Country music is getting a little rock 'n' roll twist, and it's not just a passing phase. Continue reading…

A dream duet that I can’t get enough of. Megan Moroney’s third studio album Cloud 9 is out everywhere, which includes a very special song she’s called her personal “Super Bowl” that features fellow country star Kacey Musgraves called “Bells & Whistles.” Megan has spoken at length about what inspiration Kacey has been for her over the years, she’s one of the reasons Megan really started pursuing a country career to being with, and during a recent trip to London, she spoke with absolute Radio Country, she explained how much of a profound effect Kacey had on her from a young age. She says she discovered Kacey through her hit song “Merry Go ‘Round,” which was on the tracklist for her brilliant 2013 debut Same Trailer, Different Park. Megan explained that she was instantly drawn to Kacey’s witty writing style, stunning voice and powerful stage presence, and so she’s tried to emulate that in many ways in her own career. I think the ways Kacey has inspired Megan’s writing is easily recognizable in almost all of her music, and as someone who has a similar story of discovering Kacey’s music back with “Merry Go ‘Round,” it’s so relatable and I’m glad to have another country artist like Megan carry the torch in that way, so to speak: “When she released ‘Same Trailer, Different Park,’ I organically discovered her, I think through ‘Merry Go ‘Round.’ Hearing that song and that entire album was the album that changed the trajectory of my life. When I hear that album, I was like, if I ever write songs one day, I want them to be clever like that. I thought it was so cool, because I had never heard anyone twist a phrase like she does, and her voice was so good, and I loved her stage presence.” Megan also explained that there was a wild coincidence with Kacey that occurred when she sent Megan’s team her part of “Bells & Whistles”: “What’s even crazier, so I learned how to play guitar after I hurt my knee cheerleading in high school. I was in a wheelchair for two months, so I actually met Kacey Musgraves with one cowboy boot on, because my other leg was full cast. I’m not crazy, my dad has this on his phone. The picture that was taken that night was taken on October 4th, 2014. And then on October 4th 2025 was when we got the recording back that she sent So it was exactly 11 years later… I’m like, that’s weird, sorry. That’s weird. That collab is my Super Bowl. I’m not gonna quit or retire, but if I did tomorrow, I would be like, ‘I did all I could do.’” And as a fellow Kacey stan, I can see how she would feel like that’s more than enough… they’ve certainly come a long way from this picture in 2014: View this post on Instagram Megan wrote “Bells & Whistles” with frequent collaborators Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter, and it finds her acknowledging that she’s not a “simple” girl, and she never will be, comparing herself to a much lower maintenance girl her ex is with now… except Megan comes with a lot more “bells and whistles,” which isn’t for everyone: “She laughs at your jokes She don’t tell you no You walk in half past three She’s just glad you got home She don’t put on no makeup And don’t bleach her hair And she wouldn’t be caught dead in The clothes that I wear She don’t get mad She don’t get mean She let s you be right when you’re wrong as can be I know why you like her She’s sweet and she’s simple She’s like me without the bells and the whistles” But at the end of the day, she is who she is, and sometimes that’s just doesn’t work for other people: “I’m not me without the bells and the whistles.” Amen to that… Megan says she wanted to formally acknowledge the people who thing she’s “too much” (there’s no such thing, in my humble opinion), and it proves to be a moment of growth as she embraces that lovely part of herself: “I know there’s some people out there who think I’m too much, but that’s part of what makes me who I am. Acknowledging that felt like a real moment of me growing and evolving, and I thought it was pretty funny to refer to my extra-ness as bells and whistles.” In terms of getting Kacey to do a verse, Megan had initially only asked her to sing background vocals, but Kacey loved the song so much she took it upon herself to sing a verse and send it back to Moroney in case she wanted to use it. Of course, that was a dream come true: “At first I just asked Kacey to sing background vocals on ‘Bells & Whistles,’ because I didn’t want to ask too much of her. But when she sent the mix back, she’d sung the second verse without changing a word or altering the melody. As someone who started writing songs because of ‘Same Trailer Different Park,’ that was a real bucket-list moment for me.” I have a similar trajectory in terms of falling love with Kacey’s music around the same time as Megan (we’re the same age, so we have very similar music taste I’ve learned over the years), and it impacted me very deeply as it clearly did Megan. So, of course, I was so excited to hear this song, and they did not disappoint… I’m a “bells and whistles” girl myself, and it’s about time someone stood up for us like this. I know I can always count on these two to put my thoughts in a song, and this is probably tied for my favorite song on the album, along with her Ed Sheeran duet “I Only Miss You.” It’s a brilliant concept, very authentic to who they both are, and I think will resonate deeply with so many women… extra girlies, stand up. Our time has come: “Bells & Whistles” Cloud 9 Tracklist 1. “Cloud 9” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Ernest Keith Smith)* 2. “Medicine” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 3. “6 Months Later” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Rob Hatch, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 4. “Stupid” (Megan Moroney, Amy Allen, and David “Messy” Mescon)* 5. “Beautiful Things” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 6. “Convincing” (Megan Moroney, Connie Harrington, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jessi Alexander)* 7. “Liars & Tigers & Bears” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 8. “I Only Miss You (ft. Ed Sheeran)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, and Ed Sheeran)* 9. “Wedding Dress” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, and Colin Healy)+ 10. “Change of Heart” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 11. “Bells & Whistles (ft. Kacey Musgraves)” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)* 12. “Table for Two” (Megan Moroney, Ben Williams, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Micah Carpenter)^ 13. “Wish I Didn’t” (Megan Moroney, Emily Weisband, Hillary Lindsey, and Luke Laird)* 14. “Who Hurt You?” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* 15. “Waiting on the Rain” (Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, and Jessie Jo Dillon)* * Produced by Kristian Bush + Produced by Luke Laird and Megan Moroney, additional production by Kristian Bush ^ Produced by Luke Laird and Megan MoroneyThe post Megan Moroney & Kacey Musgraves Embrace Their “Bells & Whistles” In New Duet On Megan’s ‘Cloud 9’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A little something for everyone. Though there are plenty of multi-genre and even multi-week festivals around the country, ranging from the likes of Bourbon and Beyond, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and more, Summerfest in Milwaukee has remained one of the longest and most musically diverse for quite a few years at this point. If you recall, over the past few years, the Wisconsin-based festival has hosted the likes of Lainey Wilson, Tyler Childers, Eric Church, Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Zac Brown Band, Willie Nelson and more as headliners over the past five years. In 2026, however, they’re bringing out their most country-heavy lineup to date. Just announced this morning, Summerfest officially announced its sprawling, 11-day lineup featuring quite a diverse set of both country and non-country acts. For country, Garth Brooks will be performing not one but two straight days to kick off the festival on June 16th and 17th. Additionally, Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson, Post Malone (along with Carter Faith) and Jelly Roll (along with Tyler Hubbard) will all be headlining. Other, non-country headliners include Don Toliver, Carín León, Ed Sheeran, Muse and Alex Warren. View this post on Instagram As for other country and country-adjacent acts that will be making appearances throughout Summerfest, Whiskey Myers, Sam Barber, Dexter and the Moonrocks, Marcus King Band, Evan Honer, Scott Wolverton, McCoy Moore, Cigarettes @ Sunset, Tucker Wetmore, Russell Dickerson, The Band Loula, Ken Pomeroy, Preston Cooper, Jonah Kagen, Old 97’s and Nate Smith highlight the country, Americana and southern rock side of the festival. Other notable non-country artists and bands include the likes of Megadeath, Third Eye Blind, Father John Misty, Hot Mulligan, Little Feat, All Time Low, Spoon, The Roots, STYX and a plethora of other acts across genres. Touching on the incredibly diverse nature of the festival, Sarah Pancheri, President and CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., would express how excited she was for this year’s Summerfest.  “As an independent music festival, we are thrilled to deliver this one-of-a-kind lineup that features an incredible mix of genres and artists. We’re excited to welcome fans from around the globe to celebrate and create memories that only live music can provide.” Unlike most festivals, which typically take place on a singular weekend or travel from city to city, Summerfest will span across three weekends, all taking place at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee. After Brooks kicks off the festival with his back-to-back solo sets, Moroney, Toliver and León will headline the first weekend on June 18-20. The next week, Sheeran, Johnson and Post Malone will headline the second weekend on June 25-27 before Muse, Warren and Jelly Roll wrap up the sprawling festival on July 2-4. Unsurprisingly, due to the large scale of the festival, Summerfest is offering a plethora of different ticket packages. Most affordably, they’re partnering with T-Mobile for a “9-Day Power Pass,” which includes admission for all 9 days (excluding Brooks’ performances) for just $58. These tickets are limited and will only be available until Wednesday, February 25th at 11:59 p.m. Summerfest is offering 3-day passes for each weekend starting at just $63 as well as single-day passes for each day of the event for only $25. Additionally, reserved seating on both the BMO Pavilion and the Miller Lite Oasis Level Up Deck is also available to purchase at an additional cost. Finally, pit wristbands will be available to purchase at a later date.The post Cody Johnson, Post Malone, Garth Brooks & More To Headline Summerfest In Milwaukee first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Leon Majcen is setting out to achieve quite the tall task in the next five years… but he’s already well on his way to reaching his goal for 2026. On the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast (which was actually a double episode), Leon Majcen talked to us about being raised by Bosnian refugee parents, almost quitting music altogether during 2020, his ambitious plans for future music releases, and one of his career goals being that he does well enough to give back to his parents. Majcen was born in the Czech Republic to Bosnian and Croatian parents who had fled there from Bosnia during the Yugoslav War in mid-90s. Before he turned two, he and his parents relocated to Clearwater, Florida. Once they made the move, they wished the best for their son, and encouraged him to pursue whatever he felt passionate about. Majcen (whose last name is pronounced “might-sin”) was passionate about music. And all these years later, that passion is still as strong as ever. It’s led him to release four albums since 2020, and embark on a very demanding musical journey over the next half decade. His goal? Release two to three albums every single year… for the next five years. In his mind, he doesn’t see the need to wait on releases, or focus on just one album per year, if the songs are already there: “I feel like a lot of labels are like, ‘Yeah, you should wait.’ I don’t really see the point in waiting. If you’ve got songs, just keep them going. You can’t really lose… I can’t tell if I’m stupid or not. But that’s what I’m fixing to do.” Leon, if you are reading this, it’s not a stupid move… I prefer the term brave. And because Majcen said he doesn’t understand the strategy behind waiting to release tracks if they are ready to go, we asked if he had a bunch of songs sitting in the wings ready to go, or if he had faith that the songs would come to him in the next half decade. Unfortunately, he’s run out of “banked songs,” but he’s already on pace to achieve his three album mark for 2026: “I ran out of banked songs after ‘Making A Livin’ (Not A Killin’),’ but I’ve got the next record recorded. And then the record after that is already written. So I’m two records ahead.” Sounds like a good head start. More and more young country artists are starting to deploy this multiple-records-per-year method, and their fans are – for the most part – eating it up. Gone are the days where artists wait years between projects. Creatives like Leon Majcen are pushing to make two to three albums a year the new norm. To hear more about the country music singer’s musical goals, make 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 Leon Majcen On His Ambitious Goal To Release 3 Albums Per Year Over The Next 5 Years: “You Can’t Really Lose” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.