Despite his own successful career, he still hears constant calls to play his dad's material. Continue reading…

If you’ve been bumping Gavin Adcock’s recent release, “Loose Strings,” then you need to hear it sung by the man who wrote it. Earlier this year, Gavin Adock released a new track titled “Loose Strings,” which was very fitting given that he had just mended his relationship with his girlfriend, Hailey, after a public breakup. While it was not as public as Zach Bryan and Brianna Chickenfry’s, fans were convinced it seemed like Gavin’s fame got to his head, leading him to act differently, and his woman was not putting up with it. The song was very fitting for this time of his life as he tried to mend the “Loose Strings” of his relationship. Adcock fans instantly loved the track, and while his take on it is impressive, it’s not a new song to some other country fans. Written by Brent Cobb, Erik Dylan, and Phillip White, the song first appeared on Hailey Whitters’ 2020 album The Dream and was later recorded by Cobb as an Amazon exclusive. Today, Cobb again shares the words he penned in a beautiful acoustic take. The lyrics describe the hurt of not being together after a fight and the struggle to figure out how to tie down the “Loose Strings” to end up back together, this time with a stable and strong foundation for the relationship. Cobb opens up by saying that this song was inspired by a fight he and his wife had. “Yeah, ‘Loose Strings.’ I lived it. Um, and I think a lot of people have lived it. It’s a, it’s a…I think I said in an interview somewhere that my now-wife and I had a healthy, uh, misunderstanding or something. I mean, that whole first verse and chorus I wrote about… I wrote the next morning. Because we rode dirt roads that evening in the old Toyota and, um, that really happened, you know. And I really found her jacket. It’s just the truth, is all that was.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brent Cobb (@brentcobb) After providing a little backstory on the track, Cobb begins strumming his acoustic guitar before diving into the lyrics. Brent Cobb is one of those songwriters who has a way of putting together simple sentences that convey big emotions and thoughts. His lyrics are easily digestible and relatable, yet they pack a hefty punch. And here, Cobb delivers the lyrics with conviction. As you know, he did mend those “Loose Strings,” and he and his wife are now happily together raising their daughter and son, but the hurt is still in his voice when he thinks about losing someone he cherishes so much. “When I stagger home alone, still thinkin’ about you I’m through talkin’ about all the things I can’t change It’s hard movin’ on, I don’t want you gone Ain’t it strange the way we keep tryin’ to tie down this thing With these loose strings…” Brent Cobb’s songwriting is unmatched, and “Loose Strings” is another example of how his music relates to many other artists. Before you go, fire up Gavin Adcock and Hailey Whitter’s versions of “Loose Strings.” Gavin Adcock Hailey Whitters The post “I Lived It”- Brent Cobb Shares Stellar Acoustic Performance Of “Loose Strings” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

IT’S HERE. Billy Strings and Zach Top‘s long-awaited EP is here. The Apple Music exclusive, where the 2x Grammy Award-winning artist teamed up with Zach Top to bring him back to his bluegrass roots, is officially available everywhere as a three-track EP. Back in November of last year, this duo shook up the scene, teaming up for an Apple Music exclusive session to play three songs: two of Top’s singles, “Bad Luck” and “Things To Do,” along with a bluegrass classic, “Don’t Cheat In Our Hometown.” Written by Ray Pennington and Roy E. Marcum, “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown” was first recorded by The Stanley Brothers in 1963. Then, Ricky Skaggs released it in November 1983 as his record’s first single and title track. The song is famously known to be sung by Staggs, as it was a massive hit for him, skyrocketing to the top of the charts as his sixth number one country hit. Given that Top and Strings have been breaths of fresh air to the country scene, this collaboration highlighted two of the best talents in the business. Zach Top got his start in country music as a bluegrass player touring with his family band for over a decade, so seeing him get back to his roots was so fun to watch on the Apple Music session. Zach Top’s family band was composed of Top and his three other siblings, and while it was fun for them to have a family band from an early age, it was clear that Top was himself doing this for a long time versus his siblings, who saw it as a fun side hobby. “Yeah, we ran around 10 years. Luckily, I didn’t ruin any relationships with my siblings ’cause I remember having… we had some brutal band practices. I was definitely the one that wanted it really bad, and I’d sit down there and play guitar three hours a day and then try and get them to, you know, do a little band practice for whatever show we had coming up or something. I was definitely an unpleasant little tyrant a lot of times, I’ll say.” He’s come a long way since then, leaning into the revival of ’90s music, but ZT still knows how to pick the hell out of a guitar. You can see that flat-picking style used in his music today. Watching Billy Strings and Zach Top riff off each other is like watching a masterclass in showmanship, and you can tell they had a blast teaming up for this. “We had a lot of fun, traded back and forth some playing and whatnot. It’s so fun to watch him play. And I feel like he’s known so much for a player that it gets passed over sometimes how freaking good of a singer he is too. It was so fun to get to sing with him and him kind enough to come in on a couple of my songs and sing a second verse, sing a little harmony, do that kind of thing. It was a blast.”  After the session was released, non-Apple Music users began begging for it to be shared on other platforms. The cries got even louder after the two teamed up again on stage at Denver’s Grizzly Rose, showing that their musical chemistry goes beyond the studio. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Whiskey Riff (@whiskeyriff) After fans had been begging and pleading, they heard our cries and delivered, releasing the Me & Billy EP, which is everywhere today. The three-track EP features everything from the Apple Music Session and can now be enjoyed by listeners of all platforms. This is a must-listen for your New Music Friday. Fire it up. “Bad Luck” “Don’t Cheat In Our Hometown” ZACH TOP CONFIRMED TOUR DATES February 28—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium^ (SOLD OUT) March 1—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium+ (SOLD OUT) March 5—Jacksonville, FL—Daily’s Place+ (SOLD OUT) March 7—Orlando, FL—Kia Center# March 8—Atlanta, GA—Buckhead Theatre+ (SOLD OUT) March 11—Houston, TX—NRG Rodeo Houston March 21-23—Willowbank, Australia—CMC Rocks April 2—Oxford, MS—The Lyric Oxford~ April 3—Starkville, MS—Rick’s Cafe~ April 4—Starkville, MS—Rick’s Cafe~ April 5—New Orleans, LA—Hogs for the Cause 2025 April 10—Columbia, SC—Township Auditorium~ April 11—Winterville, GA—Athens Fairgrounds April 12—Opelika, AL—Sistrunk Farms April 24—Wilmington, NC—Live Oak Bank Pavilion^ April 25—Statesboro, GA—The Blue Room^ April 26—Tampa, FL—Amalie Arena# May 1—New York, NY—Terminal 5^ May 2—Siver Spring, MD—The Fillmore^ May 3—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore Philadelphia^ May 4—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway^ May 15—Pikeville, KY—Appalachian Wireless Arena~ May 16—Indianapolis, IN—Everwisse Amphitheater at White River State Park~ May 17—Milwaukee, WI—Fiserv Forum# May 29—Austin, TX—Moody Center* May 30—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion* May 31—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center* June 5—Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheatre* June 6—Tampa, FL—MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre* June 7—iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre* June 11—North Lawrence, OH—The Country Fest 2025 June 12—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage* June 14—Tinley Park, IL—Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre June 19—Chula Vista, CA—North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre June 20—Phoenix, AZ—Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre June 21—Albuquerque, NM—Isleta Amphitheater June 22—Telluride, CO—Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2025 June 26—Los Angeles, CA—Intuit Dome* June 27—Wheatland, CA—Toyota Amphitheatre* June 28—Mountain View, CA—Shoreline Amphitheatre July 10—Virginia Beach, VA—Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater July 11—Bristow, VA—Jiffy Libe Live July 12—Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center July 13—Clearfield, PA—Clearfield County Fairgrounds July 17—Twin Lakes, WI—Shadow Hill Ranch July 18—Cincinnati, OH—Riverbend Music Center July 19—Noblesville, IN—Ruoff Music Center July 31—Salt Lake City, UT—Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre August 1—Nampa, ID—Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater August 2—Quincy, WA—Watershed Festival August 7—Camden, NJ—Freedom Mortgage Pavilion* August 8—Raleigh, NC—Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek August 9—Charlotte, NC—PNC Music Pavilion August 14—Darrien Center, NY—Darrien Lake Amphitheater* August 15—Holmdel, NJ—PNC Bank Arts Center August 16—Bethel, NY—Bethel Woods Center for the Arts August 21—Savannah, GA—Enmarket Arena August 22—Birmingham, AL—Coca-Cola Amphitheater August 23—Biloxi, MS—Mississippi Coast Coliseum* August 28—New York, NY—Madison Square Garden Arena* August 29—Burgettstown, PA—The Pavilion at Star Lake* August 30—Clarkston, MI—Pine Knob Music Theatre* +with special guest Cole Goodwin #supporting Alan Jackson ^with special guest Jake Worthington ~with special guest Lauren Watkins *supporting Dierks BentleyThe post Zach Top & Billy Strings Put Their Bluegrass Pickin’ On Display With ‘Me & Billy’ EP first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

A coalition of foreign aid groups on Friday implored the U.S. Supreme Court to lift an emergency stay placed by Chief Justice John Roberts on a district court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) which would require the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in federal funds. Roberts issued the stay Wednesday evening, less than three hours before the district court-imposed deadline imposed on the administration.

Lindsey Graham, one of Ukraine’s biggest defenders on the Republican side, is flipping the script after President Donald Trump’s bombshell shouting match with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The senator called the meeting an “absolute, utter disaster,” claiming he was “devastated” by the public White House brawl. Hours before, Graham met with Zelensky, where things seemed to be smooth sailing.

EPA boss Lee Zeldin’s push to rescind the White House’s 2009 finding on greenhouse gases marks another great milestone on President Trump’s climate course correction. But it’s long past time for the entire West to admit it: The whole anti-carbon crusade declared in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement has proved a disaster — wrecking economies and worsening lives without making a real difference on climate change. Here at home, the 2009 (Obama-era) “finding” declared that...

The dreaded sounds of the 1980s.

Not quite ready for primetime.