I can only imagine what kind of insane place Riley Green’s DMs are… It’s no secret how much the ladies love him, and considering how much of a hot topic his love life consistently is in the news and online, you can just imagine that the messages girls send him on a regular basis… honestly, I would pay good money to read through them. I’m sure it’s just insane. But during a recent interview with Pandora, Riley revealed that he “probably [couldn’t] say” what his wildest DM was, though he gets a lot of messages from people who think they’ve been talking to him for years, think they’re engaged and things of that nature. It’s obviously all scammers just trying to get money out of people, but sadly some still fall for it, and Riley reminded everyone to be very careful on the internet when it comes to things like that: “The weirdest DM? Gosh, I probably can’t say. Well, I always get those where people feel like they’ve been talking to me for years. And like we’re engaged to be married, and we’ve got a life together somewhere. And the internet’s a scary place… be careful out there, okay.” Artists say it all the time, but fans somehow continued to get scammed, but if you don’t see a blue checkmark next to any social media profile, it certainly isn’t your favorite singer, and you should just ignore it. I know people want to think it’s possible, but Riley is probably never going to DM you so if you think you’re talking to him, don’t ever, ever send any sort of account money… somehow, in 2026, it still feels like that needs to be said: @pandora To DM or not DM @Riley Green #CMAFest ♬ original sound – Pandora There were some great comments on the video, though: “But Riley we are engaged!” “But baby the kids miss you.” “I mean in their minds you have been married you just weren’t there!” “Sorry that was me.” “We’re not?!” Wishful thinking, I guess… And in case you’ve had a hard time keeping up with everything he has going on right now, the Alabama native just recently announced a new album, That’s Just Me will be out everywhere this fall, on September 18th. In addition to being on the road for his Cowboy As It Gets Tour right now, Riley will be a judge on The Voice this fall, and he also recently appeared four a four-show stint on the TV series Marshals, so he’s got a lot going on. He also released the lead single “Think As You Drunk,” which you can listen to here: The post “The Internet’s A Scary Place… Be Careful Out There” — Riley Green Says He Gets A Ton Of DMs From People Who Think They’re In A Relationship With Him first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The liberal-leaning comedian and commentator is siding with Freedom 250 on this one. You’ve likely heard that the Great American State Fair isn’t having great luck when it comes to retaining performers. The national exposition is set to bring together all 50 states for a World’s Fair type of celebration that included exhibits, innovation showcases, cultural programming, and live performances. It’s set to get started later this month (June 25 to be exact) and run through July 10 on the National Mall, and it’s all to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. In late May, Freedom 250 announced the first round of headliners who will be performing at the celebration, and the originally announced headliners included Martina McBride, C+C Music Factory, The Commodores, Vanilla Ice, Young MC, Morris Day and The Time, Flo Rida, Bret Michaels, and Milli Vanilli. The music festival has since been canceled because so many artists dropped out. Once country music star Martina McBride backed out of the event, things really took a turn for the Freedom 250 concert series. After facing backlash from fans who claimed that the “Independence Day” singer was supporting Donald Trump if she played at the event, the artist put out this statement saying she was removing herself from the lineup: “I would like to talk to you and clear the air. I will not be performing at the Great American State Fair on June 25th. I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading. I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states and also bring people together in a way that only music can. I saw it as just a bigger version of so many state fairs I have performed at over the years, celebrating community and what makes each state special. Sounds fun, right? Wholesome even. Yesterday, things started changing and what we were told is, in fact, not what is happening. I’ve spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who have felt like they didn’t have one. It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music may now feel like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs. I assure you, that is not the case. I appreciate every single fan who has reached out. I hope to get back to the DC area very soon.” View this post on Instagram Many other artists followed suit, and eventually, Freedom 250 was scrapped altogether and replaced with a rally of sorts on the national mall which will include Lee Greenwood. Bill Maher, who would normally be in favor of artists pulling out of an event that had become intertwined with Trump, said on his Real Time with Bill Maher show last Friday that everyone that withdrew from Freedom 250 should be ashamed of themselves: “They all pulled out… This is a question about what looks best for the Democrats, because I don’t think that looks good. It looks like you are just what people say about you – you don’t really love America. It looks (like) you think Trump is more important than the country itself.” And he went on to say that, by most of the artists refusing to play, it actually made the situation worse in his eyes. Performers like McBride could have used the opportunity to bring people together, regardless of what they were told was happening at the Great American State Fair, and Maher let them have it: “Now it’s just a big MAGA rally, this whole thing. Now it’s just Trump and Lee Greenwood. Wouldn’t it have been better to play this gig? It’s a month-long gig, lots of people, like, just celebrating America. Can’t we all just celebrate America itself and leave Trump out of it?” Democrats AGAINST America? Bill Maher ROASTS all the liberal artists who pulled of the Freedom 250 concert due to 'political concerns' – says they just made President Trump more important than America itself: “They all pulled out. This is a question of what looks best for the… pic.twitter.com/lf1LmUCjrs — Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) June 7, 2026 Does Bill Maher, a well known liberal who traditionally bucks against President Trump, have a point there? Many are applauding the liberal commentator’s stance, but it’s important to note that in the very show that he shared those views, his guest – Democratic Senator Chris Murphy – stated that the event could have very easily been celebratory instead of political, and that it was Trump who made it controversial: “There was a nonpartisan, apolitical effort to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. And instead of just letting that effort go forward, Donald Trump took it over, right, to create a parallel set of events. My understanding is these artists thought that they were going to the nonpartisan effort. And then when they found out it was just a predicate to a Trump rally, they didn’t want to be part of it. I think this would have been a lot better for the country if Trump had decided to just let professionals, let people who just care about celebrating America with no political agenda be part of this. I agree there’s no reason to overly politicize this, but Trump decided to politicize it by essentially shutting down the citizens who were leading it and turning it into a big MAGA event.” And now… there’s no Freedom 250 concert series at all. The Great American State Fair is still rolling on, but it’s without all of the artists that originally joined on to help celebrate the momentous occasion for the United States of America.The post Bill Maher Blasts Artists For Backing Out Of Freedom 250: “Can’t We All Just Celebrate America?” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

'It would be an enormous monstrosity, an absolute eyesore and detract in every way from not only the zoo but that area,' Brad Paisley said. Continue reading…

Solid country gold right here. Simply put, there’s no one doing it quite as well as Zach Top these days. Though there are plenty of other stellar artists keeping the traditional scene alive, such as Jake Worthington, Charley Crockett and more, the Washington native has launched himself into the stratosphere as of late. Of course, this was highlighted on a national scale the past few months when he not only took home Best New Artist at the CMA Awards in November, which he accepted with a Coors Banquet in hand, but also when he scored his first-career Grammy earlier this month. In turn, Top became the first-ever winner of the brand-new Best Traditional Country Album category, winning it with his sophomore album, Ain’t In It For My Health. In addition to being labeled as the savior of traditional country music, Top has proven himself as the quintessential human jukebox over the past few years when it comes to delivering phenomenal covers of different songs across multiple eras. From Chris Stapleton’s “Nobody to Blame” and Billy Currington’s “Good Directions” to Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses” and Conway Twitty’s “Slow Hand,” the Washington Native has yet to meet a classic song that he cannot perform flawlessly. This week, in particular, proved to be quite the busy one for the “I Never Lie” singer. In addition to slating another batch of dates on his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour, Top has seemingly been everywhere. On Thursday, he’d make a surprise appearance at The Red Clay Strays’ album release show in Nashville and perform “Where The Corn Don’t Grow” before returning on Saturday for his headlining set at CMA Fest. In between the two Nashville appearances, however, Top would play a headlining show in Durant, Oklahoma, at Choctaw Grand Theater. Here, he’d deliver another flawless rendition of one of the most influential songs in his career, none other than George Strait’s 1982 hit, “Amarillo By Morning.” At this point, Top is no stranger to the classic track from the King, frequently covering it over the past few years. This time, however, he decided to strip it back and perform it acoustically, commenting that he had to forgo having the iconic fiddle in the intro. Even without the fiddle, the 28-year-old singer/songwriter did what he does best and delivered an absolutely flawless rendition of the country standard. @kira6021 Amarillo By Morning cover by @@Zach Top in Durant, OK ##zachtop##concert##fyp ♬ original sound – Kira… As previously mentioned, “Amarillo By Morning” has a special place in Zach Top’s career, as it was the first song he ever learned to play on guitar at five years old, something he revealed back in 2024 in a conversation with CMT’s Cody Alan. “The first big one was George Strait for me. Ever since I was about three years old, I thought he looked pretty cool in a cowboy hat and holding a guitar. That was my parent’s favorite, so they had him playing nonstop in the house growing up. Actually, the first song I ever asked to learn how to play on guitar when I took my first lesson when I was five. I walked in there and the girl asked me what I wanted to learn to play, and I said, ‘Amarillo By Morning.’” A full circle moment. Zach Top 2026 Tour Dates June 11—Decatur, AL—Rock the South June 12—Orange Beach, AL—The Wharf Amphitheater≠ June 13—Orange Beach, AL—The Wharf Amphitheater≠J June 18—Bloomington, IL—Tailgate N’ Tallboys June 19—North Lawrence, OH—The Country Fest June 20—Columbia, MD—Merriweather Post Pavilion« June 25—South Greenfield, MO—Baker-Spain Stampede June 26—Bonner Springs, KS—Country Stampede June 27—North Platte, NE—NEBRASKAland DAYS July 9—West Valley City, UT—Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre July 10—Boise, ID—ExtraMile Arena July 11—Pendleton, OR—Pendleton Whisky Music Fest July 15—Saskatoon, SK—SaskTel Centre∆ July 16—Edmonton, AB—Rogers Place∆ July 18—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky Festival July 23—Minot, ND—North Dakota State Fair July 25—Cheyenne, WY—Cheyenne Frontier Days 2026 August 6—Toronto, ON—Rogers Stadium~ August 7—Ottawa, ON—Canadian Tire Centre« August 8—Canandaigua, NY—CMAC« August 13—Wantagh, NY—Northwell at Jones Beach Theater≈ August 14—Boston, MA—Fenway Park~ August 15—Boston, MA—Fenway Park~ August 20—Pittsburgh, PA—PPG Paints Arena∞ August 21—Allentown, PA—PPL Center August 22—Bangor, ME—Maine Savings Amphitheater∞ August 27—Dieppe, New Brunswick—YQM Countryfest 2026 August 28—Gilford, NH—BankNH Pavilion∞ September 1—Toronto, ON—Rogers Stadium~ September 11—Lake Tahoe, NV—Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic« September 17—San Diego, CA—Pechanga Arena« September 18—Anaheim, CA—Honda Center September 19—Fresno, CA—Boots In The Park September 25—Corpus Christi, TX—Hillard Center Arena« September 26—San Antonio, TX—Frost Bank Center« October 2—Jacksonville, FL—VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena October 3—West Palm Beach, FL—iTHINK FinancialAmphitheatre October 8—Des Moines, IA—Casey’s Center≈ October 9—Rosemont, IL—Allstate Arena≈ October 10—St. Paul, MN—Grand Casino Arena≈ October 15—Sioux Falls, SD—Denny Sanford PREMIER Center≈ October 16—Milwaukee, WI—Fiserv Forum≈ October 17—Grand Rapids, MI—Van Andel Arena≈ October 23—Lafayette, LA—CAJUNDOME∆ October 29—Duluth, GA—Gas South Arena∆ October 30—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena∆ ≠with special guest Cole Goodwin «with special guest Wyatt McCubbin ∆with special guest Lukas Nelson ~with Chris Stapleton ≈with special guest Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives ∞with special guest Marcus King BandThe post Zach Top Delivers Stunning Acoustic Rendition Of “Amarillo By Morning” In Durant, Oklahoma first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The moment Johnny Blue Skies fans have been waiting for. Just in time for the heat of the summer, the artist formerly known as Sturgill Simpson finally released his latest album, Mutiny After Midnight, to streaming. Technically, it’s been available ever since March 13, when it was released through physical media only. The original announcement of the album said that fans would only be able to get their hands on vinyl, cassette and CDs – A.K.A. no digital or streaming option. Just shy of a month after its release, Mutiny After Midnight was available to buy digitally through iTunes. And now, almost three months after the album dropped, it’s on streaming services. That’s not a surprise. The Dread Pirate Johnny Blue Skies had told fans that it would eventually be released on streaming with a couple of extra songs thrown in… though no one knew exactly when that would be. In a social media post from March, JBS talked about how the unconventional album drop led to his biggest first week of his career, and that the music would eventually find a home on streaming: “I can assure you, if nothing else, there are meetings taking place right now throughout the music industry amongst those who pray to formula currently discussing and analyzing the fact that without interviews, tv performances, singles, music videos, or an ounce of ‘marketing’ outside a steady steam of stupid ass memes, we have already had what those that follow charts refer to as the biggest ‘first week’ of any album in my entire career… and ‘first week’ technically just started today. We’ll probably put it on iTunes at some point. We’ll probably stream it (with bonus tracks) at some point. But the album is out in stores today. Go buy a physical copy… or don’t. Stream it illegally… or don’t. But as your attorney, I advise you to put the phone down, get out of the house, and go grab a copy and find a place to crank it with some friends or even strangers… you might even get laid. It’s all the same f***ing day man… so don’t let the bastards get ya down.” That “some point” is today. Fans will be excited to know that three additional songs are included on the “Extended Edition” of Mutiny After Midnight. Stu’s cover of Eddie Murphy’s “Party All The Time,” which has been a setlist staple over the past couple of years, made the track list. And so did “Whiter Shade of Pale” and “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” which are also covers that have shown up in live Johnny Blue Skies shows. Both songs were featured prominently in Sturgill’s Why Not? Tour. “Whiter Shade of Pale” was originally released by Procol Harum in 1966, and “You Don’t Miss Your Water” came out in 1961 thanks to a soul artist named William Bell. The pair of songs fall very comfortably into Sturgill Simpson’s/Johnny Blue Skies’ wheelhouse… and are now official releases underneath the JBS moniker. It’s been a long wait for those that didn’t go the physical media or digital purchase route… so what are you waiting for? Go turn up Mutiny After Midnight on any and every speaker you can find. It’s a gift from JBS, and he delivered it to his fanbase on his birthday. Happy Birthday to Stu… and thanks for letting the rest of us in on the celebration. Apple Music Spotify The post ‘Mutiny After Midnight’ Is Now Available On Streaming Platforms & Johnny Blue Skies Threw 3 Extra Songs In first appeared on Whiskey Riff.