I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less. Lainey Wilson is known for her signature bell bottom jeans, which she’s been wearing since she was a little girl, and when she was trying to gain traction in Nashville, she started wearing them every day as a way to stand out and be unique. Well, it worked, because Lainey’s name is now synonymous with bell bottom jeans, and there’s another accessory you will rarely catch her without… and that would be her signature cowboy hats. I mean, no matter if she’s on stage, on a red carpet, or at an award show, you will hardly ever see Lainey without a hat, and I have also rarely seen her wear the same one twice. Which makes me wonder, how many does she actually own? I would also love to know where she stores it all and what her closet looks like, it must be incredible, but I digress… In an interview with People for her cover story issue, Lainey estimated that she owns northward of 200 hats, but she’s never actually counted them all out. I genuinely can’t imagine where she keeps them all, but she says she owns one in “every color, every shape and every style,” so her estimate sounds pretty accurate considering the nature of her career and how many outfits she goes through every week: “I’ve never counted how many cowboy hats I have, because I would be a little embarrassed to know. But if I had to guess, probably a couple hundred. One in every color, every shape, every style. If you want a cowboy hat, I got you.” It’s her signature look, she absolutely rocks it, and when it comes to girl math and you’re Lainey Wilson, you have to have a hat for every single possible outfit, so it makes sense to me… and if she owns that many hats, I can only imagine how many pairs of bell bottoms she has: @people What’s #LaineyWilson’s last Instagram DM she sent? #OneLastThing ♬ original sound – People Magazine Lainey will dive much more into her personal life on her forthcoming Netflix documentary “Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool,” which will be out very soon on April 22nd. She will give fans a very intimate look at her life both on and off stage, including the process she went through freezing her eggs and much more. You can see the trailer below. The post Lainey Wilson Reveals The Staggering Amount Of Cowboy Hats She Owns first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

I mean, it’s the price of fame, I guess… Megan Moroney  released her highly-anticipated third studio album Cloud 9, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking is her first #1 debut on that chart. She’s become one of the biggest country stars in the genre, and has become a household name. So along with the success she’s seen in her career, of course, the price of being such a big musician is that you also become really famous, and I’m sure people recognize her anywhere she goes, in addition to have her personal life and every move she makes basically scrutinized. So when she recently told the story of a very interesting interaction where her fame and success came into play in a very… um… intimate way, I had to laugh, because honestly, that sounds like a form of torture. Megan says she was getting laser hair removal and getting “zapped in places you shouldn’t be zapped” when her song “I’m Not Pretty” (pretty ironically, I might add) came on over the speakers. She laughed, saying she didn’t really know what to do and while it sounds like her tech kept it very professional, I’m sure they found it very funny, too: “I was getting laser hair removal, and ‘I’m Not Pretty,’ comes on… I’m getting zapped in places you shouldn’t be zapped, and ‘Whatever helps, keep on telling yourself I’m not pretty.’ I’m just like, I love this song.” I can’t even imagine… it’s one of those, you just have to laugh situations. Of course, “I’m Not Pretty” was released in August of 2023 as the second single from Megan’s debut studio album, Lucky, and she wrote the song with Ben Williams, MacKenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter. It is based on a real-life situation where one of her ex’s new girlfriend’s actually did accidentally “like” one of her old Instagram photos, and it’s a super catchy and upbeat track that became a fan-favorite on the album. In terms of radio success, it was mildly successful at country radio, peaking at #14 on the U.S. Country Airplay chart. When you’re an artist as popular as Megan is, you just never know when or where you’re going to hear your own music, and sometimes, it’s simply less than ideal… but hey, at least she’s on the radio, I guess… @americansongwriter #meganmoroneyon how her new found fame follows her even in the most unexpected of places #laserhairremoval #countrymusic #meganmoroneyfans ♬ original sound – American Songwriter Turn it up… “I’m Not Pretty” Cloud 9 Tour Dates: 29 | Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center 30 | Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2 | Chicago, IL – United Center 5 | Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena 6 | Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum 8 | Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena 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 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 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 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 1 | Belfast, UK – SSE ArenaThe post “Getting Zapped In Places You Shouldn’t Be Zapped” — Megan Moroney Tells Hilarious Story Of “I’m Not Pretty” Coming On While She Was Getting Laser Hair Removal first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

She just does not miss. Ashley McBryde’s fifth studio album Wild is set to be released on Friday, May 8th, and it will consist of an 11-song tracklist, featuring already-released songs like “Bottle Tells Me So,” “Arkansas Mud,” “Rattlesnake Preacher” and “What If We Don’t.” They’ve all been great songs, it’s shaping up to be a very impressive album already (not that I expected anything less, of course) and her latest release “Lines In The Carpet” is another heaping does of honesty and reality that so many women can unfortunately relate to. Written by Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, and Lori McKenna, the story paints a woman many of us likely know, who is caught in an emotionally hollow marriage. She’s a stay-at-home mom, and while of course many women find a ton of joy and fulfillment in that role, there’s plenty who don’t and find themselves emotionally unfulfilled and flat out sad. The husband enjoys golfing and drinking, and she tends to the kids and makes sure all the meals are always ready, because as McBryde sings, “When you’re born that pretty, you get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else”: “He splits his time between the golf course and gin and tonics on the back porch He don’t talk to her much no more, he only yells The kids and pot roast keep her busy because when you’re born that pretty You get to be Miss Mississippi and nothing else And she won’t tell him, and he ain’t asking Throw another towel in the laundry basket She ain’t happy, but what she needs she can’t buy at the supermarket She’s a mess, but the house is clean as the cover of Better Homes and Gardens And he can’t read between the lines in the carpet” Ashley says it’s an anthem that so many women she knows can relate to, and that feeling of being contained “in a relationship, and knowing the person you’re with is “completely oblivious” to everything you feel, can be a form of torture: “I see so many women I know in this song. There’s no promise in the lyrics that things are going to change or get better—it just stays with that feeling of being contained, and knowing that the person you’re with is completely oblivious to everything you’re feeling. This record is about getting back in touch with the Wild within. I think part of that means taking a good long look at what keeps us caged.” I have so much respect for how McBryde approaches her music, she never steers away from writing or cutting songs that are unabashedly honest and forthcoming about struggles many people don’t want to talk about, and it’s just part of what makes her one of the most underrated artists in mainstream country. Wild is shaping up to be incredibly special, and it’s one of my own most highly-anticipated albums this year. Do yourself a favor and check it out: “Lines In The Carpet” Wild Tracklist Rattlesnake Preacher (Randall Clay) Arkansas Mud (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris Tompkins) Water in the River (Randall Clay, Blue Foley, Roger Hodges) Creosote (Ashley McBryde, Lisa Carver) Bottle Tells Me So (Ashley McBryde, Shelly Fairchild, Terri Jo Box) What If We Don’t (Ashley McBryde, Terri Jo Box, Randall Clay) Lines In The Carpet (Lauren Hungate, Caroline Watkins, Lori McKenna) Behind Bars (Jeff Hyde, Jessie Alexander, Jon Randall) Hand Me Downs (Ashley McBryde, Jessie Jo Dillon, Laura Veltz) Wild (Jeremy Spillman, Makayla Lynn, Matraca Berg) Ten to Midnight (Ashley McBryde, Travis Meadows) he most recently released “Bottle Tells Me So,” which is a stunning track about her aforementioned struggles with alcohol and it’s a must-listen you can check out here: “Bottle Tells Me So” “Arkansas Mud” “Rattlesnake Preacher” McBryde just wrapped a spring run supporting longtime friend Eric Church, and will open shows for Garth Brooks and Chris Stapleton later this year. Full list of upcoming tour dates below. Ashley McBryde 2026 Tour Dates: 4/17: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency) 4/18: Nashville, TN – Chief’s Neon Steeple (The Redemption Residency) 4/23: Southaven, MS – Wolf Springfest – Bankplus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove 4/24: Vidalia, GA – Vidalia Onion Festival 6/12: Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Spa 6/19: Rockton, IL – Settler’s Park 6/25: Belfast, UK – Custom House Square Belfast 6/27: London, UK – BST Hyde Park^ 7/3: Calgary, AB – Calgary Stampede 7/11: Cavendish, PEI – Cavendish Beach Music Festival 7/30: West Fargo, ND – The Lights Amphitheater 8/1: Riverside, IA – Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Outdoor Stage 8/15: South Bend, IN – St. Joseph County Fairgrounds 8/21: Atlanta, GA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium ! 9/1: Toronto, ONT – Rogers Stadium ! ^ supporting Garth Brooks ! supporting Chris StapletonThe post Ashley McBryde Gets Brutally Honest About The Loneliness Of An Emotionally Empty Marriage In “Lines In The Carpet” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Riley Green may have caught the acting bug. The country star with multiple No. 1 Hits stays plenty busy with his music career. But like many singer-songwriters in the genre before him, Green has been intrigued by the thought of trying out an acting career. One could say that the stars aligned when Riley Green’s friend, Luke Grimes (who just so happens to be an actor and artist), told him that he should really give acting a shot. Green told ExtraTV that diving into the acting world had always been in the back of his mind, and a little push from Grimes was all he needed: “I’ve been thinking about doing some acting for a while… Luke has become a great friend of mine. He was like, ‘You should really try acting.’ What a great way to get introduced to that world.” And if you were to ask Luke Grimes how it went down, he’d tell you a similar story. Apparently, the two country artists were working together in Nashville when Green said he wouldn’t mind testing the waters of acting. Grimes knew just how they could make that work: “Riley and I were writing a song together in Nashville, and he was like, ‘You know, I want to try some acting.’ And a little light bulb went off above my head. I was like, ‘Oh you should totally come do the show with me.'” So now, Green will make his acting debut on Marshals on Sunday, April 19. The country music singer plays a former NAVY Seal named Garrett who was on a team with Kayce. He shows up to the ranch hoping to get some help from Kayce and Cal (played by Logan Marshall-Green) so that he can “put the demons of his past to rest.” Marshals has actually dropped a few clips of Green and Grimes sharing the screen already, including an almost full scene of Garrett talking to Kayce about why he’s suddenly showed back up after ten years. From what we can tell, Riley Green was able to hold his own. And he evidently had such a great time on the set of Marshals that he’s interested in committing to a more long-term acting role: “I would really enjoy being able to go and get on set and kind of get into that world and stay there. And just be an actor for a little while. I think that’d be something I’d really enjoy.” I know he’d probably enjoy that… but if it meant that his country music and touring had to take a back seat, I’m not sure how Riley Green fans would take that. That being said, if his acting debut goes well, then his fanbase would just have another way of supporting the 37-year-old artist (and actor?). As I mentioned earlier, Riley Green is set to make his acting debut on the Yellowstone spinoff Marshals this Sunday, April 19th. The country music star’s four-episode arc begins with the next episode, titled “Blowback,” and airs at 8p.m. ET on CBS.The post Riley Green Says He’s Interested In Acting More In The Future Ahead Of Four-Episode ‘Marshals’ Arc: “Something I’d Really Enjoy” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

From the archives. In case you haven’t noticed, we have a bad habit of digging up old videos here at Whiskey Riff. And frankly, it’s one of my personal guilty pleasures even outside of work. It’s so cool to see one of your favorite artists long before they were THE (insert artist name here) that we know and love today. If you’ve been a loyal reader of ours, you’ve probably noticed that we often share videos of Chris Stapleton long before he became the 8x CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Long before he became one of country music’s most soulful voices, he was already a songwriting powerhouse behind the scenes in Nashville, working with the bluegrass group, The SteelDrivers. After moving there from his hometown of Paintsville, Kentucky, in 2001, Stapleton signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music, and it didn’t take long for him to start making his mark. In those early years, he wrote hundreds of songs for other artists, quietly becoming one of the most in-demand writers in town. Stapleton is responsible for crafting hits for big names like Kenny Chesney (“Never Wanted Nothing More”), George Strait (“Love’s Gonna Make It Alright”), and Darius Rucker (“Come Back Song”) — all before most people even knew his name. Stapleton was known for his raw, soulful writing style, often blending country storytelling with influences from blues and Southern rock. Even then, his peers recognized his rare combination of grit and heart, and they knew he was one of the best vocalists in the game. Dierks Bentley famously called him the “best singer in the world” way back in 2010. Of course, a decade after breaking out as a solo artist, we know Stapleton is still for his grit, heart, and vocals that chill you to the bone. There’s a reason he’s won Male Vocalist of the Year eight times, folks. Recently, a video of Stapleton from 1998 is making the rounds again online, proving once again that he always had a talent unlike any other. In honor of Chris Stapleton’s birthday earlier this week, Bill Jean Osbourne’s Kentucky Opry shared a video of their state’s finest performing Lonestar’s 1999 hit “Amazed.” Originally written by Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, “Amazed” was released by Lonestar on their 1999 Lonely Grill album. It spent over 40 weeks on the Country charts, the second longest of any song in the ’90s. Many video clips of this performance claim it occurred in 1998; however, since the song was released in March of 1999, it’s likely the performance took place shortly after it gained popularity. In the footage, Stapleton looks clean-cut without his long beard and hair, but still possesses a voice that captivates the room. Stapleton’s voice might sound a little different to some, as it has developed more over the years and now carries a richness that isn’t as prominent in this performance, but damn… He still knocks it out of the park. This is a good one from the archives. Check it out: And how about that original from Drew Womack and the boys: The post Watch A Young Chris Stapleton Perform Lonestar’s Hit, “Amazed,” Way Back In 1999 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.