Round 2. Though the dust has settled as of late, highlighted primarily by the release With Heaven On Top earlier this month, which went #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, 2025 was undoubtedly a year full of controversy for Zach Bryan. Even ignoring all of the aftereffects of his messy, public breakup with Barstool’s Brianna Chickenfry from last year, Bryan managed to find himself in the crosshairs of plenty throughout 2025. Beyond stirring up criticism after telling a 14-year-old fan to “GOMD” (get off my d*ck) after failing to meet with fans after his second of three nights at MetLife Stadium in July, he’d also find himself at odds with both the White House and the DHS after teasing his highly-controversial song taking aim at ICE, “Bad News,” which appears on his aforementioned album. With that being said, however, his biggest controversy of the year was undoubtedly his encounter with Gavin Adcock at Born & Raised Fest. If you recall, the beef primarily stemmed from Adcock calling him out shortly after the aforementioned “GOMD” comment. If you’re familiar with Adcock, you’ll know that he’s quite famous at this point for continuing beefs and arguments long past when a standard artist would call it quits, and it was no different here with Bryan. Around two months would go by with on-and-off pestering from Adcock, and in September, during Born & Raised Fest, Bryan would make a surprise appearance alongside rising country star, Gabriella Rose, to perform their single together, “Madeline.” While performing “Madeline,” he apparently thought that was the appropriate time to taunt Gavin Adcock, not once but twice, including in the middle of the song: @ware_3 GAVIN ADCOCK F*CK YEAH #zachbryan #oklahoma #bornandraised #fyp #concert ♬ original sound – Trey Ware Shortly after the performance, he allegedly saw Adcock through a fence as he was leaving and stopped to confront him. Hopping over the fence, he was grabbed by security with no punches being thrown. Adcock argued that Bryan had saw him earlier in the day and wasn’t drunk enough to confront him then. Of course, this then led to the now-viral video of the Oklahoma native jumping the fence and confronting the “Run Your Mouth” singer. What was seemingly ignored out of all of this, however, was the fact that Bryan all but hijacked Rose’s set at Born & Raised. Though our own Aaron Ryan pointed this out shortly after the incident, this notion was seemingly lost in the insanity of the whole situation. With the incident came speculation of whether or not Bryan’s stunt soured Rose’s working relationship with the “I Remember Everything” singer. While that seemed to be put to rest when he booked her seven separate dates on his upcoming, international set of shows, With Heaven On Tour, the two all but confirmed the incident was water under the bridge today. Early this morning, Bryan would upload another brand new teaser of a collaboration with Rose, seemingly titled “Carnival Ride.” View this post on Instagram As someone who thought Madeline was a stellar effort between the two, especially from Rose whose presence elevated the track tenfold compared to the early, solo teaser, “Carnival Ride” looks to be an even better collaboration between the two. Using his patented folk-inspired sound, Bryan uses some strong religious imagery on what appears to be the song’s chorus, painting the picture of woman longing for her man to return to her as she begins “waiting for the Holy Ghost to bring her back to Satan.” “Train’s long gone. It’s been gone for hours You can’t have rye when the grain’s gone sour He’s been on the road. She’s been looking for a carnival ride Girl you love most, she’s downstairs waiting For the Holy Ghost to bring her back to Satan Praying for a man to take her on a carnival ride” Though it’s hard to decipher just exactly what these lines mean in the context of the song in its entirety, it’s certainly an evocative chorus that’s simply begging to be fully fleshed out upon the track’s full release, hopefully some time soon. As of now, “Carnival Ride” does not have a release date. Zach Bryan Tour Dates March 7 – St. Louis, Missouri – The Dome at America’s Super Center – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 14 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 21 – San Antonio, Texas – The Alamodome – Caamp & J.R. Carroll March 28 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Tiger Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 3 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 4 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Trampled By Turtles & J.R. Carroll April 11 – Louisville, Kentucky – L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll April 18 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium – Caamp & J.R. Carroll April 25 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Memorial Stadium – Kings of Leon & J.R. Carroll May 2 – Starkville, Mississippi – Davis Wade Stadium – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 9 – Cleveland, Ohio – Huntington Bank Field – Dijon & J.R. Carroll May 27 – San Sebastian, Spain – Donostia Arena- Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara May 31 – Berlin, Germany – Waldbühne – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 3 – Oslo, Norway – Unity Arena – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 6 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 9 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Philips Stadium – Ben Howard & Keenan O’Meara June 12 – Liverpool, United Kingdom – Anfield Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 14 – Edinburgh, United Kingdom – Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Dijon & Fey Fili June 16 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 17 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Dijon & Fey Fili June 20 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 21 – Cork, Ireland – Páirc Úi Chaoimh – Dijon & Fey Fili June 23 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili June 24 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Boucher Playing Fields – Dijon & Fey Fili July 24 – Eugene, Oregon – Autzen Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili  July 31 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 1 – San Diego, California – Snapdragon Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 7 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Rice-Eccles Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 13 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 14 – Denver, Colorado – Empower Field at Mile High – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili August 22 – Arlington, Texas – AT&T Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 5 – Glendale, Arizona – State Farm Stadium – MJ Lenderman & Fey Fili September 18 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Kings of Leon, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 19 – Dover, Delaware – The Woodlands – Alabama Shakes, Fey Fili & Gabriella Rose September 21 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose September 22 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Center – Trampled By Turtles & Gabriella Rose October 2 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 3 – Foxborough, Massachusetts – Gillette Stadium – Gregory Alan Isakov & Gabriella Rose October 10 – Auburn, Alabama – Jordan-Hare Stadium – Gregory Alan Iskov & Gabriella Rose The post Zach Bryan Shares Teaser For Another New Song With Rising Star, Gabriella Rose first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Eric Church hit the road this past week to kick off the second leg of his Free the Machine tour with two nights at The Anthem in Washington D.C. And during both shows, he dropped a teaser for the crowd for something big coming later this week. Of course, Church is also gearing up for the release of Evangeline vs. the Machine Comes Alive in IMAX, a full-length concert film recorded during his shows at The Pinnacle in Nashville last May. The movie will be in select theaters on February 11 and 14, and he’s also releasing a live album of the show to go with it on February 13. But it seems like Church, as well as several other country stars, have something else in the works too. According to the recaps posted to his website, during the show at The Anthem last Thursday, Church teased something coming this week: “On January 30, we’ve got a surprise coming. It’s the s–t.” And the following night, he once again told the crowd about the as-of-yet-unannounced surprised: “On January 30, something is going to happen and you’re going to f–king love it.” Though some fans were speculating a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, much in the vein of fellow country superstars, Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band, a series of cryptic posts not only put those rumors to rest but subsequently sent fans into even more of a frenzy. In case you missed it, Church, along with Morgan Wallen, Tim McGraw and Hardy, all took to Instagram to upload incredibly similar posts with birth and death dates (save for Wallen) for members of a seemingly fictional McArthur family. However, when you take a look at the dates present on each and every post, there’s a much more historical significance to them. Eric Church “Junior McArthur. b. September 2, 1945. d. April 4, 1967.” For this set of dates, “Junior McArthur’s” birthdate coincides exactly with the Surrender of Japan during the final days of World War II, months after the U.S. formally called for an unconditional surrender. Conversely, his death lines up perfectly with the day Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “Beyond Vietnam” speech in New York City at Riverside Church. Ultimately, the speech served as a condemnation of the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War and called upon the U.S. to instead focus on fighting poverty and racial inequality here in the states. View this post on Instagram Tim McGraw “John McArthur. b November 2, 1920. d. November 22, 1963.” Arguably the most horrific piece of American history contained here, “John McArthur’s” birthday falls on the day of the Ocoee Massacre in Ocoee, Florida. A day after the 1920 Presidential election was held, over 50 (some estimate anywhere from 30–80) African Americans were killed after participating in the election and exercising their right to vote. Additionally, black-owned buildings and residences in northern Ocoee were burned to the ground. Conversely, his death lines up on the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, which remains the most famous and highly-speculated political assassination in modern U.S. History. The direct tie to both of these dates, in my opinion, would be JFK’s famous opposition to segregation and further support of racial equality throughout his time as president. View this post on Instagram HARDY “Jones McArthur. b. June 5, 1968. d. January 5, 2025.” Though Church was the one to signal something coming, HARDY was technically the first artist to upload this set of teasers to social media. Ironically, his is arguably the most unclear. Following a similar pattern as McGraw, “Jones McArthur’s” birthday coincides directly with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, just one day after he won the California primary during his Presidential campaign the same year. The significance of the death date here is a bit unclear, however. Unlike Church and McGraw, whose both signal major political events in the U.S., January 5, 2025, was a bit uneventful. The only major story emerging that day was President Biden signing a bill to expand social security benefits. From a global perspective, Russia launched a renewed offensive “in several directions” in Ukraine. Outside of those two events, there wasn’t anything incredibly historic, at least broadly speaking. View this post on Instagram Morgan Wallen Finally, we have Billboard’s #1 Artist of 2025 himself, Morgan Wallen, who is the only outlier here. As mentioned previously, his post is the only one without a death date. Even more interesting, his name, “Hunter McArthur,” shares the same birthday with Wallen himself. Though it’s a bit unclear, it seems as if Wallen will serve as the fourth and final member of the family who will be grappling with today’s current state of affairs in the country. So what does this all mean? Exploring the birthdates of the family on a surface level, it appears that this project will four span four generations of the McArthur family, beginning with the patriarch John (Tim McGraw) and ending with his great-grandson Hunter (Morgan Wallen). Given that we’ve already dove into the significance to nearly every date present in the teasers, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this project is going to revolve around U.S. history over the past century or so. From major political assassinations to horrific acts of racial violence to both the end and condemnation of multiple wars, all signs point to highlighting the division this country has endured and survived over the past 100+ years. Of course, this would be more than timely considering the current state of affairs as of late, ranging from events such as the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, to the deaths in Minneapolis at the hands ICE more recently. Ultimately, we won’t know exactly what the four artists (and potentially more) have in store for us until January 30th, but for now, we at least have a base line to guess what the project is about. Minimally, it’s primed to start an important conversation about the current state of the country while looking back at the past from a historic lens. Or… it could all just be a massive coincidence… stay tuned.The post From World War II To The Kennedy Assassinations: Exploring The Historical Significance Behind Morgan Wallen, Eric Church & Others’ Cryptic Teasers first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Opening up about a very personal struggle following a very public breakup. This past Friday, Carly Pearce released an incredibly emotional and introspective new song called “Church Girl,” which finds her wrestling with the guilt, shame and condemnation that can sometimes come from the pulpit, and perhaps even more often from the folks in the pews, in the American Christian church. That’s not at all to say that the Christian faith gives you free license to sin unapologetically, or even that sin isn’t real, but to acknowledge that ALL of us are sinners, at different places in our Christian journey, and that a little grace and compassion can go along way. Of course, everyone has their own opinions and takes on a religious song like this, and that’s great, and you can read more about the making of the song and what fans are saying here. The lyrics paint a very clear picture of a girl who likes to wear heels, maybe sometimes shows a little too much skin with a “Jezebel dress,” and enjoys a drink every now and then, but she still has faith and tries to follow Jesus’ teaching, no matter how much she falls short: “Hey, church girl, doing everything wrong Walking on eggshells with your high heels on Hey, church girl, with the Jezebel dress Better take it off, you’re making all the boys think sex You got your questions, but you’re too scared to ask I’m just a sinner who’s been where you’re at So you like to get high when you talk to Jesus So you love who you love and you go out on the weekend So you drink and you think for yourself That don’t mean you’ll go to Hell when you leave this world Just ’cause you heard it in church, girl” The song resonated very deeply for me in many ways, especially growing up in the south where there seems to be an emphasis on “proper behavior,” but I can very much relate to the idea here and desiring grace in the areas where many of us fall short every day. But enough about me, because in an interview with People, Carly explained why the song resonated so much with her, noting that she grew up a Christian, and it’s still very much a part of her life, though she admits she has struggled with her faith at times, as many of us probably have if we’re being honest: “I’m a girl who grew up in church, I grew up with faith being a very big part of my life, it still is a very big part of my life, but I think there are a lot of double standards with faith. There’s a lot of things that have happened in my life that maybe are not very pretty, none of us are perfect, and I’ve had to live that out in public. And have felt as a Christian woman a lot of shame and guilt and judgment and confusion.” And Carly also got candid in saying she wished she would’ve had this song when she was going through her very public divorce from Michael Ray. They were married for only eight months, and she filed for divorce in June of 2020. She says she felt like she had let God down because of her failed marriage, and it took a toll on her: “I [also] needed it when I was going through a very public relationship splitting, and ‘Oh gosh, I feel like I’ve let God down of what marriage is. So many different things in my life that I’ve been like, ‘Well, does this mean I’m not a Christian? Does this mean that God hates me?’ I think what I have come to find for myself is I wish I could go back and tell her, ‘You’re okay, you’re okay, and we’re all on a journey. We’re all figuring it out, and no matter where you’re at on your journey, Jesus loves you. I know that.'” Once again, I think that’s something we’ve all felt before, and I can’t imagine how hard it was to go through that in the spotlight the way she did. Carly says she wanted to send a clear message to her fans, saying: “I don’t judge you, I don’t want you to feel shame, I don’t want you to feel guilt. I want you to know that we’re all human beings and you’re welcomed here.“ The full album is expected sometime in 2026, and Carly says the songs were born out of a lot of self reflection and growth. Carly also released a song called “Dream Come True,” which takes another honest look at her career and the decisions that have led her to this point, and I think from these two singles alone it’s safe to say we’re in for a really incredible project from Pearce this year, and I’m very much looking forward to hearing all of it. You can listen to both below. “Church Girl” “Dream Come True” The post “I Feel Like I’ve Let God Down” — Why Carly Pearce Needed The Message Of “Church Girl” During Her Very Public Divorce first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He doesn’t miss. Luke Combs continues to tease fans with new music from his forthcoming fifth studio album The Way I Am, which is set for release on March 30th. It was produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews. The Way I Am will feature a whopping 22 songs, and Luke says he’s very proud of the album: “It’s been a long process getting this thing going, but I’m really proud of this record. I’ve loved the song ‘Sleepless in a Hotel Room’ for a long time and it’s been awesome to see how excited the fans are for that one as well.” Luke has already released several songs from it including “Giving Her Away,” “15 Minutes,” “My Kinda Saturday Night,” and most recently, “Sleepless in a Hotel Room,” but with nearly two dozen songs on the tracklist, there’s a whole lot more where that came from. And one of them is a song called “Rethink Some Things,” which Luke teased on Instagram this evening. It’s a super sultry, groovy and almost Motown-esque song that finds him torn between his head and his heart… he has sworn off a relationship with this girl, but there’s something about her that he can’t get enough of, and he’s starting to “rethink some things” because of it, hence the name of the song: “Hold up, That good God almighty, 10 of a body’s got me all tore up, I know before I said no more, But no more’s not enough, It’s tough, ‘Cause that game that you’re playin’s ruthless, And I’m fine every time losing, ‘Cause truth is, You’re the kind of woman make a man rethink some things, Kind that makes a made up mind start questioning, Everything you wanted, Girl you’re gonna make it hard to leave, You’re the kind of woman make a man rethink some things” The production on this one feels super different than anything we’ve heard from him before, and I’m here for it… it’s fun to hear him experiment and step out his box some, so to speak, with a sexy song like this, and I’m excited to hear the full version on the aforementioned album: View this post on Instagram He also teased another one recently called “Be By You”: View this post on Instagram “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates March 21 Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV April 4 Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA April 11 Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, IA April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post Luke Combs Is Ready To “Rethink Some Things” In Sultry New Song From Forthcoming Album, ‘The Way I Am’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Strait's newly announced shows present fans with a rare opportunity. Continue reading…