Billy is BACK. For all intents and purposes, Billy Strings has become the “it” star in bluegrass as of late. After years of well-deserved hype among fans of the genre, the past five years, in particular, have been huge for the Michigan native. Beyond playing with the likes of famous jam bands such as Dead & Company, Phish and Widespread Panic, Strings has also scored major collaborations with Luke Combs, Dierks Bentley, Willie Nelson, Post Malone and Zach Top. The “Dust in a Baggie” singer broke out in a big way commercially in 2024 with the release of Highway Prayers. Not only did the record top seven different Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Vinyl Albums, Bluegrass Albums and Most Added at Triple A Radio (“Gild the Lily”), it also became the first bluegrass album in 22 years to reach #1 on the all-genre Top Album Sales chart since the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack topped the chart for two weeks back in 2002. Despite continuing his face-melting live show at a nonstop pace since then, the bluegrass superstar has been pretty quiet from a release-perspective, dropping another live album last year along with an exclusive Apple Music EP. That’s changing VERY soon, however. Announced at midnight, Strings will be dropping his seventh studio album, So Much for Goodbyes, on Friday, August 28th, to coincide with his first-ever festival, Ionia Freak Fair, in Michigan. View this post on Instagram Discussing the album, Strings would note it was born out of the grief of losing his late mother, who tragically passed away due to a drug overdose last June. Here, he’d point to using his guitar as a coping mechanism to handle the sudden loss. Additionally, he’d incorporate her artwork in the album cover. “I made this record to honor my mother. To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it. To turn my heartbreak into songs while using my guitar as a coping mechanism as I always have. It’s always been there for me to lean on through the hard times, and I figure it always will…until it’s my time to say goodbye.” He’d add a deeper reflection on the loss in the Instagram caption. Noting how he still plans to use her poetry for an album, he’d admit he has yet to find a way to incorporate it into a full collection of songs due to its stream-of-consciousness nature. Additionally, he’d explain that it was always a dream to incorporate her art into one of his album covers. “This album came at a time in my life when I had a lot to write about. I had just lost my mother last June and still felt the talons of grief piercing my back. Before she passed, she and I had planned on trying to use some of her poetry to make songs from, but that just hasn’t panned out yet. A lot of her poetry is very stream-of-conscious, and I just couldn’t figure out how to put it to a tune. Maybe someday I will. Another dream we had was having her make art for the next record cover. She was an amazing artist and was constantly working on many different things. She would call me all the time and tell me about how she was painting this or gluing this thing to that to make some UFO alien battle with cowboys and fairies. All her pieces had a story. The piece we ended up using for the cover was the one she was working on the night she died. I believe her intention was to show it to me when it was finished to see if I would use it for the cover. Although I don’t believe she had the chance to complete it, I am so happy we were able to fulfill that dream. I never got to say goodbye to her. That’s why I wanted to call the album “So Much For Goodbyes.” When I mentioned it to my manager, his interpretation of it was different from mine. I was sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye, but when I told him the name of the album, he heard it from a different perspective. It’s not goodbye. She’s not gone. She’s very much still with me. So much for goodbyes.” Overall, So Much for Goodbyes will contain 16 tracks and will be produced by Strings alongside the legendary T Bone Burnett, who worked on the aforementioned O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack along with the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello, Elton John and many more throughout his career. To preview the album, Strings released its first single, “Burn the Other End,” which is linked below. So Much For Goodbyes Tracklist 1. “I’m One of Those” 2. “Burn the Other End” 3. “Carry Us Home” 4. “Lay Me Down” 5. “Lucid Daydream” 6. “Mill Town Flood” 7. “Live to Tell” 8. “Bluewater Breakdown” 9. “Light the Wall” 10. “I Like Train Songs” 11. “10,000 Miles From a Friend” 12. “Still I Crash” 13. “I Wish I Wanted To” 14. “Remember to Cry” 15. “Wrestling an Angel” 16. “Debra’s Waltz” “Burn the Other End” Billy Strings Tour Dates July 2—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater July 4—Austin, TX—Germania Insurance Amphitheater* July 14—Roanoke, VA—Berglund Center (SOLD OUT) July 17—Portsmouth, VA—Portsmouth Pavilion (SOLD OUT) July 18—Portsmouth, VA—Portsmouth Pavilion (SOLD OUT) July 21—Boston, MA—Agganis Arena (SOLD OUT) July 22—Boston, MA—Agganis Arena (SOLD OUT) July 24—Portland, ME—Cross Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT) July 25—Portland, ME—Cross Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT) July 28—Hartford, CT—PeoplesBank Arena (SOLD OUT) July 31—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (SOLD OUT) August 1—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (SOLD OUT) August 4—Charleston, WV—Charleston Coliseum (SOLD OUT) August 6— Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 7—Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 8—Fishers, IN—Fishers Event Center (SOLD OUT) August 28—Ionia, MI—Ionia Freak Fair (SOLD OUT) August 29—Ionia, MI—Ionia Freak Fair (SOLD OUT) September 18—Denver, CO—Ball Arena (SOLD OUT) September 19—Denver, CO—Ball Arena (SOLD OUT) September 20—Denver, CO—Paramount Theatre† (SOLD OUT) September 25—Los Angeles, CA—The Orpheum Theatre† (SOLD OUT) September 26—Inglewood, CA—Kia Forum September 28—San Diego, CA—Pechanga Arena October 2—Oakland, CA—Oakland Arena October 3—Oakland, CA—Oakland Arena October 6—Eugene, OR—Matthew Knight Arena October 9—Everett, WA—Angel of the Winds Arena October 10—Everett, WA—Angel of the Winds Arena October 23—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater (SOLD OUT) October 24—Huntsville, AL—The Orion Amphitheater (SOLD OUT) October 30—Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena (SOLD OUT) October 31—Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena (SOLD OUT) December 4—New Orleans, LA—Saenger Theatre† (SOLD OUT) December 5—New Orleans, LA—Smoothie King Center December 9—Sugar Land, TX—Smart Financial Centre December 11—Fort Worth, TX—Dickies Arena *Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic †Ticketmaster ticketing requestThe post Billy Strings Honors His Late Mother With New Album, “So Much For Goodbyes” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

As her career continues to take off, the 'Idol' champ is hitting the road in a new tour bus designed with her family in mind. Continue reading…

Even Kelli Finglass didn’t know about it… that’s impressive, to say the least. The hit Netflix show America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is airing the third season on Netflix right now, and the show takes viewers from the first audition all the way through the end of NFL football season for the Cowboys, giving fans an inside at how the DCC organization runs. I loved the original iteration on CMT Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, though it’s fun to watch the entire process in this new show as opposed to just seeing the ruthless audition process. They’ve definitely tampered down some of the wild commentary, but cheerleader director, the aforementioned Kelli Finglass and Head Choreographer Judy Trammell are tough critics, and those girls who do ultimately make the team certainly earn it. It’s incredible how demanding their job is, and most of them also juggle other full-time jobs to make ends meet, though I think the pay and things of that nature has gotten a lot better since the show has become much more popular. This season follows the 2025–26 DCC squad, starting with the high-pressure auditions, where 30 veterans fought it out for just six open spots, and the season takes viewers from that point, all the way through game-day performances during the NFL season, and it even features guest judge in country superstar and Texas native, Miss Kacey Musgraves, which was a fun addition. Around the shows release, Kelli, Judy and Charlotte Jones, who is the daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer for the organization and is highly involved with the cheerleaders too, have been making their media rounds to promote the show. Of course, playing the Cowboys game at halftime has become an important tradition, and they always pull out all the stops to get a big star to put on a big show. Aside from the Super Bowl halftime show, it’s the biggest concert that happens during an NFL game all year. And of course, playing the Cowboys game at halftime has become an important tradition, and they always pull out all the stops to get a big star to put on a big show. Aside from the Super Bowl halftime show, it’s the biggest concert that happens during an NFL game all year, and the cheerleaders are always involved and make the show that much more exciting. During an interview for People, Kelli and Charlotte talked about their careers with the Cowboys and all the memories they’ve made with the cheerleading team, and Kelli’s favorite performer they’ve ever had the pleasure of working with for almost 30 years since they started doing the halftime show is of course the one and only Mrs. Dolly Parton. In 2023, Dolly put on a show-stopping performance that I don’t think anyone saw coming, as she trotted out onto the stage during halftime wearing the iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleading uniform that barely anyone can really pull off, much less a woman who is now 80-years-young… but most people aren’t Dolly Parton, obviously. Kelli explained that they had no clue she was wearing the cheerleading uniform until she stepped out to go onstage… she said they had sent Dolly’s designer, Steve Summers, some samples of fabrics and crystals, but there was no indication they were making Dolly her own DCC uniform. Of course, their jaws were on the floor just like everyone else in America: “Probably go Dolly Parton, because it’s Dolly Parton, and she came out in a cheerleader uniform, which was, as you know, kind of a surprise to all of us. We’d sent some crystals and some fabrics and some inspiration ideas to her designer, Steve Summers, but when she popped out with that uniform, I think all of us, our mouths dropped. And she rocked it.” The whole country felt the same way, I think… Charlotte added that Dolly did drop a few clues beforehand, but they had no clue she was going to go all out on that level dressed like a DCC, and of course, it’s become probably the most iconic Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show of all-time: “She rocked it… so they day before, this was our first clue. The day before, we were on the satellite media tour, and so she’s sitting and she’s all bedazzled in her cowboy silver outfit, blue stars and everything. And she’s doing her media thing, and someone asked her, ‘You look so cute today, what are you wearing tomorrow?’ And she goes, ‘Boy, when my husband sees what I have on tomorrow, he’s gonna fall out of that Lazy boy.’ I just died laughing. Because what she had on then was pretty spectacular, I was like, oh my gosh, what are you wearing? She goes, you’ll all find out. And she showed up unbeknownst to us in full-on Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader attire. Amazing. She broke the internet.” That’s putting it mildly… iconic doesn’t feel like a strong enough word for it, honestly. She’s one-of-a-kind and on one else comes remotely close: Dolly Parton FULL Thanksgiving Halftime Show#NFL #AmericanFootball pic.twitter.com/hC6v38fa2v — Crypto.Man (@hoangcrab_) November 24, 2023 Dolly’s manager, Danny Nozell, later told Billboard that the outfit was all Dolly’s idea, and no one else knew anything about it… and yes, they all “fainted” when she walked out of the dressing room and they saw her for the first time: “Dolly didn’t tell or show anyone that she was going to dress as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader until it was time to go to the stage. It was completely her idea. She waited until right before she went to stage and came out of the dressing room to show us all. When she came out, myself, the security and my staff fainted. I couldn’t tell the difference between Dolly and the cheerleaders. That is the genius of Dolly, and people are still talking about it.” In today’s world that is so social media-focused and out there in terms of what’s surprising anymore, Dolly created a moment here that had the entire world watching, which is hard enough to do, much less when you’re “passed the peak” of your career (I think she’s the exception because in so many ways, Dolly has never felt more relevant), which made this so much more impressive. The Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 45-10, but no one was talking about the game… they were all talking about Dolly, because she’s the queen of everything and she always will be. The full interview with Charlotte and Kelli is available below. The post “Our Mouths Dropped” — Kelli Finglass Confirms Nobody Knew Dolly Parton Was Gonna Wear A Cowboys Cheerleader Uniform For Iconic Halftime Show first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the members of the Righteous Brothers has finally caught wind of Paul Cauthen’s “Unrighteous Brothers” side project. Chances are you are familiar with both the Righteous Brothers and the Unrighteous Brothers if you clicked on this story. If you aren’t, the Righteous Brothers are a vocal duo that formed in the 1960s and brought the world all-time hits like “Unchained Melody” and “Soul and Inspiration.” The Unrighteous Brothers, on the other hand, consists of country music troubadour Paul Cauthen and Orville Peck. They got together back in 2020 to take a swing at a couple of the Righteous Brothers’ biggest hits: “Unchained Melody” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” For those that have wondered if anyone from the Righteous Brothers ever saw that collaboration, we finally have a clear cut answer thanks to a video posted by the official social media account of the Righteous Brothers. Bill Medley himself watched the video of Cauthen and Peck singing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and he was very impressed: “I kind of like the way they are doing it. A little like Hall and Oates. They’re not copying the Righteous Brothers. I love the one guy’s look. I wish I could wear that on stage.” Big Velvet does have some style. Medley was especially a fan of the name that Cauthen and Peck adopted for their 2020 collaboration: The Unrighteous Brothers. That being said, the legendary vocalist insisted that though they were known as the Righteous Brothers to the world… they actually held the “Unrighteous” title first: “These are the Unrighteous Brothers, right? Pretty amazing. It’s always amazing to hear somebody else do our stuff. They did a great job… We were the unrighteous brothers first.” View this post on Instagram And hey, if you are like Bill Medley and liked what you heard in that video from Paul Cauthen, you’ll be excited to know that “Big Velvet” is going on tour. If you’ve never seen him live, now is your chance. The “Texas Swagger” singer puts on one hell of a show, and he’s coming to a city near you. Check out the tour dates below and make sure to visit Paul Cauthen’s website to secure your tickets today. The Book Of Paul Tour Dates July 9 – Springfield, Missouri (Gillioz Theatre) * July 10 – West Peoria, Illinois (Crusens) * July 11 – Saint Paul, Minnesota (Minnesota Country Club) * July 14 – Billings, Montana (Pub Station) * July 16 – Jackson, Wyoming (Snow King Resort) * July 17 – Sandy, Utah (Sandy Amphitheater) * July 18 – Aspen, Colorado (Belly Up) * August 12 – Sturgis, South Dakota (Iron Horse Saloon) August 13 – Odessa, Texas (Dos Amigos) August 21 – Cincinnati, Ohio (Megacorp Pavilion) ^ August 22 – Chattanooga, Tennessee (The Signal) ^ August 23 – St. Louis, Missouri (The Hawthorn) ^ August 25 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Turner Hall Ballroom) ^ August 27 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota (The District) ^ August 28 – Des Moines, Iowa (Val Air Ballroom) ^ August 29 – Lincoln, Nebraska (Bourbon Theatre) ^ September 11 – Nashville, Tennessee (Ryman Auditorium) = September 12 – Columbus, Ohio (Kemba Live!) ^ September 14 – Madison, Wisconsin (Majestic Theatre)^ September 15 – Chicago, Illinois (Thalia Hall) ^ September 17 – Royal Oak, Michigan (Royal Oak Music Theatre) ^ September 18 – Indianapolis, Indiana (Hi-Fi Annex) ^ September 19 – Pryor, Oklahoma (Born & Raised Festival) September 22 – Cambridge, Massachusetts (The Sinclair) ^ September 23 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Ardmore Music Hall) ^ September 24 – New York, New York (The Bowery Ballroom) September 26 – Charleston, South Carolina (Hometeam BBQ) October 9 – Denver, Colorado (Mission Ballroom) ++ October 10 – Grand Junction, Colorado (Mesa Theater) # October 12 – Boise, Idaho (Knitting Factory) # October 13 – Spokane, Washington (Knitting Factory) # October 15 – Calgary, Alberta (The Palace Theatre) # October 16 – Edmonton, Alberta (Midway Music Hall) # October 17 – Red Deer, Alberta (Bo’s Bar & Grill) # October 20 – Kelowna, British Columbia (Kelowna Comm. Theatre) # October 21 – Vancouver, British Columbia (The Commodore Ballroom) # October 23 – Portland, Oregon (Roseland Theater) # October 24 – Seattle, Washington (Showbox SoDo) # October 25 – Eugene, Oregon (McDonald Theatre) # November 3 – Tucson, Arizona (Rialto Theatre) November 4 – Tempe, Arizona (Marquee Theatre) November 6 – Pioneertown, California (Pappy & Harriet’s) % November 7 – Santa Ana, California (The Observatory) % November 8 – Paso Robles, California (BarrelHouse) % November 10 – Monterey, California (Golden State Theatre) % November 13 – Sacramento, California (Ace of Spades) % November 14 – San Francisco, California (Castro Theatre) % November 19 – Houston, Texas (White Oak Music Hall) November 20 – Austin, Texas (Stubbs’s WC Amphitheater) November 21 – Dallas, Texas (The Bomb Factory) Support Acts * Alex Lambert ^ Ben Chapman = Chaparelle = Colton Bowlin ++ Rootbeer Richie ++ Tristan Trincado % The Wilder Blue # Leon MajcenThe post Righteous Brothers Singer, Bill Medley, Reacts To Paul Cauthen’s “Unrighteous Brothers” Side Project first appeared on Whiskey Riff.