Are we really going to do this over America’s 250th birthday party? This year is the 250th birthday for our great nation, and there are massive celebrations being planned for all around the country. The celebrations are being planned by Freedom 250, a non-partisan organization responsible for putting together all the festivities. And one of those events is the Great American State Fair, a national exposition bringing together all 50 states for a World’s Fair-style celebration featuring live entertainment, exhibits, patriotic tributes, innovation showcases, cultural programming, and other attractions from around the country. The event will be hosted in Washington, D.C. from June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall, and earlier this week Freedom 250 announced the first round of headliners who will be performing at the celebration – but of course there’s already controversy. 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. Now, first of all, not the strongest lineup for America’s 250th birthday… I mean, Milli Vanilli is best known for their lip-syncing scandal, and they’re from Germany, not the United States. Oh, and one of them is dead. And immediately after the lineup was announced, Morris Day and The Time and Young MC both announced that they were backing out of the event, with Young MC claiming that the artists “were never told about any political involvement” in the fair: “Despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as ‘Trump-backed.’ I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.” I mean, sure it’s Trump-backed, because he’s the president? Did they think that the president wasn’t backing the country’s birthday celebration? In addition to those two, C+C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams also posted a profanity-laced tirade saying that while he doesn’t “f–k with Trump,” he refuses to give in to the online trolls trying to cancel him or tell him where he can and cannot play. So yeah, it’s been kind of a mess so far. Well another artist has found herself under fire for her involvement in the Great American State Fair, despite the fact that it’s a nonpartisan event meant to celebrate our great nation. After the lineup was announced, fans took to social media to criticize Martina McBride for performing at the event – simply because Donald Trump is the president: I never thought I'd say this but, GTFO, Martina McBride. What a way to destroy your legacy, squander your talent, and let everyone know that you're a bootlicking pedophile protector who thinks everything is fine in America. https://t.co/n7j8ojQwmP — UncommonLoon (@StarbrightHQ) May 27, 2026 Martina McBride?!?! HOW COULD YOU! https://t.co/kxsZa1OE6E — Che (@CheReal85) May 27, 2026 Martina McBride… I know you’re not a Tr*mper, girl, so what are we doing here. Do the artists think it’s not aligned with him? https://t.co/FLwOOXJ3SI pic.twitter.com/EDjPq9JKSp — mikasa (@mikasa22) May 27, 2026 @martinamcbride I can’t believe, as a woman, that you’ll be performing for pedophiles, rapists and the most corrupt administration in history. A man who stands there and calls female reporters “dumb”, “piggy” and “stupid”. What happened to “Independence Day”? — Linda (@Lindas_Here) May 27, 2026 I didn’t know Martina McBride is MAGA. Let me take her off my Christmas playlist chile https://t.co/snbBim2KJd — Tyra Bankruptcy (@CarlLately) May 27, 2026 Martina McBride, I am DONE with you! Shame! https://t.co/6h1YSVv0V3 — Woke Won! – NO DMs please (@wokealwayswins) May 27, 2026 Martina McBride? That's a disappointment. I'll never buy her music again. — Manda (@IntrovertManda) May 28, 2026 So disappointing that Martina McBride is performing at this MAGA trashfest. Were MAGAts like Carrie Underwood or Shania Twain not available? Also, WTF Morris Day? https://t.co/tooSgRHvls — Espi R (@mamamia890) May 27, 2026 Now, to be clear, this isn’t a partisan event or something that has anything to do with Donald Trump, other than the fact that he’s our president at the time it’s going on. This is a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, planned by a nonpartisan organization, and is meant to showcase all 50 states and the best that our country has to offer. And Martina McBride, while generally choosing to stay out of politics, has publicly supported left-leaning causes in the past like Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ advocacy. (As one of those tweets above pointed out, she’s also liked several posts indicating that she identifies with the left). The point here, though, is that this is something that shouldn’t have anything to do with politics. It’s not a Republican or Trump event, and the only reason people are upset about the artists being there is because Trump is president and has been promoting the event as any president would do. It’s exhausting to have to go through this with everything even remotely connected to Trump, but I guess that’s just the hyper-politicized society we live in these days.The post “Way To Destroy Your Legacy” – Martina McBride Under Fire After Being Announced As Headliner For Great American State Fair first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The next era of Riley Green is here. Today, he not only released a new song called “Think As You Drunk,” in addition to announcing his new album That’s Just Me will be out everywhere this fall, on September 18th. In interview with Billboard, he explained that he wanted to include a sample of Toby Keith’s 2005  hit, “As Good As I Once Was,” which Riley says his dad used to joke was about him. The song was written with Riley’s frequent collaborators Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin and Jessi Alexander, and Riley said it only took them 20 minutes to write. Riley covers Toby’s songs at every live show, particularly “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” and he wanted this to be a tip of the cowboy hat the influence Keith has had on his songwriting: “The best compliment I can give a song is ‘Man, this feels like a Toby Keith song. Especially as a songwriter, I don’t know if there was a bigger influence on me.” Given the influence Keith had on this song in particular, Riley’s team played it for Keith’s manager and family, and he says they loved it and wanted his vocals on it: “They completely thought it was a tip of the cap to Toby, so they wanted to have his vocal on it. So it’s really a full-circle moment for me to have Toby’s vocal on that song.” Riley unfortunately never got to meet Keith, but he says he’s always admired how Keith has given back to the troops and he was scheduled to play military bases in Hawaii and Japan in March, though the conflict in Iran forced the shows to be postponed, though he will eventually get over there when it’s safe to do so: “I remember how awesome a look that was to me, [for Keith] to perform for the brave men and women overseas that cannot be at home. Then I got on the road and away from home and realized how impressive it really was because I know how precious your time off is. For [Keith] to travel halfway around the world and go perform like that shows how important it was to him. So it’s definitely something that I wanted to make a priority.” “Think As You Drunk” has tons of that funny Toby Keith-influenced humor Riley does so well, and unlike Riley’s recent hits “My Way” and “Don’t Mind If I Do,” this one is a good old fashioned song about getting drunk… and trying to explain you’re not that drunk, only for it to end up proving that you actually are. He opens with this: “Just who the hell do you think you are I pay the light bill in this bar Hey whatcha mean you’re gonna cut me off Just shut up and give me that beer I bought I got no idea who took my keys Who put this lipstick on my cheek I know I might come off whiskey bent You’re probably thinkin’ I’m three sheets to the wind But I ain’t as think as you drunk I am Don’t pay no mind to this mountain of crushed up cans No, I can’t say my CBA’s I can sing you every song that jukebox plays And I know I can’t stand or sit But if I was hammered, could I dance like this? Might have a cold one in each hand But I ain’t as think as you drunk I am” He does ultimately admit he’s “had a few,” but that had nothing to do with him leaving a “boot at the bar” or “laying out in the yard”: “Honey, to be honest I’ve had me a few I mighta danced with a cowgirl or two I mighta left my left boot at the bar You mighta seen me laying out in the yard” There’s a ton of fiddle in the production, and while we all know Riley writes some of the best heartbreakers in mainstream country, but this one is really fun and I laughed several times each time I’ve listened to it. Riley put out his most recent studio album Don’t Mind If I Do in 2024, so I’m sure fans are ready for new music which will be coming this fall. He’s got a lot going on outside of music right now too, as he recently made a four-episode appearance as Garrett on Marshals, and is set to be a judge on The Voice this fall. “Think As You Drunk” as a title is so smart and the perfect way to drive the whole point of the song home, and the Toby Keith sample makes the song that much more fun, and I think fans will love this song and it’s coming at the perfect time as summer gets underway… check it out: “Think As You Drunk” Riley is currently on the road for his Cowboy As It Gets Tour. Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates: June 18th, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~• June 19th, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center#~• June 20th, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~• June 25th, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$* June 26th, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$* July 16th, 2026 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~• July 23rd, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~• August 6th, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/• August 7th, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/• August 8th, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/• August 13th, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/• August 14th, 2026 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/• August 15th, 2026 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/• August 21st, 2026 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*^ August 22nd, 2026 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*^ #Justin Moore ~Drake White $Mackenzie Carpenter •Hannah McFarland *Adam Hood /Zach John KingThe post Riley Green Releases “Think As You Drunk” With Toby Keith Sample, Announces New Album ‘That’s Just Me’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Today,  Riley Green announced a new album called That’s Just Me, in addition to released a new song, “Think As You Drunk,” which features a sample of the late, great Toby Keith’s  “As Good As I Once Was.” He sat down with Billboard for an extensive, wide-ranging interview, talking about growing up in Alabama, his career thus far, and of course, the topic of his love life came out. Country fans know that there are constant rumors about who Riley may or may not be dating, from influencers to even fellow country stars Ella Langley and Megan Moroney. There’s a ton of history to it, but basically, Megan and Riley were spotted out together on several occasions, and while it appeared to be nothing serious, fans think Moroney was upset over whatever might have happened, and they also think she aired out all the drama on her song “Who Hurt You?”, which was included on her third studio album Cloud 9 that was released in February. Moroney previously explained that writing it was a cathartic moment, which finds her being incredible honest about this elusive situation. She explained that she tried to include “every possible detail” so she never has to talk about it again: “I remember coming up with that song and trying to include every possible detail that rhymes, so that I could put it out into the world and never have to talk about that situation again. Songwriting is always therapeutic for me—but with ‘Who Hurt You?’ in particular I released so many emotions, and it feels really great not to have that all pent-up inside me anymore.” That she did… it’s pretty ruthless, opening with a line that seemingly gets straight to the point about who it’s about, and while I’m sure she’ll never say for sure, it’s one of those “read between the lines” moments, I think… Really, where she sings “the devil went down to Georgia, then he crossed the Bama line” says a LOT about who the subject of this song might be. She goes onto reference “hometown happy hours” and “hand-delivered flowers,” explaining that she “tried to run” while it was still a fun fling, alleging it was the man who “cosplayed someone with feelings” and convinced her to stay: The last verse is really the most scathing, where she calls this person out for dating 21-year-olds and constantly needing his ego fed… she admits that even though she fell for it, she knows she’ll eventually move on, and he won’t. He’ll “stay the same forever”: “You said you needed less flashy, more fun Oh, of course she’s 21 On your arm through the bar God, I hate how gross you are And how did I not see it? Your ego, it needs feeding Endlessly, relentlessly At the cost of me And I’ll move on and I’ll find better But you’ll stay the same forever” Ultimately, she boils it down to the fact that this guy has a lot of unresolved issues from someone who hurt him before, and honestly, scathing doesn’t feel like nearly a harsh enough word to describe this song. And the day that song was released, Riley teased a new songs on Instagram called “POS Like Me”, which tells his side of this supposed breakup story… or so we all thought. “You can drag every letter of my name, On a chain through the Mississippi mud, Tell all your friends, your mama and them, That I’m a lying, cheating, stealing son of a gun You can call me every name, you can blame it all on me, You can say I’m an SOB, hell I might be” He continues, getting into the nitty gritty and acknowledging that he definitely has his flaws in terms of his part in the relationship (though I think there’s a lot of sarcasm there), and he even points out that this girl “hated his dog,” which a lot of fans in the comments took offense to because Carl, his corgi, is a staple on the road. Riley closes it with a little self-deprecating humor, saying this girl can look and look, but she will never be able to find another “low down… piece of s*** like me”: “And yeah I drive too fast, Spend too much time chasing largemouth bass, And I’m hooked on cussing, I’m hooked on snuff, And we both know you love that, Drink a little cold, every hunting season I disappear, You hated my dog, I guess you hated my songs, Hell you hated it way out here, One day you’re gonna try, but you ain’t never gonna find, Another low down, no good, rusted truck driving, Waffle House, eating overall wearing, piece of s*** like me” I thought the last couple lines about her not finding someone else like him could have been a direct response to Megan’s aforementioned lines about how she’ll move on and find better, and of course he didn’t name her outright, but it seemed like one of those “read between the lines” and “timing is everything” kind of things: View this post on Instagram But Riley is insisting that “POS Like Me” had nothing to do with Moroney, saying that he was simply  playing a song he’d written for his fans, and that he’d written “POS Like Me” six months before Moroney’s song came out. He says it “just happened” to be posted on the same day as Moroney’s album was released, and that’s why it got talked about a lot: “What I was doing was I was playing this song that I’d written, you know, for my fans. And I wrote ‘POS’ like six months before that. It just happened to be that day I was at home and I was wanting to post a song, and it got talked about a lot.” Even if he had written the song that long before “Who Hurt You?” came out, I can’t imagine he didn’t think people would at least wonder if it was about her, because no one knew that at the time, but I don’t think there’s any question her song is about him. Maybe it just worked out that he had the perfect response song ready to go and it was purely serendipity. Although, if Zach Bryan can release an EP the same day as his friend, Charles Wesley Godwin, releases an album, and not realize it, I’m sure Riley could do the same thing. Either way, Riley also explained that he doesn’t think anything about his personal life “is anybody’s business,” so don’t expect him to ever go into deep conversation about anything of that nature: “There’s nothing about my personal life that I feel like is anybody’s business. What would you tell a stranger about your personal life in your everyday life? I kind of look at it like that. What I do on social media or [in] interviews is more of what the entertainer Riley Green would be doing and what I think somebody would like to hear about.” I totally get that, I think he actually does a really good job at finding that balance and sharing just enough, and clearly, I don’t think the interest in terms of people wondering about his love life is ever going to change, and he handles it really well for the most part. You can listen to Megan’s song here and see what you think… in my humble opinion, it would be hard not to respond if you thought it was about you, even if it was with a song that was penned six months earlier. If the shoe fits, ya know… “Who Hurt You?'” Check out Riley’s new song here: “Think As You Drunk” The post Riley Green Says “POS Like Me” Was NOT A Response To Megan Moroney’s “Who Hurt You?” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Taking it as a compliment rather than a responsibility. 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 back in February. 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. While all the awards and viral success are great, the “I Never Lie” singer has also helped usher in a new generation of traditional country fans. Of course, it’s not like Top is the only artist sticking to the sounds and styles of ’90s country, with names like Randall King, Drake Milligan, Mae Estes and tourmate, Jake Worthington, all carrying the torch of traditionalism. With that being said, however, Top has quite clearly become the leader of the pack over the past two years and has subsequently been labeled the “savior” of traditional country music. Given how steeped in tradition country music is, it feels like a bit of a heavy title to hold. Throw in the fact that country music has been fractured into different subgenres and styles over the years, highlighted by the likes of Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan’s rise to fame over the decade with radically different sounds, and it gets even more complicated. For Top, however, it’s not a heavy burden to carry at all. During his appearance on the Zach Sang Show, Top was asked if he feels an added pressure and/or responsibility given his appointed title as the “savior” or torchbearer for traditional country. The “Guitar” singer would explain that it doesn’t to him. Highlighting the fact that he’s received high praise in the past from past ’80s and ’90s legends such as Tracy Lawrence, Travis Tritt, Mark Chesnutt and more, Top would note that he takes it more as a compliment than a responsibility. “No, I take that as a really big compliment from guys that I grew up listening to and really liked their music [as a kid]. It feels like it’s a compliment that they’re like, ‘Yeah, I like what you’re doing.’ It’s like, ‘Well, sh*t, that’s cool. I really like what you’re doing or what you did.’ So it’s nice; it’s kind of a mutual respect type of thing.” The Washington native would then go on to explain that the entire “savior” of country music title and inherent pressure of it are never weighing on his mind when he’s writing and recording. Instead, he notes that he’s simply doing what he’s been doing his entire life, adding that it’s been working so far. “I’m not thinking about that when I’m writing or making records. I’m just doing what I do, and hopefully it keeps working. I believe in the songs and believe in the music. And, so far, the feedback that I have gotten is that a lot of other folks enjoy it too. [I’m] gonna keep doing that… I try to not get too caught up — there can be some butting heads — on what country music ought to be.” He’d finish by saying that he ultimately doesn’t pay too much attention to whatever titles he’s been given over the past few years, once again reiterating that he’s simply writing and performing the music that he’s always gravitated towards. “It is what it is. If people want to call me the torchbearer for traditional country, I don’t pay too much mind to that. I’m just doing what I do and hoping people enjoy it.” Watch the full podcast here: Zach Top Summer Tour Dates June 5 – Durant, Oklahoma – Choctaw Grand Theater with Cole Goodwin June 12 – Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf Amphitheater with Cole Goodwin June 20 – Columbia, Maryland – Merriweather Lakehouse with Wyatt McCubbin July 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater with Jake Worthington July 10 – Boise, Idaho – ExtraMile Arena with Jake Worthington July 15 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Sasktel Centre with Lukas Nelson July 16 – Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place with Lukas Nelson August 7 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Tire Centre with Wyatt McCubbin August 8 – Canandaigua, New York – CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center with Wyatt McCubbin August 13 – Wantagh, New York – Jones Beach Amphitheater with Marty Stuart  August 20 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena with Marcus King August 21 – Allentown, Pennsylvania – PPL Center August 22 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Bank Amphitheater with Marcus King August 28 – Gilford, New Hampshire – BankNH Pavilion with Marcus KingThe post Zach Top Says He Doesn’t Feel Any Pressure Being Labeled The “Savior” Of Traditional Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Deep in the woods and west of Nashville lies one of competitive golf’s best kept secrets: the Jake Owen-designed Uwohali Bucket Club. The country music singer has laid out a 9-hole course on his property that weaves throughout tall grass, around towering trees, and over a pond that doubles as a water hazard once a year. Owen calls it the Uwohali Bucket Club Invitational, and this year, it boasted a field that even included 2-time major championship winner John Daly. For all those golf fanatics out there, you can trust me when I say it’s a truly wonderful layout. If you are wondering why it’s called a “bucket club,” the course gets its name because instead of standard golf cups for competitors to chip their balls into, Owen has opted to use Home Depot buckets that are buried into the ground. You can see what I mean in this video below showcasing many holes out at Uwohali: Take my word for it… golf balls are still inexplicably hard to get into buried buckets of that size. When the time came for all of the competitors to tee off (Ben Rector and Zach Top were also on the hallowed grounds for the tournament), Jake Owen quickly went over the rules of the tournament: no dress code, have fun, and anything inside the painted red circle around each bucket was a gimme. That was all that golfers needed to know before they headed out to battle with the Uwohali Bucket Club, and before things officially got started, Owen’s pedal steel guitar player, Jonathan Galletti, kicked the tourney off with an impressive performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Check it out: View this post on Instagram Brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it? Immediately after that, those brave enough to face Uwohali (which translates to “Eagle” in Cherokee) headed out to their starting holes. What was originally supposed to be a 9-hole event for everyone competing turned into 18 after Owen – the owner, course designer, and commissioner of Uwohali – decided to extend the tourney for all those there. And it was the perfect day to play bucket golf: @whiskeyriff @Jake Owen #johndaly #whiskeyriff ♬ American Country Love Song – Jake Owen Both John Daly and Jake Owen were out there making it look easy. After the two rounds of 9 holes concluded, the top 3 finishers went into a 3-man playoff for the title of the 2026 Uwohali Bucket Club Champion. It was quite the exciting finish to the exceptionally well-run tournament, and it was a competitor by the name Justin Williams who came out on top in the end. You can check out how the dramatic one hole playoff went down below: And that concluded the 2026 Uwohali Bucket Club Invitational. Just in case you can’t tell from the videos, the competitive tournament was full of camaraderie. Owen sees the event as a great way to get everyone that he knows (that can hit a wedge around) together at least once a year. The country music star leans all the way in on the preparation, manicuring and marketing of the tourney, and it makes for an afternoon of golf that is as memorable as it is mystifying. Go ahead and add “Tournament Director” and “Golf Bucket Course Designer” to Owen’s career resume. The Uwohali Bucket Club is the real deal, and it’s all thanks to the vision, creativity and follow through of Jake Owen. I’ll go ahead and say it, and call this take controversial if you want to… the country music star runs the best bucket club invitational in the world.The post Country Music Star Jake Owen’s Uwohali Bucket Club Is Competitive Golf’s Best Kept Secret first appeared on Whiskey Riff.