Last week, I took note that organizations across the country were commemorating the Ruby Ridge attack. What sparked this commemoration was that just this last week, the FBI handed medals of bravery, which is actually cowardice, to the very agents who are murderers, who were involved in the 2016 assassination of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum. Ruby …

This week, Hannah Dasher stops by the podcast to talk about how her presence on TikTok and her cooking show has helped fans discover her music, the struggles of being a fully independent artist, what it’s like to be a woman in the industry and how challenging that can be, her thoughts on Beyoncé and she wishes she would’ve fully gone country and much more. Download 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 Whiskey Riff Raff Podcast with Hannah Dasher first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Not cool… I know it’s exciting to finally get to meet your favorite artist. I’m a fan just like anybody, and I remember the feeling when I first got to meet some of the guys and gals that I’ve been listening to for years. Getting a meet and greet can feel like a golden ticket, even if it only means a brief encounter and getting to snap a picture before being quickly ushered along. But artists are people too, and just because they’re famous doesn’t mean you can lose your mind and forget how to act like a decent human being. I can’t even imagine some of the wild stuff artists have to deal with when it comes to meeting fans, whether that’s out in the wild, at events, or during meet and greets before shows. But Maren Morris is giving fans a reminder of how to behave after a disturbing encounter at a recent meet and greet. The country singer turned pop star took to Instagram recently to reveal that she was groped by what sounds like an overly-eager fan before a show on Friday, August 22 at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL: “Hi y’all. Tonight’s show was so fun, but someone grabbed my ass during meet and greet before the show. I’m going to continue them because one person shouldn’t ruin it for everyone, but please know I’m there to connect, share, hug, all the things but please don’t override someone’s personal space. Love you.” I mean, it goes without saying that’s not ok. Maren didn’t specify whether it was a male or female fan, but it doesn’t really matter either way. And we’ve also seen incidents like this happen with both male and female artists, including back in the day when Faith Hill scolded a female fan for trying to grab her husband Tim McGraw’s crotch. Like I said, I get being excited, but it seems like whether it’s throwing beers or other things onstage or trying to grope an artist in a way that they would never do to somebody they actually know, fans seem to forget that artists are people too, and too often we see basic etiquette go out the window. Just be a decent person. If stuff like this happens too often, it’s going to ruin it for the rest of the well-behaved fans who want the chance to meet their favorite artist. Maren’s Latest Album Fails To Chart It’s fair to say that the “My Church” singer has “played the hokey pokey” with the country music genre, constantly putting herself in and then back out of the classification of country music (no word on if she’s turning herself around). Morris has said in the past she no longer wants to be a country music artist… just as much as she’s backtracked and said country music is a part of her. And it’s that confusion that likely led to her newest album, Dreamsicle, being the lowest performing major label album of her career. It entirely missed the Billboard 200 ranking after it’s first full tracking frame, which is the first time that’s ever happened to her in her music career. Just for perspective, her 3 previous studio albums charted 5th, 4th and 21st, respectively, on the Billboard 200, and 1st, 1st and 2nd on the Country Albums chart. To not even land on either with Dreamsicle… a total flop. Though I believe it’s very easy to point a finger at Morris choosing to not sit in one genre with her latest album (Dreamsicle is more contemporary pop than it is country), she believes that the project’s struggles stem from the music industry changing the way people consume music. Maren Morris told Vulture that it might just take time for Dreamsicle to gain traction, since she didn’t go the traditional “single route” with her album, and didn’t emphasize social media marketing all that much: “I didn’t really have ‘singles’ from this record. The album rebuilds from the way I’ve been doing things in the past. The world of marketing has changed so much with social media, TikTok, and streaming versus radio. Everything’s almost like a slower, more organic way of building something. I’m fortunate I’ve got a fan base and I can tour, but it’s a different way than I’ve been used to doing things. Which was: You put a single out three months before the full record comes out, you work it at radio, you watch it rise — hopefully — and then everything’s a perfect storm on album-release day. I’ve done that, and that’s the way people, I guess, still do it. But now it’s a lot different.” I gotta ask the question… is Maren Morris really just now finding this out? If she is, at least she’s accepting that she’ll have to adapt to the new direction the music industry is moving towards. Morris went on to say that she’s choosing to avoid looking at charts and numerical graphs for her latest album, and the struggles of Dreamsicle are acting as a bit of a wake up call for her: “I have to be adaptable to new things and humble myself to a new way of releasing music. Radio is obviously important, but it’s not the first thing on the docket anymore. I’m trying to embrace a more independent way of doing things. I still think every song has so much worth. But, yeah, I had to resign myself from looking at any sort of numerical graph or chart, because that wasn’t going to be my directive on this. I’ve got to almost start over, in a way.” If you ask me, the back-and-forth nature of Maren Morris’ country music career is very much to blame for her latest project not ranking in the Billboard 200.The post Maren Morris Calls Out Fan Who Grabbed Her Butt During Meet And Greet: “Don’t Override Someone’s Personal Space” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Tipping their hat to the late, great Charlie Robison. It’s been almost two years since we lost the Texas legend Charlie Robison. Charlie Robison passed away at the age of 59 back on September 10, 2023. His wife Kristen was the one who broke the sad news to the social media world, posting this message on her Facebook page: “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that my husband, Charlie Robison, has passed away today, surrounded by his family and friends. My heart is broken. Please pray for me, our children and our family.” In 2018, Robison was forced to “call it quits” with his music after he had complications with a surgery that left him unable to tour. Though he had to say goodbye to the studio and the stage, his music (which played a critical role in the Texas country music scene) lives on. Since his passing, many Texas and red dirt musicians often pay tribute to Robison on stage, again, ensuring that his legacy lives on. One song that has continued to live on is “My Hometown,” the tune featured on Robison’s Life Of The Party record, which was released in 1998. The nostalgic tune is the perfect reminder for small-town kids feeling lost in the world that life goes on, you eventually find your way, and you can always rely on your hometown to ground you when needed. “So I’ll see you in Houston If I ever get out that way I’ll see you in Dallas But I won’t have long to stay If you’re ever out west son And you’re feeling like slowing down I’ll see you around ‘Round my hometown…” After Robison’s death, the Turnpike Troubadours teamed up with Cody Canada, long before Cross Canadians Ragweed’s reunion, at Born & Raised Festival, to team up for a stellar rendition of “My Hometown.” Turnpike Troubadours has kept the tradition alive, most recently performing the classic tune with Robert Earl Keen. The duet was released as a part of REK’s Americana Podcast episode with the Turnpike Troubadours’ frontman, sharing that the moment came organically after the men had wrapped up their discussion. “Unplugged and unrehearsed, this acoustic version captures the spirit of Red Dirt music at its purest. Just two of Americana’s most beloved voices trading verses and honoring a friend whose lyrics still ring true.” The stripped-back acoustic performance lets the lyrics of the tune shine brightly. REK takes the lead of the lyrics, and Felker jumps in to help during the second chorus. These two men sound stellar together and make Charlie Robison proud with this rendition of the tune. While this rendition of incredible, it gets better because over the weekend, during The Boys From Oklahoma event in Waco, Texas, REK surprised the crowd at McLane Stadium. The acoustic version, featuring Felker, is stellar, but the full-band version, featuring REK, Cody Canada, Kyle Nix, and more, is even better. God bless Robert Earl King and long live Charlie Robison. Fire up the original while you’re here. The post Robert Earl Keen & The Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker Covering Charlie Robison’s “My Hometown” Is Pure Gold first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted today that his previous reporting on how much he thought tariffs would bring into the country was low, admitting President Trump was right to chastise him about . . .

CNN guest Tiffany Cross is about to get her butt sued off by Stephen Miller over something absolutely despicable that she said last night on-air. Watch below: She’ll claim she was just . . .