "out-redneck" the other...and Ella won! Continue reading…

Kelsea Ballerini has proven she can be both traditional and experimental, and release both ballads and bops. Continue reading…

Who's got your vote this week? Continue reading…

American Aquarium is poised for another stellar album in 2026. The North Carolina based outfit has proven over the course of two decades that it doesn’t take a viral TikTok moment to be a mainstay in the music industry. Work your ass off, have songs that can rattle your soul, and melt faces when you get on stage… that’s the recipe that has worked for BJ Barham and the boys. Titled New Ways To Lose, the album’s name was inspired by NC State Wolfpack announcer Gary Hahn, whose saying “and NC State finds a new way to lose today,” mirrors Barham’s experience in the music industry: “No matter what success you find, you’re always looking up the ladder at what you don’t have. It’s about trying so hard to win at something but always finding a way to lose at it.” Produced by Shooter Jennings, one of the hottest producers in the country music world right now, the album was recorded in Los Angeles over a 10-day session. With an emphasis on live tracking, Jennings encouraged the band to lean into their natural chemistry and follow their instincts. And as with all American Aquarium records, Barham says this one will serve as a picture of a place in time, although he’s far from the man he was when they started. He’s a father, a husband, a bandleader, and a songwriter, and he knows exactly who he is and what he stands for. “All of my records are yearbooks. Twenty years from now, I’ll pull them off the shelf and remember exactly who I was when I wrote them.” The album kicks off with “History Repeats Itself,” a pointed lament of our current social-political landscape: American Aquarium 2026 Tour Dates June 26 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House July 3 – Urbana, IL – Rose Bowl Tavern July 4 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s Night Club – American Music Festival July 5 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage August 13 – Floyd, VA – Warren G. Lineberry Park August 14 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium August 15 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre August 16 – Washington DC – Union Stage August 17 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair August 18 – New York, NY – Racket August 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall August 20 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall August 21 – Des Moines, IA – xBk August 22 – Lincoln, NE – Memorial Stadium September 3 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall September 4 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre September 5 – Snowshoe, WV – Snowshoe Mountain Resort – Ballhooter Festival September 6 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry September 7 – Philadelphia, PA – World Stage September 8 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern September 9 – Detroit, MI – Magic Bag September 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave September 11 – Madison, IN – Unbroken Circle Festival September 12 – St. Louis, MO – The Old Rockhouse September 13 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom September 15 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rhythm Room September 16 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre September 17 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop September 18 – Bend, OR – Silver Moon Brewery September 19 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater September 20 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile September 22 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Boise September 23 – Bozeman, MT – Tune Up Bar September 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell September 25 – Denver, CO – Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox September 26 – Lubbock, TX – Cactus Theater September 27 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom September 28 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall – 1884 Lounge October 22 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads – The Saloon October 23 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom October 24 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre October 25 – Saint Paul, MN – Turf Club October 26 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon October 27 – Davenport, IA – Racoon Motel October 29 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation October 30 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe October 31 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy November 1 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom November 7 – Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival November 8 – Hassocks, UK – Mid Sussex Music Hall November 9 – London, UK – The 100 Club November 10 – Cambridge, UK – Mash November 11 – Manchester, UK – New Century November 12 – Bristol, UK – Thekla November 28 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West November 29 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall November 30 – Orlando, FL – The Social December 1 – Mobile, AL – The Merry Widow December 2 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah Wah December 3 – Houston, TX – The Heights TheaterThe post American Aquarium Announces New Shooter Jennings-Produced Album ‘New Ways To Lose’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Freddy is a certified Ella Fella, and his country music dreams are coming true. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off this past week, and so far, I’d say it’s been nothing short of awesome. Of course, you have your anti-American haters (sadly that includes some Americans too), who live in their miserable social media bubbles and can’t help but complain about the US hosting every chance they get, but for anyone who’s actually got outside and touched some grass to embrace the World Cup, it’s been fantastic. The United States opened up with decisive 4-1 victory over Paraguay, and honestly, it was some of the best soccer I’ve seen from the Men’s National Team in my lifetime. But some of the best content of the tournament has been thanks to a number of international fans documenting their trip to America. North America is the host of the tournament this year, with the United States, Canada and Mexico all set in the mix to host World Cup games across multiple cities. Many football stadiums across the country – like in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area – will be transformed into football stadiums for the competition. And while the teams prepare to compete, fans from all over the world are already making their way to the United States and documenting their travels, leading to some great content as their minds are blown discovering the best that America has to offer. One guy in particular has taken over the internet, a German fan named Freddy who seems to be getting the full American experience – including Walmart, Waffle House, and Buc-ee’s. WALMART ACTIONNNN!!! pic.twitter.com/E0tF6uUDI2 — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 8, 2026 Just had our first Waffle House experience at 1am. Great food, great prices, and friendly staff. 10/10, we will be coming back. pic.twitter.com/QHgftpqfoX — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 8, 2026 Unfortunately, Freddy didn’t get the full Waffle House experience, complete with an all out brawl between degenerate “patrons” and the staff, or even a full restaurant country music sing-a-long, but he still had a great time at the American staple. The internet has fallen in love with Freddy for his childlike wonder and amazement at things that we take for granted living here all the time, like having 10,000 varieties of soda to choose from: Lmao how am I supposed to choose from all of this? This is overwhelming me https://t.co/PBMhyA5BLt pic.twitter.com/Rq3Jel7y3G — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 8, 2026   And he even got to see the ultimate display of American patriotism with a bald eagle flying around Auburn’s stadium: There’s an eagle flying around the stadium pic.twitter.com/luC6ENq7oM — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 10, 2026 But more recently during his trip, Freddy discovered one of the greatest American treasures of them all: Ella Langley. He says that he had never heard of Ella before getting to the United States, but that she’s become “the soundtrack of their trip.” The best discovery of our road trip has been a musician called Ella Langley. We had never heard of her before, but after hearing her on pretty much every country radio station, we’ve become big fans. She’s basically the soundtrack of our trip. pic.twitter.com/IhQt4Z3vFV — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 10, 2026 Now, Ella is obviously one of the biggest artists in not just country music, but ALL genres, right now, so it’s no surprise that Freddy would get introduced to her while he’s here. I mean, turn on pretty much any radio station at this point and you’re pretty much guaranteed to hear an Ella Langley song at some point. But his tweet about Ella is also raising some eyebrows, with some starting to suspect that Freddy is either engagement farming or an “industry plant” himself, and not some charming German fan experiencing America for the first time. Now, if you spend any time digging into his content, he’s clearly a Cristiano Ronaldo super fan, his X account is from Germany, it was started years ago, he tweets about soccer all the time… I don’t get the sense that anything nefarious is going on. He might be hamming it up a little bit now that he’s become a viral superstar, but it seems totally genuine to me. However, Ella tweeted at him to send her a DM, and it looks like our German-born Ella Fella will be headed to a concert at some point this year. Just a generational run from the lad. WE’RE GOING TO AN ELLA LANGLEY CONCERT ON THE 18TH AND WE’RE EVEN GOING TO MEET HER!!!! — Freddy (@FreddyLA7) June 13, 2026   Keep it up, Freddy. And if you make it to Nashville on your journey, holler at the team here and we’ll show you some true country music history… like the rooftop of Chief’s where Morgan Wallen threw a chair.The post Viral German Soccer Fan Continues Generational World Cup Run, Gets Invited To Ella Langley Concert first appeared on Whiskey Riff.