Gavin Newsom has turned on Israel as he launched a blistering attack on Benjamin Netanyahu and what he called an “apartheid” state. The California governor made the comparison during a book event for his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” on Tuesday night. He said: “The issue of [Netanyahu] is interesting. […]

The label or distributor has to opt in to tagging their music as AI, so it's unclear how effective this intervention will be.

Opening up about some very personal mental health struggles. In an interview with Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast this week ahead of the release of his sixth studio album The Way I Am, Luke Combs discussed his lifelong battle with OCD, which is a topic he’s actually spoken about quite a bit over the last several years. On Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, last year Luke talked about the form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) he has, saying it’s called Pure OCD, and while he knows how to manage it better than he did when he was younger, he explained in great detail what it’s like and how it can take over someone’s thoughts completely and it can be pretty debilitating. While many of us probably think of OCD as a habit someone has to fix the tilt of a picture frame or make sure everything is in line and perfect, that’s not what it really looks like in reality for a lot of people, and Luke explained just how tough that can be constantly battling intrusive thoughts: “There’s people that are like, ‘Am I gay? Am I a pedophile? Am I a serial killer?’ Driving down the road, am I gonna just swerve into this traffic? It’s like, you’re not ever going to do that, but your brain… it’s like seeing a grizzly bear come out of the woods in your mind. The threat is not real, but it’s like, it was real because I thought it for a second. It’s that. People have those kind of thoughts all the time and they’re like, obviously, it’s like a bird flying by. You go, ‘Oh there’s a bird. It’s all good.’ And then you’re like, ‘What was that bird? What was that? Why did that bird fly by?’ And then, the more you wonder why the bird flew by, the more it’s gonna fly by. Your brain is like, I need to send that thought again, because you’re worried about it. You being worried about it must mean something. But it really doesn’t mean anything, but the more you think about it, the more it starts showing up, it starts going by and by. And you start wondering more and more and more, and you do things mentally, ritualistically to alleviate the anxiety of the bird showing up.” He has also noted in other interviews that he remembers first struggling with it in middle school and had difficulty getting a grip on it until college, and while talking to Shetty, Combs says it takes up his thought process “about 95% of the day”: “About 95% of the day. From opening your eyes to closing them at night, you’re thinking about this thing, and it’s causing you a tremendous amount of anxiety and mental anguish to try and find the answer to this unanswerable question. It’s scary.” Luke continued, saying his OCD is “theme-based,” and he gets hyper-fixated on certain things: “Let’s say I was having intrusive thoughts about committing violence against someone or something, and they’re causing me all this stress, and I’m like, ‘What does that mean about me? What does that say about me?’ And then if my theme were to switch the next day, I’m like, ‘What if I was a schizophrenic and I didn’t know it?’ And you’re completely panicked, and you’re all consumed by that.” He also pointed out that the thoughts can go away at any moments, and then he can look back and realize how ridiculous it sounded and how much time he wasted on whatever topic or issue it was he was ruminating on: “You’re like, that was so stupid. Why did I waste three months of my life stressing about that thing? But when you’re in it, you don’t have the capability to turn it off. Your brain’s just constantly bombarding you with these life-or-death feelings of, ‘You need to address this issue. It’s a big issue and it has to be addressed right now.’ You’re almost in fight or flight mode all the time, and it’s just exhausting. You get so mentally exhausted having this battle with yourself.” Luke also admitted he’s “been to the bottom” mentally because of his OCD, but he’s learned how to handle it better over the years and it doesn’t scare him as much: “I know what bad is. I’ve been to the bottom in here. I’m not there. I still have the proclivity to go there if certain things line up and I were to have an OCD moment. But those moments are few and far between, and they’re a lot shorter-lived than they used to be. And I’m not afraid of those moments anymore.” I think it’s commendable that Combs continues to be open about his struggles in this aspect because it’s something so many people struggle with and in many ways, he’s an unexpected advocate who does use his platform to share what he’s gone through. Luke’s new album is set for release on March 30th, and he will hit the road for his My Kinda Saturday Night tour in April. The full interview is available below. My Kinda Saturday Night tour dates: April 4—Charlottesville, VA—Scott Stadium† April 11—Ames, IA—Jack Trice Stadium† April 18—South Bend, IN—Notre Dame Stadium† April 25—Columbus, OH—Ohio Stadium† May 2—Knoxville, TN—Neyland Stadium† May 9—Norman, OK—Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium† May 16—Green Bay, WI—Lambeau Field† May 30—Montreal, Quebec—Parc Jean-Drapeau† June 6—Toronto, Ontario—Rogers Stadium† July 4—Gothenburg, Sweden—Ullevi‡ July 7—Paris, France—Accor Arena§ July 11—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Johan Cruijff ArenA‡ July 18—Ireland—Slane Castle‡ July 25—Edinburgh, U.K.—Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium+ August 1—London, U.K.—Wembley Stadium# *with special guests Dierks Bentley, Ty Myers and Thelma & James †with special guests Dierks Bentley, Ty Myers, Jake Worthington and Thelma & James ‡with special guests The Script, Ty Myers and The Castellows §with special guests Ty Myers and The Castellows +with special guests The Teskey Brothers, Ty Myers and The Castellows #with special guests Thomas Rhett, Ty Myers and The Castellows “Be By You” The post “From Opening Your Eyes To Closing Them At Night”: At Its Worst, Luke Combs Was Battling His OCD Thoughts 95% Of The Day first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Could a Sphere venue – like the one in Las Vegas – be coming to Music City? The Sphere has quickly become the go-to place for next-level residencies ever since it opened in late 2023. Some of the biggest acts in the world, like U2, The Eagles, Dead and Company, and Kenny Chesney, have all already utilized the state-of-the-art, $2.3 billion venue. It’s truly become a must-see, music destination. The plan for the Sphere Entertainment Company has always been to expand. Las Vegas’ venue was basically the guinea pig, and after the success that it’s had, there’s interest in bringing the unique, high-tech venue to other parts of the world. There’s already another, smaller version of the Sphere confirmed to be built in the Washington D.C. area, and it’s expected to open in 2030. One is expected to built in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as well, plans for a Sphere in London were on the table but have since been withdrawn. And now, there are sources reporting that another Sphere could be built in Nashville. Axios is reporting that Sphere Entertainment representatives have had conversations with Nashville executives about potentially bringing a Sphere venue to the heart of Tennessee. The talks are apparently very much “preliminary,” and Sphere Entertainment has yet to provide any sort of formal statement. There’s also no indication as to where the potential Nashville Sphere would be located (and I wonder if Sphere Entertainment has heard about Music City’s rising property tax problem). Will any of these new Sphere locations go as big as the one in Las Vegas? Not exactly. The Sphere in Sin City stands 366 feet high, 516 feet high and can seat 18,000 people (so that they can enjoy 164,000 speakers and 580,000 square feet of LED panels). Simply put, the thing is massive, and immediate became an iconic part of the Sin City skyline. The Sphere project in the Maryland area is only supposed to seat 6,000 people, and it’s believed that Nashville would also go smaller with it’s venue… if they end up getting a Sphere at all. But it would make a lot of sense for Nashville to be interested. Adding a Sphere venue would just be another reason for tourists to travel to Music City from all over the world. Not only that, it could provide a space for more long-term artist residencies. Places like the Ryman Auditorium book shorter residencies, but nothing like the runs that Kenny Chesney and the Zac Brown Band have done out at the Las Vegas Sphere. Plus, adding a Sphere in Nashville would basically cover every region of the United States for Sphere Entertainment – Las Vegas (west), Washington D.C. (east) and Nashville (central and south). If they were to go ahead with the Maryland and rumored Nashville project, then everyone living in the lower 48 would be a road trip or short plane ride away from any Sphere location. Sphere Entertainment executive chairman and CEO James Dolan has recently been quoted saying that the company’s focus is to “expanding Sphere’s global footprint,” and the move to add Nashville to the list of cities boasting a Sphere venue would just make too much sense to pass up… and there’d be plenty of country music acts waiting in line to have their own residencies there. But I guess only time will tell if that all comes to fruition.The post Nashville Could Be One Of The Next Cities To Get A Sphere Venue first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

High praise from one of the best in the business. As country music becomes bigger seemingly every day commercially, highlighted by the massive success of the likes of Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and more outside the genre, it’s been a hot commodity in terms of both cross-over appeal and outsiders attempting to use the genre to profit off on a larger audience. It’s safe to say that pop stars attempting to crossover isn’t a new thing. Hell, we’ve seen plenty over the decades. Lately, however, it seems to have increased tenfold. While you have some one-off adventures into the genre, whether it’s MGK’s severely misguided reimagining of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on his Jelly Roll collaboration, “Lonely Roads,” BigXthaPlug’s collaborative “country” album featuring the likes of Ella Langley, Luke Combs and more or even Sabrina Carpenter who called on the legend herself, Dolly Parton, for a remix of her smash hit, “Please Please Please,” these crossovers are popping up quite frequently these days. This doesn’t even mention upcoming country albums from the likes of Michael Bublé and Lana Del Ray that are rumored to be coming soon. Of course, from a broad perspective, the two biggest country ventures of the past few years were Post Malone on F-1 Trillion and Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter. Despite Beyoncé’s venture into the genre being a massive success with outsiders of the genre, famously taking home three Grammys, there has been next to no love shown for the “Irreplaceable” singer in the community. And while the award show wins and the media chatter would lead the casual fan to assume that the album was a smashing success, it actually fell off the charts relatively quickly. In the all-genre Billboard 200, Cowboy Carter fell out of the top 50 after 13 weeks, and it shockingly fell off the chart completely after 6 months. Following the Grammy win in 2025 and tour launch, she returned to the chart and surpassed 52 weeks, but for a Beyonce record? Not exactly a smashing success. For comparison, Riley Green’s Don’t Mind Of I Do, which came out in September 2024, has spent 63 weeks and counting on the chart after peaking at 25. Conversely, F-1 Trillion was a massive success for Post. Though you can argue that the album was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of sonic consistency, bouncing between multiple different subgenres and styles, it’s become increasingly clear that the “I Had Some Help” singer has a deep love and respect for the genre. Even ignoring the fact that he called upon some of the biggest stars, ranging from Hank Williams Jr. and Dolly Parton to Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, he’s made himself a frequent flyer in Nashville. From constant country festivals the past two years, opening his own bar, Posty’s, on Broadway and making even more appearances with the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Zach Top, Lainey Wilson and more out on the road, the former rapper has shown a dedication to the genre. And that hasn’t gone unnoticed by even the most traditional artist in the genre. Zach Top, who is not only the reigning CMA New Artist of the Year but also the first-ever winner of Best Traditional Country Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys, had some incredibly high praise for Post during a recent interview with Absolute Radio Country, the U.K.’s leading country radio station. Highlighting the fact that he’s played multiple shows with the “Guy For That” singer, most notably teaming up for a killer cover of Vince Gill’s “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” in 2024, Top would note that Post has always been a big fan of country music throughout his life. Of course, this is in reference to his pre-fame covers of the likes of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” to him pulling out a plethora of covers over the years, ranging from Sturgill Simpson’s “You Can Have the Crown” and Tyler Childers’ “Whitehouse Road” to classics like George Strait’s “Carrying Your Love With Me” and Hank Williams Jr.’s “A Country Boy Can Survive.” “Oh yeah, we’ve been on a show or two with him; he’s been super nice. He’s cool. Obviously, he made most of his career far, far away from country music, but he’s been such a fan for his career. You can find videos of him ten years ago, already being a fan of when Sturgill Simpson first got big [and] always loving Merle Haggard songs and stuff like that. He’s got a lot of reverence and respect for the genre, like where country music came from to get it to today. And, yeah, he’s putting his own stamp on it now.” Top’s comments also echo a similar sentiment that Ernest shared recently while talking about the “Pour Me A Drink” singer on an appearance on The Net Positive Podcast with John Crist. Here, the “Flowershops” would all but call Post’s crossover the “blueprint” for other artists. “The way Post did it is the way I would hope any artist coming to make a country record would do it. Come baptize yourself in the culture of Nashville and get to know the heartbeat of Nashville and the songwriters and producers and make friends with the artists.” Later in the interview, Ernest would also add: “Everybody got to know and was excited about it versus some other attempts where it all happened elsewhere and then we’re trying to market it to this community. There’s a disconnection. Start here, it needs to happen here. Give them something to champion… Let it start from the inside and then trickle out. And don’t try to come force-feed it to the industry.” Ultimately, both Top and Ernest hit the nail on the head regarding Post. You can love, hate or be indifferent about his venture into country music. One thing that cannot be denied, however, is the simple fact that he’s continually showed a deep appreciation for the genre and its history. Authenticity is the name of the game in country, and Post has shown it throughout the last two years. It also helps when you have one of the best, most traditional artists in the genre giving their stamp of approval. Watch the full interview here: Zach Top Tour Dates March 7 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Rotterdam Ahoy March 8 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Eats Music Hall March 13 – London, United Kingdom – The O2 March 14 – Belfast, Northern Ireland – SSE Arena March 15 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – OVO Hydro April 9 – Florence, Arizona – Country Thunder Arizona April 24 – Lubbock, Texas – Jones AT&T Stadium May 22 – Norfolk, Virginia – Patriotic FestivalThe post “He’s Got A Lot Of Reverence & Respect For The Genre”: Zach Top Praises Post Malone’s Transition To Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Four days ago an illegal alien from Sierra Leone stabbed Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia. Aside from this poor soul’s death, the worst thing about . . .