Never been afraid to speak her mind. Natalie Maines has obviously made headlines for her outspoken political opinions in the past. The lead singer of The Chicks famously set off a firestorm back in 2003 with comments on the Iraq war and then-President George W. Bush, telling a crowd during a concert in London that she was “ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.” The backlash back then was swift and severe, with radio stations pulling their music and blacklisting the Dixie Chicks (as they were known at the time) from their playlists, fans burning their albums in protest, and members of the band even receiving death threats over the comments from Maines. Now, obviously times are different now, and with country music artists as politically divided as the rest of society is these days, I think it’s safe to say that her comments wouldn’t spark near the backlash today as they did back in 2003 when our country was less than two years removed from the 9/11 terror attacks. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is that Maines still isn’t afraid to give her opinion. The Chicks have remained politically outspoken, criticizing President Donald Trump and even performing at the Democratic National Convention back in 2024. And this week, Maines took to social media to once again blast the president with an unhinged rant, which appears to have been deleted: “Our democracy is disappearing right before our eyes. This fugly slut is using your gas money to pay the insurrectionists. But don’t worry about it. I’m sure posting selfies will fix everything. My last post that called him a fugly slut got removed. We’ll see how long this one lasts. Repost and help the message live.” The comments are obviously divided on her post, but back when she first stirred controversy back in 2003 Maines had one powerful voice in country music supporting her: Merle Haggard. Haggard didn’t like that the group couldn’t speak their mind on the state of the country, and back in 2003 penned an essay on his website speaking out on behalf of free speech: “I don’t even know the Dixie Chicks, but I find it an insult for all men and women who fought and died in past wars when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for voicing an opinion. It was like a verbal witch-hunt and lynching.” He also added that he was a fan of Toby Keith as well (who was vocally opposed to the Dixie Chicks’ condemnation of George W. Bush at the time), however he was troubled by the opposition to free speech. “Because they don’t like George Bush, should we take their records off? I really found that sort of scary. Are we afraid of criticism? And if so, why? It seems to me, we’re guilty in this country of doing everything we’ve always opposed all my life. I’m almost afraid to say something. It got to the point where my wife said, ‘Be careful what you say.’ Well, that’s really not the America I’m used to.” Man, Merle… if only you were alive to see the state of things today…The post Natalie Maines Calls President Donald Trump A “Fugly Slut” In Instagram Rant first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Did Zach Bryan have a hard time getting Matthew McConaughey to star in his “Nine Ball” music video? From how he tells the story… it doesn’t sound like it. The country music superstar is currently out on his With Heaven On Tour in support of his With Heaven On Top album that he released earlier this year. Bryan most recently played in Cleveland, Ohio at Huntington Bank Field, and is about to head to San Sebastian, Spain to kick off the international leg of the tour before he returns stateside later in July. It was while he was in Cleveland that Zach Bryan pulled the curtain back a bit on how he got the one and only Matthew McConaughey to star in a music video of his. Before he broke into “Nine Ball,” he told the audience that the idea to ask the movie star if he’d want to collaborate was born in a rather casual way: “I was like, ‘I think I want to make a music video for it. What if I hired some, like, crazy actor?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah man, get, like, Denzel Washington or Matthew McConaughey or someone.’ And I was like, ‘You guys are f***ing idiots. There’s no way that’ll ever happen.'” Never say never. Bryan went on to say that he was able to get contact information for McConaughey, and he sent him what he thought was a long shot email. Much to his surprise, the actor got back to him in timely fashion, and happily agreed to be a part of the music video: “So I email this guy. I get a call like two days later. He goes, ‘Alright, alright, alright. I’ll be in your video.'” @lightupdarkness Story time! #nineball #zachbryan #withheavenontour #fyp ♬ original sound – rupertpumpkin Just goes to show that it never hurts to ask. As far as we know, that’s likely how Bryan got the other heavy hitters to agree to the creative project. The Oscar-winning actor that the country singer secured via email was joined by Tye Sheridan and Scott Shepard in what could be called one of the most highly anticipated music video releases in recent memory. The video, which premiered in late 2023, features McConaughey playing a father that shows his son the ropes of shooting pool. As the song progresses, the music video follows closely along with the story that the lyrics lay out. Ultimately, the dad McConaughey plays uses his son as a pawn to keep betting on games, knowing he will win till one game goes south: “I don’t wanna bet but my daddy wrote a checkThat I bet his ass could never cashHe’s betting on the eight ball landing in the side wallCold-blooded killer if you ask…” Eventually, a fight breaks out, which leads to the son having to help walk his father outside. In a cinematic moment, the grown son who is helping his dad out of the Sagebrush suddenly transforms into a flashback… and McConaughey is seen carrying his young son out of bar in a full-circle moment. If you’re reading this, I highly doubt that you’ve never watched the music video. But just in case you somehow missed it… go ahead and press play below: “Nine Ball” Zach Bryan ‘With Heaven On Tour’ Dates 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 RoseThe post “Alright, Alright, Alright”: Zach Bryan Reveals How He Got Matthew McConaughey To Star In His “Nine Ball” Music Video first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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Before she was putting out incredible albums and selling out her own headlining shows, Ashley McBryde worked for the queen herself, Dolly Parton. While she didn’t work for her for very long, and this was a good 20 years ago, there were a few memorable moments that Ashley recalled during a recent interview with BBC Radio 2, saying she actually saved Dolly’s house from some destruction when a microwave caught on fire. She didn’t reveal exactly what might have caused the fire, but when the microwave went up in flames, Ashley jumped into action. She says she grabbed it with a bear hug and ran it out the door, because Dolly’s house was going through a remodel at the time and Ashley knew the smoke would only make that much more work for everyone. I mean, there’s probably no one else I would consider doing that for than Dolly, so I get it and it sounds like Ashley saved them a lot of time and money on everything they were in the process of with the re-wallpapering and all: “I did. For a short time. There was a microwave, and it was on fire. And that’s okay. I unplugged it from the wall, grabbed it with a bear hug and ran it out the door so that it wouldn’t… the thing was, they were remodeling the home. And so where we were staying was just one little portion of the home with two rooms, and a deep freeze, and a microwave and a bed. And they were re-wallpapering, so for that smoke to be billowing out of the microwave, it would have ruined everything in that room. So just bear hugged it and took it outside.” Dolly wasn’t upset about it at all, either… in fact, she gave the microwave to Ashley and told her how to get the smokey smell out of it. But Ashley says it just made everything else she put in their taste like smoke and vinegar, so I don’t think she kept it very long. But she remembered one other thing Dolly gave her from their short time working together, which was a tube of ChapStick Ashley says she kept for two decades and only used “on special occasions”: “She gave me the microwave, told me how to get the stink out of it. She said, ‘Just heat up a bowl of vinegar in there.’ And it still smelled like burnt things and vinegar after that. and she also have me a tube of ChapStick that I had for, I don’t know, probably 20 years after that. I would only use it on special occasions. I got to use my Dolly Parton ChapStick.” I wouldn’t have blamed her if she just framed it and hung it up in her house once she was done with it, too… View this post on Instagram Ashley just released her phenomenal new album Wild, and you can check out some of the standouts below. “Arkansas Mud” “Hand Me Downs” “Bottle Tells Me So” Ashley McBryde Tour Dates June 11 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall June 12 – Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Spa June 19 – Rockton, IL – Settler’s Park June 25 – Belfast, UK – Custom House Square Belfast June 27 – London, UK – Hyde Park July 3 – Calgary, AB – Calgary Stampede July 9 – Deerfield, MA – Tree House Brewing Company July 10 – Bar Harbor, ME – 1932 Criterion Theatre July 11 – Cavendish, PE – Cavendish Beach Music Festival July 17 – Colorado Springs, CO – Phil Long Music Hall July 18 – Gypsum, CO – Lundgren Amphitheater July 24 – Larchwood, IA – Grand Falls Casino Resort Event Center July 30 – West Fargo, ND – The Lights Amphitheater July 31 – Plymouth, MN – Hilde Performance CenterThe post The Wild, True Story of How Ashley McBryde Saved Dolly Parton’s House Renovation From a Fire first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Paul Cauthen has a secret, creative fix in his back pocket if he ever needs it. Big Velvet recently joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast and had plenty to share about his latest album, Book of Paul. The country singer also discussed how he got the nickname “Big Velvet,” and told us that he’s a big fan of artists like Jake Worthington, Stephen Wilson Jr., Kacey Musgraves, and Marcus King, among other country artists. Cauthen made sure to also shout out his fans for being there for him during his cancer journey. He happily shared that he’s still kicking cancer’s a**, and gave some further details about what his recovery process is looking like. And Big Velvet recently became a father and welcomed “Lil’ Velvet” into the world, so he touched on that, as well as his plan to give his son specific records throughout his life. As you might imagine, music is a big part of Paul Cauthen’s daily life. Whether he’s making it, listening to it, or curating a record collection for his son to discover over the years, he’s always intertwined with music in some form or fashion. When it comes to his own writing, Cauthen says there’s one way that he stays creative: “It’s really always honing your craft. Always being at a piano or trying to play a guitar every day. Guy Clark said it best, ‘Everything is a song, it just depends on what you pay attention to.’ If you don’t work your craft… if you are a body builder and you stop bench pressing, how many reps do you think you are going to do of 225 in the competition?” The “Ain’t No Crime” singer compared writing to keeping muscles toned, and how it’ll only be in better form the more and more it’s trained. If Paul Cauthen is ever struggling to write, or just lacking in creativity, he’s discovered one surefire way to break through it: Listening to music he can’t understand: “I listen to like Bali music or Bollywood. Or I listen to Indian music, or Selda Bağcan. Some of these different types of eastern African music. I listen to stuff where I can’t understand the language, and then I get fed different vibes. I’d tell anybody to go do that. If you are an artist or you are just a listener, totally go on the other side of the world and point a finger and ask, ‘Who is making music here?’ Then bam, you’ll find something and it’ll just be, ‘Woah, I’ve never heard that before.'” @whiskeyriff @Paul Cauthen #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff Paul Cauthen swears by it… so there must be something to it. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Book of Paul, make sure to go do so. And you can hear more from Big Velvet by checking out the interview on YouTube or making sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Paul Cauthen On Why He Thinks Artists Should Listen To Music In Other Languages: “Get Fed Different Vibes” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.