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Riser House Records’ Texan-bred troubadour Coffey Anderson releases his 8-track EP, ‘Come on With It,’ marking his first full project in more than three years. LISTEN TO ‘COME ON WITH IT HERE Featuring a collaboration with Kentucky troubadour Dillon Carmichael and tunes written by some of country music’s biggest hitmakers, including Florida Georgia Line‘s Tyler Hubbard and Jon Pardi, the 8-track project continues to build on Anderson’s neo-traditional style — a nostalgia-driven sound that has defined the trailblazer’s career for more than 20 years. This signature sound, coupled with his infectious positivity, led to his starring role in the Netflix reality series about his life, ‘Country Ever After.’ Anderson kicks the EP off with a bang through the title track and focus tune of the project, penned by Pardi, Brice Long, and Bart Butler. The summertime singalong sets the tone for every dynamic track to follow, all as unexpected as Anderson, himself. “‘Come On With It’ is me 100%. I want a singalong,” says Anderson about the title track. “I tell anyone, ‘If you want to hear a Coffey song, think of the male Shania’ — we’re talking about big fiddles, big guitars, loud drums — stadium country. We need to celebrate together, and ‘Come On With It’ is the perfect opportunity to do so.” Anderson recently made his Grand Ole Opry debut on May 3, and fans can keep up with what’s to come from him by visiting coffeyanderson.com. Read More
Long Island, New York may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of country-Americana music with a strong rural connection, but you might think differently after spending some time with the work of singer/songwriter Delaney Hafener. The driving force behind The Belle Curves, Hafener has a way of turning your assumptions upside down. So whatever preconceived notions you harbor about country music, the USA, love, relationships, identity and belonging, you’ll likely find yourself looking from a newfound vantage point by the time you get to the end of the Belle Curves’ sophomore full-length Watershed. For starters, Hafener doesn’t write love songs—at least not in the typical sense. To be precise, though, songs like “We Haven’t Been Talking” and “Left Unsaid” are actually very much about love, only they address love in the context of friendship and family, respectively. Without resorting to any of the tried-and-true clichés that have become synonymous with the term “love song,” Hafener has a gift for capturing the tensions, tribulations, rancor and outright devastation that we all go through in relationships that cut just as keep—at times even moreso—than the ones we hear about in the usual breakup fare. “If we prioritize always talking about romantic relationships,” Hafener offers, “then we end up looking at all the other connections in our life through a lens that’s really flattening. If you think about it, life gets its texture from all the different people in our lives who make it interesting. You can have a platonic friend where there’s much more intensity and depth, and where it’s much more complicated, than someone who you were seeing romantically for four months. And sibling relationships can be really intense because you have so much baggage with your siblings.” “‘Left Unsaid,’” Hafener continues, “is about an argument that my mom and her… Read More
In this age of collaborations and duets out the wazzoo, who really asked for any more? Apparently Blake Shelton and ZBB did and we’re not mad about it! Take a listen now to the superstar smashup “Out In The Middle” and let us know what you think! Read More
There’s a fine line between “having to” and “choosing it”… and that was the line that made me fall in love with the sound and style of Willi Carlisle. It’s from his latest track “Van Life” on his upcoming album “Peculiar, Missouri” which comes out next month, and it perfectly sums up a dream I’ve been chasing ever since I left the bustling city behind 13 years ago. All my friends thought I was crazy to leave my established desert music scene, uproot my kids and go hide in the woods. My bank account cried over the loss of “city wages”. My mother worried that I was never going to be able to manage the tedium of raising chicken and keeping a garden. But the fact that I chose this life on purpose made all the difference. In fact, once I started listening to more of Willi’s music, it felt like he was telling my story. Mine. Not his. Not some bubblegum pop country generic references to checklists about rural life. MY STORY. But that’s the mark of a great songwriter, isn’t it? When they tap into the human condition then find a way to spell it out so that it feels both personally and universally true at the same time. I managed to catch Willi Carlisle playing at the small Fossil Cove Brewery in Fayetteville, Arkansas last week, and I had the most peculiar thing happen… I got so choked up and emotional during his set that I couldn’t even bring myself to go up and meet him. And let me tell you, that NEVER happens. I’ve been in this game way too long to be star-struck or tongue-tied. If you’ve met me in person you’ve probably already been assaulted and terrified of my forward nature and immediate adoption… Read More
One of the most recognized names among the Oklahoma music culture, Cody Canada trails a 30-year music footprint stemming from the renowned music scene referred to as Red Dirt. It goes by many names; some call it alt-country, some folk rock, some Americana, but no matter what you call it, the genre boasts an elite list of songwriters whose anthemic works have agelessly traversed decades and risen to legendary status. For over 15 years Canada fronted the aggressive country rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed, touring giants that dominated the live music circuit nationwide until their break up in 2010. In 2011, Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato formed The Departed, a power trio along with drummer Eric Hansen, and since then has carried on in that gritty and lyrically provocative style that keeps packed crowds hanging on every word. On July 1st, Cody Canada and The Departed will release the reboot of “Soul Gravy,” a catalog classic that Ragweed recorded in 2004 during their brief stay with Universal South Records. 18 years later, Canada still harbored a touch of regret that the original album was not recorded the way he wanted it to be due to the band’s relentless tour schedule. “I never was satisfied with the recording of ‘Soul Gravy.’ The songs are still my favorite collection of songs– but the way we recorded it was with digital amps. I wanted to do it with tube amps and we just didn’t have time because we were so busy. That was a busy year so we recorded fast. No amps. All pod. I didn’t like that idea and got out voted. This time I did it the way I wanted. I can finally own recordings of these songs again and have them on vinyl.” The 2004… Read More
New music Friday is always a million times better when we get new stuff from Kip Moore. Kip just released the second single, “Fire On Wheels,” from his forthcoming (and still unofficially announced) fifth studio album. He had previously teased a short clip of it on TikTok earlier this week. (No, hell hasn’t actually frozen over, but he did begrudgingly join the social media platform, although he promised “no mid tempo loop clap beat” would ever make it to his […] The post Kip Moore Drops Rockin’ New Single “Fire On Wheels,” Shows Off His Moves In New Music Video first appeared on Whiskey Riff. Read More
I was raised on country music, which means that while I loved Justin Bieber and One Direction as a teen, I was also in love with Garth Brooks, Trace Adkins, and, of course, Alabama. And for the longest time, Alabama was my favorite. They were even #1 on my concert bucket list, which I was able to check off when I saw them at the Florida Strawberry Festival. From songs about love and heartbreak to story songs to songs about […] The post For A Band With Over 40 Number One Hits, Why Does It Feel Like Alabama Is Still Underrated? first appeared on Whiskey Riff. Read More
When people talk about river monsters, I don’t think this is what they have in mind… Matt Keller, founder of Old Hat Outdoors, set out for a little fly fishing trip the Boise River two weeks ago, hoping to catch some nice trout. According to Meat Eater, the fish weren’t bitin’, but I’d say he got one hell of a trade off. As he made his way down the river, he noticed something big caught in some brush. He made […] The post Idaho Fisherman Finds Monster Mule Deer Carcass In The Boise River first appeared on Whiskey Riff. Read More
HOT DAMN. Taking back to the 2016 when Chris Stapleton teamed up with the great Dwight Yoakam for a cover of Willie Nelson and Ray Charles’ “Seven Spanish Angels.” Written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, “Seven Spanish Angels” was recorded by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles in 1984, and released on Charles’ album Friendship, and then later included on Willie’s 1985 duets compilation album, Half Nelson. It was the most successful of Ray’s eight hits on the country chart, as […] The post Chris Stapleton & Dwight Yoakam Team Up For Cover Of Ray Charles & Willie Nelson’s “Seven Spanish Angels” first appeared on Whiskey Riff. Read More
Alright, I need this song out on all platforms now. Although Tyler Childers has been taking some much needed time off from touring here recently, the man has been making a few pop up appearances here and there. He played his “Healing Appalachia” Virtual Benefit Concert(festival coming in the fall), made a surprise appearance near his hometown at the Fallsburg Summer Stage after filling in for Town Mountain, and also played at DelFest this year in addition to the Telluride […] The post Tyler Childers Plays Unreleased Song “Triune God” Alongside The Travelin’ McCourys At DelFest first appeared on Whiskey Riff. Read More