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Back in the 2000s and early 2010s, country music on the radio was drenched in whiskey, beer, and barroom heartbreak. Whether you were tailgating, nursing a hangover, or drowning your ex out of your memory, country had a drink in hand right there with you. We’re talking Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar,” Blake Shelton’s “The More I Drink,” Brad Paisley’s “Alcohol.” These weren’t just songs. They were anthems. A lifestyle. A barstool gospel. And during the bro-country era from 2012 to 2017 or so, you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing a song about throwing back a cold one on a dirt road or taking shots of Fireball around a bonfire. But here in 2025? Something strange is happening. Artists are starting to put the bottle down. Lyrics are getting more personal, more honest. Some of your favorite musicians, like Billy Strings, Ashley McBryde, or even wild card Tyler Childers have talked openly about getting sober. And younger fans? They’re tuning in. So what the hell’s going on? Is country music sobering up? Let’s back up and take a look at how country used to treat drinking like a second religion. Eric Church – “Smoke a Little Smoke” (2010) “I’m gonna sit right here, stay away from there I’m gon’ make pretend I just don’t care I could get up, go get her back Or maybe I’ll just let her go Drink a little drink, smoke a little smoke” Here’s one you might’ve pounded shots to without realizing it’s actually about avoiding emotions. This is country’s version of “I’m fine, bro,” when clearly no one is. Still slaps, though. Toby Keith – “Red Solo Cup” (2011) “Let’s have a party I love you, Red Solo Cup I lift you up Proceed to party” This one needs no introduction. A party anthem with the depth of a beer pong table, and we loved every second. It was dumb, loud, and brilliant. It didn’t just glorify drinking, it made it patriotic. The Red Solo Cup became a symbol. If you weren’t shotgunning Nattys with this blasting, were you even living? Dierks Bentley – “Drunk on a Plane” (2014) “It’s Mardi Gras up in the clouds I’ll try anything to drown out the pain” This track is peak “drink your heartbreak away and laugh about it.” Dierks made being left at the altar sound like a vacation. Sure, he’s sad, but tequila always helps! The video? Flight attendants getting tipsy, sombreros, chaos at 30,000 feet. Sadness has never been this much fun. Tyler Childers – “Whitehouse Road” (2017) “Get me drinkin’ that moonshine Get me higher than the grocery bill” Moonshine, cocaine, and heartbreak all bundled into a backwoods banger. Childers is reckless, and the song makes it sound like freedom. You almost forget he’s talking about real pain. And “Charleston Girl”? Same deal. Booze, brawls, and beautiful messes. It’s not a critique (it’s a celebration of chaos). So What’s Changed? Lately, something’s different. The music’s still damn good, but the message is shifting. Zach Bryan – “Oklahoma Smokeshow” (2022) “I’ve been up all night thinkin’ about a life with you and I…” No alcohol. No “whiskey lullabies.” Just raw heartbreak. Zach isn’t pouring a drink (he’s pouring his soul). And fans are eating it up. It’s not weakness…it’s reality. Tyler Childers – “Angel Band” (2022) “I was blind, but now I see…” Childers came full circle. The same guy who once shouted for moonshine is now writing gospel-style songs about clarity, redemption, and finding purpose. His album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven is basically a spiritual detox. It’s not just about quitting drinking, it’s about why he needed to. The Castellows, Wyatt Flores – “Sober Sundays” (2024) “I held you ’til you got sober…” Wyatt and The Castellows hit a nerve here. It’s not about wild nights, it’s about getting through hard nights. This is what happens after the party, when you realize something has to change. And yeah, it hits hard. Final Shot: Is Country Still Fun Without Booze? Here’s the thing: the party’s not over. Country music isn’t turning into a therapy session. But it is growing up. That wild Saturday night still has a place, but so does Sunday morning clarity. Of course the change in country music comes amid a broader shift as study after study shows that young people are drinking less – and in many cases abstaining from booze altogether – than previous generations. The heart of country has always been about truth. And sometimes the truest thing you can do is admit when it’s time to put the bottle down. So yeah, pour one out for the Toby Keith era, but maybe raise a glass (of whatever you’re drinking) to the new wave, too. Because real country ain’t just about getting drunk anymore. It’s about getting real.The post Beers, Tears, and Growing Up: Is Country Music Finally Getting Sober? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

We love museums devoted to art, history, and science as much as the next person—but sometimes, our curiosity demands quirkier territory.

Pete Townshend is the central figure of The Who, not only as the guitarist but also as the band’s main songwriter. He was crucial to their success but the magic truly happened thanks to the chemistry between him Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. Over the decades, Townshend had the chance to see many incredible guitarists perform live and he often shared his opinions about them. One of those artists was the legendary Joe Walsh, known for his solo career as well as for being a member of James Gang and the Eagles. What is Pete Townshend's opinion on Joe Walsh Pete Townshend is a fan of Joe Walsh's guitar playing and already in 1975 he told Rolling Stone that he was one of the few how could play like that “Joe Walsh is a fluid and intelligent player. There’re not many like that around.” Curiously, Jimmy Page was not the only one who Joe Walsh helped to find a good guitar which was later used on many classic albums. The Eagles guitarist also gave a guitar to Pete Townshend, which was fundamental to get the sound he wanted for the classic record "Who's Next" (1971). They met each other when James Gang was The Who's opening act, shortly before their album "Rides Again" (1970) was released. "Joe Walsh, whom I’d met, sent me an orange Gretsch like Neil Young uses and a Fender Bassman amp and with an Entwoods volume pedal in between. I started getting into that kind of sound. Leslie West sent me a really great Les Paul Junior with one pickup on it and Eric gave me an old Strat." He continued: "I think in a way what these guys were trying to tell me was if I wasn’t ready to go out and find me a good guitar, they did it for me. They gave me good instruments and I still have those three instruments today. And those were really the guitars I used on that album. Mainly the solo work on 'Who’s Next' was done on the Gretsch Chet Atkins." "(...) I feel Joe (Walsh) is a very expressive guitar player. He has brought out a lot of expressiveness in the other guitar player in the band (The Eagles), Don Felder." Pete Townshend to Sound International magazine in 1980. That guitar was used on every track of "Who's Next" album and Pete Townshend once said it was the finest guitar he ever had. Joe Walsh said Pete Townshend taught him how to play in a trio https://youtu.be/Cw8K5a2_quQ According to the American guitarist, Townshend was also important for his career. Besides taking them on the road, he also taught him how to play in a three-piece band. Joe Walsh recallaed that in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2024. (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) "I was about 21 (When I was in James Gang). We complete out of luck got to open for The Who in Europe when they premiered 'Tommy'. (They found me in) Pittsburgh. They played 'Tommy' in Pittsburgh and we opened for them because the promoter was our manager. Pete Townshend just happened to come early that night and heard 20 minutes of it. We became really good friends, I became really good friends with the whole band." "They took us to Europe and that's really what broke the James Gang. He taught me how to play guitar in a three piece band: guitar, drums and bass. The thing he taught me was to play with an attitude, just the attitude is the whole thing. You can hear that attitude on a lot of my records. But Keith Moon, The Who's drummer, he taught me how to trash hotel rooms. Have you noticed that in hotel rooms you can't open the windows anymore? That's because of Moon and me (laughs)," Joe Walsh told Jimmy Kimmel. Joe Walsh says Pete Townshend was a mentor to him According to Walsh, during that tour Townshend took him under his wing and became a kind of mentor. The American musician decided to give him that guitar because he felt Pete was stuck in the same kind of amp and guitar setup.  “He really identified with what we were doing. Pete’s a very melodic player and so am I. He told me that he appreciated my playing. I was flattered beyond belief because I didn’t think I was that good. Pete and I really hit it off. We had the same frustrations about working with a three-piece group." “The next thing I knew, he was saying in interviews that he had heard ‘this great guitar player from the James Gang’. That he was America’s answer to all the English flash guitarists. Then, right on the heels of all this, we put out our best album, 'Rides Again'. The word got out and we started to get gigs from everywhere. That was the high point of my stay with the James Gang.” He continued: “The songs I was writing needed more texture than a trio could offer. I was writing with harmony and nobody could sing them. (Also) writing for piano and we couldn’t play one onstage. I was frustrated. (So) I had just written and recorded “The Bomber” and “Tend My Garden” and couldn’t really re-create them onstage. Townshend had finished Tommy and was going through the same changes. We got along so well that I gave him the fat orange Gretsch guitar that he used on Who’s Next and Clapton’s Rainbow Concert,” Joe Walsh told Rolling Stone. James Gang was first active from 1966 to 1977 but Joe Walsh was a member from 1968 to 1971. After leaving the band he released the debut album of Barnstorm, new band he created. But in the next years he was focused on his solo career. In 1975 he finally joined the Eagles and recorded his first album with them, "Hotel California" (1976), one of the best-selling records of all time. Over the decades he had the chance to play with The Who members multiple times.The post Pete Townshend’s opinion on Joe Walsh appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.