I mean, she had to do it. This afternoon, Kacey Musgraves played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, headlining the Mojave tent, where she played a total of 13 songs, with some of them of course being from her forthcoming sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, which Musgraves produced alongside longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. Kacey’s album is out everywhere on May 1st, and I can’t wait, and so far, she’s put out two songs from the 13-song tracklist, including the lead single “Dry Spell,” as well as the title track “Middle of Nowhere.” Kacey will have four features from some fellow artists as well, an absolutely stacked lineup that features Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, Gregory Alan Isakov and Mrs. Miranda Lambert herself… it’s a dream. And I had a sneaking suspicion that Kacey would call on her past Coachella set this weekend, which went mega viral in 2019, when her attempt at a call-and-response with the audience went very wrong. She wanted them to respond as the “haw” to her “yee,” quite literally, as she sang her song “Velvet Elvis.” Well, they were either bad at following directions or got too excited at one point, though the first two rounds of “yee-haw” went very smoothly. But when Kacey pointed the microphone at the crowd without her saying “yee” first, they responded with “haw” anyways, and it became a mega viral moment that I still see surface online every now and then, because Kacey responded to them with a great line: “I didn’t say f*****’ yee!” To be fair, she did kind of fake them out, but it ended up being hilarious… So of course, she had to remind fans of the hilarious moment earlier today, when she showed a video of that previous Coachella moment, along with an alien in the corner, as she played her set. Of course, fans know she recently spotted some UFO’s in what has also become a viral story, and so she incorporated that, as well: @spillsesh Kacey Musgraves brings up her viral yeehaw Coachella moment #kaceymusgraves #coachella ♬ original sound – Spill Sesh You just never know what Kacey has up her sleeve, and look no further for proof of that than the very Texas entrance she made coming in to the stage on horseback: @spillsesh I LOVE HER OMG #kaceymusgraves #coachella ♬ original sound – Spill Sesh No one does Coachella quite like Kacey… and I’m here for it. She put out “Middle of Nowhere” this past Friday, which will likely be the last song she puts out from the tracklist before the full album is released in just under two weeks. “Middle of Nowhere” “Dry Spell” Middle of Nowhere Tracklist: 1.Middle of Nowhere 2.Dry Spell 3.Back on the Wagon 4.I Believe in Ghosts 5.Abilene 6.Coyote feat. Gregory Alan Isakov 7.Loneliest Girl 8.Everybody Wants To Be a Cowboy feat. Billy Strings 9.Horses and Divorces feat. Miranda Lambert 10.Uncertain, Texas feat. Willie Nelson 11.Rhinestoned 12.Mexico Honey 13.Hell on MeThe post Kacey Musgraves References Recent UFO Experiences & Viral 2019 Set In 2026 Coachella Performance first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Is “Nutshell” Billy Strings’ best cover? It’s certainly up for debate, but I think it might be. At least amongst the non-bluegrass covers that have found a spot in his seemingly endless collection of songs from which his setlists are composed, “Nutshell” is up there at the top. For anyone who may not be familiar, covers of other artist’s songs are as much a part of Billy Strings’ live show as his originals. As is often the case with jam bands, Strings seldomly repeats songs during a run of shows, so in addition to whichever originals he chooses to play on a given night, he’ll  play nearly as many bluegrass and traditional folk covers, and may even mix in a bluegrassified rock cover or two. Of those, some of the more frequently played fan favorites include songs like “Train, Train” by Blackfoot, “Black Clouds” by String Cheese Incident, and Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low,” to name a few. Within the past few years, though, “Nutshell” has  creeped up as a recurring cover, and it has quickly became a favorite amongst the Billy Strings faithful. Originally released in January 1994, at the peak of grunge rock and a few months before the high-profile suicide of Nirvana’s frontman Kurt Cobain on April 5th 1994, “Nutshell” is an eerily beautiful song off of Alice in Chains’ Jars of Flies album that gave the public a look inside the troubled an isolated mind of the band’s frontman Layne Staley. Exactly eight years following Cobain’s death, on April 5, 2002, Staley tragically passed away from an overdose, adding a particularly haunting element to the gravity of “Nutshell.” With a stripped-back, acoustic approach that differs sonically from the majority of AiC’s heavier catalog, “Nutshell” fits perfectly within Billy Strings’ sonic and vocal wheelhouse. He covered it for the first time in Cincinnati on March 18, 2023, and since then, he’s played it periodically enough that fans have latched on and many consider it a bucket list cover to hear live. I had been chasing it myself, and after hearing it live for the first time in Greensboro, North Carolina earlier this week, I can attest that it is a special cover indeed. As soon as Strings played the recognizable first riff, the crowd erupted, but immediately silenced themselves as he began to sing the poignant lyrics of the first verse. “We chase misprinted lies We face the path of time And yet I fight, and yet I fight This battle all alone No one to cry to No place to call home” The song gives me chills any time hear the original, but there’s just something ethereal about hearing Billy Strings play it live, in a packed stadium with thousands of people hanging on to every word. Check it out for yourself below, live from Greensboro this past Tuesday. Billy Strings has some great covers up his sleeve, but I think this one might just be my favorite. Following this song, he went right into his original “Wargasm,” and those two tracks back-to-back were an absolute force. You know what they say – Never miss a Billy show in NC. He tends to put on an extra special show when he gets near the stomping grounds of his greatest musical inspiration, the late Doc Watson. Anyway, it’s only right I include the iconic video of AiC performing “Nutshell” for MTV Unplugged in 1996. Rest in peace Layne Staley. Go to a Billy Strings show, you won’t regret it. Billy Strings Tour Dates: 4/22 – Charleston Coliseum – Charleston, WV 4/24-4/26 – Fishers Event Center – Fishers, IN 7/4 – Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater – Austin, TX 7/14 – Berglund Center – Roanoke, VA 7/17-7/18 – Portsmouth Pavilion – Portsmouth, VA 7/21-7/22 – Agganis Arena – Boston, MA 7/24-7/25 – Cross Insurance Arena – Portland, ME 7/28 – PeoplesBank Arena – Hartford, CT 7/31-8/1 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY 8/28-8/29 – Ionia Freak Fair @ Ionia County Fairgrounds – Ionia, MI 9/18-9/19 – Ball Arena – Denver, CO 9/20 – Paramount Theatre – Denver, CO 9/25 – The Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 9/26 – Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA 9/28 – Pechanga Arena – San Diego, CA 10/2-10/3 – Oakland Arena – Oakland, CA 10/6 – Matthew Knight Arena – Euguene, OR 10/9-10/10 – Angel of the Winds Arena – Everett, WA 10/23-10/24 – The Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, AL 10/30-10/31 – CFG Bank Arena – Baltimore, MD 12/4 – Saenger Theatre – New Orleans, LA 12/5 – Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA 12/9 – Smart Financial Centre – Sugar Land, TX 12/11 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TXThe post Watch Billy Strings Perform Haunting Cover Of Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell” In Greensboro, North Carolina first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less. Lainey Wilson is known for her signature bell bottom jeans, which she’s been wearing since she was a little girl, and when she was trying to gain traction in Nashville, she started wearing them every day as a way to stand out and be unique. Well, it worked, because Lainey’s name is now synonymous with bell bottom jeans, and there’s another accessory you will rarely catch her without… and that would be her signature cowboy hats. I mean, no matter if she’s on stage, on a red carpet, or at an award show, you will hardly ever see Lainey without a hat, and I have also rarely seen her wear the same one twice. Which makes me wonder, how many does she actually own? I would also love to know where she stores it all and what her closet looks like, it must be incredible, but I digress… In an interview with People for her cover story issue, Lainey estimated that she owns northward of 200 hats, but she’s never actually counted them all out. I genuinely can’t imagine where she keeps them all, but she says she owns one in “every color, every shape and every style,” so her estimate sounds pretty accurate considering the nature of her career and how many outfits she goes through every week: “I’ve never counted how many cowboy hats I have, because I would be a little embarrassed to know. But if I had to guess, probably a couple hundred. One in every color, every shape, every style. If you want a cowboy hat, I got you.” It’s her signature look, she absolutely rocks it, and when it comes to girl math and you’re Lainey Wilson, you have to have a hat for every single possible outfit, so it makes sense to me… and if she owns that many hats, I can only imagine how many pairs of bell bottoms she has: @people What’s #LaineyWilson’s last Instagram DM she sent? #OneLastThing ♬ original sound – People Magazine Lainey will dive much more into her personal life on her forthcoming Netflix documentary “Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool,” which will be out very soon on April 22nd. She will give fans a very intimate look at her life both on and off stage, including the process she went through freezing her eggs and much more. You can see the trailer below. The post Lainey Wilson Reveals The Staggering Amount Of Cowboy Hats She Owns first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I mean, it’s the price of fame, I guess… Megan Moroney  released her highly-anticipated third studio album Cloud 9, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking is her first #1 debut on that chart. She’s become one of the biggest country stars in the genre, and has become a household name. So along with the success she’s seen in her career, of course, the price of being such a big musician is that you also become really famous, and I’m sure people recognize her anywhere she goes, in addition to have her personal life and every move she makes basically scrutinized. So when she recently told the story of a very interesting interaction where her fame and success came into play in a very… um… intimate way, I had to laugh, because honestly, that sounds like a form of torture. Megan says she was getting laser hair removal and getting “zapped in places you shouldn’t be zapped” when her song “I’m Not Pretty” (pretty ironically, I might add) came on over the speakers. She laughed, saying she didn’t really know what to do and while it sounds like her tech kept it very professional, I’m sure they found it very funny, too: “I was getting laser hair removal, and ‘I’m Not Pretty,’ comes on… I’m getting zapped in places you shouldn’t be zapped, and ‘Whatever helps, keep on telling yourself I’m not pretty.’ I’m just like, I love this song.” I can’t even imagine… it’s one of those, you just have to laugh situations. Of course, “I’m Not Pretty” was released in August of 2023 as the second single from Megan’s debut studio album, Lucky, and she wrote the song with Ben Williams, MacKenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter. It is based on a real-life situation where one of her ex’s new girlfriend’s actually did accidentally “like” one of her old Instagram photos, and it’s a super catchy and upbeat track that became a fan-favorite on the album. In terms of radio success, it was mildly successful at country radio, peaking at #14 on the U.S. Country Airplay chart. When you’re an artist as popular as Megan is, you just never know when or where you’re going to hear your own music, and sometimes, it’s simply less than ideal… but hey, at least she’s on the radio, I guess… @americansongwriter #meganmoroneyon how her new found fame follows her even in the most unexpected of places #laserhairremoval #countrymusic #meganmoroneyfans ♬ original sound – American Songwriter Turn it up… “I’m Not Pretty” Cloud 9 Tour Dates: 29 | Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 30 | Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2 | Chicago, IL – United Center 5 | Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 6 | Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum 8 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 12 | Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center 13 | St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center 16 | Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena 18 | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 19 | Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena 20 | Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena 7 | Boston, MA – TD Garden 9 | Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 10 | Newark, NJ – Prudential Center 11 | Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena 14 | Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 16 | Orlando, FL – Kia Center 17 | Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena 18 | Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena 24 | Monticello, IA – Great Jones County Fair 25 | Minneapolis, MN – Target Center 26 | Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena 28 | Denver, CO – Ball Arena 1 | Portland, OR – Moda Center 2 | Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 5 | Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center 7 | Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena 11 | Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena 14 | Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 15 | Tulsa, OK – BOK Center 16 | Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center 18 | Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena 21 | Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena 13 | Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene 15 | Stockholm, SE – Annexet 18 | Cologne, DE – Carlswerk Victoria 19 | Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium 21 | Paris, FR – Le Trianon 23 | London, UK – Eventim Apollo 26 | Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 27 | Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy 1 | Belfast, UK – SSE ArenaThe post “Getting Zapped In Places You Shouldn’t Be Zapped” — Megan Moroney Tells Hilarious Story Of “I’m Not Pretty” Coming On While She Was Getting Laser Hair Removal first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

She just does not miss. Ashley McBryde’s fifth studio album Wild is set to be released on Friday, May 8th, and it will consist of an 11-song tracklist, featuring already-released songs like “Bottle Tells Me So,” “Arkansas Mud,” “Rattlesnake Preacher” and “What If We Don’t.” They’ve all been great songs, it’s shaping up to be a very impressive album already (not that I expected anything less, of course) and her latest release “Lines In The Carpet” is another heaping does of honesty and reality that so many women can unfortunately relate to. Written by Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, and Lori McKenna, the story paints a woman many of us likely know, who is caught in an emotionally hollow marriage. She’s a stay-at-home mom, and while of course many women find a ton of joy and fulfillment in that role, there’s plenty who don’t and find themselves emotionally unfulfilled and flat out sad. The husband enjoys golfing and drinking, and she tends to the kids and makes sure all the meals are always ready, because as McBryde sings, “When you’re born that pretty, you get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else”: “He splits his time between the golf course and gin and tonics on the back porch He don’t talk to her much no more, he only yells The kids and pot roast keep her busy because when you’re born that pretty You get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else And she won’t tell him, and he ain’t asking Throw another towel in the laundry basket She ain’t happy, but what she needs she can’t buy at the supermarket She’s a mess, but the house is clean as the cover of Better Homes and Gardens And he can’t read between the lines in the carpet” Ashley says it’s an anthem that so many women she knows can relate to, and that feeling of being contained “in a relationship, and knowing the person you’re with is “completely oblivious” to everything you feel, can be a form of torture: “I see so many women I know in this song. There’s no promise in the lyrics that things are going to change or get better—it just stays with that feeling of being contained, and knowing that the person you’re with is completely oblivious to everything you’re feeling. This record is about getting back in touch with the Wild within. I think part of that means taking a good long look at what keeps us caged.” I have so much respect for how McBryde approaches her music, she never steers away from writing or cutting songs that are unabashedly honest and forthcoming about struggles many people don’t want to talk about, and it’s just part of what makes her one of the most underrated artists in mainstream country. Wild is shaping up to be incredibly special, and it’s one of my own most highly-anticipated albums this year. Do yourself a favor and check it out: “Lines In The Carpet” Wild Tracklist Rattlesnake Preacher (Randall Clay) Arkansas Mud (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris Tompkins) Water in the River (Randall Clay, Blue Foley, Roger Hodges) Creosote (Ashley McBryde, Lisa Carver) Bottle Tells Me So (Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild, Terri Jo Box) What If We Don’t (Ashley McBryde, Terri Jo Box, Randall Clay) Lines In The Carpet (Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, Lori McKenna) Behind Bars (Jeff Hyde, Jessie Alexander, Jon Randall) Hand Me Downs (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Laura Veltz) Wild (Jeremy Spillman, Makayla Lynn, Matraca Berg) Ten to Midnight (Ashley McBryde, Travis Meadows) he most recently released “Bottle Tells Me So,” which is a stunning track about her aforementioned struggles with alcohol and it’s a must-listen you can check out here: “Bottle Tells Me So” “Arkansas Mud” “Rattlesnake Preacher” McBryde just wrapped a spring run supporting longtime friend Eric Church, and will open shows for Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton later this year. Full list of upcoming tour dates below. Ashley McBryde 2026 Tour Dates: 4/17: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency) 4/18: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency) 4/23: Southaven, MS – Wolf Springfest – Bankplus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove 4/24: Vidalia, GA – Vidalia Onion Festival 6/12: Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Spa 6/19: Rockton, IL – Settler’s Park 6/25: Belfast, UK – Custom House Square Belfast 6/27: London, UK – BST Hyde Park^ 7/3: Calgary, AB – Calgary Stampede 7/11: Cavendish, PEI – Cavendish Beach Music Festival 7/30: West Fargo, ND – The Lights Amphitheater 8/1: Riverside, IA – Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Outdoor Stage 8/15: South Bend, IN – St. Joseph County Fairgrounds 8/21: Atlanta, GA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium ! 9/1: Toronto, ONT – Rogers Stadium ! ^ supporting Garth Brooks ! supporting Chris StapletonThe post Ashley McBryde Gets Brutally Honest About The Loneliness Of An Emotionally Empty Marriage In “Lines In The Carpet” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.