Author Archives: Echoes Staff

Drayton Farley’s A Heavy Duty Heart arrives like the sound of a songwriter stepping out of the dim room and into the bandstand without giving up the bruises that got him there. Released March 27, 2026, the record was cut live to tape in Nashville with his touring band and produced again by Sadler Vaden, which matters because these songs are still built on Farley’s plainspoken honesty, but they now hit with more lift, more room, and more faith in momentum. For the “Then,” Son Volt’s Trace from 1995 makes the most sense. Not because Farley sounds like Jay Farrar in some copycat way, but because Trace helped define how alt-country could carry working-class weariness, road-dusted poetics, and rock-band force in the same frame. 

Gabby Barrett acknowledges the pushback she got for getting married at just 19 years old in this vulnerable, unreleased song. Continue reading…

God bless everybody who signs up to serve our great country. Obviously with everything going in Iran right now, we’re praying for all of our service members who are in harm’s way. But there are also plenty of military parents out there right now who are terrified that their son or daughter could soon be sent to join the fight. The families of those who serve make incredible sacrifices themselves, and while I don’t have kids myself yet, I couldn’t […]

The post Singer At Kid Rock’s Nashville Bar Shares An Emotional Dance With A Mother Whose Son Is Being Deployed first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Where is the music, Garth? These days, when it comes to discovering new music or listening to your favorites, streaming is undeniably king. A recent study found that streaming makes up 84% of music industry revenue, and Spotify alone reports having 110 million monthly active users in the United States. And more importantly, nearly 90% of their users fall into the highly-coveted (by advertisers and artists alike) 18-34 demographic. But none of them can listen to Garth Brooks. It’s a […]

The post Garth Brooks Is Hurting His Own Legacy By Keeping His Music Off Streaming Services Like Spotify first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Walt Maddox has sadly passed away at the age of 88. He was best known for his role in The Marcels, a rock and roll doo-wop band.

The post Doo-Wop Star and Member of The Marcels Dead at 88 appeared first on Wide Open Country.

Chasing some Texas giants. The MLF Bass Pro Tour recently brought the field to Texas for a unique two-lake challenge at arguably one of the hottest lakes in bass fishing right now, O.H. Ivie, and about 60 miles away, Lake Brownwood. There probably hasn’t been a more talked about lake in the past few years than O.H. Ivie, one that has produced some absolute MONSTERS in recent history… we’re talking consistent double digit bass weighing 13, 14, even 15 and […]

The post Top 10 Winning Baits From The MLF Bass Pro Tour Stop At O.H. Ivie & Lake Brownwood first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This week on Folk Alley, join Cindy Howes for songs to welcome in April from Simon & Garfunkel and David Mallett, along with new music from Mumford & Sons, Taj Mahal, and Kacey Musgraves; plus, we celebrate Emmylou Harris on her birthday, and pay tribute to the great John Prine on the anniversary of his passing in April of 2020.

The post Folk Alley Radio Show #260402 appeared first on Folk Alley.

The police undertook the raid on the evening of April 1. The Lego sets took all night to inventory, with police floats being used for transport.

The post Couple Arrested After $220,000 Worth of Legos Seized by Police appeared first on Wide Open Country.

Fred Simon, a famed R&B singer from the 1970s, has sadly passed away at the age of 74. His wife announced the news on Facebook.

The post Legendary 1970s R&B Singer and Member of The Lost Generation Dead at 74 appeared first on Wide Open Country.

The Indiana woman was charged with murder after poisoning her father’s root beer float with an ingredient found in antifreeze.

The post Indiana Woman Jailed After Poisoning Father’s Root Beer Float appeared first on Wide Open Country.