Country Roundup
Country Roundup

Country Roundup

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“Don’t Mess It Up” – Keith Urban Played Surprise Set To “Tough Crowd” On NYC Ferry
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“Don’t Mess It Up” – Keith Urban Played Surprise Set To “Tough Crowd” On NYC Ferry

Country music star Keith Urban took over the New York City Ferry earlier today… and from the looks of this video, not everyone was entirely thrilled about it. Pretty much everyone knows that public transit – as helpful as it can be –  gets old quite easily. Don’t get me wrong, getting stuck in traffic in your own car is awful too. But at least you have a little privacy. With public transit, you are at the mercy of whoever else is riding it with you. I’d argue that commuters using the NYC Ferry were treated to a surprise show by Keith Urban, but from what we hear in this video, it seems like others felt like they were burdened by it. Though I get both sides of it… how could you be upset about Urban serenading you with yacht rock songs while you are riding the ferry? The country music singer is still promoting his recent yacht rock project – Flow State. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, it’s the perfect summer vibe record, and it features Urban and his signature sound tackling some of the best yacht rock songs that have ever existed. This must have been a cool moment for Urban to take his yacht rock show on a literal boat (not a yacht, but it works). However, when he and his band opened it up for requests, and they got “Just The Two of Us” thrown out at them, things got a bit awkward on the ferry. Urban initially responded with this: “‘Just The Two of Us?’ Okay. We haven’t done that in a while. This may be the second time we’ve done it.” I suppose Urban said that to drop the expectations of their impromptu performance. He may have forgotten that, though he was on a boat, he was still in New York City. Residents there don’t give much grace, and someone in the ferry shouted back at the artist: “Don’t mess it up.” Was that a threat? Sure sounded like it. Keith Urban laughed it off, and cut the tension (if there really was any) by joking that people who don’t like how they play generally just get up and leave. And after the clap back landed, the country star and his band started to get into it: “Don’t mess it up, really? Oh, no doubt. It’s a tough crowd man. People leave if we don’t play well. So you know, the pressure’s on. Should we try it? Let’s try it.” But as they were feeling it out, and before they could get going another ferry rider lowered the expectations even further, and exclaimed this… which really cracked Keith and his band up: “It doesn’t have to be good.” I’m glad they took it as a lighthearted jab… I’m not 100% that it was. The NYC resident sounded more like she just wanted them to get on with it, and like she wanted to get wherever she was going as fast as possible. Again, Keith Urban had a pretty good comeback in his holster: “It doesn’t have to be good? Oh, you are in luck. Man, have we got a version for you.” View this post on Instagram Urban was right… it really was a tough crowd on the NYC Ferry. I get that artists want to try and find unique ways to bring their music to the masses. I’ll admit that I’ve never seen someone put on a free show on a ferry, so props to Keith Urban for thinking that one up. But artists do have to consider that, if they choose to do something fun with public transit, not everyone is going to be in the mood as they are in the commuting process. Here’s the full version in case you were wanting to check it out (and determine for yourself if it was good or not): @guyaye350 Keith Urban “Just The Teo Of Us” Live from The Hudson River Wall St/Pier 11 July 9, 2026 #keithurban #keithurbanfan #Pier11 #guyagronphotography @Keith Urban ♬ original sound – Guy Aye The post “Don’t Mess It Up” – Keith Urban Played Surprise Set To “Tough Crowd” On NYC Ferry first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

“Tim Is A Legend Already” – Hardy Was Most Nervous To Ask Tim McGraw To Be On “McArthur” With Morgan Wallen & Eric Church
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“Tim Is A Legend Already” – Hardy Was Most Nervous To Ask Tim McGraw To Be On “McArthur” With Morgan Wallen & Eric Church

Three of the biggest names in mainstream country music. In January, HARDY released his highly-anticipated song “McArthur,” which is a collaboration with Eric Church, Morgan Wallen and Tim McGraw. Written by HARDY along with Jameson Rodgers, Chase McGill, and Josh Thompson (under his pseudonym “Joshua Dennis Anthony Bagles”), it tells the story of legacy and family in a beautiful way, which starts with Tim McGraw taking on the role of patriarch John McArthur, the eldest in the line who farmed the land to keep his family fed. Then, Eric Church comes in and his character, Junior McArthur, has passed away “by way of a bullet in Vietnam,” leaving behind his son Jones, who he never actually got to meet. Each of the generations pass down the family land, but the twist comes when HARDY introduces his character, Jones McArthur – whose son doesn’t seem to value the land like the rest in his lineage: “I’m Jones McArthur and I tried like hell To teach my son why a man don’t sell But he came home from college seeing dollar signs Didn’t want to go to work, just wanted me to die” The son is, of course, Morgan Wallen telling the story of Hunter McArthur, who’s ready to sign on the dotted line to turn over the family land but appears to have a change of heart at the very end: “I’m Hunter McArthur and the deal looks good In 18 months this’ll be a neighborhood I got a million dollar line I can sign my name on But there’s a whisper in the pines that’s telling me, ‘Don’t’” The song ends with a beautiful chorus of the four of them harmonizing, and while it leaves a little bit to the imagination, it’s safe to say that Hunter probably didn’t go through with the sale, and that’s at least what I’m going with, especially because of that last line where he says he can hear a “whisper in the pines” telling him not to sign the land away, and the song starts with John saying he’s just a “whisper in the wind through the pine trees now.” To me, that’s sort of a hint that they kept the land in the end, but again, it’s up for interpretation. Hardy previously spoke a lot about how the song came to be, saying they had written it at the beach and he had actually driven back to his hometown right after to go hunting. After a stiff glass of whiskey, he worked up the nerve to send it to Eric, and he joked that he’s not sure he even listened to the whole song because he texted back within 30 seconds: “We wrote the song, and I actually drove back to my hometown after the beach to do some deer hunting and I had a pretty stiff whiskey drink, and I just said, ‘F*** it, I’m gonna send it to Eric Church.’ And I did. I’ve known Eric now for a couple of years, but definitely took a little bit of a leap of faith. I’ve never made a move quite as impressive as, ‘Hey, we should do this song together.’ And man, he responded, it’s almost like he didn’t even listen to the whole song, because it seemed like 30 seconds went by and he responded and said, ‘I’m in.’ He said, ‘Who else should it be?’” He loved it from the first verse, like many of us, it seems… They knew they wanted to get Morgan involved as well, and the three of them came up with Tim as the last collaborator and Hardy once again just texted it to him himself and Morgan of course loved it. But getting Tim McGraw was the person he was most nervous about… of course, he’s friends with Morgan, and I guess he figured if Eric said no at first, Morgan could talk him into it, but McGraw is in an interesting spot in terms of being a current star who still puts out music, while still being in that “legend” category too. In an interview with WAVE 92.7 radio station, Hardy revealed that he was easily the most nervous to ask McGraw to do the song, and he was blown away by his humility throughout the process, with McGraw telling Hardy he was just “happy to be here,” and Hardy couldn’t believe that: “I mean, obviously, Morgan is like one of the biggest artist on the planet and Eric is Eric. But Tim is just one of those, like a he’s a legend already, and is still very capable of having more hits, you know, the whole thing. So it’s just mind blowing to me that he’s like, ‘I’m just happy to be here,’ and I’m like bro, I’m just happy to be here… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I really hope they do at least one more song that maybe reveals what happens with Hunter or something of that nature because the first one was so good and I think they still have a lot more story to tell with it. @wave927 When you’re working with a country music legend, you expect a lot… but HARDY wasn’t expecting this from Tim McGraw. This Saturday at 7 PM, HARDY joins us on iHeartCountry House Party! We talk about how a conversation with Tim McGraw led to their collaboration on “McArthur,” what life has been like since becoming a dad, and whether there are more dream collaborations on the horizon. #iHeartCHP #HARDY #TimMcGraw ♬ original sound – WAVE 92.7 Hardy just released a really cool live solo rendition from his current tour… but I think we deserve a full-on performance with all four them at the next possible opportunity: The original with Morgan, Eric and Tim: The post “Tim Is A Legend Already” – Hardy Was Most Nervous To Ask Tim McGraw To Be On “McArthur” With Morgan Wallen & Eric Church first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Bunnie Xo Reveals The Eye-Popping Amount She Made From The Since-Deleted Divorce Episode Of Her Podcast
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Bunnie Xo Reveals The Eye-Popping Amount She Made From The Since-Deleted Divorce Episode Of Her Podcast

Clearly a lot of interest in her story. Bunnie Xo made a ton of headlines last month when she opened up on the pending divorce between her and her husband Jelly Roll following the news becoming public. Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, back on May 18 in Williamson County Chancery Court, just outside of Nashville. And in the wake of the announcement, Bunnie released a tell-all episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, where she revealed what led to split, addressed dating rumors, revealed that Jelly was already dating, and she also explained the straw that broke the camel’s back, that led to the divorce papers being filed after a fight back on Mother’s Day. The episode obviously got quite a bit of attention from fans (and haters) interested to hear what led to the shocking split, and Jelly even co-signed her comments and directed fans to the episode for details on the divorce. But recently, the divorce episode of the podcast was removed from both YouTube and the podcast feed, leaving fans questioning why she made the decision to pull the episode after generating so many headlines. Well on her most recent episode, Bunnie opened up on why she took down the divorce episode – while also revealing the eye-popping amount she made from the tell-all. Bunnie explained that she doesn’t want to continue to re-live that part of her life through the podcast: “We took it down because I realized, I just don’t want one of the hardest moments of my life to become a permanent headline. I don’t wanna live in that. I believe in being transparent with you guys, and that’s never, ever, ever going to change. But I also believe that people deserve the space to heal, to evolve and to move forward. That episode served a purpose for me at that time, and it was real, it was honest, and it came from exactly where I was emotionally in that moment. But I’m not in that same place anymore. and I think that that’s where we need to pause and just focus on the fact that like people are like, oh well, she moved on so fast. Hold up. I’ve been mourning the loss of my marriage for at least a year. I had visions of the news breaking, of it happening, and there is so much behind the scenes that I have not spoken on, and that I will never speak on because it doesn’t matter.” And she also revealed that it was a costly decision to remove it, given the six-figure sum that the episode made in the short amount of time that it was available: “I made $100,000 on that podcast. Yes, it was one of my highest viewed podcast episodes, but I don’t care about the money. If I cared about the money, I would’ve left it up and let it get another hundred grand if I cared about the views. I post on TikTok and get 10 million views. YouTube has never been my strong platform.” Not bad for one episode. Of course Bunnie’s clearly also ready to move on, making headlines this past week after being spotted making out with a 24-year old reality star over the Fourth of July – at Jelly Roll’s Nashville bar. TMZ shared video of her making out with 24-year-old Dylan Wolf (Bunnie is 46), who is apparently a star on the new Netflix reality show “Calabasas Confidential.” (I think they use the word star pretty loosely, but whatever…) Bunnie also addressed that situation on her podcast, admitting that she wishes it hadn’t gone viral but that she’s trying to move on: “And do I regret this past weekend? Absolutely the f— not. I had fun. I am healing out loud. So what I got kissed under the f—ing fireworks. I hope I get kissed under f—ing 10 more fireworks shows, you know. But I’m not dating anybody, I do not want to be with anybody.” I mean, it may not be six figures, but I’m sure that kiss helped her make a few bucks on the explainer episode too…The post Bunnie Xo Reveals The Eye-Popping Amount She Made From The Since-Deleted Divorce Episode Of Her Podcast first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The New Taylor Sheridan Show That Nobody's Talking About
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The New Taylor Sheridan Show That Nobody's Talking About

Here's everything we know about Taylor Sheridan's new TV show, 'The Laird.' Continue reading…

“Hail Satan? Not Me Jack”: Charley Crockett Doubles Down On Twin Temple Firing, Takes Shot At Donald Trump
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“Hail Satan? Not Me Jack”: Charley Crockett Doubles Down On Twin Temple Firing, Takes Shot At Donald Trump

Expect the unexpected with Charley Crockett. At this point, I’m sure you’ve already heard about Charley Crockett’s most recent controversy regarding satanism (of all things). In case you haven’t, let me catch you up to speed. Back in March, the “Jamestown Ferry” singer announced his sprawling, 49-show Age of the Ram Tour that began back in April and will conclude in early October. Unsurprisingly, Crockett grabbed a ton of openers, employing the likes of Nat Myers and Durand Jones & The Indicators as primary openers during a majority of the tour. Additionally, he called upon the likes of Kashus Culpepper, Sierra Hull, Margo Price, Lee Fields, Honky Tonkin’ Queens, Wild Horses, Pony Bradshaw and Twin Temple as support on select dates. If you’re familiar with the alternative/independent country scene, a majority of these names are sure to ring a bell. With that being said, however, there was one major outlier, at least aesthetically: Twin Temple. In case you’re unfamiliar with Twin Temple (they actually probably got a lot more famous since the firing), they are a self-proclaimed “satanic doo wop” duo hailing from Los Angeles with their most popular tracks featuring titles such as “Lucifer, My Love,” “Satan’s a Woman,” “Let’s Have A Satanic Or*y” and “The Devil (Didn’t Make Me Do It).” In case those interesting (for lack of a better term) song titles weren’t enough, taking one look at their social media posts clearly signals that the duo isn’t performing these tracks satirically. They’re actual satanists, repping pentagrams, upside-down crosses and the like. In other words, you know what you’re getting into if you’re booking Twin Temple. Apparently, however, either Crockett or his team didn’t do their research. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Twin Temple announced that Crockett and Co. have removed them from their upcoming shows next week (July 14th and 18th) due to their satanic imagery. The duo would apologize to fans and express how grateful they are for their support, finishing the post by hailing Satan. “Today we were informed that Charley Crockett has decided to remove Twin Temple has decided to remove Twin Temple from his upcoming shows next week due to our Satanic imagery. Unfortunately, that means we will not be able to perform for you next week as planned. We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to getting back out and seeing you, and also what it means as far as bringing different types of people and music lovers together. We are sorry to everyone who was planning to see us. We’re grateful for your support, not only of Twin Temple, but more importantly of artistic freedom. HAIL SATAN! 93/93″ View this post on Instagram Unsurprisingly, fans of Twin Temple were quick to pounce on Crockett in the duo’s comment section, calling out the “$10 Cowboy” singer and wondering why he’d book them in the first place, given the fact that their entire identity revolves around their love of Lucifer. First, Crockett would tell Rolling Stone via his representative on Thursday that he thought they were like Black Sabbath. “I thought they were like Black Sabbath, but they ain’t. Not today, Satan.” Hours later, he’d take to Instagram to upload a photo of Johnny Cash posing in front of a church, along with Kris Kristofferson’s “To Beat The Devil” playing in the background. In the caption, he’d simply write: “If they did it to Jesus, imagine what they’ll do to you.” This morning, he’d wipe his entire Instagram, including the post. However, it is still up on Facebook. Unsurprisingly, fans of Twin Temple, as well as some of Charley’s own fans, are not happy and have continued to rail against the Texas native for the last-minute decision. Of course, Twin Temple fans have taken exception to the firing, but others are more upset with Charley and company’s poor planning. Just when you thought he was done with the controversy, he returned to Instagram minutes ago with a brand new post, and it’s a doozy. Uploading a standard photo of himself, he’d not only take aim at satanism itself but also President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein in the caption in an admittedly strange response. “F*CK TRUMP F*CK EPSTEIN BUT HAIL SATAN? NOT ME JACK” View this post on Instagram A bit surprisingly, everyone seemed to ignore the strange shot at the President and the random inclusion of Epstein. Unsurprisingly, however, the comment section was once again a war zone with angry Twin Temple fans continuing to criticize Crockett. Though many were mostly upset at the obvious poor planning and last-minute nature of the firing, some were going as far as to accuse him of being in a religious psychosis… because apparently deciding to not platforming devil worship, whether performative or not, makes you mentally unwell: “It’s not that deep. But you dropping them made me a fan of them now.” “Charley Crockett religious psychosis not on my 2026 bingo card.” “What are you doing man? Satan rules. Agree with the rest though.” “B*tch a** move mate. What the f*** did you expect when you brought ’em on tour lol???” “You can part ways with more humility, man. I’m a fan, but this is immature.” “Enough with the religious grandstanding. You’re missing the point. You did it ~1 week out from the show. That was incredibly insensitive to the Twin Temple and fans alike….” “My man stop throwing a tantrum it’s embarrassing” “I like you both, Charley. It’s just a shame it took you so long to realize what the opening band does … as a musician you should know it hurts a band to kick them off a tour a week before it starts. But I guess you’re also giving them a lot more publicity so maybe it’ll help them in the long run. I’ll keep listening to you both, just a bit disappointed.” At this point, you should pretty much expect the unexpected from Crockett, whether it’s his comments on politics or album releases. With that being said, however, I did not have the “$10 Cowboy” singer going to war against satanists on my 2026 bingo card. Age of the Ram Tour Dates July 10 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club Festival July 11 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Festival July 12 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater with Sierra Hull and Wild Horses July 14 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield with Twin Temple July 15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest Resort & Casino with Sierra Hull July 16 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater with Margo Price July 18 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre with Twin Temple July 27 – Goshen, IN – Elkhart County 4-H Fair Aug 27 – Canyon, TX – The Lumberyard Canyon with The Weary Boys Aug 28 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with The Weary Boys Aug 29 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with Jake Penrod Aug 30 – Helotes, TX – Floore’s Country Store with Jake Penrod Sept 01 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre with Pony Bradshaw Sept 02 – Dothan, AL – The Plant with Pony Bradshaw Sept 04 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre with Pony Bradshaw Sept 05 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion with Nat Myers Sept 09 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with Nat Myers  Sept 10 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with Nat Myers Sept 12 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Casino’s Bluesville – Bluesville with Nat Myers Sept 14 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! with Nat Myers Sept 15 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee with Nat Myers Sept 16 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 17 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 19 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 21 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 22 – North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 24 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 25 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Sept 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival Sept 29 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Mainstage Theater with Durand Jones & The Indications Oct 01 – New York, NY – SummerStage in Central Park with Durand Jones & The Indications Oct 02 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage with Durand Jones & The IndicationsThe post “Hail Satan? Not Me Jack”: Charley Crockett Doubles Down On Twin Temple Firing, Takes Shot At Donald Trump first appeared on Whiskey Riff.