Nothing quite like the pit you get in your stomach getting caught doing something you’re not supposed to be doing. Growing up, I’m sure we’ve all had our fair share of moments like that. Whether it’s being somewhere you’re not supposed to be and having your cover story fail, sneaking out and getting caught, or some combination of the two, we all know how sick you feel after getting caught red-handed. Cody Johnson is no stranger to this feeling as well. The “The Ride” singer knows all too well this feeling, recalling on the Bobby Bones podcast, Bobbycast, a time in his teenage years when his father caught him red-handed where he wasn’t supposed to be. This might be surprising to hear, given that Johnson grew up rodeoing, and most of those kids are well-disciplined and understand the importance of hard work. Johnson was all of that in his younger years, but still had a little bit of a wild side that got him in trouble. Johnson recalled the moment to Bones, saying he snuck out of the house at 14 and got caught big time. “The night I snuck out of my parents’ house to go play a bar. I think I was 14. I snuck out and hopped into a truck with a buddy that was 16, and we went down to the bar.” Most kids that age would be ready to hit the town and throw back a few cold ones, but their venture to the bar was far from getting into some underage trouble. And who knows that could have happened as well, but Johnson’s main purpose was to perform: “And there there was like 100 people at this little honky tonk. The band let me jump up and play with them, and then they said, ‘We’re gonna take a break, why don’t you play?'” Johnson’s moment of small town fame came to a quick halt when he was mid-performance and spotted a familiar face near the back of the crowd. But instead of being a friend or a fan, it was his father. Johnson knew this would not end well and recalls it as one of his “oh sh*t” moments. “I was playing by myself and looked in the back of the bar, and my dad was standing there. You want to talk about an oh sh*t moment? That’s one of them. I got whipped pretty good for that. You know, ‘You play in these bars, it’s going to lead to a life of destruction, and you’re going to wind up becoming a drug addict and an alcoholic.'” Bones asked Johnson if he remembered how many songs he had gone through before he spotted his dad, and Johnson quickly replied that he had made it through three. I mean, it could have only been one, right? Johnson then elaborated on the whipping he got from his father after being caught, noting that although he was punished for sneaking out, his dad did share some words of praise for the aspiring musician, too. “And after I got my whipping, he said, ‘You actually sounded really good, just so you know.'”  I’ve got to hand it to Johnson’s father for that. Of course, you want your kids to walk a straight and narrow line, following the law and avoiding trouble, and while he was upset at his son for sneaking into that bar, he also had to commend him for the guts it took to hop up on that stage and perform. This moment clearly showed that Johnson’s father was good, making it clear that his son would turn out to be a respectable man, but he couldn’t deny that his son was talented and had a future on the big stage. Parenting is a balance of good cop and bad cop, and Cody Johnson’s dad played both roles well in this life lesson. Check it out: View this post on Instagram The post “Got Whipped Pretty Good For That”: Cody Johnson Says His Dad Caught Him In A Bar When He Was 14… But It Wasn’t To Party first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He's having a huge breakout moment. Continue reading…

Feels like I lost a piece of my childhood. Actor James Van Der Beek, who was best known for his role in Dawson’s Creek and the movie Varsity Blues, has passed away at the age of 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer. He first revealed the diagnosis back in November 2024, but said at the time that he was remaining optimistic: “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family. There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.” His passing was announced this afternoon by his wife Kimberly: “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.” View this post on Instagram Van Der Beek is survived by his wife of 16 years, as well as six children: daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4. Just two weeks ago, he shared a touching tribute to his father and daughter on their shared birthday.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) And to make things even more heartbreaking, last year Van Der Beek was forced to auction off some of his memorabilia from Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues to help pay for his cancer treatment, raising $47,000 to go towards his medical bills, which goes to show you just how messed up our medical system is (and it’s also messed up that Sony didn’t help him after all the money he’s made for them, but that’s another story). The actor made his final public appearance on the Today Show back in December, where he discussed his cancer journey and the lessons it taught him: “Really, the biggest change I’d say would be this journey of self-love. What I realized is that I’m still learning to love. My own love, God’s love.” But just a few months before his last interview, Van Der Beek had competed on the FOX singing competition The Masked Singer, being revealed as the Griffin on season 13 of the show. Van Der Beek was actually eliminated on the show during Grand Ole Opry week, after delivering two country music performances before his identity was unveiled. The first was a performance of the John Denver classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Unfortunately the performance put him at risk, and sent the Griffin to a battle round against the Boogie Woogie (later revealed to be Andy Grammer), where the two masked contestants performed “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen. It was an impressive performance, especially once you realized he was currently undergoing cancer treatment, but unfortunately Van Der Beek was eliminated in the battle. After being unmasked, he spoke about the experience and said that at one point he had planned on being a singer – while also speaking about his cancer battle: “This was the perfect thing to be doing right now… To be able to put on a mask, inhabit a character, and connect with the audience just with a song, and be that connective tissue between me and y’all, it’s been a blast.” Such a heartbreaking loss for his family and everybody who grew up watching him. Rest in peace, James Van Der Beek.The post Watch James Van Der Beek Perform “I Had Some Help” & “Country Roads” On ‘The Masked Singer’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Stephen Wilson Jr.’s guitar has just as interesting of a story as he does. The “Holler from the Holler” singer has lived a couple of different lives in his lifetime. Hailing from Southern Indiana, Wilson Jr. has certainly made waves in country music over the past couple of years. Wilson Jr. first introduced himself with his EP Bon Aqua in 2023, and then really established himself with his masterful Son of Dad album he released later that same year. Fans of his are anxiously awaiting more music from the late-blooming artist, and considering he’s really been pushing a single titled “Gary,” there’s reason to believe a bigger project is just around the corner. A lot of new people were introduced to Wilson Jr. when he was nominated for “New Artist of the Year” at the 2025 CMA Awards. The 46-year-old didn’t go home with that award, but he did win over the crowd and anyone who was watching when he performed a haunting rendition of “Stand By Me.” Besides Stephen’s signature look, or unique-as-ever vocals, I’m sure a lot of people took notice of the country artist’s beat-up guitar during that performance. As it turns out, his ragged, old acoustic is a bit of a tip of the cap to Willie Nelson’s “Trigger.” He actually talked about his six-string during a recent interview on The Howard Stern Show. Just before Wilson Jr. was about to play a song for the broadcast, the longtime radio host pointed out that his guitar reminds him a lot of Willie’s “Trigger.” The “Calico Creek” singer, who has previously confessed he’s stolen a lot of inspiration from the Red-Headed Stranger, agreed that the two guitars share some qualities… but made sure to differentiate his instrument from Nelson’s: “Trigger’s a legend. This one has some holes in it too. Not like the size that Trigger has. I’ve just worn it down playing these picks. This guitar’s name is One. I have two guitars and the other one’s name is Two. This is One because it’s my first one.” Simple enough. As to how Stephen Wilson Jr. landed on his Takamine guitar, the country artist says that he got it for a pretty good deal through Craigslist – the popular, online marketplace. For the work the instrument has done, and the performances it has helped to deliver, Wilson Jr. got the guitar for a steal: “I bought this on Craigslist for $400 in a parking lot in Nashville. This dude sold it to me out of the back of his van. He had an amplifier that he plugged into a cigarette lighter. I plugged it in and I knew within five seconds that this was my forever guitar. It was pristine too. I gotta say, it hardly had a scratch or nick on it. He’d probably pass out if he saw it right now.” View this post on Instagram When you look at the purchase in the grand scheme of things, it was one heck of a investment. I also love that line in there where Stephen said he “shops with hands, and not for brands.” Music snobs would probably look down upon an artist rolling with a Takamine guitar, which typically isn’t considering top of the line by any means. However… who cares if Stephen Wilson Jr. can get it to sound like he does? Granted, the way he plays his guitar does beat it up and strip it down a bit. Some might view the way the country artist treats his guitar as a lack of TLC, but in Stephen’s mind, he’s just helping the guitar to fulfill its purpose. Sure, it’s not the shiniest or smoothest looking guitar, but isn’t a guitar meant to be played? When Wilson Jr. sat down with The Dan Patrick Show last year, he insisted that guitars aren’t meant to be preserved: “Personally I like that better than preserving this guitar forever. I think guitars are meant to be played, not hung up on a wall and treasured. I think this is what this guitar is meant to be doing… shedding itself on stage every night. And this is what it looks like after.” Plus… when you only spend $400 on it, what’s the big deal if it gets a couple of scratches (and holes) on it, eh?The post “My Forever Guitar”: Stephen Wilson Jr. Reveals The Name Of The Guitar He Bought Off Craigslist For $400 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

After what felt like months upon months of anticipation and speculation, last month, Luke Combs announced his sixth studio album The Way I Am, which is set for release on March 30th. Produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews, the record will feature a whopping 22 songs, and he 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.” Combs has already released quite a bit of new music from the project, including the likes of “Giving Her Away,” “Back in the Saddle,” “My Kinda Saturday Night,” “Days Like These” and the highly anticipated “Sleepless in a Hotel Room,” which currently entered the Top 20 on US Country Radio today. Given the fact that the “Hurricane” singer has teased so much new music over the past six months, ranging from full studio teasers for “Be By You” and “Rethink Some Things” within the last month to 14 demos teased on his “secret” Instagram account back in August, there’s been plenty of speculation about what songs were ultimately going to make the cut. With The Way I Am set to release in a little over five weeks, Combs pulled the trigger today and revealed the entire 22-song tracklist for the album. View this post on Instagram Barring any title changes, only one song from Combs’ original set of demos for the album back in August actually made the cut, the closing track which felt reminiscent of songs present on 2023’s Growin’ Up, “A Man Was Born.” A bit surprisingly, Combs is only including one feature on the lengthy album. With that being said, however, it’s bound to be a good one given that he’s calling upon 27x Grammy Award-winner and bluegrass legend, Alison Krauss, to appear on the 15th track, “Ever Mine.” Though he rarely crosses over into bluegrass, he’s shown the ability to seamlessly transition as he did on the severely underrated collaboration with Billy Strings back in 2021, “The Great Divide.” Another song that is bound to turn heads is none other than the 14th track, “I Ain’t No Cowboy.” Taking a look at the co-writers on it, it was written by reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Cody Johnson, along with the North Carolina native himself and Jake Mears. This comes directly off the heels of CoJo confirming that the pair cut a song together for his upcoming album. As of now, Johnson is not set to be featured on “I Ain’t No Cowboy.” With that being said, however, it would not surprise me in the slightest if he appears on an eventual deluxe edition of the record or even a stand-alone version of the track. Other notable songs appearing on The Way I Am that have been teased in the past are “Wish Upon Whiskey,” which was first performed last February live in concert and “Daytona 499,” which appeared as an easter egg in his “Back in the Saddle” music video, featuring NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty. Along with the tracklist announcement, Combs would also announce that the aforementioned “Be By You” is releasing this Friday, February 13th. The Way I Am Tracklist “Back in the Saddle” “My Kinda Saturday Night” “Days Like These” “15 Minutes” “Alcohol of Fame” “Daytona 499” “The Way I Am” “Wish Upon Whiskey” “Soon As I Get Home” “Rethink Some Things” “Giving Her Away” “Seeing Someone” “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” “I Ain’t No Cowboy” “Ever Mine” (feat. Alison Krauss) “Can’t Tell Me I’m Wrong” “Miss You Here” “Tell ‘Em About Tonight” “Be By You” “The Me Part of You” “Rich Man” “A Man Was Born” Before you go, fire up his latest single, “Sleepless in a Hotel Room.”  The post Luke Combs Reveals Full 22-Song Tracklist For Upcoming Album, “The Way I Am,” Featuring An Alison Krauss Duet first appeared on Whiskey Riff.