In many ways, Eric Church is a bit of an enigma in country music. Oftentimes, he strays away from what many would consider to be classic hallmarks of the genre, including but not limited to rare uses of fiddle many of his songs and the outright refusal to use steel guitar on many of his songs post Sinners Like Me. Despite this, Church has remained not only one of the best artists in the genre over the two decades but also one of the most important, influencing megastars like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs as well as alternative country standouts such as Carter Faith, Charles Wesley Godwin, Colby Acuff and more. When you dive into his discography, which reached nine studio albums upon the release of the Grammy-nominated Evangeline vs. The Machine last year, what truly stands out to you is just how far he’s willing to go to chase whatever sound is currently inspiring him. Chief sounds nothing like Mr. Misunderstood, which also sounds nothing like Desperate Man. On the other hand, Desperate Man clearly sounds nothing like the aforementioned Evangeline vs. The Machine. While it may drive some hardcore traditionalists up a wall (and it undoubtedly has throughout the years), for fans of Church (myself included) this is one of the key characteristics that define him as an artist: he’s simply not satisfied with the status quo in country as a genre and his sound as a whole. It should go without saying that Church, by all measures, is firmly planted in the mainstream, making frequent appearances at the likes of the CMA, ACM and Grammy Awards nearly every year. With that being said, however, he operates much closer to the likes of Sturgill Simpson in terms of artistic integrity from album-to-album compared to the likes of many other artists currently occupying the Nashville machine. Though he’s always pushed the envelope of the genre, primarily beginning with his rock-heavy The Outsiders in 2014, he’s transformed into something else entirely over the past three or so years. Notably, he was lambasted on social media back in 2024 at his Stagecoach performance, which featured an hour and a half acoustic set backed only by a gospel choir. Calling it his “Dylan Goes Electric” moment, in reference to Bob Dylan’s legendary performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, the Chief has only leaned into the gospel elements heavier. Not only has the choir and now a full orchestra been present on a majority of his shows over the past two years, he turned Evangeline vs. The Machine into a culmination of all the musical elements he’d been teasing during the live shows. In turn, the album was an 8-track, 36-minute musical journey filled to the brim with fascinating production choices with the aforementioned choir and orchestral section that flowed seamlessly from song-to-song. As previously mentioned, it’s always been a point of contention in country music to stray away from what many associate as the founding principles of the genre — fiddle, steel, the “three chords and the truth mantra.” However, for Church, it’s never been about forgetting and outright rejecting these genre-defining elements; instead, it’s always about thinking about it from a broad perspective and incorporating instruments others may stray away from when approaching a traditional “country” record. In an interview with CBS Mornings today, Church would explain it’s an honor to last this long in the music industry and ultimately be able to experiment this much from album-to-album. “First of all, I think that it’s an honor to be able to be in anything that you do a long time. To be able to do music, it was such a moonshot for me to ever be able to have one successful song or one successful album. I feel like the more successful you are, the more you should push that boundary… People sometimes, when they get successful, they pull back and they do what made them successful ’cause they’re making money… they stay there. I think that’s actually the time you do push the boundaries.” Additionally, the “Springsteen” singer would be asked about his thought process with the aforementioned choir and orchestral elements. Church would explain he wanted to push the boundaries by incorporating instruments that are not closely associated with country music in order to prove that music, at its core, is much more than any singular genre or style. “I really was thinking that music is more than just what is in the genre. If you’re in rock or pop or rap or Latin, it’s all [like], ‘These are the instruments we use.’ But the instruments we use for this are instruments that have been used for hundreds of years in orchestra music. And we tried to bring that in to show that you can still take the same song that I wrote on the first album many years ago, I can write the song now, and this is the changes that can be made musically to give a different interpretation.” What more can you really say? It’s become abundantly clear since Church took country music by storm upon the release of Chief in 2011 that he was never satisfied by being just another cog in the Nashville machine. As we sit two decades into his career, I’d argue that he’s only gotten better with age. Of course, this is all thanks to his outright refusal to adhere to whatever sound, style or movement is going on down on Music Row, and ultimately, it’s due to him viewing his artistry far beyond one singular genre or adjective. Watch the full interview here: 2026 Free the Machine Tour  Feb. 12 || Toronto, Ont. || Scotiabank Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 13 || Buffalo, N.Y. || KeyBank Center || Ella Langley Feb. 14 || Albany, N.Y. || MVP Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 19 || North Little Rock, Ark. || Simmons Bank Arena || 49 Winchester Feb. 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || T-Mobile Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 21 || St. Louis, Mo. || Enterprise Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 26 || Tulsa, Okla. || BOK Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 27 || Fort Worth, Texas || Dickies Arena || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 28 || Austin, Texas || Moody Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Mar. 5 || Knoxville, Tenn. || Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center || 49 Winchester Mar. 6 || Greensboro, N.C. || First Horizon Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 7 || North Charleston, S.C. || North Charleston Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 19 || Birmingham, Ala. || Legacy Arena at the BJCC || 49 Winchester Mar. 20 || Atlanta, Ga. || State Farm Arena || 49 Winchester Mar. 27 || Hollywood, Fla. || Hard Rock Live || Kashus Culpepper Apr. 3 || Greenville, S.C. || Bon Secours Wellness Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 4 || Charlotte, N.C. || Spectrum Center || Ashley McBryde Apr. 10 || Jacksonville, Fla. || VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 11 || Tampa, Fla. || Benchmark International Arena || Ashley McBrydeThe post “Push That Boundary”: Why Eric Church Has Never Followed Country Music’s Rules first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

At one point in Tim McGraw’s life, he had a very important decision to make. Long before he was a country star with hits like “Don’t Take The Girl” and “I Like It, I Love It,” McGraw was a college kid just trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He was starting to figure things out while he attended Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana at Monroe), and was exploring music as a career path. That was mainly because his fraternity brothers and friends were encouraging him to do so as they heard him play and sing more and more. Those in Tim’s circle continually told him he was good enough to chase a career in music, so started playing clubs to see if they were telling the truth. When he kept getting invited back to play… he knew it was a real option. But there was another path that was tugging at him thanks to a class he was taking, as he told Tim Ferriss on The Time Ferriss Show: “I took a military science class, and I got to know the instructor. Captain Whitehead was his name. He was an army guy and head of the ROTC there. All of the guys in the class were ROTC. We took the class and it was tactics and out in the field tracking and repelling, all kinds of stuff. At the end of the course, everyone was asked to vote (for) who was our platoon leader. Well I got voted by all of the ROTC guys at the platoon leader of the class for the year. I was the top student in the class. So Captain Whitehead took a big interest in me, but he thought I should be a Marine.” McGraw seriously considered being a Marine as an option. He knew it would take a ton of dedication and commitment, but Captain Whitehead evidently thought Tim would be able to handle it. That led McGraw to visit the Marine recruiting office again and again (and again), and all of the sudden, he knew he had to choose between two futures: music or the Marines. So, he gave up everything else in his life and went to bed one night ready to go with either, as he explained: “I visited the Marine recruiting office quite a bit, filled out all of my paper work, and one night I decided… I had everything packed, I sold everything that I had. Sold my car, water skis, shotguns, sold everything I had. I think I ended up with about $3,000. I had my guitar, one suitcase and my Marine paper work sitting on my dresser. I said ‘When I wake up in the morning, I’ll decide whether I’m going to move to Nashville or join the Marines.'” Woah… I’ve heard of people sleeping on a decision, but that’s taking it to a whole other level. It’s wild to think that McGraw laid his head down on the pillow that night and legitimately had no idea what tomorrow would bring. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes the next day and stood up… he knew exactly what he had to do: “I woke up the next morning, got up, picked up the Marine paper, tore it up, threw it in the garbage and went and bought a greyhound bus ticket. I ended up in Nashville.” Though I’m sure either decision would have been the right one… you’ve got to think that Tim McGraw went with the right option, considering how everything has played out for the country star. You can hear him talk more about it in the interview below: The post “Sold Everything I Had”: Tim McGraw Details The Moment He Chose Between Joining The Marines Or Moving To Nashville first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Get your tissues ready. Though we were treated to his first full-length live record, Live From Steel City, back in the fall, many fans (myself included) have been patiently waiting for the pride of West Virginia, Charles Wesley Godwin, to release new music for quite a while now. While we’re still waiting for the announcement of album #4, which Godwin confirmed is in the works, he kept fans satisfied with a plethora of different teasers throughout 2025. Between “Every Once In Awhile” and “Better That Way,” as well as “Hallelujah High” and “Try Again,” it’s more than apparent that he’s looking to outdo himself once again upon the release of his next record. In some ways, it simply feels like he’s teasing us at this point, also sharing stellar tracks like “Stranger on the Street” and “Christian Name” over the past month or so. Today is no different as he’s back with yet another brand-new song co-written with the legendary, Lori McKenna, titled “Hey There Son.” In case you’re unfamiliar with McKenna, she’s nothing short of a living legend when it comes to songwriters. There’s simply no other way to put it. The two-time Grammy Award winner has been a mainstay in country’s songwriting circle, cutting songs with everyone from Miranda Lambert to Tim McGraw to Taylor Swift. Notably, she’s co-written Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” McGraw’s “Humble and Kind,” Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty” and Eli Young Band’s severely underrated “Skin and Bones.” Additionally, she’s written the Grammy-nominated track, “Always Remember Us This Way,” from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born, Parker McCollum’s #1 hit, “Burn It Down” as well the Taylor Swift-Chris Stapleton collaboration, “I Bet You Think About Me.” Outside of her mainstream, award-winning album cuts, McKenna also has 12 solo records in her personal discography all filled to the brim with some of the most expertly penned tracks you’ll hear today. As for “Hey There Son,” it should go without saying that it’s nothing short of touching tribute to his second, Elijah, who was born last June. At this point, Godwin is no stranger to penning beautiful ballads to his children, with “Gabriel” and “Dance in the Rain” being incredible tracks for his eldest son and daughter. That being said, however, I truly think Godwin (along with McKenna) outdid himself on this one; this is truly one of the most touching songs he’s ever written so far. It’s safe to say Godwin feels the same as well, noting he and McKenna were brought to tears upon finish writing the song. “I think Lori McKenna and I both had tears in our eyes when we finished this one haha. What an awesome thing to get to do for a living.” The track opens up with Godwin speaking to Elijah, expressing how he can’t wait to watch him grow up and teach him in the first verse. “Hey there son I can’t wait to get to know ya I can’t wait to get to show ya All the things in this world you’ve got coming your way Let’s let your mama rest now, it’ll be okay The chorus comes around. While it may be simple on its surface, it’s undoubtedly effective and pays off in dividends when Godwin revisits it to close the song. “You came into the world with a mighty cry That moment I first held you, I’d never been more alive Heart open wide, I’m on your side” After another moving verse that sees a time-jump with his son now moving out of the house with his daughter-in-law and having a child of their own in the bridge, Godwin delivers the final blow on this tear-jerker of a song when he flips the chorus to the son’s perspective. “Hey there dad You were there when I was born with a mighty cry From that moment you held me on the first day of my life My heart’s open wide, now I’m on your side Get some rest now. You’re the best now. Goodbye dad” Ultimately, “Hey There Son” is one of the best-songs to date from Godwin in an already impressive discography. When it appears on his upcoming album, it’s bound to be a standout. In some ways, it’s one of those songs where a write-up hardly does the beauty of the song justice, so you’ll just have to listen to the song for yourself below. A little word of advice: if you’re a father, I’d recommend grabbing a few tissues before listening. “Hey There Son” View this post on Instagram Charles Wesley Godwin Tour Dates March 27 – Boise, Idaho – Extramile Arena + March 28 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Maverick Center + April 10 – Little Rock, Arkansas – The Hall ~ April 14 – Oxford, Mississippi – The Lyric ~ April 16 – Atlanta, Georgia – The Eastern ~ April 17 – Chattanooga, Tennessee – The Signal ~ April 23 – Indio, California – Stagecoach = July 19 – Whitefish, Montana – Under The Big Sky = +  Supporting Turnpike Troubadours ~ With Jason Scott & the High Heat = FestivalThe post “Both Had Tears In Our Eyes”: Charles Wesley Godwin Shares Touching New Song Co-Written With Lori McKenna first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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