"We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline."

Last week, I had the pleasure to again appear on Tucker Carlson’s popular broadcast. Although the program appears on several different platforms, on X alone, the episode has been seen by more than two and a half million people. That does not include the various clips and shorts that people made and posted themselves. It …

One of country music’s underrated bands underwent a quiet rebranding last summer, but now they’re ready to make some noise. After 15 years as Boy Named Banjo, the band formed by childhood friends made the difficult decision to change their name to Breakfield, ushering in a new era for the Nashville-based bluegrass-turned-Americana quartet. Signed with Rounder Records, they released their first single “Canyon Walls” under the new moniker back in October, and earlier this week, they followed that up with another new single and some big news. With the release of their latest track “Ever-Loving Mind,” Breakfield took to Instagram to unveil plans for their self-titled record due out this summer. “Self-titled album coming June 12 via Rounder Records.  Our new single ‘Ever-Loving Mind’ is out today! Getting to this day has been a journey… We spent over 2 years working on this record – our approach this time was different. We slowed down and dove deeper into the songs than ever. We let them lead the way. Even if that meant changing our name of 15 years to best represent them. But most importantly, we stayed true to ourselves in the process and had a blast making this thing. We couldn’t be more proud of it. And that’s really all that matters.” View this post on Instagram Featuring 11 brand new tracks, Breakfield marks a turning point in the band’s story, and could facilitate the breakthrough they’ve been grinding toward all these years. And if the two singles they’ve released thus far are any indication, then this album is going to be a special one. “Ever-Loving Mind,” their latest release, perfectly captures their sonic prowess, as the band’s intricate instrumentation shines behind deft lyricism and an incredibly catchy chorus that is sure to resonate with everyone who listens. Give it a listen for yourself here: Here is the full tracklist, including the record’s lead single “Canyon Walls.” Breakfield Tracklist: “Canyon Walls” “Angel 41” “Ever-Loving Mind” “Rivers Run” “Let A Good Thing Die” “Travel On” “Pull Some Strings” “Straight For Heartbreak” “Darker Out Tonight” “Live By Me” In recent years, Mike and the Moonpies rebranded to Silverada, and Read Southall Band shortened their name to Southall. Both bands seemed to continue without a hitch in the giddy up, per se, and Breakfield should be no exception. The fact of the matter is that most bands grow unsatisfied with the name they chose when they first get started, and although a full rebrand is risky, it may be worth a shot. And Breakfield had the gumption to do it. If you like what you’ve heard from Breakfield so far, make sure to catch a show on their first tour with the new name if they’re coming to a city near you. I’ll be catching them in Charlotte and can’t wait to hear these new tunes live. Breakfield Tour Dates 4/18 – Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL 4/23 – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC 5/7 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN 5/9 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA 5/15 – The Atlantis – Washington D.C. 5/16 – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY 5/23 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VAThe post Formerly Known As Boy Named Banjo, Breakfield Releases New Single “Ever-Loving Mind,” Announces First Record Under Fresh Moniker first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Is there just something in the water in the Bluegrass State? From legends like Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, and Keith Whitley, to modern powerhouses like Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, and Sturgill Simpson, among countless others, the state of Kentucky has produced some of the greatest country music artists of all time. And that trend doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. It feels like every few weeks a new up-and-coming artist from the state breaks onto the greater country music scene, or that I come across an underrated act from the state that deserves to be heard by the masses. No matter how you cut it, Kentucky is a hotbed for country music talent. Hailing from the town of Albany — which sits just across from Tennessee on the state border — 21-year-old Colton Bowlin is proving he is the latest young talent from Kentucky who demands attention. Anchored by his killer debut album Down in the Holler from 2024, Bowlin has a growing catalog of originals that are steeped in his state’s songwriting tradition and rooted in Appalachian life. With vocals that at times conjure up memories of a Purgatory-era Childers, Bowlin’s music proves that he is wise beyond his years as he chronicles the trials and tribulations of life in Appalachia and beyond through his songs. And he’s been on a roll with some new releases of late. His new single is certainly no exception. Titled “State Lines,” Bowlin’s latest release finds a narrator trapped in the aftermath of a relationship gone wrong, unable to focus on anything but the memory of the person he loves. Utilizing the imagery of worn out wheels and boots to indicate the emotional exhaustion the ordeal has left him in, the narrator tries everything from drinking to moving away from town to clear his mind. But to no avail. Give it a listen for yourself here: Last month, Bowlin released another single called “Clinton County” in tandem with the announcement of his forthcoming sophomore record. Titled Grandpa’s Mill, the upcoming 12-track project is slated for release on March 16, and it truly has the potential to be something special. Bowlin took to social media upon the album’s announcement to provide some context into how the songs that comprise the record came to be. “This one means a lot to me. In the quiet hours of my pa’s feed mill in Albany, Kentucky, ‘Grandpa’s Mill’ was written mostly between loading feed, swapping stories with old-timers, and playing local bars on the weekends, I shaped these songs from the rhythms of real work and small town life. Recorded with producer David Ferguson in Athens, Georgia, the album spins classic country storytelling with a raw, modern Appalachian edge, it’s a soundtrack to the place that made me and the stories I’ll never leave behind.” View this post on Instagram Go ahead and mark your calendars for March 16 — you’re not going to want to miss this one. Here is the full tracklist: Grandpa’s Mill Tracklist “Clinton County” “Time for Sale” “Don’t Come Home” “Man I Used to Be” “Dirty River” “On My Way” “Missed the Dance” ft. Kelsey Keith “State Lines” “Greenbrier Road” “Set Me Free” “Keep Your Word” “Grandpa’s Mill” While we wait on more new music to drop from Grandpa’s Mill, I highly recommend diving into Bowlin’s existing catalog. My personal favorite is the vengeful murder ballad “Josey Wales.” Bowlin is in the midst of a run of shows through the Midwest with Bayker Blankenship this February, and he has plans to hit the road with Benjamin Tod this Spring and to play a few festivals through the summer as well. You won’t want to miss it if he’s coming to a city near you. Colton Bowlin Tour Dates: 2/19 – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE+ 2/20 – Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA+ 2/21 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN+ 4/18 – Roswell Music Festival – Roswell, GA* 4/26 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA^ 4/28 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA^ 4/30 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT^ 5/1 – The Mishawaka – Bellvue, CO^ 5/2 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO^ 5/4 – Madrid Theatre – Kansas City, MO^ 5/5 – Gillioz Theatre – Springfield, MO^ 5/7 – The Bluebird – Bloomington, IN^ 5/8 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH^ 6/6 – Railbird Music Festival – Lexington, KY* 6/12 – Laurel Cove Music Festival – Pineville, KY* 6/13 – Braves Country Fest – Atlanta, GA* 6/27-6/28 – Rock the Country Sioux Falls – Sioux Falls, SD* 7/11-7/12 – Rock the Country Ashland – Ashland, KY* 8/8-8/9 – Rock the Country Hastings – Hastings, MI* +supporting Bayker Blankenship *festival date ^supporting Benjamin Tod & The Inline SixThe post Colton Bowlin Sets The Stage For His Forthcoming Record With Latest Single “State Lines” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Artificial intelligence continues to be a real concern for the songwriting community, so Nashville songwriters took to the nation’s capitol to speak on it. In recent years, AI-generated music has become more and more commonplace, and creating it has become more and more accessible. Music created with artificial intelligence is already running rampant on social media platforms like TikTok, and as AI continues to advance, music made solely by machines is becoming harder to distinguish from songs made by real people. A study shared last year stated that 97% of people can’t tell the difference between music made by real people and music made by artificial intelligence. Considering AI is still somewhat in its infant stages… that’s a huge problem. And the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) recognizes that, which is why they visited Capitol Hill last week to meet with lawmakers. On behalf of all songwriters out there, representatives from the NSAI like Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Turnbow spoke directly to the higher-ups that could help stop AI… or at least slow it down. WSMV 4 shared that Turnbow first informed lawmakers on how AI-powered songwriting currently works: “Most of these AI tools will go through the internet and they scrape, which means they basically just gobble up any sort of content they can get from the internet, often from pirate sites. They take all that data and they break it all down into little micro bits so that they can then reformulate it into outputs based on how users are asking for that.” Yeah… a prominent creator in TV (Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan) even called AI a “plagiarism machine.” The technology is already affecting every media and art avenue you could think of. You probably heard about the AI-generated song that topped the Billboard Country Digital Songs Sales chart, right? Whiskey Riff reported that a track titled “Walk My Walk,” by an artist called Breaking Rust, had seemingly fooled the masses. It was a complete AI creation all around – from the artist, to the music video, to the song itself. Songwriters like Jenn Schott told those in Washington D.C. that more and more AI song creations will continue to pop up, and ironically, a songwriter could be competing against a track created by artificial intelligence that stole from their original work: “Once our creations are out in the world, being scraped by AI, learned, ingested, and then new songs being created with pieces of my song as a part of it. Then we’re competing against those songs and just trying to make a living.” Though that sounds like a nightmare scenario, Schott did concede that some AI tools have helped speed up the process of pitching demos and, overall, has made much of songwriting more affordable. But those benefits aren’t enough to offset the negative impacts of AI across the board. So the NSAI left lawmakers with a simple request that can be easily remembered as the “Four P’s.” Turnbow described the potential solutions as follows: -Permission: “We think AI systems should have to get permission from copyright owners to train on their works.” -Payment: “They should have to pay for that training, and they should have to negotiate that payment in the free marketplace, -Proof: “They should have to keep track of what they’re training on so that we know what they’re using, not just scrape the internet and claim they don’t know where it came from or what they have.” -Penalties: “We should be able to sue, in a cost-effective way, for copyright owners to have remuneration when they don’t do it right.” Sounds simple enough to me. At the root of it all, the Nashville Songwriters Association International is just helping to fight against the advancing technology that, at the time, seems to have a lack of guardrails all across the board. Without some guidance, the AI revolution could steer creativity and art off course. Hopefully the lawmakers take all that the NSAI had to say very seriously… and shoutout to them for fighting the good fight. View this post on Instagram The post Nashville Songwriters Association International Take To Washington D.C. Speaking With Lawmakers About AI Regulation first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Miranda Lambert covering the song she helped pen. Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” has been the Alabama native’s biggest hit by far. Many people (including me) knew the song had the power to make waves in the same way her duet with Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me,” did, but this single has exceeded all expectations and truly made history. The tune, soaked in steel and full of heartbreak, finds Ella reminiscing on a lost love who left her for a Texas girl, leaving her heartbroken in Tennessee. Ella says it was born out of a writer’s trip she went on withMiranda Lambert, Joybeth and Luke about a year ago: “I had the amazing opportunity to sit down in a room with Miranda, Luke, and Joybeth on a writing retreat about a year ago. We wrote a bunch of songs together, but the second one really stuck with me. Miranda, being from Texas, started telling us one of her wild stories about drinkin’ and doing something ridiculous, and I said, ‘Well, she’s from Texas, I can tell.’ As soon as I said that, we all just looked at each other like —yep, that’s it! That’s the next song. She’s from Texas, the girl he went with. And I thought well…you know I love a song like that.” The song instantly captivated fans, and since its release, it has become increasingly popular. Recently, the tune made history as it reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Choosin’ Texas” rose from the #2 spot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated February 14th), becoming Langley’s very first #1 on the all-genre chart. In turn, she’s become just the seventh female country artist IN HISTORY to go #1 on the Hot 100 with a country song. View this post on Instagram Additionally, with “Choosin’ Texas” spending its 11th week at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Langley becomes just the third female artist in history to have a #1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. With this, she joins Swift (“All Too Well [Taylor’s Version]” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”) and Beyoncé (“Texas Hold ‘Em”)… who are not even country artists. Even more incredibly, she is now the first female artist ever to capture triple up and score #1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay and Hot 100 chart simultaneously. “Choosin’ Texas” also remains the best-selling song of the year in the United States, surpassing Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” last Thursday. Truly incredible the history this single has made. Over the weekend, co-writer Miranda Lambert paid homage to the song she had a hand in creating and covered it during her headlining set at the Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500. There is no better way to celebrate a hit song like this than covering it in front of a sold-out crowd. This is not Lambert’s first time covering “Choosin’ Texas,” and just as she’s done in the past, she blew it out of the water. Check it out: @torreestory Miranda Lambert singing Choosin’ Texas at at Daytona 500 #mirandalambert #daytona500 #nascar ♬ original sound – Torree The post WATCH: Miranda Lambert Performs The Hit Song She Co-Wrote With Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas,” At The Daytona 500 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Dwight Yoakam is now apologizing after one of his concerts was delayed significantly late last week… but fans should just be happy that he was okay considering the circumstances. The 69-year-old country music legend is currently on his Cosmic Roundup and Rodeo Tour. The singer-songwriter, known for his unique sound that meshed together country, rockabilly, and bluegrass and his hits like “Fast as You,” “Guitars, Cadillacs,” and “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” is still bringing live music to his fans. And just last week, Yoakam had a hang up that caused him to be almost two hours late to his own concert. A post that was sent out on the country star’s social media first apologized to all who had attended his recent Lubbock, Texas show a couple of days before Valentine’s Day. At first, Yoakam was just making sure to clarify that he was upset how the venue handled the delay announcement: “I want to personally apologize to the fans who bought tickets and attended our show in Lubbock, Texas this past Thursday evening on the 12th of February. It has only today been brought to my attention that, unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding my delayed arrival to perform the concert that night were not conveyed clearly by an in person announcement from the stage but rather by a vague anonymous PA announcement about a flight delay.” Flight delay is putting things nicely. From how Dwight Yoakam explains that very “flight delay,” the country music star and those on board the aircraft narrowly avoided disaster. The country star says that the plane he was taking to Lubbock was about to takeoff when the pilots had to make a quick decision to abort the takeoff entirely: “What actually happened Thursday afternoon was that we had an emergency takeoff abort as the aircraft was about to lift off from the runway due to a mechanical failure warning in the cockpit. Fortunately, the pilots handled the aborted takeoff with exceptional professional skill and they were able to avoid anything more dangerous or catastrophic occurring. After taxiing back to the hangar and concluding that the issue with that aircraft could not be corrected we were luckily able to be moved to a different plane and continue our flight to do the show in Lubbock approximately an hour and thirty minutes after my scheduled 9:00pm stage time.” Holy smokes. Yoakam went on to apologize once again for the delay, which was most definitely out of his control. From the sound of it, the singer-songwriter was very upset about how the Texas venue handled the delay announcement: “Again, I want to express my sincere apologies to all the fans in attendance that evening that the announcement about the reason for the show’s delay was not made from ‘onstage’ more clearly and respectfully. I am very sorry for any frustration and disappointment the delay caused.” Hey… consider the apology accepted, Mr. Yoakam. I wasn’t there personally in Lubbock, Texas, but I’d surely hope that the people that were can understand – now armed with hindsight – that they were lucky to see the country star at all after what he went through trying to get there. Fortunately, everyone ended up being okay (shoutout to the pilots) after the scary aircraft malfunction. And honestly, props to Dwight Yoakam for still making it to Texas and putting on a show after he likely had his life flash before his eyes a couple of hours before he stepped out on stage.The post “We Had An Emergency Takeoff Abort” – Dwight Yoakam Details Scary Flight Issue In Apology For Texas Concert Delay first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

An instant Luke Combs classic. This past Friday, he released another song from his forthcoming fifth studio album The Way I Am called “Be By You,” which was written by Dan Alley, Sam Banks and Nick Walsh. Luke just does love songs so well, and this one is quite simple in terms of the message, which finds him admitting that he just wants to be with his lady, comparing her love to the “breeze of a sweet home holler.” I just love that line, and considering that Combs actually isn’t a co-writer on this one, it clearly resonated with him and it really is gorgeous, and the second verse is my favorite: “Love it when your bench seat blues slide to the middle I’m stuck to you like glue, on your hip like a pistol Wanna find me, you ain’t gotta look far There’s nothing that can pull us apart And I hope I ain’t comin’ on too strong Just wanna hold you close, baby Kinda looks like you do too I just wanna make love, wake up next to you No makeup, baby, nothing beats that view I guess what it comes down to Is I just wanna be by you” The production is easy breezy, and I love how smooth and heartfelt is delivery is, per the usual. He of course dedicated it to his wife, Nicole, who is set to give birth to the couples third child any day now (or possibly already has): View this post on Instagram The immediate fan reaction over the last several days has been super positive, and it sounds like Luke himself can’t get enough of it, either. In post on his Instagram stories, Luke told fans he was making dinner for his kids, joking that he realized how “old” he looked in the video, though I disagree, just for the record… Combs continued, saying “Be By You” is the first song out of his own catalog that he can’t get out of his own head, which is saying a lot considering he’s the man behind hits like “When It Rains It Pours” and “Hurricane,” just to name a couple. I don’t know how you could put out so many great songs and never get one of them stuck in your head until now, but that’s actually really impressive. He also took time to thank fans for listening and sharing the song: “So I’m sitting here making kids dinners, and a couple things. One, I look old as hell in this video. Two, ‘Be By You,’ I cannot get it out of my own head. It’s my first one of my own songs that I cannot get out of my own head. So I just want to say thank you guys for loving the song so much. It’s been amazing to watch you guys, you know, make all our videos, and love the song. I just wanted to say thanks, I’m feeling very thankful this evening. Keep listening to it, and a lot more where that came from, so I hope you guys are ready for this album. I know I am, and I’ll see you guys on the road real soon.” The production “Be By You” is a little bit different for him, so maybe that’s part of it, but it’s a great song and as he mentioned in his stories, there’s a whole lot more where that came from on his forthcoming album, The Way I Am, which was produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews and it set for release on March 30th. “Be By You” The Way I Am Tracklist “Back in the Saddle” “My Kinda Saturday Night” “Days Like These” “15 Minutes” “Alcohol of Fame” “Daytona 499” “The Way I Am” “Wish Upon Whiskey” “Soon As I Get Home” “Rethink Some Things” “Giving Her Away” “Seeing Someone” “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” “I Ain’t No Cowboy” “Ever Mine” (feat. Alison Krauss) “Can’t Tell Me I’m Wrong” “Miss You Here” “Tell ‘Em About Tonight” “Be By You” “The Me Part of You” “Rich Man” “A Man Was Born” The post Luke Combs Says “Be By You” Is The First Time One Of His Own Songs Has Ever Been Stuck In His Head first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

AOC is at the Munich conference spreading her socialist ideology as far as she can, while taking a dump on the United States and President Trump on the world stage. During her . . .

This is as Orwellian as it gets: Kaylee McGhee WhiteFollow NewsClips channel at Brighteon.com for more updatesSubscribe to Brighteon newsletter to get the latest news and more featured videos:https://support.brighteon.com/Subscribe.html