Snapchat is expanding access to its AI-powered “Imagine Lens,” allowing all users to generate and edit images with custom prompts for free.

How could someone turn Billy Strings away from the bluegrass scene? You won’t find a lot of modern-day superstars in the bluegrass music scene, and that’s honestly okay, because Billy Strings has it pretty much covered. Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson sometimes dip into the realm of bluegrass, but there’s no one who can fill an arena by flat-pickin’ quite like William Lee Apostol, A.K.A. Billy Strings. Billy Strings didn’t just magically turn into a master bluegrass player overnight. He dedicated himself to playing guitar and learning music at a young age, even studying the likes of bluegrass legends like Doc Watson and trying to emulate the greats. And his parents helped introduce him to a variety of different music, which ultimately shaped him as the impressive artist that he is today. Now, at 32-years-old, there’s not really a song or style that’s off limits for Billy Strings. He’s far and above one of the best, young bluegrass artists in the world, and that’s why he was once again awarded the Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s 36th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Strings has previously won that very award in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Though he’s had plenty of success in the bluegrass sphere, it hasn’t always been easy sledding for Billy Strings. In fact, he used his keynote address at the Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards to speak on his initial exclusion from the bluegrass scene, and how other bluegrass musicians weren’t quick to welcome him in: “I remember early in my career being boxed out of many jams. I’d show up to a bluegrass festival so eager to pick with some good musicians only to be met with a bitter resistance. I’m not sure if it’s because I smelled like weed or cussed or had tattoos. I didn’t feel like it was a skill thing because it felt like I could hang, but it just seemed like there was certain folks that didn’t like me. There were times when I went back to my tent almost in tears and didn’t end up playing with anybody. I just wanted to pick and it was weird.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) (@intlbluegrass) Can you believe that? The International Bluegrass Music Association actually broke up his keynote speech into two parts, which really worked out well. What you just watched is the foundation for the call to action that Billy Strings brings upon the bluegrass music community. Since he knows what it feels like, first hand, to not be accepted just because he didn’t “fit the mold” of what typical bluegrass pickers look like, Billy Strings proposed that the bluegrass community keep an open mind. Instead of slamming the door shut like others did to him, he suggests keeping the door cracked open for others to enter in. He uses a tree metaphor that’s much better than the one I just deployed: “We have to continue to welcome new voices whose unique perspectives and experience will enrich our collective artistic expression. We’ve got to allow these fresh ideas to mingle with tradition. By keeping our minds open, we’ll have a more welcoming environment and make way for the whole genre to evolve and thrive. This music has branches now. The trunk of the tree is firmly planted with roots reaching down deeper and stronger than ever. And the beautiful buds on (the) bluegrass tree are blossoming and reaching up towards the big blue sky… I don’t know about you, but I’m glad there’s flowers on this tree. I see no reason to pull out the shears.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) (@intlbluegrass) You can watch the full speech below: The post Billy Strings Says Not Initially Being Accepted Into The Bluegrass Scene Brought Him To Tears: “I Just Wanted To Pick” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Seems like the process for country artists to have their songs featured in Taylor Sheridan shows is actually rather relaxed? Brent Cobb stopped by the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about mentoring Luke Combs and the Red Clay Strays and watching them take off, a wild night at a Grammys after party, how his young son inspired him to release his rock record Ain’t Rocked In A While, how his incredibly talented cousin, producer Dave Cobb, produced his very first album, a story about how Tyler Childers once opened for him and much more. We also got to talking about how Brent Cobb has had the privilege of having his music featured in hit TV shows like Yellowstone and Landman. It’s no secret that Taylor Sheridan has played an intricate role in the growth and popularity of country music. Almost any series that he has his hands on puts country music front and center, and shows like Yellowstone and Landman are the only programs including songs from artists like Colter Wall, Charley Crockett and Whiskey Myers, who traditionally don’t get much mainstream attention. There’s even a name for the phenomenon: it’s called the “Yellowstone Effect.” When an artist has a song featured on the show, or any Sheridan show for that matter, it provides an incredible growth opportunity and the song typically shoots up to the top of the charts and sees a massive increase in streams once it’s been featured. A number of artists, including Whiskey Myers, Shane Smith and the Saints, and more have the data to back it up. Brent Cobb has experienced that first hand when his songs have been featured in Yellowstone and Landman. In fact, one of his songs helped the entire Yellowstone universe get kicked off, as he explained: “In ‘Yellowstone,’ it was the very first… it was like the pilot internet preview of ‘Yellowstone.’ The very first one, it had my version of ‘Let the Rain Come Down.’ They’ve been so good to me over there. Andrea Von Foerster, (the music supervisor), she’s awesome.” Cobb also had his song “I Ain’t Livin'” featured in Yellowstone’s Season 5, and his hit “Snakebite” was included in the first season of Landman. He mentioned that he hopes they keep his name in the rolodex for future music to be included in Taylor Sheridan shows, as he’s always happy and grateful to have his music highlighted in the television medium. If you were wondering how the process of the shows reaching out to Brent Cobb works, he says that they usually ask for permission to use a song that already exists rather than having the country artist work up a brand new track for a particular scene: “(They just reach out) kind of. They don’t really ask for specific, ‘Hey we have this scene, would you try to write about this?’ It is a little bit like that. Sometimes she reaches out… I don’t know how it all happens, a lot of the time. The way that it works usually is that it’s something that I had already wrote not trying to (fit a scene).” @whiskeyriff “They’ve been so good to me.” // Check out the latest Whiskey Riff Raff episode with @Brent Cobb now. Available now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #brentcobb #yellowstone #landman ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff Taylor Sheridan’s team reaches out, Brent Cobb green lights it, and then the “Yellowstone effect” takes care of the rest. And with all of the Yellowstone spinoffs on the way (in addition to the non-Yellowstone shows that Taylor Sheridan has out there), there will always be a need for a Brent Cobb song here and there. You can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Brent Cobb Explains How His Songs Get Featured In Taylor Sheridan Shows Like ‘Yellowstone’ & ‘Landman’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

President Trump has just announced major sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, calling on Putin to immediately agree to a ceasefire. Here’s what he wrote and posted: “Treasury Sanctions Major Russian . . .

A little piglet named Billy Ray might have had something to do with it.