Might be the only time you’ll get to hear this one. Much like Eric Church, Ashley McBryde has remained one of the premier artists in the mainstream for the better part of a decade at this point. With a Grammy win under her belt, along with multiple ACM and CMA Award wins, the Arkansas native has remained one of the most consistent artists in the genre as of late. The past few months, in particular, have been incredibly busy for McBryde. After releasing a re-recording of fan-favorite, “What If We Don’t” and “Arkansas Mud,” she’d send fans into a frenzy back on March 19th by announcing that her first album in three years, Mud, is releasing TONIGHT at midnight. View this post on Instagram Since then, she’s given fans a preview with the incredibly vulnerable “Bottle Tells Me So,” which continues her recent candidness with her struggle with alcoholism and new-found sobriety. And while there’s an obvious amount of hype surrounding the album’s release, McBryde recently a shared a brand new track that won’t be making an appearance on Mud — or any album for that matter. During a recent show across the pond at All Kings Church in England, McBryde stuck to her usual setlist, performing past hits such as “One Night Standards” and “Bible and a .44” as well as stellar deep cuts like “Martha Divine” and “Gospel Night At The Strip Club,” she’d close out the night with a never before heard track titled “The Love of a Song.” Before performing the new song, McBryde would tell the English crowd that it is, in fact, not on any of her records and probably will never be recorded: “This isn’t on a record, and it doesn’t plan to be.” While I’ll never tell an artist what they can or can’t do, it’s a shame that she has no plans of releasing this one. Much in the vain of tracks like Eric Church’s “Mistress Named Music” and Stephen Wilson Jr.’s “I’m a Song,” McBryde’s “The Love of a Song” captures the story of how music and the titular love for a song has driven her throughout her life. After setting the scene in the first verse of being an eight year old listening to the radio before getting her first guitar gifted to her by her father, the “Girl Going Nowhere” singer follows it up with a beautiful chorus that captures how important music is to her and many of us who have built careers off of the love of a song. “It’s what made the one you’ve been hummin’ What lights a fire in a youngin’ What keeps a guitar strummin’ A story three minutes long What keeps dreamers all dreamin’ What takes the sting out of leavin’ And half the miles I’ve been so far from home The love of a song” Here’s to hoping that she’ll change her mind one day and release a full version. Watch here: @jon1x1 Unreleased Ashley McBride track and she has no plans to release it so this is the only place you can hear it! @Ashley McBryde #countrymusic #livemusic #countryconcert #ashleymcbryde #superstar ♬ original sound – nameless the country gig guy 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 WATCH: Ashley McBryde Performs Unreleased Song That “Doesn’t Plan To Be” On Any Record first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

She’s the woman to take fitness advice from, that’s for sure. Carrie Underwood just launched her new brand HiNote, a women’s wellness brand designed for daily nutrition and fitness. In addition to the fitness app, the launched products like an energy drink mix, and of course, Carrie is super into working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and whatever she does certainly works… we’ve all seen her incredible legs. But she doesn’t just do it for vanity reasons, as Carrie explained to Business Insider that she wants to be around for a long time, and hopefully in 20 or 30 years, she will be a fit grandma who still lives by herself and maintains her farm: “The decisions that I’m making today are going to determine what my future looks like 20 or 30 plus years down the road. I want to be one of those grandmas someday that’s like ‘Nana still lives by herself, and she’s still got chickens, and she’s down there milking a cow.'” It’s an admirable life goal, to be sure, and I have no doubt that will be her reality at some point… Carrie also revealed some of her fitness secrets, saying that, while she does travel with equipment, she often just works out in her hotel room and takes every chance she can to be active: “I’ve many a time worked out in my own hotel room using the app because it just takes the guesswork out of things. While I’m resting my legs, I’ll just pop down and do 20 push-ups.” She also counts yard work as doing exercise, saying working on her 400-acre farm in Tennessee is part of her workout routine too: “If there’s lots of work to do outside, I consider that my exercise. If I’m shoveling and planting stuff or picking stuff or whatever it is, that’s my workout, and I love it.” She gardens and takes care of her many farm animals, and her family eats everything they grow on their farm too. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Carrie says she could run a completely “self-sustained” home if she needed to, and if she had “all the time in the world,” she probably would. They have tons of farm animals and grow their own food, and her husband is also an avid hunter, so they wouldn’t really need to go to the grocery store for much: “I think if I had to, I could be self-sustained at home. I love growing things. If I had all the time in the world, I would… not really need to go to the grocery store for too much. But it’s a lot of fun. You know, I love our chickens. We have cows, we have sheep, we have donkeys. We have horses. I have my garden, and it’s a great way to connect with the earth. That’s my contribution to the family.” They’re incredibly practical skills, but obviously it’s time consuming, and I’m sure Carrie is teacher her boys a lot of that stuff too which is really cool. But because they’re still pretty young, Carrie says that she still takes on a lot of the responsibilities, but they do have a farm manager who help take care of things while she travels for work: “I feel like a lot of other responsibilities are mine. We have a farm manager who is wonderful… He’s taking care of my sheep while I’m gone. He looks after the horses and things like that. We do as much as we can, but I’m obviously not there all the time, and neither is my husband, so we do have help.” It all sounds like an incredible escape from the business of her career in the music business, and it’s clearly working for her because Carrie’s probably the most fit person in country… I mean, those legs don’t lie: View this post on Instagram The post “I Want To Be One Of Those Grandmas”: Why Carrie Underwood’s Fitness Routine Is About Way More Than Just Looking Good On Stage first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Make no mistake about it… Ashley McBryde is always going to tell you how she really feels. The “Rattlesnake Preacher” singer is a beacon of light in the country music space. McBryde is as unique as they come, uberly talented, and for my money, is one of the best storytellers in the entire industry. She’s been hard at work ever since her breakout moment in 2017 with Eric Church (there’s more to that story than meets the eye), and on May 8, she releases her next album Wild. McBryde has already released a handful of singles from the project, including the emotional “Bottle Tells Me So” and the brutally honest “Lines In The Carpet.” Safe to say that it’ll be another stellar record from Ashley McBryde, but in the weeks leading up to its release, the country music artist has been very open about how frustrating it is for her to work so hard and feel as though she barely gets half the credit as her male counterparts. While sitting with the Girls In Low Places podcast, Ashley McBryde dropped a line that could best be described as iconic. She undoubtedly took a shot at some of the male country artists in the industry while also explaining the exhausting, impossible double standard that female artists are up against: “I hate that mediocrity is worshipped as a god as long as it’s wearing a ball cap, if we’re being specific. I hate that we have to work twice as hard for twice as long for half the credit. I can’t have wrinkles, but I also can’t use anything to alter that. And I can’t be too skinny, but I also cannot be too fat. And I need to act my age, but not look my age. I need to be able to support everyone else’s emotions, but mine cannot get in your way. Like, it’s just so gross.” And McBryde didn’t stop there. She landed her point by laying out the two options that all female artists have, and there’s no mistaking which route Ashley McBryde has chosen to go down: “So you can be butt hurt about it, or you can do something about it. Become a difficult woman, and see if that really ends everything for you.” View this post on Instagram Perfectly put by Ashley McBryde. Other artists rushed to the comments section of the post to commend Ashley McBryde for speaking her truth on the podcast. Here are just a few messages of support for the unapologetic female country music star: Kaitlin Butts: “Is this church? I feel like I’m at church because this woman is preaching.” Colby Acuff: “Facts.” Morgane Stapleton: “All hail Queen.” Leann Rimes: “Preach.” Bunnie XO: “Amen sister.” And remember, one of the best ways you can support Ashley McBryde is by cueing up her music (and catching a live show… trust me, she’s worth it). Wild is out May 8th, and you can already stream a good amount of the tracks from the upcoming record, like these two below: “Bottle Tells Me So” “Lines In The Carpet” The post Ashley McBryde Goes Off On The Double Standard In Country Music: “Mediocrity Is Worshipped As A God As Long As It’s Wearing A Ball Cap” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

If it weren’t for Eric Church’s brother, Brandon, the country music world may have never had its Chief. There are all kinds of small moments and decisions in life that turn out to be huge with hindsight. For Eric Church, his life changing moment was one that his younger brother actually played a huge part in. Without the support of his Brandon, Church may have very well packed up and moved back home to North Carolina… and we would have never gotten albums like Chief, Sinners Like Me, and Mr. Misunderstood. During a recent conversation with Hometown Titans (an interview series affiliated with the Tennessee Titans), Church sat down and discussed his connection to Nashville. From the story of him chasing his country music dreams, to headlining Nissan Stadium, the country music superstar got to speak a lot about the vital part that Music City has played in his life. Arguably the most important part of his Nashville story? That’d be his brother talking him into staying in town to continue chasing his music career goals. As Eric Church explained, he was literally a drive away from leaving it all behind. It was his little brother, Brandon, that convinced him to stay and keep at it: “I packed up the car. I was leaving. It was actually my brother that saved me. He’s no longer with me. But he was the guy… I remember calling him one night, we were in a band together in western North Carolina, and he was not enjoying college very much at the time. I called him one night, and it was one of those conversations where I was like, ‘I’m done with this.’ He goes, ‘Where are you? What’s going on?’ The next day, unexpectedly, he showed up with a duffle bag. I had a one bedroom apartment. He showed up with a duffle bag, and ended up sleeping on a fold out couch. The way he pitched it was, ‘I’ve got nothing better going on anyway. Let’s give it three months, I’m gonna sleep on your couch.’ Which I think he enjoyed. He was enjoying his life.” Early on in 2018, Church’s younger brother Brandon tragically passed away after having complications stemming from a seizure. He was one of the few people who kept pushing Eric to pursue music even when it wasn’t going well in the beginning. And Eric Church is forever grateful for the support that he got from his younger brother. The Chief revealed later in the interview that it was only when Brandon was crashing on his couch in Nashville – in a supportive fashion, of course – that the puzzle pieces of his music career started to come together. Without him, Church isn’t sure how everything would have played out: “He said, ‘Give it three months. I’ll sleep here. I’m coming with you. Instead of you coming back home, I’ll be another person that leaves the family and comes out.’ It was really during that period that things started to kind of work for me.” You can hear more from Eric Church in the interview below: The post How Eric Church’s Late Brother Saved His Country Music Career: “I Packed Up The Car… I Was Leaving” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Never skip a Stapleton cover. It’s hard to understate just how much of a force to be reckoned with Chris Stapleton has become throughout his music career. With 12 Grammys, 19 CMA Awards, 11 ACM Awards and a plethora of other hardware from the likes of Billboard, the Americana Music Association, ASCAP and more, the Kentucky native is arguably the biggest and most critically-acclaimed country artist this century. Of course, there’s so much to talk about when discussing Stapleton’s career as a whole. From his iconic breakout during the 2015 CMA Awards that signaled the death of bro-country, to his laundry list of hits, to his long history as a songwriter in Nashville before his fame as a solo artist, the Chris Stapleton lore runs incredibly deep. One thing that often gets overlooked, especially considering how deep his discography is, is the fact that the “Broken Halos” singer has delivered some of the greatest covers of all time. From bringing Garth Brooks to tears with his “Shameless” performance and delivering a stellar cover of Lonestar’s “Amazed” all the way back in 1999 to his long history of covering Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty and more, Stapleton has never failed to deliver over the years. In particular, Stapleton has really shone when covering the living legend himself, Willie Nelson. In addition to releasing Willie’s 1982 Top 5 hit, “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning,” on From A Room: Volume 1 in 2016, the 12x Grammy winner has also delivered phenomenal live performances of “Always on My Mind,” “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground,” “Seven Spanish Angels” and more over the last decade. The “White Horse” singer kept his tradition of phenomenal Willie covers going once again last night during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, performing “Living in the Promiseland” with none other than the “On the Road Again” singer’s long-time harmonica player, Mickey Raphael. Released on Nelson’s 34th studio album, The Promiseland, “Living in the Promiseland” served as its lead single and became his 12th #1 hit. Over the years, the track has become a pro-immigrant anthem due to its incredibly blatant themes of acceptance and multiculturalism, which are best highlighted in the song’s opening verse. Written by David Lynn Jones, the opening line actually borrows from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. “Give us your tired and weakAnd we will make them strongBring us your foreign songsAnd we will sing alongLeave us your broken dreamsWe’ll give them time to mendThere’s still a lot of loveLiving in the promiseland” Of course, the timing of this performance is hard to ignore due to the ongoing debates and protests over immigration and border patrol. It would appear that Chris is making a statement with the song choice. With that being said, however, regardless of your political stance, it’s hard not to appreciate Stapleton’s performance here on The Late Show. As always, his vocals are off the charts, and they’re only made better by the stripped-back production featuring just his guitar and Raphael’s world-class harmonica. Watch here: Chris Stapleton Tour Dates May 23 – Nashville, Tennessee – Nissan Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 11 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena with Allen Stone June 13 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 17 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake with Allen Stone June 20 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone June 24 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium with Grace Potter June 26 – North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum with Grace Potter July 8 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 10 – Chula Vista, California – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle July 17 – Portland, Oregon – Providence Park with Grace Potter July 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena with The Teskey Brothers July 24 – George, Washington – The Gorge with Grace Potter July 29 – Shakopee, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater  with Allen Stone August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki Lane The post Chris Stapleton Delivers Statement Performance Of Willie Nelson’s “Living In The Promiseland” On Colbert first appeared on Whiskey Riff.