Yearly Archives: 2026

What kind of monster would vandalize Dolly’s star? Though it still doesn’t feel real exactly a week later, the queen of country music, Dolly Parton, passed away on August 25th at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. The “Jolene” singer had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Aside from that, she understandably didn’t share more, though clearly there were more serious […]

The post Dolly Parton’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star Vandalized Just Days After Her Death first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Getting more out of touch by the day. Despite country radio clearly losing the decades-long stranglehold it has had on consumers for the better part of the past five or so years, there’s no denying that it’s still a major player in terms of introducing casual listeners to music as it has throughout history. As pretty much everyone knows by now, however, country radio has taken what can only be described as a nose-dive in quality over the years. Gone […]

The post Taking A Look At The Current State of Country Radio… And It’s Quite Bad first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The Bassmaster Elite Series capped off its 2026 season with an incredible smallmouth showdown on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario (or is it Lake America these days?) this past weekend, and it was one for the books. When you get the best anglers in the world on one of the greatest smallmouth fisheries on the planet, you know massive bags of brown bass are going straight to the scales, and AOY winner Trey McKinney put together the largest […]

The post Top 10 Winning Baits From The Bassmaster Elite Series Stop At The St. Lawrence River first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Don’t make him get down from his tree. Luke Bryan has no doubt heard a lot of the chatter surrounding his song “Fish Hunt Golf Drink,” which dropped back in May. The song was roundly criticized for relying on “bro-country” stereotypes and featuring ridiculously simplistic list-style lyrics that many accused of coming from AI: “If I could have it my own way, you know Let me tell you how every day would go Wake up, coffee Camo, climb tree Wet […]

The post “Going To Knock The S–t Out Of You” – Luke Bryan Responds To Brutal Online Backlash Over “Fish Hunt Golf Drink” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This question was inevitable in the passing of Dolly Parton on August 25th. And the only logical conclusion is “nobody.” But posed as a hypothetical and a thought exercise, who could be that person that we revere on the same level as Dolly Parton?

The post The Only Right Answer to “Who Is The Next Dolly Parton?” first appeared on Saving Country Music.

Teni Rane – Never Turning Back This artist has a warm juvenile strength in her expressive vocals. A cross between Melanie Safka (“Lay Down Candles In the Rain”) & Judee Sill (“Jesus Was a Crossmaker” & “The Kiss”). Not quite folk but a pop-Medieval-rural classical ornamentation. Wonderfully applied. The opening tune “Driveway Conversations” has a […]

The post REVIEW: Teni Rane “Never Turning Back” appeared first on Americana Highways.

Taylor Hollingsworth Folk N’ Roll Taylor Hollingsworth sets the tone for his new album right from the title track, “Folk N’ Roll.” Blending introspective songwriting with a rock ’n’ roll attitude, plus a dash of blues and a touch of punk, the ten songs were recorded at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi, and […]

The post REVIEW : Taylor Hollingsworth “Folk N’ Roll” appeared first on Americana Highways.

From Earthstar Mountain to Madison: Hannah Cohen Sets the Night On a gray afternoon at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Wisconsin, Hannah Cohen and her band opened for Alabama Shakes with a set that felt thoughtful and deeply sincere. Her songs settled naturally into the space, opening hearts and welcoming everyone into what would become […]

The post Show Review: Hannah Cohen at Breese Stevens Field in Madison appeared first on Americana Highways.

Wesley Stace – One Last Heist Earlier in his career, Wesley Stace was an edgier singer-songwriter with some creative approaches to his repertoire. However, this new set, while well-recorded & showcased in a realm similar to Canada’s award-winning Alfie Zappacosta. Alfie, who started as an intense, evocative rocker on his first Capitol Records LP (1984), […]

The post REVIEW: Wesley State “One Last Heist” appeared first on Americana Highways.

Somehow the pacifist child grew up loving pro wrestling, and the 12-inch black and white television didn’t even enter the house until the summer of the Watergate hearings, when I had the chainsaw accident. This can now be rationalized as the careful study of how character can