What an incredible gift, and a piece of music history that’s truly priceless now. This week, Zach Bryan released his lengthy 25-song album With Heaven on Top, which is right in his wheelhouse in terms of his Springsteen-inspired, horn-instrument-heavy sonic style as of late, coupled with the type of heart-wrenching gut-punches fans know and love for him… there’s something for everyone. Of course, it’s been a long time coming, as he announced the album in July of 2025, marking another milestone in what has been a very impressive last 12 months, where Bryan has seen some of the highest highs of his career, primarily selling his catalog for a staggering $350 million dollars, becoming the eighth highest-selling country artist of all time according to the RIAA and, most notably, setting the record for highest-attended concert in U.S. history when he performed to a crowd of 112,408 at Michigan Stadium. That incredible success has also come with dome drama in his personal life, which you have no doubt heard about, and he remains one of the most polarizing figures at the forefront of country music, though I can’t imagine this record won’t be hugely successful and well-received by fans nonetheless. And today, Zach released a fully-acoustic version of the album, as he previously explained that he made the decision to do that in anticipation for the fact that fans will complain about the production being too sleek and the sound in general, so he decided to just go ahead and release raw recordings, mistakes included, to satisfy which ever style his fans prefer: “I’m assuming this record is just like all the other ones and there’s gonna be a billion people saying it’s over produced and s***** so I sat down in a room by myself and recorded all the songs acoustically so I didn’t have to hear everyone whine about more stuff. There’s mistakes and I didn’t redo any of them but this’ll be out three days after ‘With Heaven On Top’ drops tomorrow. This was a painting hanging on the wall that we recorded all the songs in when we got there.” To be honest, most of Zach’s music is already super stripped down and lo-fi, so it’s hard to imagine people complain that much about it being over-produced. I mean, it’s kind of his signature sound, but must admit, I love this concept, and I think it’s something every artist should do, honestly… Once again in writing about the album today, Zach almost seemed a little annoyed in a way about doing it, saying it was for “all the weird audiophiles” that, no matter what kind of music he puts out, just want to hear Zach and his guitar. Of course, that is the kind of music that first helped his career explode, and fans often do have a hard time letting their favorite artist experiment or do anything differently than the kind of music they first fell in love with, which I admire, I’m probably very guilty of too. He explained out simple the recording process was, and I certainly think it should satisfy any complaints about the production of the new record (which is as simple as it gets already for someone on a major label who is as huge as Zach, but I digress… “‘With Heaven on Top (Acoustic)’ is out now. This one’s for all the weird audiophiles that no matter how much I put into a record will always miss just a guitar & me. Like I said, it’s just me in a room with a mic and guitar and a very pretty girl and a very small dog. Love you guys and hope you enjoy it.” He also shared that, interestingly enough, his new wife Samantha gave him Bob Weir’s Telecaster guitar, which is the one he had on the road for years, and considering the founding member of the Grateful Dead passed away at the age of 78-years old on Saturday, so the timing couldn’t be more crazy: “Irrelevant but rest in peace to Bob Weir that guy f****** rocked. The day Sammy and me got hitched, she gave me a present and I opened it and it was his telecaster from all his days on the road. We all love you and we will all miss you if this wasn’t previously planned to release today I would have left this alone and let the world be.” Weir was known for playing his beloved 1956 Fender Telecaster, named “Wolfie” for its wolf-themed finish, though it’s unclear if that’s the exact one he has now, or if it was another guitar he had on the road all those years. Either way, that’s got to be one of the coolest wedding gifts ever…. View this post on Instagram Here’s a look at their gorgeous ceremony in Spain: View this post on Instagram And the first look at them as husband and wife: View this post on Instagram “Say Why” “With Heaven On Top” “Plastic Cigarette” The post Zach Bryan Says His Wife, Samantha, Gave Him Bob Weir’s Legendary Guitar As A Wedding Gift Less Than Two Weeks Before The Grateful Dead Icon Passed Away first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It’s FINALLY coming. It’s safe to say that 2025 was a pretty huge year for Parker McCollum. Beyond the fact that he dropped his self-titled, fifth studio album back in June to commercial and critical success, the Texas native also scored huge career milestones, performing at President Donald Trump’s inaugural ball in January and co-hosting Better Together Texas and raising over $8.5 million for flood relief with Miranda Lambert in August. And as time passes, it looks like 2026 is going to be an even busier year for the “Pretty Heart” singer. In addition to announcing a sprawling, 44-show tour stretching from January to September, featuring the likes of Jake Worthington, Max McNown, Laci Kaye Booth, Gary Allan, Josh Abbott Band and many more, he would also announce that he and his wife, Hallie Ray, are expecting their second child, a boy, who’s expected this summer. Earlier in the month, McCollum added more fuel to the fire regarding rumored new music for 2026 when he took to Instagram to share photos from his sold-out New Year’s Eve at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. “Rang in the new year with a Sold Out show at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX! Ready to kick ass in 2026! New year new level! P.s. and new music coming very very soon” View this post on Instagram Today, he turned heads by posting an Instagram reel in the studio recording the long-awaited fan-favorite track, “Big Ole Fancy House,” and sent fans into an absolute frenzy. This was thanks to the caption that simply read: “Think it’s about time we released this one, yeah?” View this post on Instagram In case you’re somehow not familiar with the unreleased track, it was first teased acoustically back in the spring of 2024 during a livestream. Since then, it’s been played live a handful of times, but most importantly, it’s been a song that fans have been begging for going on two years at this point. If you recall, many speculated that “Big Ole Fancy House” was going to appear on his self-titled record last year. However, much to the chagrin of his adoring fans, it was completely left off the official release of the project. Of course, this angered fans who were all but convinced of the track’s appearance on the album. The flack got so bad, in fact, that McCollum decided to give them an acoustic version of it if they bought a digital version of Parker McCollum shortly after its release. “To say thank you for making this album release a damn good one, “Big Ole Fancy House” is available for a limited time when you download the album on my album shop. This will be the only time to get it. Hope y’all like it.” To add to his caption sharing the news, McCollum sat down for a video explaining his choice. “I know a lot of you guys really wanted ‘Big Ole Fancy House’ to be on the new album. I know that because I got absolutely eviscerated on the internet for not putting it on the album. So, what I did was I recorded a very special acoustic version of the song ‘Big Ole Fancy House,’ and you can get that version of ‘Big Ole Fancy House.’ All you have to do is go to my website, go to my store, and buy the album off of parkermccollum.com. And if you do that, you get a digital download of a very special, acoustic, very raw version of ‘Big Ole Fancy House.’ So I think all of y’all should do that, and I think you’ll be very happy if you do that. I would highly suggest it, so I hope you guys dig it. Peace!”  Well, all hope is not lost now. Shortly after uploading the Instagram reel, McCollum would discreetly take to the comment section to confirm that the song is OFFICIALLY coming next Friday, January 23rd. “Jan 23rd just fyi” That’s right. You didn’t misread that. After nearly two years of patiently waiting, “Big Ole Fancy House” will officially be on all streaming platforms next Friday. Before you go, fire up the acoustic version here: Parker McCollum Tour Dates January 23 – El Paso, Texas – Don Haskins Center ° January 24 – Glendale, Arizona  – Desert Diamond Arena °= January 29 – Edinburg, Texas – Bert Ogden Arena > January 30 – Corpus Christi, Texas – Hillard Center Arena °> January 31 – San Antonio, Texas – Frost Bank Center °> February 5 – Oxford, Mississippi – SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss °# February 6 – Lexington, Kentucky – Rupp Arena °# February 12 – Winston-Salem, North Carolina – Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum °# February 13 – Auburn, Alabama – Neville Arena °# February 14 – Savannah, Georgia – Enmarket Arena # March 26 – Estero, Florida – Hertz Arena x+ March 27-28 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheater x+ June 4 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – BMO Pavilion x/ June 5 – Sterling Heights, Michigan – Michigan Lottery Amphitheater x/ June 6 – Grand Rapids, Michigan – Acrisure Amphitheater x/ June 18 – San Diego, California – Viejas Arena ~$ June 19 – Los Angeles, California- Greek Theatre ~$ June 20 – Sacramento, California – Golden 1 Center ~$ June 25 – Nampa, Idaho – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater ~$ June 26 – Bend, Oregon – Hayden Homes Amphitheater ~$ June 27 – Kent, Washington – Accesso Showare Center ~$ July 16 – Brandon, Mississippi – Brandon Amphitheater ~> July 17 – Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf Amphitheater ~> July 18 – Alpharetta, Georgia – Ameris Bank Amphitheater ~> July 24 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Blossom Music Center z/ July 25 – Fairborn, Ohio – Wright State University – Nutter Center z/ July 29 – Morrison, Colorado – Red Rocks Amphitheater +0 July 31 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater +0 August 1 – Omaha, Nebraska – Chi Health Center Omaha +0 August 6 – Bridgeport, Connecticut – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater z/ August 8 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake z/ August 21 – Simpsonville, South Carolina – CCNB Amphitheater at Heritage Park x% August 22 – Huntsville, Alabama – The Orion Amphitheater x% September 3 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Amphitheater x@ September 4 – Gilford, New Hampshire – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion x@ September 5 – Saratoga Springs, New York – Saratoga Performing Arts Center x@ September 17 – Jonesboro, Arkansas – First National Bank Arena x! September 18 – Rogers, Arkansas – Walmart Amp x! September 19 – Evansville, IN  – Ford Center x! September 24 – Stephenville, Texas – EECU Center x> September 25 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center x> September 26 – Beaumont, Texas – Doggett Ford Park x> x Max McNown ° Jake Worthington = William Beckmann > Jackson Wendell # Tyler Halverson ? Mike Ryan + Laci Kaye Booth 0 Josh Abbott Band / Kassi Ashton % Annie Bosko @ Owen Reigling ! Logan Ryan Band $ Aubrie Sellers + Gary Allan z Gabby Barrett ~ Vincent MasonThe post Parker McCollum Confirms Fan-Favorite, “Big Ole Fancy House,” Is Officially Releasing VERY Soon first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It’s all about the fundamentals. In the modern age, it can be easy to think that you’ve been fooled by the internet. And in all honesty, it’s better to be hesitant when you see something questionable online. No one would blame you if you scoffed at the idea of a video out on the world wide web showing basketball legend Michael Jordan being bested by country music great Kenny Rogers. However, I can assure you that this video is absolutely real, and hasn’t been edited, modified, or AI-generated in any way. Back in the day (the 1980s, to be more specific), Kenny Rogers used to host something called the “Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend.” The singer-songwriter would invite professional athletes, musicians and TV stars to his 1,200-acre Beaver Dam Farm in Athens, Georgia for a three-day fundraising extravaganza. The event, which had televised portions, pitted athletes, artists and actors against one another in competitions that included golf, tennis, fishing and most famously, basketball. Rogers had a little half court basketball arena set up, and teams that were chock-full of stars would compete against each other. Kenny Rogers’ Classic Weekend may have peaked in 1988, when the “Through The Years” singer got the likes of Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan to all come to his ranch in Georgia and participate in the contest. And this probably isn’t surprising to hear… but the 3-on-3 games they played were a heck of a lot more competitive than the modern day NBA All-Star game. That’s made evident by this footage from the celebrity basketball game in 1988 (that actually aired on ABC). Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn was on the call as the teams of Red, White, Blue and Green took turns playing against one another. Thomas was the star of the Blue team, Bird was the Green team’s best player, Jordan fittingly led the Red team, and Wilkens – alongside Kenny Rogers – acted as the star power for the White team. And as you’ll see in the clip below, the country music singer clearly had some experience on the basketball court. He legitimately got Michael Jordan to jump on a pump fake, then stepped forward and drained a mid-range jumper. Rogers was grinning ear to ear afterwards… while the great MJ definitely seemed to take it personally. Later in the clip, you’ll see Michael Jordan really turn it on and proceed to score and block shots at will. Not even a great wraparound pass from Kenny Rogers was enough to fool Air Jordan. Rogers and the White team eventually lost to Jordan and the Red team, which set up a game for all the marbles between Larry Bird and MJ. What more could you ask for? And how crazy is it to think that this was all going down on Kenny Rogers’ property in Athens, Georgia. You probably wouldn’t ever see something like this in the modern day… so that’s why it’s worth a throwback: Funny to think that Michael Jordan gambled on trying to block Kenny’s shot, and that’s a joke that works on two different levels (Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” and MJ’s famous gambling habits). Thank you very much…The post WATCH: Throwback To Country Legend Kenny Rogers Putting Michael Jordan “In The Popcorn Machine” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went off today on the anti-ICE leftist who are protesting the deportation of criminal illegals in Minneapolis. It’s a very strong statement by Leavitt, where she . . .

Looking to impress with a side that’s anything but basic. Gone are the days of struggling to find a delicious side dish, thanks to the Institute of Culinary Education’s recipe.

The following article, Antifa Goons Attack Indie Journalists Sortor, Higby, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. The MSM and Democrats call the “protests” raging in Minnesota “peaceful.” But it wasn’t peaceful when the crowd surrounded a truck with Indie journalists Nick Sortor and Cam Higby, throwing frozen water bottles through the windows. Antifa goons were part of the crowd – including “Antifa journalist” Andrew Mercado. Police were called on Nick and … Continue reading Antifa Goons Attack Indie Journalists Sortor, Higby ...

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