Don’t sleep on these bands. It’s safe to say that The Red Clay Strays are one of the hottest bands on the planet right now. Between frontman Brandon Coleman’s killer vocals, the flawless blend of country, gospel, roots and southern rock influences and the sheer musical talent present from each of the six members, it was more than apparent that the Alabama group was bound to break out into the stratosphere at some point sooner or later. And it looks like that day has finally come for the band. If you’ve been paying any attention to the alt. country scene over the past three or so years, you’re keen to the fact that they’ve already scored some major career accomplishments, including the likes of winning Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2024 Americana Awards, winning New Vocal Duo or Group at the 2025 ACM Awards and scoring a 3x platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their breakout “Wondering Why” along with a gold certification for their debut album, Moment of Truth. Back in November, however, it seems as if the Alabama band cemented themselves as mainstays both in the minds of alternative country fans and the mainstream alike with their huge night at the 59th annual CMA Awards, delivering a killer performance of their current single, “People Hatin’” and, more importantly, dethroning Old Dominion as Vocal Group of the Year en route to their first-ever CMA win. Though many like us here at Whiskey Riff have been big fans of the Alabama natives dating back to the release of Moment of Truth in 2022, there’s no doubt that they’ve procured a lot of newer fans over the past year or so. If you’ve recently been introduced to the Strays and want to find some more bands that provide an incredible mix of country, blues and rock, you’re in luck. Without further ado, here are five bands to check out if you love the Red Clay Strays. 49 Winchester Between the combination of their perfect blend of southern rock and country, their tight live band and world-class vocals from frontman, Isaac Gibson, it’s become more and more apparent every year that the Virginia group is becoming one of the most overlooked bands in the genre today. Though they debuted back in 2014 with their self-titled album, 49 Winchester has recently caught fire over the past five years with stellar ballads like “Everlasting Lover,” “Anchor” and “Hays, Kansas.” If you’re a fan of Brandon Coleman’s vocals and want to hear someone who can rival his soul from release to release, look no further than Gibson and 49 Winchester. Key Tracks: “Anchor,” “Everlasting Lover,” “Fast Asleep” Whiskey Myers It should go without saying that Whiskey Myers has been one of the forefathers of this modern southern rock renaissance we’ve seen pop up over the past few years, beginning all the way back in 2011 with their debut album, Firewater, which features their smash hit, “Broken Window Serenade” as well as other career staples such as “Ballad Of A Southern Man” and “Virginia.” Over the years, they’ve cemented themselves as one of the quintessential country-rock bands of this era with stellar records such as 2016’s Mud, their 2019 self-titled album and, most recently, 2025’s heavy-hitting Whomp Whack Thunder. Of course, this is thanks to frontman Cody Cannon’s incredible vocals and the band’s rock-first sound. If you’re looking for a band that leans harder into the rock scene while still delivering plenty of soul, look no further than Whiskey Myers. Key Tracks: “Broken Window Serenade,” “Stone,” “Break These Chains” Blackberry Smoke In many ways, you cannot talk about the current country-rock scene today without talking about Blackberry Smoke. Up there with the likes of Drive By Truckers, Lucero and Cross Canadian Ragweed, they’ve paved the way for a lot of the younger bands you see in the genre today in the early 2000s. Though their discography isn’t quite as large as you’d expect from a band that’s been around 2004, the Georgia band has continually delivered stellar album after stellar album for the past 22 years. Flawlessly going from straightforward southern rock on tracks like “Waiting for the Thunder” to blues on “Sleeping Dogs,” there’s a lot to love from Blackberry Smoke. Key Tracks: “Ain’t Much Left Of Me,” “Run Away from It All,” “One Horse Town” Shane Smith & the Saints As time passes, it’s become increasingly clear that Shane Smith & the Saints are the most underrated bands not only in the Red Dirt scene but in music in general. Backed by their patented blend of southern rock, stylings from Appalachian country and even some Cajun influences, the Texas band scored early hits with the likes of “All I See Is You,” “Dance the Night Away” and “Lord Bury Me in Texas.” Over the past decade, it’s been easy to see that they’ve just gotten better with age. The sound has remained nearly the same, in the best way possible, of course. However, frontman Shane Smith’s voice has simply improved with every subsequent release. In particular, last year’s stellar record, Norther, portrayed this the best, showcasing a more mature, raspy vocal performance from the frontman. Feeling somewhere between late-career Johnny Cash and fellow alt. country star, Charles Wesley Godwin, he’s proven he has one of the most dynamic voices in the genre. If you’re looking for a band that doesn’t quite sound like any other group working today, much like the Strays themselves, check out Smith and Co. Key Tracks: “Adeline,” “Coast,” “We Were Something” The Band of Heathens Similar to Blackberry Smoke, The Band of Heathens are one of those groups that have never quite gotten the flowers they deserve. Forming in 2005 in Austin, Texas, the five-piece group may be best known for their cover of Levon Helm’s “Hurricane,” which eventually scored them their first-ever gold certification from the RIAA back in 2023. Over the years, however, with co-founders and frontmen Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist at the creative helm, they have amassed a spectacular catalog of originals that proves both their lyrical and sonic prowess. Much like Red Clay, the Heathens aren’t a band that you can truly assign one genre to. They dabble a bit in country, a bit in roots, a bit in rock. In other words, they aren’t too concerned about whatever genre Spotify wants to label them under and, instead, create some of the most soulful tracks in the ever-widening country-rock scene. For years, they’ve been one of the most underrated bands working, and you do not want to overlook them. Key Tracks: “Hurricane,” “Don’t Call On Me,” “Medicine Man” The post If You Love The Red Clay Strays, Here’s 5 Bands You Need To Be Listening To first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Luke Combs thinks one artist’s album in particular is the perfect gateway into country music. The “Back in the Saddle” singer is currently on a press tour for his upcoming album The Way I Am, which is set to release March 20. The forthcoming project is expected to be a return to the old Luke Combs, musically speaking, and will deliver 22 songs to a fanbase that’s been waiting for new music (outside of Fathers and Sons) for quite some time. Getting the word out about the album led him to the popular YouTube series Track Star, where Jack Coyne interviews celebrities and artists in an on-the-street style while simultaneously testing their music knowledge. It’s a cool concept centered around music, and in the latest episode, Luke Combs was put to the test. After Coyne played the Brooks & Dunn track “Red Dirt Road,” he and Combs got to talking about the timelessness of Brooks & Dunn, and how their music could easily be dropped into the contemporary country of today. That led the host to ask the country music superstar about a definitive country music album: what project within the country music genre should non-country music listeners take a chance on? It didn’t take long for Luke Combs to think of an answer: “Gosh, there’s so many… I mean, Eric Church’s ‘Chief.'” Great answer. Luke Combs explained that there was just something about Eric Church’s third studio album (released in 2011) that connected with him. He thinks that very same thing could happen to those who don’t consider themselves fans of country music: “‘Chief’ is very digestible. There’s all this what’s country, what isn’t? What’s contemporary? What’s real country, or whatever? You could kind of get into (anything), but Chief was the album to me that rode the razor’s edge of the rock sound and the country sound perfectly. His first two albums to me are 10 of out 10 as well.” After shouting out Eric Church and his first three albums (the other two being Sinners Like Me and Carolina), Combs did have some other suggestions for albums to try out. The country music star said that anything by Brooks & Dunn could win over a non-country fan, and Combs even felt good enough about his upcoming album to throw The Way I Am in the running: “If you’ve never listened before, some of the Brooks & Dunn (albums). Give me a shot if you are out there. This one’s for you. Great album, I’ve heard.” Shameless plug… that’s what he’s there for. Oh, and before Combs and the Track Star host moved on to another portion of the video, the “Hurricane” singer laid out a beautiful argument for why people should give country music a chance. “There’s a lot of great albums out there, and I think country is more for everyone than everyone realizes or thinks. I think it’s been highly stigmatized for a long, long time (as) music for rednecks and people who live in middle America. And it is all of those things, but it’s not exclusively that thing. It’s for everyone. I mean, I would say six of biggest cities demographic wise for tickets and streaming wise are all international. The streaming age, I think, has ushered in the ability for people to hear music that maybe they wouldn’t have. And I think that’s a great thing.” Check it out: The post Luke Combs Reveals The One Country Album That Non-Country Fans Need To Listen To first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Vince Gill might not seem like the fighting type… but he was willing to throw hands back in the early 2000s. The “Go Rest High on That Mountain” singer evidently threatened to send legendary radio host Don Imus to that mountain himself during an on air interview back in the early 2000s. During a recent interview with television writer, producer, and Somebody Feed Phil host, Phil Rosenthal, on the Naked Lunch podcast, Gill explained that the radio personality had previously been a big fan of his. For some reason, when Gill married Amy Grant in 2000, Don Imus suddenly started bashing both him and Grant: “After Amy and I got married, he flipped on me. He kinda turned on me and started running me down, ragging me on his show every morning. He said, ‘I can’t believe my favorite singer, Vince Gill, lost to baby Jesus, married that Christian girl.’ He was just wearing my a** out.” Vince Gill heard all of that noise, and remembered it. When it came time to promote a new album that he had coming out, the country singer requested that his publicist get him booked for an interview on Don Imus’ show – Imus in the Morning. As he tells the story, the visit went according to plan until the radio host brought up his wife: “I went on there and got up and sang a song. We had a little small talk and then finally, Amy’s name came up. He said something about Amy and I said, ‘I’m glad you brought Amy up. I’ve been hearing you say some pretty ugly things about my wife, and I’m just kind of curious why. You used to be a great supporter of mine… If you ever met her, you’d never say an unkind word about her.” Then Vince Gill brought the hammer down. Once it was clear that he was on conversational offense in defense of his wife, Gill threatened to come over the desk that divided he and Imus in order to really drive his point home: “I said, ‘I’m gonna shoot you straight. I really only came on this show for one reason. We’re either gonna talk this out, straighten this out, or I’m gonna crawl across this desk and I’m gonna kick your a**.’ His eyes got big and he goes, ‘Well let’s figure this thing out. Let’s talk it out.’ I said, ‘Good choice, Don,’ you know, and so we had a great visit.” Who knew that Vince Gill was such an enforcer? That last line he added there – “we had a great visit” – is a hilarious touch to an already great story. Yeah… what is the radio host going to do once he knows that his guest is willing to crawl on to the table and kick some a**? That kind of tone setting from Gill completely changed the tone of the interview, and apparently led to Imus softening up his criticism of Gill and Grant from then on out. You can hear the country music legend talk more about the radio interview incident in the video below: The post Vince Gill Once Threatened To Fight Radio Host Don Imus While On Air… Here’s Why first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Mama knows best… Back in June of 2023, Megan Moroney scored her first #1 hit was “Tennessee Orange,” which she released in 2022 and first went viral on TikTok, ultimately helping secure her first record deal and launched her onto the path to becoming the country superstar she is now. The song was co-written by Megan, Ben Williams, David Fanning and Paul Jenkins, she sings about falling for a guy who’s seemingly converted her into a Tennessee Volunteers fan, as she admits she’s now wearing “Tennessee Orange for him,” and even finds herself going to games at Neyland stadium. On top of that, seeing as she’s a diehard Georgia Bulldogs fan, he has her committing the most egregious of sins that her daddy would never approve of, like “learning the words to ol ‘Rocky Top,’” and even forgetting that she’s “always looked better in red.” Many speculated that the Volunteer fan she referenced and that inspired the song is Morgan Wallen, and coupled with that buzz, it became a massive hit, and Megan has obviously become one of the premiere mainstream country artists, playing sold out shows all over the country, and just last week, she scored her first ever #1 album on the Billboard Top 200 chart with her third studio album, Cloud 9. During an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers last year, Megan talked about her inspiration for that song, saying she knew if her mom had seen her wearing that “gaudy orange” shirt she would have freaked, but it proved how much Megan really liked said “mystery man” the wrote it about: “Yeah, so, when I moved to Nashville, one day, I found myself wearing a Volunteers shirt. And I remember lookin gin the mirror going, ‘My mom would absolutely kill me right now if she saw me in this gaudy orange.’ And so then I thought, that would make a really good love song, like, I like this dude enough to not wear Georgia red.” She also revealed that she got “death threats” over that song from some angry college football fans: “And yeah, I got death threats over that song.” Honestly, I have no problem believing that, because rivalries run DEEP among SEC fans and football fans in the South in general, and Megan seemed to think it was funny, and seeing as she obviously knows what college football is like in the South, I’m sure she wasn’t all that surprised. Those fans are a different breed… And during an interview with Southern Living this week, Megan explained that she will often send her mom work tapes of stuff she’s working on from her phone so she can hear it, and her mom will always give her honest feedback. So you can imagine when her daughter, who was raised a Georgia Bulldog and is an alumni of UGA (as are both of her parents, I believe), sent her “Tennessee Orange,” mama was NOT happy and hoped it wasn’t true: “When I write songs, I send my mom a little work tape from my phone, and the first thing she says back is not ‘Oh, I like the song,’ or ‘I don’t really like it.’ She’s like, ‘Don’t tell me this is true… don’t tell me you’re wearing Tennessee orange.’ And I [said], ‘At least it’s not Florida orange!” Not sure that helps to be honest, Meg… that’s like the eighth deadly sin down here. I couldn’t even dream of it, really, but Megan also told the magazine how proud she is to be a Georgia Bulldog, and she has made it her “whole personality,” though we’ll just have to look past her aforementioned hit… “There’s a lot of pride there in being a Georgia Bulldog, so I kind of made it my whole personality. I loved going to school there. I met my best friends. It obviously changed the trajectory of my life going to school there so there’s a lot of pride.” To close it out, Megan talked about what she loves about being a Southerner, and she says the spirit of people in the South always being “willing to help someone” and “not expect anything in return,” is what makes it so special: “When I think of [being] Southern and how I was raised, I want to surround myself with people like that. Being kind is Southern to me, and always being willing to help someone and not expect anything in return, because you never know when you’re gonna need help.” Now that I can agree with and get behind… Megan just released her aforementioned album Cloud 9, and will hit the road on her subsequent tour in “Tennessee Orange” Cloud 9 Tour Dates: 29 | Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 30 | Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2 | Chicago, IL – United Center 3 | Chicago, IL – United Center – NEW 5 | Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 6 | Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum 8 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 9 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena – NEW 12 | Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center 13 | St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center 16 | Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena 18 | Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 19 | Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena 20 | Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena 6 | Boston, MA – TD Garden – NEW 7 | Boston, MA – TD Garden 9 | Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center 10 | Newark, NJ – Prudential Center 11 | Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena 14 | Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 16 | Orlando, FL – Kia Center 17 | Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena 18 | Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena 24 | Monticello, IA – Great Jones County Fair 25 | Minneapolis, MN – Target Center 26 | Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena 28 | Denver, CO – Ball Arena 1 | Portland, OR – Moda Center 2 | Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 5 | Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center 7 | Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena 8 | Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena – NEW 11 | Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena 14 | Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 15 | Tulsa, OK – BOK Center 16 | Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center 18 | Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena 21 | Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena 22 | Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena – NEW 13 | Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene 15 | Stockholm, SE – Annexet 18 | Cologne, DE – Carlswerk Victoria 19 | Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium 21 | Paris, FR – Le Trianon 23 | London, UK – Eventim Apollo 26 | Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo 27 | Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy 28 | Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy – NEW 1 | Belfast, UK – SSE ArenaThe post “Don’t Tell Me You’re Wearing Tennessee Orange”: Megan Moroney Says Her Mom Was Very Concerned After Hearing Her First Hit first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Luke Combs detailing the blessing and the curse of being famous. It would be a blanket statement to say that there’s two types of people in this world: those that wish they were famous, and those who are and wish that they don’t. That’s obviously not entirely true, but there’s some truth to it. You hear celebrities talking all the time about how they miss the little things… like going out for a coffee, or being able to stroll through a grocery store. Luke Combs is one of the rare celebrities that is very much recognizable, yet continues to operate as if he’s anonymous. The country music superstar is currently on a press tour for his upcoming album The Way I Am, which is set to release March 20. The forthcoming project is expected to be a return to the old Luke Combs, musically, and will deliver 22 songs to a fanbase that’s been waiting for new music (outside of Fathers and Sons) for quite some time. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Combs went into detail about the new project, why he chose to make it the length that it is, and how he hopes that fans and country music listeners in general love what he delivers. It’s undoubtedly a huge release for Combs in his already impressive career, and if it connects like Combs expects it to, it could be easy to get wrapped up in the success of it. But as Combs told Lowe, he doesn’t really tie his value to his music making that much anymore: “I really do try to stay grounded in family and friends. I try to not let the level of success be my identity and how I view myself as a person. I’m a person that’s trying to do the best I can as a dad, as a boss, as an artist, as a singer, as a performer. I try to be the best version of myself and try to give as much of myself as I can to everyone else, and not think of myself as better than everyone else or different than anyone else.” That lines up with everything we’ve heard about (and from) Luke Combs ever since he burst onto the scene in the mid 2010s. The “Beautiful Crazy” singer went on to say that he’s aware of his celebrity status, and explained that he doesn’t let it get to his head. Instead, he tries to keep things as normal as possible for himself and his family. And that’s a very intentional move by the country music star: “When I’m home, let’s just go to the grocery store with my kids and just get groceries. That’s what I do. People are like, ‘I can’t believe you do that.’ I’m like, ‘Why not? That’s what I’ve always done.’ If I want to go get something to eat, I’ll just go get something to eat. I try to just not operate in the vacuum of celebrity, because I’m kind of uncomfortable with the attention of it all.” One of the ways that he’s found to be very effective in the fight against feeling like a celebrity? That’d be the outdoors. Combs says that he didn’t grow up as an outdoorsman by any means, but that didn’t stop him from gripping onto the hobby and not letting go once he found it (around the same time he started to hit it big): “The outdoors is a huge part of how I’ve gotten to stay so grounded. For someone that didn’t grow up hunting or anything like that, it was something that I found 12 years ago… It was the complete opposite of my life at the time. When I started doing it, it was go-go-go, PR, radio, this-this all the time. I was gone all the time. Your life is changing at light speed. All the sudden, people recognize you everywhere you go, and you ask, ‘How do you figure that out? How do I deal with this?’ That was the place I would go that was the polar opposite of everything else in my life. It was complete quiet. Complete solitude and peace with one goal in mind.” Now, he says that there’s nothing more enjoyable for him than to take his kiddos out into the woods on his property. They’ll tell Combs that they want to throw rocks into the creek, and Luke encourages them to do so. It’s a simple act, but one that helps stay grounded, and something that he looks forward to as a father. And above all, it gets him away from his fame… even if it’s just for an hour or so. You can hear Luke Combs talk more about doing his best to live outside his own celebrity in the interview below: The post “Uncomfortable With The Attention”: Luke Combs Says He Does His Best To Operate Outside The World Of Celebrity first appeared on Whiskey Riff.