The duo I didn’t know I needed. Stephen Wilson Jr. released a new song featuring Miranda Lambert today called “Hardwired,” which they wrote with Jesse Frasure and Adam Hood. If you’re unfamiliar with Stephen, he released his stellar debut bon aqua EP in 2023, which featured the likes of “American Gothic” and “Year to Be Young 1994.” In June of 2023, Wilson Jr. made himself known in a big way just six months later with his mammoth, 22-track debut album, Søn of Dad. He has an incredibly unique sound you may hear him refer to as “Death Cab for Country,” and he has noted a range of artists like Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, and Bruce Springsteen as his heroes, and you can definitely hear that in his music. There is no one in country music who compares to his sound, and he’s easily one of the best in mainstream country right now in my humble opinion. Weaving together so many touches from different genres is so hard to do, and he does it seamlessly and it feels so authentic and true to who he is as an artist. And another one of his favorites, The Pixies, are featured on “Hardwired,” as he interpolates part of their iconic song “Where Is My Mind?”, which is simply genius in terms of how he worked it in. The song itself finds Wilson Jr. speaking for the working-class, and how constantly keeping the pedal to the metal, so to speak, can feel relentless and exhausting, because “hard living’s for the hardwired”: “Steel toes heavy Long side of the day Winter’s on the way Like a broke down Chevy Even when it’s hard as hell The tears don’t dry themselves Head made of granite, heart made of stone Toughest on the planet, got steel in the bones Down with the crickets, up every dawn Sleeping on the couch with some caterpillars on Mud on the knuckles, tread off the tires Barbs on the flannel, got blood from the briars No sleeping for the vampires No dreaming for the damn tired Hard living’s for the hardwired” It’s fun to hear Miranda on a song like this too because it’s definitely not in her typical range (she is gearing up to release a disco-inspired album, Crisco, on October 2nd), but I absolutely love hearing them together and I hope it’s not the last time they team up for a song. Do yourself a favor and check it out: “Hardwired” Throughout the rest of the year, Wilson Jr. still has a ton of tour dates left for his Gary The Torch Tour, in addition to opening some shows as part of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival tour. 2026 Tour Dates: 8/7 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre # 8/8 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater # 8/18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/21 – East Troy, WI – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/22 – Clarkston, MI – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/23 – Noblesville, IN – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/25 – Tinley Park, IL – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/28 – Wantagh, NY – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/29 – Bethel, NY – Outlaw Music Festival * 8/30 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Outlaw Music Festival * 9/4 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre ^ 9/6 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium # 9/11–9/13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre % 9/15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest # 9/17 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre # 9/18 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre # SOLD OUT 9/19 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge (Concerts in the Grove) # SOLD OUT 9/22 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater # 9/24 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic # 9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre # 10/1 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory # 10/2 – Helotes, TX – John T. Floore Country Store # 10/3 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall # 10/15 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena # 10/17 – Sligo, IE – Sligo Live Festival * SOLD OUT 10/19 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT 10/20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT 10/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton # 10/23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building # SOLD OUT 10/25 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse # SOLD OUT 10/27 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon # 10/29 – Zurich, CH – Volkshaus # 10/30 – Cologne, DE – Theater am Tanzbrunnen # SOLD OUT 11/1 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) # SOLD OUT 11/3 – Copenhagen, DK – VEGA # SOLD OUT 11/4 – Stockholm, SE – Fållan # SOLD OUT 11/5 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene # SOLD OUT 11/20–11/22 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest * 11/21 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company # SOLD OUT 12/2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie # 12/9 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy # 12/11 – Nashville, TN – The Truth # SOLD OUT 12/12 – Nashville, TN – The Truth # 1/20-23 – Cancun, MX – Dave & Tim Riviera Maya 2027 * Festival # Gary The Torch Tour ^ Supporting Dave Matthews Band % Supporting Brandi CarlileThe post Stephen Wilson Jr. And Miranda Lambert Release Working-Class Anthem, “Hardwired” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Prepare to hear a lot of Shaboozey this upcoming college football season. The artist and Grammy-winner who blew up in 2024 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is continuing his run of success. This latest accomplishment? One of his songs has been chosen by ESPN to be their anthem for the 2026-27 college football season. A track from Shaboozey’s latest album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, has been tapped to play each and every college football Saturday: “The return of college football brings new excitement, new hope and of course, a new song. “High Noon” by Shaboozey and Gunna is this year’s anthem for College Football on ESPN.” The return of college football brings new excitement, new hope and of course, a new song "High Noon" by @ShaboozeysJeans featuring @1GunnaGunna is this year's anthem for College Football on ESPN pic.twitter.com/KFfpPypsnQ — ESPN (@espn) July 31, 2026 This partnership makes it 13 seasons that ESPN has called upon a popular artist to provide them with a college football anthem for the season. Shaboozey joins the likes of Jelly Roll, Post Malone, Fall Out Boy, X Ambassadors, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Lauren Alaina, Imagine Dragons, Marshmello & Juice WRLD, and DJ Snake & Rick Ross among others to provide a theme song for college football on ESPN. Here’s the full list of all the songs that have ever been crowned as college football anthems: 2025–26: “don’t wait run fast” by mgk 2024–25: “Get By” by Jelly Roll 2023–24: “Something Real” by Post Malone 2022–23: “The Emperor” by Yungblud 2021–22: “Run It” by DJ Snake featuring Rick Ross & Rich Brian 2020–21: “Come & Go” by Juice WRLD & Marshmello 2019–20: “Let Go” by Judah & The Lion 2018–19: “Natural” by Imagine Dragons 2017–18: “Walk on Water” by Thirty Seconds to Mars 2016–17: “Collider” by X Ambassadors & Tom Morello 2015–16: “History” by Lauren Alaina 2014–15: “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy Fans are excited that college football is set to return… but if you dive into the comment section of ESPN’s announcement, you’ll see that they aren’t overjoyed with the song selection for the anthem. Some are saying “High Noon” doesn’t bring the juice, as the kids are saying nowadays (actually, I don’t think they are saying that): Why do yall pick the WORST music for CFB — Auburn Central (@AUBCentral) July 31, 2026 Just terrible, what happened to the game I love? Zero excitement from a video that usually gives me chills. Couldn’t have picked a worse song or person for this anthem — Perry “Chip” Maxwell (@ChipJohnson01) July 31, 2026 No Goosebumps here. No offense to Shaboozey, but that song was kind of boring if the intent was to fire me up. — C B (@CB969onRBR) July 31, 2026 you guys really do try to ruin everything holy sh*t — korky122 (@korky122) July 31, 2026 An absolute lay-up to go with the trombone mix of “A Milli” that went viral on TikTok. But ESPN screws up quite literally everything. So not shocking. — Jeff (@JDeck2) July 31, 2026 Want to defend ESPN, but Shaboozey? Wtf are we doing — Steven Sarkisian (@DuragatoryTex) July 31, 2026 Pretty low key song if generating excitement is what you’re after. Boring. — Tracy Howell (@TXScraps) July 31, 2026 Hot garbage of a song. Bad way to start a full day and night of football. — Chad Powell (@Danette72) July 31, 2026 3 straight years of mid country trap.. bring back centuries — the blockCADE (@NBA90996502) July 31, 2026 3 years in a row we fumble the anthem. who’s in charge of picking the song?? — slime (@_slimeylildude1) July 31, 2026 Shoulda just tasked Ella Langley to create a song and it would’ve done numbers — Jack (@jackedup4ball) July 31, 2026 Not a bad idea, actually… could have made Ella Langley the Carrie Underwood of College Football. Was it a missed opportunity for ESPN to not go down the Ella route for the upcoming season? One could say that. Luke Combs also put out an album of bangers earlier this year, so any of those could have been plugged in as the college football anthem. But the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” decided to go with Shaboozey, and now, they are being accused of “fumbling the anthem” for a third year in a row. ESPN kicks off their 2026-27 college football coverage on August 29, when UNC takes on TCU in Ireland.The post ESPN Taps Shaboozey For 2026/27 College Football Anthem… & Fans Wasted No Time Absolutely Torching It first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Mountain Grass Unit is the hottest up and coming act in bluegrass. All you have to do is see them live once and you’ll be in agreement, but the new music they’ve been releasing lately provides plenty of proof as well. Originally formed by childhood friends Drury Anderson (mandolin), Luke Black (guitar), and Sam Wilson (upright bass) in Birmingham, AL, Mountain Grass Unit laid their foundation as a trio with an EP, debut album, and Audiotree Live session released between 2021 and 2023. Despite doing so while still in college and playing limited gigs, the boys earned a reputation during this time period for putting on a must-see show. Sometime in 2024, the group expanded to a quartet with the addition of Josiah Nelson on fiddle, moved to Nashville, and released a five-track project titled Runnin’ From Trouble that marked the first time the band’s full sound was captured and released in a recording. They hit the road hard thereafter and haven’t looked back since then, playing many of their biggest shows to date and growing their fanbase in the process, but it was nearly two years before they returned to releasing new music earlier this summer. Dropping three songs in tandem with the announcement of their next record Appalachian Smoke, Mountain Grass Unit made it clear that they’ve been honing their sound both behind the scenes and in front of live audiences, positioning this new record is going to be a heavily anticipated showcase of all they have to offer. Continuing it’s rollout with two new singles this month, the band released “Wait For Me” on July 1, and just followed that up this week with their latest track “Suspicion.” And personally, this might be my favorite track yet. Co-penned by Nelson and indie artist Aubory Bugg, “Suspicion” follows the internal dialogue of a narrator who realizes their relationship with a lover is coming to an end and questions whose to blame. A hard-driving fastgrass tune, it captures that frantic emotion of romantic uncertainty through sonically sprawling instrumentation in a manner of which few bands out there are capable. Check it out for yourself here: And as I’ve already mentioned, there’s more where that came from. Mark your calendars for August 28, because you won’t want to miss Mountain Grass Unit’s new album Appalachian Smoke. Check out the tracklist and the singles that have been released thus far here: Appalachian Smoke Tracklist: “Earthquake” “Homebound Troubadour” “Appalachian Smoke” “Wait for Me” “Window for a Friend” “Darkness Rollin’ In” “Forest Mississippi” “Suspicion” “One Last Time” “Eagle’s Nest” “Take Your Time” “Where Steamboats Go To Die” “Another Sunday Again” These recordings are great, but if you really want to get a handle for what Mountain Grass Unit is all about, get out there and see a show. Mountain Grass Unit Tour Dates: 8/8 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival 8/12 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live 8/13-14 – Manchester, VT – Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots 8/17 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern 8/18 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar 8/26 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry (Grand Ole Opry Debut) 8/27 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville (Album Release Show) 9/6 – Mill Spring, NC – Earl Scruggs Music Festival 9/10 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s 9/11 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater 9/12 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub 9/13 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater 9/15 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom 9/16 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom 9/18 – Flagstaff, AZ – Pickin’ In The Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival 9/20 – Annapolis, MD – Annapolis Baygrass Festival 9/22 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing 9/24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge 9/27 – Missoula, MT – Top Hat 9/29 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club Ballroom 10/1 – Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret 10/2 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern 10/3 – Portland, OR – The Get Down 10/5 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord 10/6 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour 10/9 – Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall 10/10 – Eureka Springs, AR – Hillberry Festival 10/22-25 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Hulaween 10/29 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse 10/31 – Opelika, AL – Cottonseed Studios 11/6 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground 11/7 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre 11/8 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club 11/4 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall 11/9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe and Music Hall 11/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia 11/13 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl New York 11/15 – Boston, MA – Royale 11/17 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Underground 11/19 – Detroit, MI – El Club 11/20 – Chicago, IL – Garcia’s 11/21 – Chicago, IL – Garcia’s 11/22 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line 1/19-23 – Puerto Aventuras, MX – Panic en la PlayaThe post Mountain Grass Unit Continues Its Red-Hot Run With New Single “Suspicion” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Sounds like the folks at CNN need to get out of their bubble. It’s not an overstatement to say that Ella Langley might be one of the biggest names in music right now – and not just country music. After riding the highs of 2024’s Riley Green collaboration, “you look like you love me” all the way into the end of 2025, the Alabama native dropped what can only be described as a cultural phenomenon at this point with “Choosin’ Texas.” As it stands today, “Choosin’ Texas” is the longest-running #1 hit by a female country artist on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the only country song by a woman to triple up and go #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country and Country Airplay chart simultaneously and just one of 25 songs in history to stay at #1 for 12+ weeks on the Hot 100. In case that wasn’t enough, thanks to the success of her sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and sold 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week, Langley became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country song/album. (Of course, Taylor Swift was the first, going #1 with Red (Taylor’s Version) and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” back in 2021). This week, Choosin’ Texas” remained at #1 for its 15th frame, garnering 25.2 million official streams, 51.9 million airplays on radio and 7,000 units sold. In turn, Langley officially owns the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this CENTURY, passing Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s 14-week record with “We Belong Together” and “I Will Always Love You,” respectively. While Ella has spent time the past couple of years on tour opening for Morgan Wallen, she has also been headlining her own Dandelion Tour. And when she recently announced 21 new dates, the demand for the tour overwhelmed Ticketmaster and briefly caused the site to go down during the presale, with all of the shows selling out pretty much immediately. Ella even recently made major headlines during the World Cup when viral German soccer fan Freddy discovered her music on his US road trip. She eventually invited him to a concert and even met the viral sensation backstage, drawing press from around the world. Oh, and she also recently launched a partnership with American Eagle, alongside names like Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce. So yeah, Ella’s a certified phenomenon right now. Yet according to CNN, she’s “everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” A recent article from “The Most Trusted Name In News” dives into Ella’s success, while also asking the ridiculous question: “So, why does it feel like people don’t know her face or name?” "Choosin' Texas," Ella Langley's languid heartbreak anthem, which Rolling Stone has declared the song of the summer, is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The song is an undisputed hit, if charts are how you define such things. It's spent 15 weeks at Billboard's No. 1,… pic.twitter.com/SsYc3386Sy — CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2026 The author of the piece is a woman named Zoe Sottile who lives in New York City, so maybe that explains why it feels to her that people don’t know Ella Langley. (Although the country superstar will be playing a sold-out show in nearby Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center next month, so obviously a few people in the area know her). But between the two coasts, Ella Langley is a certified phenomenon: I spoke to somebody in country radio (in a northern state) recently who said he has to play her every hour, and sometimes twice an hour, or the station starts getting calls demanding her music. And just try walking in a mall or grocery store without hearing “Choosin’ Texas.” Aside from her impact on music, Ella’s impact on culture can’t be understated: Her style, her signature bangs, and her unfiltered and unabashed personality are all serving as inspiration for young girls everywhere, something you can easily see if you scroll TikTok for even a few minutes. But she’s also managed to do something that female artists often struggle with, and that’s build a loyal fanbase among men. Her male fans have even been dubbed “Ella Fellas,” which is a name they wear as a badge of honor, and sports teams like the Atlanta Braves, the Dallas Stars and the US Men’s National Soccer Team have had “Choosin’ Texas” playing in their locker rooms while declaring themselves “Ella Fellas.” Most recently, former NFL head coach Rex Ryan even proudly declared himself an “Ella Fella” while praising a recent show in Baltimore: “Look, I’ve been around football my whole life. I’ve coached in Baltimore, won a lot of games, and seen some incredible performances But let me tell you something…Ella Langley had Baltimore in the palm of her hand tonight. As the kids say, I’m officially an Ella Fella. I don’t make the rules.” To say that “it feels like people don’t know” Ella Langley is a short-sighted dismissal of one of the most successful women in the country right now, especially as she’s headlining massive festivals, selling out arenas all over the country, and smashing records on the charts. Now, maybe the author of the CNN piece is simply pointing out that Ella Langley is breaking records while not being as big as Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. And of course she’s not. She only signed her record deal two years ago, and nobody’s arguing that she’s at that level yet. But I WOULD argue that aside from Taylor Swift, she’s the biggest female artist in the country right now, no matter what metric you choose to use. And I would also invite the author to leave New York City and come to Tennessee, or Alabama, or Texas, or anywhere outside of her coastal bubble to find out the real impact that Ella Langley is having not only on music, but on culture. I can guarantee you, there are plenty of people who know exactly who she is.The post CNN Shows Just How Out Of Touch They Are By Claiming That “People Don’t Know” Ella Langley first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Jason Aldean says he'd wipe out social media entirely — and his reason goes a lot deeper than just being tired of the drama. Continue reading…