It’s never that serious. Lately, live music has been under heavy scrutiny for a plethora of different reasons. Obviously, the biggest and most predatory threat to the industry is none other than Live Nation and Ticketmaster, who all but have a monopoly on ticket sales. Of course, that’s not even mentioning the fact that bots and scalpers have made it even harder for real fans to actually purchase tickets. Unfortunately, fans deserve a lot of scrutiny as well. Over the past few years, especially in a post-COVID world, it seems as if fan behavior has hit an all-time low. From the ridiculous beer-throwing at Treaty Oak Revival concerts that left frontman Sam Canty with a gash under his eye and Riley Green needing stitches after a phone was hurled at him in Australia to Megan Moroney having a hat chucked at her and Morgan Wallen getting grabbed by a fan last year, some of the biggest stars in the genre have had to deal with their fair share of chaos recently. One of the most ridiculous fights I’ve seen happened over the weekend during Gavin Adcock’s show over the weekend at The Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach, Alabama, and it’s one of the most brutal in recent memory. In a video posted to Instagram, at least six to eight people were involved in a brawl in the upper section of The Wharf. Though it’s a bit hard to decipher exactly what’s going on due to the person behind the camera getting blocked from view after folks rushed to break up the fight, it appears as if three separate fights were occurring simultaneously. The most dangerous and downright scary one of them all was captured right in front of the Instagram user. Being the only one-on-one fight in the video, one man is shown pinning another man down to the bleacher seats before brutally kneeing him in the face three to four times, with his neck slamming against the bleacher floor. View this post on Instagram There’s no doubt that Adcock has been one of the most controversial artists in the genre over the past year or so. Beyond finding himself at odds with the likes of Beyoncé fans and Charley Crockett, he famously almost got in a fight with Zach Bryan after months of pestering the “Something in the Orange” singer online. Of course, this resulted in the now-famous video of Bryan jumping the fence in an attempt to fight him. Because of the ill-will towards him by plenty of country fans and the near fight with Bryan, people in the comments were quick to criticize Adcock and his fans. Though there were quite a few that I can’t add here (you can get a taste of them yourself), here were some of the highlights. “I’d be pissed too if I had to be at a Gavin Adcock concert” “Meanwhile Gavin won’t even fight Zach Bryan“ “I’d feel the same way if I had to listen to this” “The worst part of this video is all of it lol” “Can count the total IQ of that crowd with one hand” “These guys are off the deep end” “Of course it’s an Adcock concert“ The sad part about this situation is that it wasn’t even the only fight to occur at the concert. If you search “Gavin Adcock concert fight” on TikTok, multiple concert attendees are claiming there were upwards of four to six fights throughout the night, with one video (which was reposted by Adcock himself) claiming that someone split their head open, resulting in “so much blood.” Though this is one of the worst concert fights I’ve seen in quite some time, it seems as if every month or so, there’s seemingly some absolutely reprehensible behavior happening at concerts. Enough is enough, people. Gavin Adcock Tour Dates 7/7 — Spokane, WA 7/30 — Idaho Falls, ID 8/6 — Abbotsford, BC 8/7 — Tacoma, WA 8/9 — Bend, OR 8/28 — Columbus, OH 8/29 — Cincinnati, OH 9/11 — Cleveland, OH 9/17 — Lubbock, TX 9/19 — Round Rock, TX 9/24 — Baton Rouge, LA 9/25 — Oxford, MS 10/15 — Macon, GA 10/16 — Birmingham, AL 10/17 — Little Rock, AR 10/22 — Fishers, IN 10/23 — Knoxville, TN 10/24 — Cary, NC 10/29 — Charlotte, NC 10/30 — Savannah, GA 10/31 — Estero, FL 11/6 — Boston, MA 11/7 — Reading, PA 11/13 — Detroit, MI 11/14 — Grand Rapids, MIThe post Wild Brawl Breaks Out At Gavin Adcock’s Concert In Orange Beach, Alabama first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Another great sermon from Tommy Wallen. Back in April, Morgan Wallen launched his very own radio station on SiriusXM, aptly titled “Morgan Wallen Radio.” With this, he joined the likes of Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney, all of whom have their own stations on the broadcasting corporation. Since debuting on April 7th, Morgan Wallen Radio has aired a plethora of different segments, and recently, his father, Tommy, spearheaded “Family Tradition With Tommy Wallen,” where he shares memories from the Wallen family, stories from Morgan’s childhood, his proudest moments from Morgan’s life and career and more. And a few weeks ago, Tommy added another segment to his son’s radio station called “Tommy’s Sunday Seven,” which will serve as a seven-minute devotional each and every Sunday morning. Tommy is a preacher and Morgan grew up in the church, so it’s a very fitting new segment to add to his radio station: View this post on Instagram In the first episode, he shared a lot about his own personal journey to salvation, explaining that he was given a “general other than honorable circumstances discharge” two years into his four years of service in the Marine Corps following a DUI he got on base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He called it the one of the things he’s “most ashamed of” in his past, and after he was forced to leave the service, he spent years either “drunk or high” every day. He shared a lot about his personal testimony and how he ended up in ministry, and last week, he got into the very beginning of the Bible and God’s creation. In the third week of the series, Tommy got more into the weeds, so to speak, on the verse that prove God spoke his Word into existence and makes the Bible a Divine creation: “Last week, we looked at Genesis 1:1, at God, and the need to decide if there is a God. Today, we’re gonna look at Genesis 1:3, God said, or God‘s word. We only have seven minutes each week, so in these first few episodes, I am laying a foundation for those who are curious, but don’t have any knowledge about the Bible. Again, I’m not trying to force what I believe on you. Just give you a chance to make an informed decision. For those of you who have some knowledge, in the future episodes, we will begin to dig a little deeper, so please be patient. We will get there. Once we decide there’s a God that created everything, our next decision has to be, is the Bible God‘s word? Did  God speak? Does God still speak, and if so, can I hear him, and how? God spoke everything into existence. The Word God said is used 10 times in Genesis:1, in verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26,28 and 29. Numbers have a meaning in the Bible, and the number 10 means Divine order, Divine completeness or Divine law. We may look at numbers and their meanings in significance in future episodes, so here we see, we have a complete creation account in Genesis:1.” He provided several examples of accounts throughout the Bible of God speaking directly to people who wrote chapters in the Bible, or whose stories were featured in the scrip-tires, starting with Adam and Eve: “We also see very clearly and importantly that God speaks. Not only did God speak everything into existence, but God spoke to people. We have many accounts given to us where God spoke to people throughout the Bible. I’ll give you a few. Genesis 2: 16-17, God speaks to Adam and Eve, ‘And the Lord God commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you may not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.’ I find it interesting the first time God speaks to mankind, he’s giving them a choice. Remember in the first episode, I said that life is about choices, and the truth about choices is, we get to decide, but we don’t get to determine the consequences. Genesis 8:5, verse 15, God spoke to Noah. Chapter 12:1, he spoke to Abraham. Chapter 26:2 spoke to Isaac. Chapter 32:28, he spoke to Jacob, and he changed his name to Israel. 1 Samuel 2:3-4, he spoke to David, a shepherd boy who became King, and he used to write a lot of the Psalms. And then finally in the New Testament in Matthew 3:17, God spoke these words about Jesus Christ, ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.’ You may be thinking, well that’s all in the past, what about today? I’m glad you asked. I’m gonna give you a lot of verses from the Bible, so I would recommend that you write them down and then look them up later. God speaks to us today through his word, 2 Timothy 3: 14-16, Paul is writing to a young Greek by the name of Timothy, who was a follower of Jesus and this is what he said, ‘But as for you continuing the things that you have learned and which you’re convinced holding tightly to the truth, knowing from whom you have learned them, and how that from childhood you have known the sacred writings, the Hebrew scriptures which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus surrendering your entire self to him, having absolute confidence in his wisdom, power and goodness. All scripture is God-breathed, given by Divine inspiration and profitable for instruction, for conviction and correction, and and for training and righteousness.'” Tommy  listed several other verses, with the last one being from 1 Corinthians, and he closed it out by saying next week will be he will look into the Spirit of God: “1 Corinthians 2 9-15, ‘As it is written, no eye hath seen, nor ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived. God has prepared these things for those who love Him.’ Now, God has revealed those things to us by his spirit, since the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God, for who knows a persons thought except his spirit within him. In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God, except the spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit who comes from God. So that we may understand what is freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words, taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the person without the spirit does not receive comes from God‘s spirit, because it’s foolishness to him. He’s not able to understand it since it’s evaluated spiritually, but the spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything.’ Thanks for tuning into Tommy Sunday seven. Next week, we’ll look at the spirit of God.” I love how Tommy is breaking down each fundamental part of who God is and what the Bible is, and how everything is a choice. Like he mentioned at the beginning of the segment, he isn’t trying to force his beliefs on people, rather he wants them to understand the unshakeable Truths of the Bible and where it all comes from and what it means, so they can decide fro themselves to say ‘yes’ to God. Tommy is still in ministry, though I don’t believe he Pastors a church anymore, but I’d love to hear a much longer message from him at some point because he is an incredible preacher. The seven-minute segments are much more digestible  and makes sense for this platform, and I’m really starting to look forward to these messages every week. You can listen to the full segment here, and I highly recommend it: @morganwallenfanclub4all Episode 3⃣ of Tommy’s Sunday Seven – @morganwallen ‘s Dad @siriusxm Tommy Wallen’s weekly 7-minute faith-based devotional series will air on SiriusXM’s Morgan Wallen Radio (Ch. 64) every Sunday at 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM ET (& stream it via the app any time) #morganwallen #siriusxm #tommyssundayseven #countryradio ♬ original sound – Club Wallen The post “God Speaks to Us Today Through His Word”: Morgan Wallen’s Dad Delivers Powerful Bible Message On SiriusXM Radio Station first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A video posted by Brooks & Dunn got a lot of country music fans concerned over the weekend. The legendary country music duo behind hits like “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” has been out on the road in support of Morgan Wallen for much of the early summer. They’ve got a couple more dates with the country music superstar (July 17 in Baltimore and July 31 in Philadelphia) before they go back to their own tour and play in front of die hard Brooks & Dunn fans. They might often be called 90s country stars, but they are still as big as ever in 2026. That being said, Brooks & Dunn are having to deal with Father Time just like the rest of us. Kix Brooks is 71, and Ronnie Dunn turned 73 back in June. The country music icons have gotten older, and they are doing their best to not let that slow them down. A video posted by the duo just a couple of days ago showcases why that’s easier said than done. The clip that was released on Brooks & Dunn’s Facebook page opened with Ronnie Dunn talking about his health, and actually revealing that he had to go to the hospital last week. While he ended up powering through it as best as he could (and many at the concert said they couldn’t tell he was sick), Dunn revealed that he’s actually battling bronchitis: “I don’t feel too good tonight. Went to Vanderbilt yesterday. I struggled a little bit last week. Thought I maybe injured my vocals cords. They said I didn’t, but I’ve got like a touch of bronchitis. They said hydrate, and I’ve been drinking stuff all day, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to pee my pants onstage.” Though bronchitis can be very serious, the way they presented it in this video makes it seem as though Ronnie Dunn is going to be just fine. In fact, he seemed to be worried about the unwanted side effect of staying hydrated… and from what we can tell, the country music legend didn’t end up peeing his pants while he was on stage. The above post makes light of the whole situation, but country music fans are certainly hoping that Ronnie Dunn keeps a close eye on his condition and doesn’t try to tough his way through it. The comment section of the post was filled with fans and followers wishing the best for Ronnie, and encouraging the country singer to get some rest: “Take care of yourself, sir!” “Feel better soon cowboy. Bronchitis sucks.” “Hope you get to feeling better, Ronnie.” “Get some rest.” “Bronchitis can be serious, but the way you updated made me laugh. Ain’t nobody not got time for dat.” The good news is that Brooks & Dunn have a lighter tour schedule for the rest of July and August before they ramp up in September for two straight months of shows all across the country (including Nashville on September 12 and Fort Worth on October 9 and 10). Here’s to hoping Ronnie Dunn gets back to 100% so he and Kix are ready to tackle their fall schedule.The post Ronnie Dunn Clears The Air On Recent Hospital Visit: “Went To Vanderbilt… Struggled A Bit Last Week” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Check ’em out. At this point in his career, Sturgill Simpson has reached God-like status in country music. Arguably being the forefather of the independent/alternative country renaissance, along with the likes of Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks and more, the Kentucky native has probably influenced your favorite artist in some capacity or another in the past decade. The “Long White Line” singer, for lack of a better term, has nearly gone in every direction possible. Delivering an atmospheric journey on the Grammy-winning A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, a full-blown rock adventure in SOUND & FURY, a bluegrass double album on Cuttin’ Grass, the narrative-driven concept record, The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, and finally being rebirthed as Johnny Blue Skies on Passage Du Desir and his latest album, the dance and protest-inspired Mutiny After Midnight. Of course, this doesn’t even mention his first two albums, High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which are all but standards in the genre at this point. Thanks to the buzzy release of Mutiny After Midnight back in March, which was highlighted by Simpson himself “leaking” the album on YouTube before releasing the album on physical media (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) only, he’s arguably the most popular he’s ever been right now. Not only did Mutiny After Midnight debut at #3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 without being released to streaming services, but Simpson also readied an arena tour (the largest venue-wise of his career thus far) behind the record, aptly titled Mutiny For The Masses. Given how eclectic the Kentucky native’s discography is from release-to-release, essentially going in every direction humanly possible outside of rap and metal, constructing an artist-recommendation list is about as hard as possible for the Grammy winner. With that being said, I’ll essentially be making recommendations from album-to-album here, depending on which era of Stu is your favorite. Without further ado, here are 10 artists to check out if you love Sturgill Simpson. 1. Charles Wesley Godwin If you love loved Simpson’s gritty, early records, look no further than Charles Wesley Godwin. Hailing from Morgantown, West Virginia, Godwin’s vocals sound like they were born to be echoed in the beautiful mountains of Appalachia. Though it’s hard to ignore his wholly unique vocals, it’s his writing ability, similar to Childers’, that is one of Godwin’s defining characteristics. From murder ballads such as “Cranes Of Potter” and “Blood Feud” to gorgeous tributes to his family on “Gabriel,” “Dance in the Rain” and “It’s The Little Things,” there’s truly not a song the West Virginian can’t write. Of course, these stellar songs are all backed by some killer production that draw upon traditional country, Appalachian folk and Americana stylings. If you were a fan of the sound of early records like High Top Mountain and the narrative-focused nature of The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, give Godwin’s 2021 record, How The Mighty Fall, a spin. Key Tracks: “Hardwood Floors,” “Strawberry Queen,” “Cranes Of Potter” 2. Colby Acuff Undoubtedly one of the most underrated artists in the genre today, Colby Acuff has been nothing short of a musical powerhouse since his debut in 2020. Releasing an album each and every year since then, the “If I Were the Devil” singer has somehow just gotten better with time. Though Acuff operated predominantly in a rootsy, Americana-inspired sound, his latest release last month, HANDMADE HORSEPOWER, took direct inspiration from Simpson. In turn, he dropped a gritty, rockin’ project that served as a giant middle finger to the current state of the music industry — something the “Make America Fuk Again” singer has been doing at nearly every turn throughout his career. Like Godwin, if you’re a fan of Sturgill’s early records, give HANDMADE HORSEPOWER a listen then work your way backwards in Acuff’s discography. Key Tracks: “Cherokee Rose,” “If I Were the Devil,” “LONG WAY FROM THE BOTTOM” 3. Shane Smith & the Saints As time passes, it’s become increasingly clear that Shane Smith & the Saints are the most underrated bands not only in the Red Dirt scene but in music in general. Backed by their patented blend of southern rock, stylings from Appalachian country and even some Cajun influences, the Texas band scored early hits with the likes of “All I See Is You,” “Dance the Night Away” and “Lord Bury Me in Texas.” Over the past decade, it’s been easy to see that they’ve just gotten better with age. The sound has remained nearly the same, in the best way possible, of course. However, frontman Shane Smith’s voice has simply improved with every subsequent release. In particular, last year’s stellar record, Norther, portrayed this the best, showcasing a more mature, raspy vocal performance from the frontman. Feeling somewhere between late-career Johnny Cash and fellow alt. country star, Charles Wesley Godwin, he’s proven he has one of the most dynamic voices in the genre. Like Sturgill, Smith and Co. have continuously blurred the lines between multiple genres while simultaneously keeping stellar songwriting at the forefront. Additionally, you can find tracks similar to just about every entry in the Kentucky native’s discography — sans Mutiny After Midnight.  Key Tracks: “Fire in the Sky,” “Coast,” “We Were Something” 4. 49 Winchester Between the combination of their perfect blend of southern rock and country, their tight live band and world-class vocals from frontman, Isaac Gibson, it’s become more and more apparent every year that the Virginia group is becoming one of the most overlooked bands in the genre today. Though they debuted back in 2014 with their self-titled album, 49 Winchester has recently caught fire over the past five years with stellar ballads like “Everlasting Lover,” “Anchor” and “Hays, Kansas.” Like Simpson, 49 have flexed their versatility quite a bit as of late. This was put on full display recently with their killer cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” which appeared on their most recent album, Change of Plans. Given 49’s blend of southern rock and country, you’ll most likely be a fan of the Virginia band regardless of which era of Sturgill you prefer. Key Tracks: “Anchor,” “Everlasting Lover,” “Fast Asleep” 5. Sierra Ferrell Despite sweeping all her categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards, taking home four trophies for the likes of Trail of Flowers, “American Dreaming” and “Lighthouse,” it still feels like the fellow Appalachian flies under the radar of many these days. Thanks to her success at both the Grammys and the Americana Awards, the West Virginia native has become a torchbearer for Americana over the past few years. Beyond her incredible music output that flawlessly blends elements of country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and even jazz, her crossover into the mainstream has pushed both her and the genre into the public eye. Notably, she’s appeared on a plethora of different mainstream artists’ albums, including Zach Bryan’s 2023 self-titled album on “Holy Roller,” Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion on “Never Love You Again” and even on Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going on “Hail Mary.” If you loved Stu’s venture into bluegrass on the Cuttin’ Grass series, Ferrell is nothing short of a must-listen. Key Tracks: “Lighthouse,” “In Dreams,” “Fox Hunt” 6. Stephen Wilson Jr. Though casual country fans were most likely introduced to him during his stunning cover of “Stand By Me” at the 2025 CMA Awards, many fans of the independent scene have been quite familiar with Stephen Wilson Jr. over the past few years. After delivering his stellar debut on his bon aqua EP, featuring the likes of “American Gothic” and “Year to Be Young 1994,” in June of 2023, Wilson Jr. made himself known in a big way just six months later with his mammoth, 22-track debut album, Søn of Dad. Simply put, the album was nothing short of a stunner, mixing elements of country, grunge, gothic folk, rock and more. It seems a bit lazy to describe an album as one that truly doesn’t sound like anything out there today, but Søn of Dad is just that. Bringing out elements of all the aforementioned genres and subgenres, the Indiana native delivered something truly unique, packing the album full of incredible tracks such as “I’m A Song,” “Grief is Only Love,” “Billy,” the title track and more. Like Simpson, Wilson Jr. effortlessly blends a plethora of different influences and has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices in the genre. Similar to Shane Smith & the Saints and 49 Winchester, there’s a lot to love from the scientist-turned-country-star, regardless of which era of Stu is your favorite. Key Tracks: “I’m A Song,” “the devil,” “Year to Be Young 1994” 7. American Aquarium In an era filled with some of the most talented bands in the genre’s history, American Aquarium has remained one of the most underrated. For two decades now, the band’s catalog has served as a diary for frontman B.J. Barham, documenting each stage in his life and the sentiments he’s carried with an honesty and attention to detail that has made him one of the most important songwriters in country-adjacent music. Pick any record, and you’ll get a real snapshot of what Barham was experiencing at that point in time. Like Simpson, Barham and Co. aren’t afraid to go wherever they want to in terms of sonic styles and lyrical content, oftentimes on themes of politics, addiction, sobriety, grief and then some. Given that their latest release, New Ways to Lose, is arguably their best to date, I’d start there, then visit their 2012 flagship record, Burn.Flicker.Die. Key Tracks: “Losing Side of Twenty-Five,” “Favorite Hello” “Burn Flicker. Die.” 8. Ian Noe There was a time when it felt like Ian Noe was going to be the next big thing flying out of the alternative country scene. This was thanks to his phenomenal debut album, Between the Country, back in 2019. Since then, however, he’s only released one album, River Fools & Mountain Saints. With that being said, despite the lack of consistent releases over the years, Noe has remained one of the premier storytellers in the genre. If you’re a fan of narrative songs, the Kentucky native is absolutely the artist for you. Beyond his signature track, “Letter to Madeline,” which deserves all the flowers it has gained in the alt. country community over the years, he has a plethora of other tracks such as “Burning Down the Prarie,” “Dead on the River (Rolling Down)” and “Meth Head,” all of which showcase his knack for narrative storytelling. Given how stripped-back and raw his production is and how narrative-driven a lot of his songs are, his style is much more in line with Simpson’s early work. Key Tracks: “Letter to Madeline,” “Meth Head,” “Burning Down the Prairie” 9. Cody Jinks Cody Jinks is a lot of things. One part metalhead, one part Texas troubadour, the “Loud and Heavy” singer has both the depth and versatility few artists can ever dream of. Touching on themes of fatherhood, sobriety and his outlaw nature, Jinks has established himself as one of the premier artists in the country-rock scene. Though he may not have reached the heights, popularity-wise, as his contemporaries, there’s no denying that the Jinks is one of the forefathers of today’s independent country renaissance we’ve experienced the last decade, up there with Simpson himself. Key Tracks: “David,” “Hippies and Cowboys,” “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin’” 10. Whiskey Myers It should go without saying that Whiskey Myers has been one of the forefathers of this modern southern rock renaissance we’ve seen pop up over the past few years, beginning all the way back in 2011 with their debut album, Firewater, which features their smash hit, “Broken Window Serenade” as well as other career staples such as “Ballad Of A Southern Man” and “Virginia.” Over the years, they’ve cemented themselves as one of the quintessential country-rock bands of this era with stellar records such as 2016’s Mud, their 2019 self-titled album and, most recently, 2025’s heavy-hitting Whomp Whack Thunder. Of course, this is thanks to frontman Cody Cannon’s incredible vocals and the band’s rock-first sound. Like Simpson, the East Texas band has been branching out sonically quite a bit since their debut in 2011. While they always leaned more towards southern rock, they expanded quite a bit recently with the aforementioned Whomp Whack Thunder. If you like Kentucky native’s harder, rock-leaning outings on something like SOUND & FURY, you’ll love Whiskey Myers. Key Tracks: “Broken Window Serenade,” “Stone,” “Break These Chains” The post 10 Artists You MUST Check Out If You Love Sturgill Simpson first appeared on Whiskey Riff.