The “woke mind virus” didn’t die when the Left lost the culture war—it just jumped hosts. Now, the demand for censorship, mass arrests, and total state surveillance is coming from inside the MAGA house, proving that the real disease was never “wokeness,” but statism itself. For years, Elon Musk warned us about the “woke mind …

Hopefully, this means one of them will be on her next album… we need it. Lainey Wilson already has tons of shows booked for 2026, while she also tries to plan a wedding, so we’ll probably be lucky if we get a new album… but considering how Lainey never seems to stop working, I won’t be surprised if she does put out some sort of project. During interview with People a little while back, she spoke about her dream collaboration, which included Miley Cyrus at the top of her list, because Lainey was of course a Hannah Montana impersonator back in Louisiana. But in terms of country artists, she says working with Eric Church or Chris would be a dream come true: “There’s so many people on my list. I would love to do something with Miley Cyrus, of course. I mean, I used to impersonate Hannah Montana. So, I always say Miley, and I’m going to keep saying it until we do something together. When it comes to country, I’d love to do something with Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, the list goes on and on.” Lainey has said before that Church is her and fiancé Duck’s favorite artist to listen to together, and she was recently added as an opener on Chris’ All-American Road Show tour, and I think either one of them would be a natural fit for a future project. During that same interview, she revealed that she has been working on new music, though she’s just now coming off an insanely impressive run with her 2024 Whirlwind album, including Grammy nominations, as well as winning the CMA Album of the Year award with the record, as well as the ACM Album of the Year and ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Year with it too. She says the next project is a work in progress still: “I have been writing some songs. It has been so much fun. Even in the past couple weeks, I’ve been feeling very inspired. We’re trying to figure out which direction we are going, but the more songs that I write for the project, it seems like it’s going to happen. I’m not the type of artist to write 12 or 15 songs, and that’s what makes the record. I want to write 100 songs, and then we find the 12 or 15.” It’s pretty surprising that Lainey hasn’t done a song with Church or Stapleton yet, because they’re two of the absolute best in mainstream country and I think either one of them would be a perfect fit for Lainey’s style. It remains to be seen if this will happen anytime soon, but a girl can dream… Lainey also just scored her ninth career #1 at country radio with her single “Somewhere Over Laredo”: “Somewhere Over Laredo” LAINEY WILSON CONFIRMED TOUR DATES December 7—Las Vegas, NV—Lainey Wilson: Wildflowers & Wild Horses December 10—Nashville, TN—Grand Ole Opry February 6—Auckland, New Zealand—Spark Arena* February 8—Christchurch, New Zealand—Wolfbrook Arena* February 11—Brisbane, Australia—Brisbane Entertainment Centre* February 12—Brisbane, Australia—Brisbane Entertainment Centre* February 14—Newcastle, Australia—Howlin’ Country* February 16—Sydney, Australia—Qudos Bank Arena* February 19—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena* February 20—Melbourne, Australia—Rod Laver Arena* February 22—Adelaide, Australia—Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena* February 26—Perth, Australia—RAC Center* March 20—Thackerville, OK—WinStar World Casino & Resort March 21—Thackerville, OK—WinStar World Casino & Resort April 10—Florence, AZ—Country Thunder Arizona April 11—Laughlin, NV—Laughlin Event Center April 25—Indio, CA—Stagecoach Festival 2026 July 10—Chicago, IL—Windy City Smokeout August 6—Detroit Lakes, MN—WE Fest August 7—Oshkosh, WI—Xroads41 August 9—Canton, OH—Concert for Legends August 12—Sturgis, SD—The Sturgis Buffalo Chip August 15—Springfield, IL—Illinois State Fair * with special guests Flatland Cavalry and Kaitlin ButtsThe post “The List Goes On”: Lainey Wilson Reveals The Two Country Icons She’d LOVE To Work With first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The first listen of Ashley McBryde’s next era. Today, she released her anthemic new single “What If We Don’t,” a ballad that encourages listeners to take the risk when it comes to love and life, pushing away fear and embracing desire and . It’s the first song from her forthcoming (unofficially announced) fifth studio album, and the song was written by Ashley along with Terri Jo Box, and Randall Clay, though it will probably sound familiar to longtime fans of McBryde, as it was first released on her independently-released debut EP, Jalopies & Expensive Guitars, back in 2016, before Ashley had a record or publishing deal. The song is described as an “anthemic, larger-than-life plea” which dares listeners to live without regret, and Ashley says it’s about learning to live with the consequences of life regardless of the outcome: “‘What If We Don’t’ came to me, Terri Jo Box, and Randall Clay sitting around a fire pit on a back porch, reminiscing on all the moments that we could’ve made a different choice and wondering if we should’ve. It’s about the leaps of faith that you do or don’t take, and having to learn to live with those consequences either way.” It will also serve as her next official country radio single, and impacts on February 23rd. While the lyrics focus on her not living with regret in terms of a love interest, I think the deeper concept can apply to all aspects of life: “There’s always the fear of going there now Things gettin’ weird if it don’t work out This kind of thing can’t stop once it starts We might end up breaking each other’s hearts But what if we don’t, what if we don’t? What if we stop fightin’ what we know we both want? We might regret how far we let it go But what if we don’t?” Ashley says she hopes people relate to the message of overcoming fear and not letting that feeling dictate choices: “We can’t avoid feeling afraid. But we can make sure fear doesn’t get to make choices for us.” View this post on Instagram Of course, her vocals are perfect, and I can’t wait to hear the rest of what she has coming soon, and I’d be willing to bet that an official album announcement is likely coming soon… check out “What If We Don’t” here: “What If We Don’t” Just a few weeks ago, Ashley shared a tearful video about all of the new music she has coming, and it’s clear just how much this next batch of tunes means to her. While driving around in her car, McBryde was crying as she recorded a video she initially sent to her team about her immediate reaction to hearing some of the rough mixes of the songs she has recorded for her next project. She explained that even though she’s written and been through every stage of the process with these songs, it still felt brand new and had her in tears, and she said that it was like she had never heard the music, or the artist: “I just listened to ‘—‘ for the first time. It’s a rough mix, it’s not even mixed. And I had just listened to ‘Hand Me Downs,’ and I wrote the damn thing, me and Jessie Jo and Laura, I knew what was in that song. And then I listened to it, and I kept staring at the dash, like, why would you do that to me? I’ve been here for every note, every syllable, every breathe of this record. And I’m listening to the mixes and it’s like I’ve never heard this record. It’s like I’ve never heard this artist.” Ashley has shared some about her sobriety journey, even opened her own non-alcoholic bar called Redemption inside of Eric Church’s Chief’s Bar on Broadway in Nashville. I have to imagine that could be a theme in at least some of the songs, and if you’re a fan of her music, then you already know how authentic and honest it is so I’m sure you can expect that too. She also launched her Light On Fund last month, which will focus on mental health of veterans, rehabilitation resources for the creative community, helping children in the foster care system, championing ASL interpretation at live music events, and much more, and it will announce a new charitable focus each quarter starting 2026. In terms of live shows, McBryde will return to Eric Church’s Chief’s on Broadway for several shows in 2026, and hopefully, she’ll have some new tour dates for the new year coming soon too.The post Ashley McBryde Encourages Listeners To Fight Fear & Embrace The Unknown With Anthemic New Single, “What If We Don’t” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

February 13th can’t come soon enough. It’s safe to say that Eric Church is no stranger to live albums. If you recall, back in 2017 during his iconic Holdin’ My Own Tour, he embarked on a massive set of 62 shows from January to May, playing with no openers and two full sets with an intermission. To many, this was at the peak of the Chief’s touring career simply due to the sprawling amount of shows and the fact that he was consistently giving fans over three hours of live music each and every night. This spawned his gigantic 61 Days in Church series of live albums that span five volumes and a staggering 160 songs in total. Of course, you got multiple live versions of nearly every song in his discography upon its recording (which ended at Mr. Misunderstood at the time). However, fans were treated with one of the most eclectic collections of covers throughout the albums as well. Pulling out everything from Jim Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” and Willie Nelson’s “Me and Paul” to The Band’s “The Weight” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” (just to name a few), the Chief pulled out all the stops for 61 Days in Church. However, he’s looking to top it this year as he’s gearing up to not only hit the big screen with his first IMAX concert in February but also releasing a live album to go with it. View this post on Instagram Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive was recorded live over two nights during shows at The Pinnacle in Nashville earlier this year, one that church described as one of the most unforgettable of his life. The album not only features the entire Evangeline vs. the Machine album from front to back, but also hits from some of his previous albums like “Sinners Like Me,” “Desperate Man,” “Hell Of A View,” and of course, “Springsteen.” “I’ve played a lot of shows. I’ve never had two nights like these where the room felt literally transported. We went to a different plane, musically, artistically, emotionally. It was unforgettable and I’ll remember it the rest of my days.” Ahead of the album’s release, Church has already released live versions of “Knives of New Orleans,” “Desperate Man,” “Bleed On Paper” and “Hell of a View.” And as we sit just three weeks away from the film and album’s release, he’s giving fans one final preview with the release of his 2014 single, “Give Me Back My Hometown.” “Give Me Back My Hometown” was written by Church, along with frequent co-writer, Luke Laird. Released on January 10, 2014, it served as the second single from his fourth studio album, The Outsiders. Amazingly, it remains as one of just seven solo songs (not including features) to reach #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Though I wouldn’t consider it one of the key tracks in his discography (and I think hardcore fans of the Chief would agree), it’s been one of his most popular, being his 12th most-streamed song on Spotify (once again not including features) with just over 80 million streams on Spotify. Additionally, it would be nominated for Song of the Year at the CMA and ACM Awards as well as Best Country Song at the 57th Grammy Awards. As for today’s live version, it’s another knockout from Church. Instead of the standard into to kick off the recording, he calls upon his frequently-used choir section to set the stage for the track. Once the traditional intro for the track kicks in, it’s arguably my favorite version of the track. Between the fan yelling in response to the pre-chorus and the choir’s harmonies with the “Springsteen” singer on the extended outro, it simply feels epic. It’s safe to say we are in for an absolute treat when Evangeline vs. the Machine Comes Alive releases in theaters next month. Listen here: Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive Tracklist 1. Hands Of Time (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 2. Bleed On Paper (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 3. Johnny (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 4. Storm In Their Blood (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 5. Darkest Hour (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 6. Evangeline (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 7. Rocket’s White Lincoln (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 8. Clap Hands (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 9. Desperate Man (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 10. Give Me Back My Hometown (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 11. Homeboy (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 12. Sinners Like Me (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 13. Creepin’ (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 14. Knives Of New Orleans (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 15. Smoke A Little Smoke (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 16. The Outsiders (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 17. Hell Of A View (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 18. Mistress Named Music (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 19. Springsteen (Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025) 2026 Free the Machine Tour  Jan. 23 || Washington, D.C. || The Anthem || Caylee Hammack Feb. 5 || Omaha, Neb. || CHI Health Center || Ella Langley Feb. 6 || Sioux Falls, S.D. || Denny Sanford PREMIER Center || Ella Langley Feb. 7 || St. Paul, Minn. || Grand Casino Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 12 || Toronto, Ont. || Scotiabank Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 13 || Buffalo, N.Y. || KeyBank Center || Ella Langley Feb. 14 || Albany, N.Y. || MVP Arena || Ella Langley Feb. 19 || North Little Rock, Ark. || Simmons Bank Arena || 49 Winchester Feb. 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || T-Mobile Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 21 || St. Louis, Mo. || Enterprise Center || 49 Winchester Feb. 26 || Tulsa, Okla. || BOK Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 27 || Fort Worth, Texas || Dickies Arena || Stephen Wilson Jr. Feb. 28 || Austin, Texas || Moody Center || Stephen Wilson Jr. Mar. 5 || Knoxville, Tenn. || Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center || 49 Winchester Mar. 6 || Greensboro, N.C. || First Horizon Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 7 || North Charleston, S.C. || North Charleston Coliseum || 49 Winchester Mar. 19 || Birmingham, Ala. || Legacy Arena at the BJCC || 49 Winchester Mar. 20 || Atlanta, Ga. || State Farm Arena || 49 Winchester Mar. 27 || Hollywood, Fla. || Hard Rock Live || Kashus Culpepper Apr. 3 || Greenville, S.C. || Bon Secours Wellness Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 4 || Charlotte, N.C. || Spectrum Center || Ashley McBryde Apr. 10 || Jacksonville, Fla. || VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena || Ashley McBryde Apr. 11 || Tampa, Fla. || Benchmark International Arena || Ashley McBrydeThe post Eric Church Gives Fans One Final Preview Of Upcoming ‘Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive’ Album With Live Version Of “Give Me Back My Hometown” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Rep. Tim Burchett from Tennessee says he is disgusted with Republicans after yesterday’s voting, saying “A lot to be ticked off about. We lied to you and enabled the Marxist left.” What . . .

Fox News is reporting this morning that Barron Trump is being hailed as a hero for saving a woman’s life in the UK, after he witnessed her getting beaten up on a . . .

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