It was perhaps a forgone conclusion that the Nobel Peace Prize would go to someone other than the man who deserves it most.

Making music for country music fans across the board. Luke Combs has a fanbase unlike most in the country music space, recently becoming the highest-selling country artist of all time- beating out the legendary Garth Brooks for the honor. Garth Brooks held the record for the most units sold, with a total of 162.5 million units sold. However, he has now fallen one spot, as Luke Combs is now the highest RIAA-certified country artist in history, with 168 million units sold. The announcement of his moving into the number one position comes right on the heels of his releasing his three-song EP The Prequel, giving fans a taste of what’s in store for his next album, which is slated to drop at some point in 2026. The EP showcases Combs’s ever-evolving sound, from twangy heaters like “My Kinda Saturday Night” to slower, more meaningful tunes like “Days Like These,” feeling grateful for the slow days spent with those you love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Luke Combs (@lukecombs) It’s no secret that to become the highest-selling country artist of all time, you have to appeal to more than one kind of country fan, and Combs has cracked the code for that with each of his projects appealing to a wide variety of music enthusiasts. However, despite tapping into new facets of his sound, the Luke Combs we hear today is still the same Luke Combs who broke onto the scene, at the core of his sound, and has stuck to his guns, not letting trends in Music City affect his sound. During a recent sit-down with Clint Black on Circle Country, Clint asked Combs how he’s been able to stick to his guns and whether he’s ever felt pressure from music executives to make something more pop country. Combs says that he’s personally never felt pressure to do anything from anyone but himself. However, he’s able to recognize that if it weren’t for the success of his debut album, This One’s For You, it could be a very different story. “I don’t think I have. I think it would be different if I would have came in with the first album, especially that I came in with… If it came out and wasn’t as successful as it was, I think people would have been like, ‘Let’s fix it.’ I think if anyone puts pressure on me to do anything, it’s myself, you know? ‘Cause it’s like I want to, I want to continue to evolve as an artist, you know, and I want to say… I’m not saying I’m going to make a David Bowie album, you know, that’s just not in the cards for me. I’m not going to make a pop album. It’s not going to happen, you know. But I don’t want my third or fourth or fifth album to come out and go, ‘Man, I just heard that time and time again.'” Combs says he’s had to figure out how to balance writing love songs and songs that capture the moment of life he’s in, but it’s hard to write only about what’s unfolding in your life. Combs uses some of his early love song hits as an example of trying to be known not only as the guy who can write love songs. “It’s an interesting balancing act of… I’ve got ‘Beautiful Crazy,’ ‘Forever After All,’ you know, and ‘Better Together.’ Those are the three songs that I feel like… I feel like they, for me, encapsulate this whole time in my life, which you know, ‘Beautiful Crazy’ I wrote two weeks after I met my wife. Then ‘Better Together’ I wrote when I knew I was going to ask her to marry me, and then ‘Forever After All’ was after we had moved into our house and we’re engaged. And so it was like each one of those hits, this moment in time. And they’re just so, to me, perfect for what they were meant to be. It’s like, but I also, like, you don’t want to be the love song guy. You don’t want to be the this guy. How do you be the… And I already look like this, but the Golden Corral of country music? You know what I mean? The Ryan’s Steakhouse, you know what I mean? Kind of thing is a little bit of everything, a little something. for everybody.”  HA. Not the Golden Corral reference. While it’s a very comical comparison, Combs is not wrong in his logic. To be successful and avoid becoming stale with your fans, you have to create a catalog that offers a sampling of music that will appeal to fried chicken and mashed potato lovers, as well as those who fancy a salad bar. Ironically, this is not the first time that Combs has mentioned Golden Corral or Ryan’s Steakhouse in an interview. While I think the use of this buffet chain is much better suited to this context, last year, Combs appeared on Theo Von’s podcast, and the two came up with the “kids eat free” tour. The Future Of Country Concerts During the interview, Luke got to talking about how fortunate he is to have his touring schedule, explaining that though he has to travel two or three days a week, he’s usually home three or four days. Combs pointed out that’s more time than some (if not most) people get to spend with their families during the workweek. And when he comes back from playing in front of 70,000 people, his life is pretty simple with his wife and kids. That’s when the topic of buffets came up, and the pair began discussing and brainstorming ideas about the greatest culinary invention ever. Theo pointed out that a world tour built around a promise of an all-you-can-eat buffet being available afterwards might not be a bad idea: “That would be the best tour you could have, if you had a ‘Kids Eat Free Tour.’” After Combs got all of his laughing out about the idea, he came back to Von with some very solid partnership ideas: “Sponsored by Ryan’s buffet, or Golden Corral, either one.” The comedian continued to talk about food, even mentioning an absurd idea about a “Chicken Nugget Camera” in lieu of the traditional “Kiss Camera.” Theo then got to thinking about the future and suggested that post-concert buffets might be a proactive idea, since some people can’t afford food. Combs liked where Theo’s head was at, and put it into words a little bit better than the popular comedian: “Concerts will be events. Food will be how to get people to events. Pay for the show, stay for the food.” It might sound crazy, but imagine going to a rocking concert and then getting to access a fully stocked buffet afterwards that’s included in the price of admission. At this point, Golden Corral and Ryan’s Steakhouse need to sponsor Luke Combs. He’s giving them the best free press. Check out that interview while you’re here, too: The post Luke Combs Says He’s Striving To Be The Golden Corral Of Country Music: “A Little Something For Everybody” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Good for her. Fans seem to never get enough in terms of speculating on Megan Moroney’s dating life, and recently, rumors have been going around that she might have something going on with San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa. I honestly have no idea of there is anything going on between them, but regardless of who Megan dates next, it sounds like she has a really healthy perspective on what she deserves and wants in a relationship. And during an appearance on the Therapuss with Jake Shane podcast this week, Meg opened up about how much she has grown in terms of loving herself and “standing on business,” as she puts it. She talked about her song “Girl In The Mirror,” which is about how she somehow started to care about a boy and his happiness way more than her own, and started to take disrespect she didn’t deserve. In fact, Megan explained that she couldn’t stop crying the first time she performed it live because she realized she was admitting to everyone she had done that to herself. Now, she thinks of it as “empowering,” because she’s not in that place anymore and she wants other young girls in the audience to know that when you choose yourself, you will no longer be in that situation: “I have a song called ‘Girl In The Mirror’ that’s like that for me. The hook is like, ‘I love the boy more than I love the girl in the mirror,’ and when I wrote that, it was something that I needed to remind myself. Because I knew it was true, but it’s like once you write it down and you have to sing it, you’re like, ‘Oh, s***.’ The first time I performed it, I cried, and I tried to get myself to stop crying and I couldn’t. And I was like, ‘Holy s***.’ And it’s just because you’re admitting to people that at one point, you cared about them and their happiness way more than yourself. And that’s like, damn, how did I let myself get that way when I grew up so confident and bubbly? So that song now though, because now I would rather die than shrink myself for a man, there’s so much strength in it. Because these girls that I see sobbing to it, I’m up there singing it with confidence and it’s empowering, because I don’t feel this way anymore…. and I know you feel this way right now, but one day if you choose yourself, you’re not gonna be in that situation.” Shane asked her when she finally started to really embrace that mindset, and Megan laughed as she responded it really hasn’t been all that long ago: “Six months ago.” Maybe a reference to the Riley Green and Ella Langley rumors Megan found herself in earlier this year? Or something or someone completely different? I have a feeling it’s probably a multitude of things that have added up over time, and just getting older and growing. She admitting that this is the first year she’s stopped tolerating any sort of disrespect whatsoever: “No, but I would say this year is the first year I’ve really stood on business. That is not true. I wrote a song called ‘I Know You,’ have you heard that? That is the long distance situationship, him and I just couldn’t get away from each other, and I was not standing on business. Now at a hint of disrespect, I’m like, I’m out.” Megan explained that she no longer puts up with lying or even anything less severe that doesn’t sit well, and at the first sign of that, she’s out: “Just like the second, I feel that I’m not being treated the way I deserve. Whether it’s like, I find out you’re lying a little bit, or just not showing up for me in the way that I’m showing up for them or whatever it is. Any sort of like things that feel off. Where in my past relationships, I’ve stuck around and forgave them and heard them out. I’m like, no, f*** you.” It’s certainly a great way to save yourself a lot of time and heartache… Unfortunately, I think that sort of evolution in terms of how you view yourself and what you deserve in a relationship is just a necessary evil, so to speak, that comes along with being a young woman and growing into yourself. I think “Girl In The Mirror” is one of Megan’s best songs that has a very important message, and it’s completely understandable why she would cry through it because she’s admitting a lot about herself that I think almost anyone can relate to but would never, ever admit about themselves, especially so publicly in a song like that. Plus, now that she has come out on the other side of it, she can really empower other ladies, no matter what age, to do the same, and that’s what music is all about. Megan also discussed her life on the road this year, plans for the new album and what fans can expect from that, and much more. You can watch below. “Girl In The Mirror” The post Megan Moroney Had An Evolution About What She Tolerates In Relationships: “I Would Rather Die Than Shrink Myself For A Man” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Sometimes the best ideas come out of nowhere. Aaron Watson stopped by the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about coming up in the Texas music scene and how that shaped his perspective of country music and the Nashville machine, dealing with record executives, being self-sufficient and taking a unique approach to his career, current country music beefs, playing the American Rodeo alongside Post Malone and what that experience was like and so much more. The Texas country legend also touched on how he started his “Tailgate Talks,” which have been rather successful on social media. Thousands of fans have flocked to Watson’s Instagram to hear the latest take on country music news from the “July In Cheyenne” singer sitting on the tailgate of his truck. It’s a really simple premise really, and it’s worked wonders for Aaron Watson’s online presence. And according to the independent artist, it all started as somewhat of an accident: “It was accidental. The first one I made, I was at my little gun range that I have at the ranch and there was the little beef going on between Gavin Adcock and Braxton Keith. I love both those guys. I like throwing the dad stuff at them, because I’m not wrong. I’ve made all the decisions that those boys have already made, and it’s me being a dad going, ‘Hey, been there, done that. Got in trouble for this. Wasn’t a good decision.’ I’m able to kind of be funny with them, and in a way, still loving, kind, and a little constructive.” Here’s the “Tailgate Talk” that started it all, in case you missed it: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aaron Watson (@aaronwatsonmusic) Needless to say, the idea was a good one… and fans kept asking for more. Aaron Watson has always been someone who appreciates fan input, so he made “Tailgate Talks” into a regularly scheduled program. The schedule he follows is a little loose though, because the talks mostly depend on something happening in the country music world that require some commentary from the witty country singer. And an important component to the “Tailgate Talk,” besides sitting on the tailgate of a truck of course, is the popcorn. Again, that wasn’t something Watson intentionally did with the first video. However, he’s continued to have the popcorn ready to go for every other edition of the social media series, and now the snack is a necessary addition: “I set up my camera and I had popcorn because I was at the ranch house and I had nothing to eat and I was starving. Then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it worked.’ A lot of that was kind of accidental. But’s it fun. Now I even do them if I’m on the road.” @whiskeyriff Long live the tailgate talks. @Aaron Watson // The latest Whiskey Riff Raff episode is available now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #aaronwatson #tailgatetalks ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff Good to know that the “Tailgate Talk” is officially mobile, and not limited to the constraints of Watson’s gun range. Just goes to show that a good idea can come along when you least expect it. I doubt Watson thought the “Tailgate Talks” would take off when he first started them, yet here we are. Now there isn’t a country music beef that goes by without Aaron Watson throwing in his two cents kernels about it. You can hear more about Aaron Watson’s social media series by downloading 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 Aaron Watson Says His Viral “Tailgate Talks” Series Started As A Complete Accident: “It’s Me Being A Dad” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

President Trump just announced that China has surprised the world and become “very hostile” over “each and every element of production having to do with Rare Earths” and that he will now . . .

New York’s Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Virginia on federal charges of bank fraud and false statements related to a 2020 mortgage application. Department of Justice prosecutors allege James misrepresented the property as a secondary residence to secure more favorable loan terms. The five-page indictment claims that the property was used as a rental investment instead.  James and her attorneys have denied wrongdoing, calling the charges politically motivated and “baseless.” “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,” said James in a video response to the charges. “All because I did my job as the New York state attorney general.” The indictment marks a new chapter in a long-running legal feud between James and Trump. As New York attorney general, she brought a civil fraud case against the former president and his company, portions of which were later reduced on appeal. The case was presented to a grand jury by Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who previously worked as a lawyer for Trump. Halligan was installed last month to replace Erik Siebert, who quit after refusing to bring charges against James. In a DOJ press release, Halligan said, “No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust.” “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.” According to the same press release, if convicted, James could face penalties including up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine for each count, and forfeiture. The release notes that actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than their maximum penalties. The post DOJ Indicts New York Attorney General appeared first on The American Conservative.

Remember 579? - Lace Larrabee stand-up comedy