Bryan Andrews wants to play country music's biggest stages. But if those opportunities come at the expense of his message, then he says it's not worth it. Continue reading…

The show just got a whole lot more country. Continue reading…

Have you recently discovered a new country artist? And now you can’t get enough of them? If so, you aren’t alone. It’s that very conversation that’s being explored over Those are the questions that are currently being explored over on the r/countrymusicstuff page of the online forum known as Reddit. Reddit is a wonderful place to share opinions. It’s really just an online soundboard (often referred to as the “Front Page of the Internet”) where you can get unbiased and often helpful information. Right now, some country music-loving Redditors are currently discussing which artists they’ve discovered as of late, and why they can’t get enough of some of their new favorites. Music discovery looks a little different than it used to. Gone are the days where the radio station is the main avenue for finding new artists (it still happens from time, I suppose). Now, there’s a lot of algorithm and social media involved. The jury is still out on whether or not that’s the superior way to go about things. I, for one, still prefer the word of mouth method. I’ll always welcome a recommendation, and there are plenty to go around on this Reddit thread. One user asked: “Who’s an artist you discovered and now you can’t stop listening to?” It didn’t take long for the replies to start pouring in. From what I can tell, a lot of people went from discovering a new artist or band to seeing them live as soon as they could. That’s undoubtedly a brilliant way to navigate your music fandom. Nothing can replace seeing a band and hearing new songs live, and I can attest (as can many others) that hearing a song live just might flip it from skippable to repeat. Every artist and group that was shouted out in this discussion seems to be on repeat for each and every Redditor: “49 Winchester. Popped up on my Spotify in 2022. Seen them three times now. They’re incredible.” “Silverada. Great music.” “I’m currently hyper fixating on Muscadine Bloodline. One of their songs played on my Apple Music station and I was immediately hooked.” “Colby Acuff. Seeing him in the fall!” “Colter Wall.” “Carter Faith. I had a few songs of hers pop up over the last couple years then Cherry Valley came out last year and now like all I can listen to is that album.” “Stephen Wilson Jr.! He’s amazing live!” “Larry Fleet.” “I like Cody Jinks a lot.” “Kat Hasty – her last record’s been on heavy repeat for me for more than a year. Same with SG Goodman.” “Corey Kent.” “Jackson Dean, Turnpike Troubadours, Randy Rogers Band, Randall King. I’ve only seen the first two live, but they were both phenomenal!” “Charles Wesley Godwin.” “Jake Worthington is the real deal.” “Blackberry Smoke. Southern rock!” “Miles Miller.” “Wyatt Flores, JR Carroll. Could listen to them on repeat all day long.” There might not be anything better than discovering a new artist (or at least new to you) and diving into their entire catalogue. Well… the only thing that improves on that experience is then showing someone else the artist you just found. Getting someone else on board feels pretty good too.The post From Charles Wesley Godwin To Stephen Wilson Jr.: Country Fans Reveal Their New Favorite Artist Discoveries first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Could have been Beyoncé’s first country song. It seems like the pop superstar’s time in country music is pretty much over, after she made quite the splash in 2024 (how has it already been two years?) with the release of her “country-inspired” album Cowboy Carter. Of course there was a lot of conversation about whether the album should be considered country (Beyoncé herself said it wasn’t, for the record) and how she was treated by the country music industry. But Beyoncé has long flirted with country music, including her now-infamous appearance with the Dixie Chicks during the 2016 CMA Awards. As it turns out though, one of her earliest singles was actually written to be a country song – and inspired by a legendary country hit. Beyoncé scored her fourth solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Irreplaceable” back in 2006, from her second studio album B’Day. The song was written by Beyoncé along with Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund and Shaffer Smith – better known as R&B artist Ne-Yo. Ne-Yo has been spending a lot of time in Nashville lately, even making his Grand Ole Opry debut ahead of the release of his country-inspired album Highway 79. But the R&B singer has long been a country fan, even revealing as far back as 2008 that he was inspired by country artists like Faith Hill and Shania Twain while writing “Irreplaceable.” But there’s one country song in particular that he credits for his love of country music – and his inspiration when it comes to songwriting. Recently, Ne-Yo sat down with the Zach Sang Show, where he revealed how hearing country legend Reba’s 1990 hit “Fancy” inspired his approach to writing his own music: “I’ve been a fan of country music for a long time. This goes back to living in Las Vegas, my mom, my sister, you know, my grandmother, five aunts, me, right? And my mom worked in and out of pretty much any casino you could think of, and she was everything from a janitor to a dealer to cocktail waitress to like just a bunch of jobs so that we weren’t in the ghetto pretty much. So I would wait for her to come home every night, which was like super duper late. So I was always late for school because I’d always be tired waiting on her to come home. But she would bring a different genre of music home for us to sit and listen to for, you know, quick 30 minutes every night. I remember the first night she brought home Reba McEntire’s ‘Fancy.’ Man, that song had me in a chokehold for like three years. The song is like a tragic story, but it’s a beautiful story at the same time. And her voice and just the whole nine. So I was hooked from that moment.” Ne-Yo says he carried that inspiration into his writing career, from his first hit “So Sick” to writing “Irreplaceable” which ultimately ended up being recorded by Beyoncé: “So fast forward into my my writing career. If you think about ‘So Sick,’ the only thing that makes ‘So Sick’ a pop song is the music. Like if you take the production, you take those lyrics and put it over a slide guitar, it becomes a country song. Same thing with Beyonce’s Irreplaceable. You take the drums off and it’s just a guitar. It’s a country song. … It’s about the storytelling element of it. It’s about the vulnerability of it. These are the elements of country that I took from country music and incorporated it into whatever else I was doing.” If you’re interested in hearing how “Irreplaceable” would sound as a country song, bluegrass group The Cleverlys actually recorded their own version of the Ne-Yo-penned tune: Could I hear Reba singing it? I mean, she’s already recorded her version of Beyoncé’s song “If I Were A Boy,” so I think she could probably do something with this one too. The post You’ll Never Guess Which Legendary Country Song Inspired Beyoncé’s Hit “Irreplaceable” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Two of the best in the business. There’s no doubt that the alternative country scene is not only the most popular that it’s ever been, but also arguably the most talented as well. While it seems as if the likes of Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson have risen to the top in popularity, countless other acts have proven time and time again that they deserve to be put into these conversations as well. Of course, you can look to the likes of Whiskey Myers, Flatland Cavalry, Colter Wall, Shane Smith & the Saints and more. Despite there being so much talent, when it comes to who many rank as the best band and duo, chances are a majority of independent country fans will point to the likes of Turnpike Troubadours and Muscadine Bloodline, respectively. With Turnpike, they hardly need an introduction. With six albums’ worth of what can only be described as brilliance over the past 15 years, the Oklahomans have proven time and time again why many (myself included) view them as the greatest country band of all time. Simply put, they’re everything you want out of a modern country band. Between frontman, Evan Felker’s, masterful writing ability, Kyle Nix’s brilliant fiddle work on each album, RC Edward’s equally stellar songwriting and bass work and Ryan Engleman’s always-slick guitar riffs, Turnpike is the quintessential country band of the 21st century. As for Muscadine, the duo comprised of Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton has been on an absolute tear as of late. In addition to releasing a staggering seven projects over the decade so far, they’ve finally been catching some mainstream buzz as of late. Notably, they’ve scored Duo of the Year nominations two years in a row at the ACM Awards. Couple that with opening up for the likes of superstars like Post Malone and Lainey Wilson, the Alabama natives have been on an absolute tear. Lately, the two indie stars have been out on the road together, with Muscadine serving as direct support for Turnpike for the entirety of their tour, which kicked off in Chicago back in June and wraps up in October. Given that Turnpike was a huge influence on Muncaster and Stanton’s sound, with the duo even teaming up with Nix on their single, “Tickets to Turnpike,” back in 2024, it seemed like only a matter of time before the two powerhouses teamed up for a live performance at a show. Taking to Instagram, Muscadine uploaded footage from their June 13th show in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Here, the two teamed up for the Oklahoma band’s 2012 fan-favorite track, “Gin, Smoke, Lies.” In the caption, the duo noted how incredible the tour has been so far, expressing how much of an honor it is to share the stage with one of their biggest influences. “This tour with Turnpike Troubadours has been incredible. We’ve looked up to this band our whole career from the songwriting, the albums and how they’ve paved their own way. It’s such an honor to share the stage with them and watch them every night.” Unsurprisingly, the two groups absolutely kill it, with Muncaster and Stanton taking the first verse before Felker joins in on the chorus. In particular, hearing the three come together on the chorus is nothing short of chill-inducing if you’re an alternative country fan. Simply put, it’s a must-watch. Watch here: View this post on Instagram Turnpike Troubadours Tour Dates July 23 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – The Wharf Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers July 24 – Nashville, Tennessee – Ascend Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers July 31 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Everwise Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & Dexter & the Moonrocks August 1 – Kansas City, Missouri – Starlight Theater with Muscadine Bloodline & Dexter & the Moonrocks August 14 – Lewiston, New York – Artpark Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers August 15 – Bethel, New York – Woods Center for the Arts with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers October 2 – Charleston, South Carolina – Firefly Distillery with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers October 3 – Richmond, Virginia – Allianz Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers October 9 – Atlanta, Georgia – Synovus Bank Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers October 10 – Raleigh, North Carolina – The Red Hat Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & The Creekers October 24 – St. Augustine, Florida – The St. Augustine Amphitheater with Muscadine Bloodline & Drayton Farley October 25 – Clearwater, Florida – The BayCare Sound with Muscadine Bloodline & Drayton FarleyThe post Watch Muscadine Bloodline Join Turnpike Troubadours For Stellar Performance Of “Gin, Smoke, Lies” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.