Tipping his hat to the song that started it all. Wyatt Flores is gracing the stage at one of the most prestigious music programs, the Austin City Limits stage. And no, not the festival. Austin City Limits is now in its 50th season and is the longest-running music series in American television history. The PBS program is filmed at Austin, Texas’ Moody Theater and showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre. Austin City Limits, while it featured a wide variety of genres, has always done a stellar job of spotlighting the heart and soul of the Texas music scene, country music. From Willie Nelson to Merle Haggard and more, countless legends have performed on the ACL stage. And now the baton is being passed to the new generation of country music pioneers, with Wyatt Flores making his long-awaited ACL debut. Hailing from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Wyatt Flores is leading the next generation of red dirt artists with his vulnerable, authentic songwriting that tackles heavy topics like mental health and navigating life as a 20-something. While Flores has many recognizable songs in his catalog today, like “Break My Bones,” “Life Lessons,” and “Oh Susannah,” Flores will always hold a special place in his heart for the song that got his music career off the ground. “Please Don’t Go” was Flores’ second career single, released in July of 2022, and is easily his most recognized song, having racked up over 245 million streams on Spotify alone. The RIAA Platinum single details the heartbreaking tale of a narrator who is faced with the thoughts of a loved one taking their life. The narrator is urging their loved one to stay despite the deep, dark struggles they are facing. The anthem was a peek into Flores’ powerful songwriting, addressing the mental health crisis head-on, and he’s continued to make that a focal point of his career. Over the summer, “Please Don’t Go” turned three years old, leading Flores to reflect on how his fans feel so connected to the heartbreaking lyrics. “Little did I know this song would put me on the map career wise. Little did I know that these words would mean so much to y’all and have such an impact on people’s lives. Y’all scream this song back to me every night and I am forever grateful for that experience, but I must add it feels even better to know I’m not alone with my thoughts. I would always have those songs that pulled me through the days and tough nights, and I always wanted to be that for someone else. I wanted to have that song that you’d be blare three times before you’d get out of your car after work. It’s crazy to me that I’ve gotten to be a small part in a lot of people’s lives, and I only hope that this song helps others with their struggles. You are not alone, you are not broken, and there are brighter days ahead.” To accompany his heartfelt words, Flores shared a throwback picture of his unconventional yet effective marketing tactics for the breakout single. Freshly 21, Wyatt’s pictured holding up a sign on Broadway and in what looks like a college classroom, created with a Sharpie, a QR code, and a dream. View this post on Instagram Flores has never stopped showing his gratitude for what “Please Don’t Go” did for him professionally, and that feeling carried over into his Austin City Limits debut. Ahead of his taping airing, Whiskey Riff is proud to present an exclusive preview of his ACL debut, showcasing his performance of “Please Don’t Go.” For his ACL performance, Flores closed out his set with up the sober acoustic guitar melody, signaling to the audience that he was revisiting the song that launched his career. The audience hoots and hollers before he dives into the lyrics of the single. Flores boldly delivers the lyrics, conveying hurt in his voice and bringing them to life. “Times are gettin’ hard Hits you like a bullet through your heart Been tearin’ me apart And it’s killin’ you, I know Said, ‘Won’t you stay with me? I can’t keep goin’ if you leave’ Ain’t how it’s supposed to be So please don’t go” Near the end of the song, Flores opened the floor for the crowd to sing a portion of the chorus back to him, which they powerfully sang back to him. I am sure performing this track on the ACL stage was a full-circle moment for Flores. From having to take steps away from music at times to prioritize his mental health, to thriving and sharing a song about the importance of checking in on your friends and advocating for them to push through the darkness, is powerful beyond words. Check it out: Flores’ ACL episode premieres Saturday, January 24 at 8 pm CST/9 pm EST. Sharing the hour with the Oklahoma native is the South Carolina sensation Marcus King, who is also making his long-awaited ACL debut. King features songs from his latest LP, Darling Blue, during his set. The soulful melodies, and red-dirt anthems featured on Flores’ Welcome To The Plains, create a perfect program. This is not an episode you’ll want to miss.The post EXCLUSIVE: Wyatt Flores Revisits The Song That Started It All, “Please Don’t Go,” At Austin City Limits Debut first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It’s finally here. Parker McCollum sure knows how to make a crowd wait while still keeping the hype of a single. The Gold Chain Cowboy has been keeping fans on a hook since 2024 with his single “Big Ole Fancy House.” McCollum first debuted it in the spring of 2024 during a livestream. Since then, it’s been played live a handful of times, including in front of a packed house at Kyle Field for the show he did with George Strait. Fans were instantly begging for the song, but McCollum made fans wait… and then wait again. If you recall, many speculated that “Big Ole Fancy House” was going to appear on his self-titled record last year. However, much to his adoring fans’ chagrin, it was left entirely off the official release of the project. Of course, this angered fans who were all but convinced the track would appear on the album. The flack got so bad that McCollum decided to give them an acoustic version of it if they bought a digital version of Parker McCollum shortly after its release. “To say thank you for making this album release a damn good one, “Big Ole Fancy House” is available for a limited time when you download the album on my album shop. This will be the only time to get it. Hope y’all like it.” To add to his caption, McCollum sat down for a video explaining his choice. “I know a lot of you guys really wanted ‘Big Ole Fancy House’ to be on the new album. I know that because I got absolutely eviscerated on the internet for not putting it on the album. So, what I did was I recorded a very special acoustic version of the song ‘Big Ole Fancy House,’ and you can get that version of ‘Big Ole Fancy House.’ All you have to do is go to my website, go to my store, and buy the album off of parkermccollum.com. And if you do that, you get a digital download of a very special, acoustic, very raw version of ‘Big Ole Fancy House.’ So I think all of y’all should do that, and I think you’ll be very happy if you do that. I would highly suggest it, so I hope you guys dig it. Peace!”  But after two years of teasing this single, to kick off 2026, McCollum announced that he would finally be gifting fans with a studio cut of “Big Ole Fancy House.” What a way to kick off the new year, right? I must admit that the studio version lives up to the hype. McCollum’s Texas twang coats your ears in the first few lines before the melody kicks up a notch and leads you into a rocking rendition of the fan favorite. McCollum perfectly portrays a slightly tormented soul wrestling with the idea that all the material things in his “Big Ole Fancy House” mean nothing without the love of his life living with him, and that’s hurting him more than the breakup itself. “Well, I thought you would be the one to kill me Guess it’s true, I can’t live with the memory What do I do? I thought that I could live without you, and I lied Yeah, this big ole empty house is just eating me alive…” It was a long wait to get “Big Ole Fancy House,” but it was well worth it. Parker McCollum hit the nail on the head with this one. Turn it all the way up. The post After A LONG Wait, Parker McCollum Finally Gifts Fans With “Big Ole Fancy House” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Of the contemporary men, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban would seemingly be closest, but what about Clint Black? Continue reading…

Hopefully, this means one of them will be on her next album… we need it. Lainey Wilson already has tons of shows booked for 2026, while she also tries to plan a wedding, so we’ll probably be lucky if we get a new album… but considering how Lainey never seems to stop working, I won’t be surprised if she does put out some sort of project. During interview with People a little while back, she spoke about her dream collaboration, which included Miley Cyrus at the top of her list, because Lainey was of course a Hannah Montana impersonator back in Louisiana. But in terms of country artists, she says working with Eric Church or Chris would be a dream come true: “There’s so many people on my list. I would love to do something with Miley Cyrus, of course. I mean, I used to impersonate Hannah Montana. So, I always say Miley, and I’m going to keep saying it until we do something together. When it comes to country, I’d love to do something with Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, the list goes on and on.” Lainey has said before that Church is her and fiancé Duck’s favorite artist to listen to together, and she was recently added as an opener on Chris’ All-American Road Show tour, and I think either one of them would be a natural fit for a future project. During that same interview, she revealed that she has been working on new music, though she’s just now coming off an insanely impressive run with her 2024 Whirlwind album, including Grammy nominations, as well as winning the CMA Album of the Year award with the record, as well as the ACM Album of the Year and ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year with it too. She says the next project is a work in progress still: “I have been writing some songs. It has been so much fun. Even in the past couple weeks, I’ve been feeling very inspired. We’re trying to figure out which direction we are going, but the more songs that I write for the project, it seems like it’s going to happen. I’m not the type of artist to write 12 or 15 songs, and that’s what makes the record. I want to write 100 songs, and then we find the 12 or 15.” It’s pretty surprising that Lainey hasn’t done a song with Church or Stapleton yet, because they’re two of the absolute best in mainstream country and I think either one of them would be a perfect fit for Lainey’s style. It remains to be seen if this will happen anytime soon, but a girl can dream… Lainey also just scored her ninth career #1 at country radio with her single “Somewhere Over Laredo”: “Somewhere Over Laredo” LAINEY WILSON CONFIRMED TOUR DATES December 7—Las Vegas, NV—Lainey Wilson: Wildflowers & Wild Horses December 10—Nashville, TN—Grand Ole Opry February 6—Auckland, New Zealand—Spark Arena* February 8—Christchurch, New Zealand—Wolfbrook Arena* February 11—Brisbane, Australia—Brisbane Entertainment Centre* February 12—Brisbane, Australia—Brisbane Entertainment Centre* February 14—Newcastle, Australia—Howlin’ Country* February 16—Sydney, Australia—Qudos Bank Arena* February 19—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena* February 20—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena* February 22—Adelaide, Australia—Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena* February 26—Perth, Australia—RAC Center* March 20—Thackerville, OK—WinStar World Casino & Resort March 21—Thackerville, OK—WinStar World Casino & Resort April 10—Florence, AZ—Country Thunder Arizona April 11—Laughlin, NV—Laughlin Event Center April 25—Indio, CA—Stagecoach Festival 2026 July 10—Chicago, IL—Windy City Smokeout August 6—Detroit Lakes, MN—WE Fest August 7—Oshkosh, WI—Xroads41 August 9—Canton, OH—Concert for Legends August 12—Sturgis, SD—The Sturgis Buffalo Chip August 15—Springfield, IL—Illinois State Fair * with special guests Flatland Cavalry and Kaitlin ButtsThe post “The List Goes On”: Lainey Wilson Reveals The Two Country Icons She’d LOVE To Work With first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The first listen of Ashley McBryde’s next era. Today, she released her anthemic new single “What If We Don’t,” a ballad that encourages listeners to take the risk when it comes to love and life, pushing away fear and embracing desire and . It’s the first song from her forthcoming (unofficially announced) fifth studio album, and the song was written by Ashley along with Terri Jo Box, and Randall Clay, though it will probably sound familiar to longtime fans of McBryde, as it was first released on her independently-released debut EP, Jalopies & Expensive Guitars, back in 2016, before Ashley had a record or publishing deal. The song is described as an “anthemic, larger-than-life plea” which dares listeners to live without regret, and Ashley says it’s about learning to live with the consequences of life regardless of the outcome: “‘What If We Don’t’ came to me, Terri Jo Box, and Randall Clay sitting around a fire pit on a back porch, reminiscing on all the moments that we could’ve made a different choice and wondering if we should’ve. It’s about the leaps of faith that you do or don’t take, and having to learn to live with those consequences either way.” It will also serve as her next official country radio single, and impacts on February 23rd. While the lyrics focus on her not living with regret in terms of a love interest, I think the deeper concept can apply to all aspects of life: “There’s always the fear of going there now Things gettin’ weird if it don’t work out This kind of thing can’t stop once it starts We might end up breaking each other’s hearts But what if we don’t, what if we don’t? What if we stop fightin’ what we know we both want? We might regret how far we let it go But what if we don’t?” Ashley says she hopes people relate to the message of overcoming fear and not letting that feeling dictate choices: “We can’t avoid feeling afraid. But we can make sure fear doesn’t get to make choices for us.” View this post on Instagram Of course, her vocals are perfect, and I can’t wait to hear the rest of what she has coming soon, and I’d be willing to bet that an official album announcement is likely coming soon… check out “What If We Don’t” here: “What If We Don’t” Just a few weeks ago, Ashley shared a tearful video about all of the new music she has coming, and it’s clear just how much this next batch of tunes means to her. While driving around in her car, McBryde was crying as she recorded a video she initially sent to her team about her immediate reaction to hearing some of the rough mixes of the songs she has recorded for her next project. She explained that even though she’s written and been through every stage of the process with these songs, it still felt brand new and had her in tears, and she said that it was like she had never heard the music, or the artist: “I just listened to ‘—‘ for the first time. It’s a rough mix, it’s not even mixed. And I had just listened to ‘Hand Me Downs,’ and I wrote the damn thing, me and Jessie Jo and Laura, I knew what was in that song. And then I listened to it, and I kept staring at the dash, like, why would you do that to me? I’ve been here for every note, every syllable, every breathe of this record. And I’m listening to the mixes and it’s like I’ve never heard this record. It’s like I’ve never heard this artist.” Ashley has shared some about her sobriety journey, even opened her own non-alcoholic bar called Redemption inside of Eric Church’s Chief’s Bar on Broadway in Nashville. I have to imagine that could be a theme in at least some of the songs, and if you’re a fan of her music, then you already know how authentic and honest it is so I’m sure you can expect that too. She also launched her Light On Fund last month, which will focus on mental health of veterans, rehabilitation resources for the creative community, helping children in the foster care system, championing ASL interpretation at live music events, and much more, and it will announce a new charitable focus each quarter starting 2026. In terms of live shows, McBryde will return to Eric Church’s Chief’s on Broadway for several shows in 2026, and hopefully, she’ll have some new tour dates for the new year coming soon too.The post Ashley McBryde Encourages Listeners To Fight Fear & Embrace The Unknown With Anthemic New Single, “What If We Don’t” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.