On Wednesday evening at Playground Global in Palo Alto, some very smart people who are building things you don't understand yet will explain what's coming. This is the final StrictlyVC event of 2025, and truly, the lineup is ridiculous.

Vulcan Elements, a rare earths startup has secured a $620 million contract from the U.S .defense department.

Kohler, the makers of a smart toilet camera, can access customers' data stored on its servers, and can use customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.

In a poorly timed executive order, a Trump pardon has undermined his critical national security agenda.

Country music artist and record producer Breland thinks he knows why Beyoncé wasn’t welcomed into the country music genre with open arms. As you know, Beyoncé released her so-called “country album” Cowboy Carter (that she clarified “wasn’t a country album”) back in March of 2024. It was certainly a cultural moment, and one could argue that it was successful out of the gate in terms of chatter. The project even landed Beyoncé her elusive “Album of the Year” award at the 67th Grammy Awards, but it really didn’t have any staying power as it fell off the charts relatively quickly. Anything Beyoncé does will immediately shoot to the top of the charts, but the numbers don’t lie… the album fell off a cliff quickly. Though it did bring Beyoncé some nominations and awards, Cowboy Carter didn’t stick with the country music community. At least not like how Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion did, or more recent country projects from artists outside the genre like BigXthaPlug’s I Hope You’re Happy. According to Breland, who spoke about all of this on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now, those albums were more widely accepted by Nashville because those artists came to town and “played the game.” Post Malone worked with Nashville-based writers and producers on F-1 Trillion, and BigXthaPlug had an impressive collection of big-named country artists that collaborated with him. Beyoncé didn’t do either of those things, and Breland thinks that hurt her: “What you didn’t see that with was the Beyonce album. Even though, sure, she had Post Malone and Dolly Parton on it. She chose to put a bunch of artists on there that people weren’t as familiar with, and she didn’t come to town and play the game that everyone else did. So it’s really easy for the institutions in Nashville to be like, ‘She’s not with us, because she didn’t come here and take all the same steps that someone like Post Malone or BigXThePlug did.'” What would Beyoncé have done if she came to Nashville? Or a better question might be… what would have been expected of her to give her that “gone country” title? Breland says she would have needed to do writer’s rounds, participate in the the CMAs and CMA fest, collaborate with well-known country artists, and create the Cowboy Carter album in town with songwriters and producers that are in town. He also thinks it wouldn’t have hurt for her to make her Grand Ole Opry debut. He thinks if she would have done all that, country music fans and those within in the industry would have looked on Cowboy Carter more fondly: “I promise you that if Beyonce would have made her album in town and had written with writers and producers that were here in town and popped out somewhere on Broadway and did CMA Fest and debuted at the Grand Ole Opry, people’s reception of her in Nashville would have been a little different. But part of her album was saying, ‘Hey, I’m not gonna do this the way the establishment wants me to. Because I’m Beyonce and I’m gonna bring my own audience and we’re gonna do it that way.’ I think that’s honorable, but I think that’s where you see the biggest disconnect.” He’s not wrong, but of course, she explicitly said it wasn’t a country album… why would she play the corporate country music game? She made a point to NOT do that… And it’s not the first time we’ve seen someone from the country music world with that take. Breland’s comments on Beyoncé were very similar to comments that country music star Luke Bryan made. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, the host asked Luke Bryan his thoughts on the CMAs not nominating Cowboy Carter and Beyoncé – and Luke had an interesting perspective on it, seeming to imply that Beyoncé hasn’t done much to try to make friends in country music: “Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it. But where things get a little tricky and, and you know, if you’re gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit. Like, don’t, like Beyoncé can do it exactly what she wants to. She’s probably the biggest star in music. But come to an award show and high five us. And have fun and get in the family too. And I’m not saying she didn’t do that.” Of course, Luke got a ton of blowback for that argument, but once again… he’s right. So maybe Beyoncé should consider running it back and getting more involved in Nashville if she truly wants to be accepted by the country music community? But something tells me, that’s not at all what she’s trying to do… not at all.The post Breland Explains Why Country Music Didn’t Embrace Beyoncé’s Dip Into The Genre: “She Didn’t Come To Town” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The year 2025 is coming to a close, filled with the chaos of finishing the year strong, personally and professionally, before you begin the madness of the holidays. But in all of the madness, it’s only right to take a look back on all the good that came with the year, including some of the best music that was released this year and moments that occurred in the industry. 2025 was another stellar year for country music, building off the momentum that 2024 gave us. Morgan Wallen continued his hot streak with the release of I’m The Problem, which was recently named Apple Music’s most-listened-to album in 2025. The Red Clay Strays finally overthrew Old Dominion for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, which feels like a massive step for country music, and Kenny Chesney took No Shoes Nation to the Las Vegas Sphere for a one-of-a-kind concert for country music fans. And on top of that, female country stars continue to prove they are the future powerhouses of the genre with Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Laci Kaye Booth, and more all releasing stellar songs this year. This, of course, only scratches the surface of all the memorable country music moments from 2025. If you’re a returning reader, then you know that we here at Whiskey Riff share our Top 40 Albums of the Year each December, which is compiled by our team of writers, editors, and beyond. It feels like each year it’s getting harder and harder to rank 40 albums, given the caliber of music that’s getting released these days. But before we share our list of favorites, it’s only right to turn the question on our fans, followers, and readers for them to share what their top albums of the year were. View this post on Instagram The overwhelming winners from this question were the Turnpike Troubadours with The Price of Admission, which was gifted to fans in April, and the second record that got a lot of votes was the newly released Treaty Oak Revival project, West Texas Degenerate. I am in complete agreement with you there, folks. Those two records capture two ends of the country music spectrum, highlighting rocking anthems and more traditional stylings that captured the hearts of country music fans. As for other records mentioned, here are some of the responses you all shared with us: ‘Ain’t In It For My Health’ – Zack Top ‘Whomp Whack Thunder’ – Whiskey Myers ‘Smokestack Town’ – Ole 60 ‘…And What Was Left Behind’ – Muscadine Bloodline ‘Songbird’ – Waylon Jennings ‘I’m the Problem’ – Morgan Wallen ‘Westward’ – Dylan Gossett ‘Solitary Tracks’ – Kip Moore ‘Memories and Empties’ – Colter Wall ‘Parker McCollum’ – Parker McCollum ‘Snipe Hunter’ – Tyler Childers ‘Foxes in the Snow’ – Jason Isbell ‘Dollar A Day’ – Charley Crockett This list of course is much shorter than 40, and while our Top Albums of the Year list will feature much more than this, I am feeling very confident that most of these albums will make the list. But we also have some other incredible albums that should be highlighted, like Willow Avalon’s Southern Belle Rasin’ Hell, Muscadine Bloodline’s Longleaf Low-fi, or Colby Acuff’s incredible concept record, Enjoy the Ride. From debut albums to unearthed music from the genre’s trailblazers, 2025 brought us an incredible year of music… and boy, looking back on it makes me excited to see what 2026 has in store. Fire up a few tunes from this list of records while you’re here: “Heaven Passing Through” “Rowdy Days” “Blue Star” “Living By The Hour” “Bitin’ List” The post Country Music Fans Sound Off On Their Favorite Album Of 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The second post from the Johnny Blue Skies Instagram account. Back in September, Johnny Blue Skies, AKA Sturgill Simpson, created a new Instagram page. This is the first official account that Sturgill Simpson has made since wiping the majority of his social media accounts. Of course, some followers of the “Living the Dream” artist might be familiar with @wherethef**kissturgillsimpson, a great account that frequently shares news and clips from the artist. After fans noticed the verified page, it didn’t take long for a post to appear. Without fail, it was a cryptic message. The imagery of the post follows a lot of the previous Johnny Blue Skies artwork and features two skeletons on horseback jostling toward each other. One skeleton depicts a devil, and the other represents an angel of sorts, as it lacks horns and is pure white. Above the image are the simple words: “Hold Yer Horses.” View this post on Instagram Shortly after posting the cryptic image, which many assumed was related to an announcement of sorts, Sturgill confirmed during the second night of Red Rocks that they had just wrapped up recording a record. “F*** it, I’ll tell you. Just so you guys know, we’re already gearing up… You ain’t ready, but we’re going to give it to you anyway. We just wrapped up a nice little… a new record… in the can. And for all the record labels out there acting like record labels that want to f*** around, F*** AROUND. Find out. I just want to make America f*** again!” LET’S GO. @whiskeyriff Come on with it. // : bknorskn (IG) #whiskeyriff #sturgillsimpson #johnnyblueskies #redrocks ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff During his Red Rocks run, Simpson also unveiled a new band name for his alter ego. Sturgill Simpson is backed by one hell of a band, featuring talent like Laur Joamets on guitar, Kevin Black on bass, Miles Miller on drums, and Robbie Crowell on keyboards. Miles and Black have been running around with Simpson since the start of his career, and so their band is a true family unit. To reflect that, Johnny Blue Skies will no longer be a solo act name, and they will be known as Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds moving forward. While there has not yet been a formal announcement about the record that Simpson/Blue Skies mentioned at Red Rocks, it appears that JBS & The Dark Clouds might be gearing up to share something with fans, as another cryptic image appeared on his Instagram page moments ago. And given that the Johnny Blue Skies account is not very active on Instagram, every post carries some weight as to what it could mean. No captions. No ability to comment. Just a simple black and white image of a metal lighter with the inscription: “JBS Head high and f*** ’em all.” View this post on Instagram While we aren’t quite sure what Simpson and the crew are teasing with this post, it’s evident that some announcement is on the way. If a new Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds record were announced (or even better, surprise dropped) before the end of the year, that would be one helluva way to close out 2025. Give the people what they want, Johnny Blue Skies. Give us some new music. Who Is Johnny Blue Skies? The voice behind Johnny Blue Skies is one that country fans are all too familiar with- Sturgill Simpson. The Grammy winner is undoubtedly one of the best – and most influential – artists of the last decade. His albums, like High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, ushered in a new era in “Americana music.” (The use of quotes is because we don’t feel that subgenre is entirely accurate… but hey, it’s got to be somewhat politically correct here, I guess.) Sturgill has long promised that he would release only five albums, and he reaffirmed that promise with the release of #5, The Ballad of Dood & Juanita. But he did not say that he wouldn’t continue making music under a new name. Lo and behold, Johnny Blue Skies. After unveiling his new identity, Simpson sat down with GQ and first revealed the shallow reason he went with Johnny Blue Skies: “When I was about 21 years old, there used to be this bar in Lexington, Kentucky with this bartender named Dave who was like Silent Bob and Charles Bukowski, literally in the long trench coat, and he could do way more Zippo tricks than anybody should know. When I started performing and getting my confidence at open mics and stuff, he’d come to this other bar and see me because it was his night off. And he started every time I’d walk into his bar, he’d say, ‘Johnny Blue Skies.’ So I just started using it.” It’s a shallow yet profound answer to the question. However, the reason why he went all in on Johnny Blue Skies is the deeper – and my preferred – story. Simpson elaborated that as his celebrity grew more and more over the years, he associated with the name Sturgill less and less: “I’d be at an airport or a restaurant, and I’d hear somebody say my name and I’d turn around and realize I had no idea who the person is. All of a sudden I’d hear that name and it was like it didn’t belong to me. It was just a commodity or a brand. Sturgill served his purpose, but he’s dead, he’s gone, and I’m definitely not that guy anymore. That’s why I put that skeleton face on that (reissued) cover of Metamodern. I just can’t even relate.” I mean, it’s a simple answer that is both shallow and incredibly complex in the same breath. Though that explanation explains the “how” of Johnny Blue Skies, it still doesn’t pull back the curtain on the “who”. Simpson made sure to address that in the interview as well, and said that Johnny Blue Skies is (or complexly) whoever you wish him or imagine him to be: “He’s anybody you want him to be, man. He’s a mythological hero, come to usher us into this new era of love and light.” Fire up a tune or two from his latest project, Passage Du Desir, while you’re here. “If The Sun Never Rises” “Scooter Blues”  The post “Head High & F ‘Em All” – Johnny Blue Skies Sends Fans Into A Frenzy With Cryptic Post first appeared on Whiskey Riff.