Yearly Archives: 2026

If you never saw Friday Night Lights, you missed a real gem of a show. Set in fictional Dillon, Texas, where the high school football team (the Panthers) reigned supreme, it followed the fortunes and exploits of the coach, his wife, and several players and students. Somehow, encapsulating this thoughtful series like that does not […]

The post Kyle Chandler Says ‘Friday Night Lights’ Changed His Life – and Nothing Has Matched It Since appeared first on Wide Open Country.

Now what do we have here… Kip Moore released his seventh studio album Reason to Believe in May, and it was another impressive project, which finds him reflecting on grief, resilience, faith and hope. Kip consistently puts out stellar albums, and despite being truly one of the most talented artists in mainstream country in terms of his vocals and songwriting prowess, he has remained of the most underrated artists in country in my humble opinion. And while it’s only been about fix months or so […]

The post “Stay Tuned” — Kip Moore Teases Something New On The Way first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

After reports suggested that Taylor Sheridan was returning to write the script for Sicario 3, another source came out and said that the Yellowstone creator isn’t actually penning the script for the third Sicario installment. Sheridan’s Sicario, which translates to “hitman” in Spanish, hit theaters in 2015, and featured a star-studded cast of Josh Brolin, Emily Blunt, and Benicio del Toro, among others. It was a smash hit… but its follow up, Sicario: Day of the Saldado, didn’t fare as […]

The post Bad News For ‘Sicario 3’? Taylor Sheridan Handing Off Script Duty For Sequel first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Honoring one of their finest. It’s hard to believe it’s been over two-and-a-half years since the tragic passing of the late, great Toby Keith. As we all know, the Oklahoma native passed away on February 5, 2024, at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer. Words can hardly describe the lasting impact he’s had on not only the genre itself but all his long-time fans, members of the military and the countless number of lives touched […]

The post Oklahoma Baseball To Name New Student-Athlete Center In Honor Of Toby Keith first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s AmericanaFest. Lifetime achievement award? I’m not done yet. Mike Campbell, accepting a lifetime achievement award Always blame the bass player, they almost never have a […]

September’s new music releases really illustrated the breath and depth of what roots music encompasses. Longstanding No Depression favorites like Mary Gauthier returned with a new batch of instant folk classics and Buddy Miller released his first solo album in more than 20 years. Plus, September saw up-

Angela Easterling photo by Sandlin Gaither Angela Easterling on The Personal and Historical Resonance Behind Songs From The Knoxville Project South Carolina-based singer/songwriter Angela Easterling has spent several years thinking about a very big project, one with the potential to be a musical stage play, that relates to her own family history in the Carolinas […]

The post Interview: Angela Easterling on The Personal and Historical Resonance Behind “Songs From The Knoxville Project” appeared first on Americana Highways.

Paula Fong – A Bird On the Wing This endeavor by L.A.-based singer-songwriter Paula Fong (vocals/acoustic guitar) was produced in California by Justin Sinclair (acoustic guitar/bass/vocals/string arrangements) with multi-instrumentalist Phil Glenn on her 11-cut debut A Bird On the Wing (Dropped Oct 2/Independent/40:25). My first exposure to bluegrass wasn’t even a bluegrass artist – it […]

The post REVIEW: Paula Fong “A Bird On the Wing” appeared first on Americana Highways.

Dude Cervantes & the Panchos – Self-Titled This band has moments of Strawberry Alarm Clock (“Me & the Township”) psychedelic fauna but never get their music into a psychedelic pop configuration for long. What surfaces like algae & is far better in their psycho-rootsy bravura is evident on each tune (“Billion Dollar Art”). The melodies […]

The post REVIEW: Dude Cervantes & the Panchos – Self-Titled appeared first on Americana Highways.

John Batdorf Singles Singer-songwriter John Batdorf recently released his latest album, Singles, a collection of songs, most of which were co-written with Michael McLean, whom Batdorf calls his songwriting “brother from a different mother.” Batdorf explains, “Back in September of 2025, I had a musical idea for a song. I had released Anthem For The […]

The post REVIEW: John Batdorf “Singles” appeared first on Americana Highways.