With a half-dozen #1 career singles, ten Top 10 hits and high-energy live show, Joe Nichols is more than qualified to teach a crash-course on success is the music industry, but when it comes to some of today’s most talked-about stars — he may be the one needing a crash course.

With his new 11th studio album, 'Honky Tonks and Country Songs,' revolving around his love for the Country scene, Joe reflected on his favorite bars to perform at (Billy Bobs in Fort Worth and The Grizzly Rose in Denver) but when it came to watching a show, Nichols was stumped.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a show at a bar in a long time, or any show… I’d have to ask my wife what’s the last show I saw,” he said before revealing he did recently buy tickets.

“I just bought the first concert tickets in, decades maybe, for Sabrina Carpenter for my girls,” he said before admitting, “I have no idea who she is.” He laughed, “Still, to this day, I have no idea who she is, but I know she’s a big deal…. I bought tickets to her show, they’re really expensive.“

While he may not be up to date on Carpenter, there’s one modern day hitmaker he’s very familiar with and that’s Post Malone. Nichols shared that Post reached out to him multiple times to get him at a show, and it all came together for Post’s 'F-1 Trillion' album release show in Nashville.

“I should say, Post is great and I was super surprised by his knowledge of Country music and me. I’m like, ‘Why are you such a big fan of me? I’m kind of a random Country guy,’” Nichols laughed. “He was amazingly, genuinely nice, caring, thoughtful and complimentary… I walked in and I mean, you would’ve thought Santa Claus walked in the room ‘cause he’s like,’ Oh my God! Joe Nichols!’ And I’m like, ‘Alright, you’re excited! This is exciting to me, it feels great…' He’s like a giddy little kid.”

After helping Post celebrate his album, Nichols is now onto celebrating his own new music with the release of his own new album, 'Honky Tonks and Country Songs.' With it, he proves he’s both timely and timeless with 11 tracks highlighting his true Country sound and love for Honky Tonks.

While it marks his 11th album, Nichols says the creative-process only gets harder with time as he’s more aware of failure and flops. “In the studio, I really second-guess everything,” he admitted. “I’m afraid of lying to myself about what’s good and what’s not, what’s good enough? What’s not ready? I have that bad habit, I know.”

He continued, “Everything’s gotta be thought out, we get prepared for everything” Hear what the result of all of it sounds like by checking out Nichols’ new album, 'Honky Tonks and Country Songs,' available now. Also, hear more about the songs, why it reminds him of chicken noodle soup, and so much more by checking out his full conversation on the Friday Night Takeover above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly

It’s a big day for Riley Green, who is not only celebrating his 36th birthday, but the release of his third studio album, Don’t Mind If I Do.

“It feels fitting that this album is out on my birthday because this project feels very true to who I am, where I come from and what I’ve learned along the way,” Green shared of the project, available now. “I learned to play guitar to my granddaddy’s favorite Country songs from back in the day and this new album is a throwback to the era when I first became a fan.”

Don’t Mind If I Do delivers more of the Alabama-native’s signature sound fans have fallen in love with including featured songs like “Damn Good Day to Leave,” which is just one of two current singles Green has climbing the charts at Country radio.

“A break-up song that was fun I thought was a good idea,” Green told Audacy’s Rob + Holly of the track during an interview earlier this year at Faster Horses Festival. “I loved the Brad Paisley, ‘I’m Gonna Miss Her’ — I love that thought of, ‘it doesn’t sting as much when she leaves if the fish are bitin’ and I’m listening and you’ve got a cooler of beer,’ you know?”

“Obviously ‘You Look Like You Love Me,’ the song I have with Ella Langley is doing really well,” he said before sharing he didn’t initially plan on having another duet with her so soon, but it was meant to be. “She was on tour with me and I wanted a female voice on [this song]. I asked her to come by and sing on it, just to get somebody there, then I was going to figure out who I was going to get and she just crushed it,” he shared. “So, we may have another song together.”

Hear additional details about the album, Green’s athletic abilities, past Halloween costumes and more by checking out his entire interview with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.

Hear more about the new music, the tour and his bar checking out the Friday Night Takeover With Rob + Holly and Riley Green this Friday at 7PM!

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly

The Country music door is wide open these days with several cross-genre artists stepping through to immerse themselves in the family-like fanbase. In turn, established Country artists have had their own fun with cross-genre collabs and trying on new sounds, but if you ask Jon Pardi — there is a limit.

“You’re missin’ out if you’re not going to take advantage of all this influence coming in from everyone,” he said of welcoming new influences.” You’ve got HARDY screamin’ and playing out crazy amphitheaters, then you got Post Malone here — he actually cut a really great, pretty Country, Country record — so it’s just like everybody is kind of having fun and I feel like you’ve gotta experiment a little bit.”

He continued, “It’s fun, but you don’t wanna go too crazy… I’m not gonna do nothin crazy.”

Pardi shared traditional Country will always be at the root of his music as he recalled listening to the greats in the ‘80s alongside his grandmother. He loved it so much, in preschool his teacher shared he came to class each week claiming his name was a different Country artist.

“I was told I came to preschool with a different Country singer’s name every other week or so,” he shared. “One week I was Randy Travis one week I was Merle Haggard. I was George Strait one time.”

While childhood was all about Country for Pardi, he ventured out to some Pop/Punk music in his high school years, which he still enjoys today. While the Alternative sound isn’t something he plans to incorporate into his music, the lyrics and overall feel is something that he says helped him with songwriting.

“In high school I was really into Rock and Punk Rock… If we’re going to throw it out — I’d really love to meet Blink-182,” he shared. “I’ve pretty much X’d out [met] all the Country heroes, so I’m moving on.” He continued, “It was fun music, it was happy and it pumps you up. I took a lot of that kind of style of writing and energy to bring it to Country music.”

Some of that songwriting will be featured on Pardi’s forthcoming album, which is expected to be announced in the coming months. Fans got their first taste of what’s to come with the brand new single, “Friday Night Heartbreaker,” available now.

“We went a little more Rock ’N Roll, it’s still got fiddle and steel [guitar],” he said of the record. “There’s just a little more of Soul and Rock in this next record. Even in 'Friday Night Heartbreaker,' you kind of hear it.”

Find out more about the album, Pardi’s greatest influences and additional info by checking out his entire conversation with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.

Rascal Flatts is back and couldn’t be more excited to hit the road in 2025 with the recently announced Life Is A Highway Tour to reconnect with the fans, their music, and each other after a five year break as a band.

After being forced to cancel their originally scheduled farewell tour in 2020 due to the global pandemic Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney are making good on their promise for tour dates with one noticeable change — this tour is not labeled “farewell.”

“I feel like in a lot of ways, we have a greater appreciation for what we had,” said bassist, Jay DeMarcus. “I think we needed to go through some personal growth individually — go through some seasons in our lives and try some other things. I think it’s allowed all of us to get away, get fresh perspective and come back with a renewed energy and appreciation for what we have.”

Added frontman, Gary LeVox, “In 2020, who would’ve thought that something called COVID would start the whole entire world shutting down? That really put life in perspective and how fragile it is. Not just what we’ve been able to accomplish together… it just put everything in perspective.”

The 21-city trek will celebrate 25 years of music for the trio who racked up 17 Number One hits, over 23.4 million albums sold, 35 million digital downloads and countless awards. Joined by special guests Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane, the tour will include stops in Green Bay, Toledo, Huntsville, Fort Worth, Orlando and more.

“We’re anxious to put the show together and give the people something that they’re gonna be really pumped about,” said DeMarcus.

“It’s just been awesome to read the comments and see the love - the outpouring of love and enthusiasm,” said Rooney of announcing the tour this week. “They put us here, so we’re gonna go back out and celebrate with them. We love our fans — the Flattheads!”

Tickets for Rascal Flatts' 2025 Life Is A Highway Tour go on sale October 4 at 10am local time and can be found here. See a full list of tour dates below.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY TOUR Official Dates:
2/13 Evansville, IN- Ford Center
2/14 Charleston, WV- Charleston Coliseum
2/15 Grand Rapids, MI- Van Andel Arena
2/22 Durant, OK- Choctaw Grand Theater
2/27 Sioux Falls, SD- Denny Sanford Premier Center
2/28 Green Bay, WI- Resch Center
3/1 Moline, IL- Vibrant Arena
3/6 Columbus, OH- Nationwide Arena
3/7 Toledo, OH- Huntington Center
3/8 Youngstown, OH- Covelli Centre
3/13 Manchester, NH- SNHU Arena
3/14 Uncasville, CT- Mohegan Sun Arena
3/15 Allentown, PA- PPL Center
3/20 Huntsville, AL- Von Braun Center Propst Arena*
3/22 Savannah, GA- Enmarket Arena< ...

Russell Dickerson has found Country music success, but memories of the path he took to get there are never far away — especially when he plays one specific guitar.

During his recent appearance on Audacy’s Fridays Night Takeover with Rob + Holly, Dickerson reflected on his early days as a musician and buying equipment via Craigslist to try and save money. While he’s been able to upgrade much of that equipment following all his success — there’s still one guitar that he holds near and dear.

“I bought guitars, amps, pedals… especially back in the day when I was tryna… get this thing goin’,” he reflected. “I bought like a $400 Epiphone, which is like a lower version of a Gibson and it was his [the sellers] baby that he was lettin’ go and he was like, ‘Man, I hope to see you. I hope you get to be somebody one day and you play this thing on stage all over.’”

Russell continued, “Every time I play this guitar, I think about that guy and I’m like, ‘I wonder if he has still followed me or whatever and sees his guitar up on stage at all these crazy shows.’”

Surely, the Craigslist seller would be thrilled to see his “baby” living its best life and getting attention on stages worldwide — including Dickerson’s current stops in the UK as part of Sam Hunt’s Locked Up Tour. Dickerson is excited to bring the new music of his latest release, Bones The EP across the pond where he says the fans are next level.

“This is our eighth time going over to the UK,” Russell shared before detailing some of the things he looks forward to most when playing shows there. “They’re very engaged,” he shared. “If they’re a Russell Dickerson fan, they know every album, every song on that album front-to-back — they’re very dedicated in that way… at the same time — probably later in the evening after a few more pints have been flown’ — they’ll literally take over the show with a soccer stadium chant… they were louder than the PA, they were louder than the band and we just let ‘em go. They’re very respectful, but they’re also very, they’ll go soccer stadium on you!”

Hear more about Russell’s time as support on Sam Hunt’s tour, as well as stories surrounding the writing of “Bones,” fixing up his dream car, first kiss with his wife and more by checking out his entire interview on the Friday Night Takeover with Rob + Holly above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Rob + Holly

Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren, are #couplegoals for so many who see the fun-loving couple tackle life together with their four daughters and lots of laughs on social media. While the childhood friends have a dreamy love story now, TR says it’s all thanks to being best friends for so many years.

“We did everything together,” Thomas said after sharing he and Lauren initially met in first grade but didn’t have a “real conversation” until around 5th grade. “We were in the same classes, we walked the same hallways, we went to Sonic together after school — we did all the things.”

Despite all the time they spent together — including going on double dates while seeing other people — Rhett says he was “definitely just a friend” to Lauren, although as time went on, he hoped for more.

“Even though I loved her, the feeling was not mutual in return in high school,” he stated boldly. While we all know how the story ends with true love displayed in many of Rhett’s biggest hits including, “Die A Happy Man,” “Look What God Gave Her” and “Unforgettable,” there’s one song on his new album that tells the story of exactly how he escaped the friend zone.

“The song, ‘What Could Go Right,’ that is the story, verbatim, of the night I literally was just like, ‘Hey, we either kiss and date, or I gotta like, not see you for five years,’” Thomas shared. The song, which Rhett says is his favorite on the album, is one the 34-year-old says he’s tried to write for some time now, but didn’t see success with the concept until recently.

“I’ve tried to write that song in many different ways and it wasn’t until last year when I got together with a few guys - I was word vomiting the story and how this happened - and my buddy John Byron was like… ‘Check out this verse and chorus,’ and I was like [claps his hands] ‘Bravo!’”

The song sits at number 11 on the track list of his brand new album, About a Woman, which also features 13 other songs about the past, present, and future of he and Lauren’s love story.

“A lot of these songs are definitely geared towards love… they are geared towards love in all different phases,” he explained. “A high school flame and then there’s like a young love flame and there’s growing old together. [I’m] just a big proponent of love and wanted to write about all the different variations that I’ve experienced and hopefully will experience as my life goes [on].”

With a relationship so many are invested in, Rhett made clear he and Lauren’s marriage isn’t always a picture-perfect Country love song, and shared the effort they both put forth to keep their love alive.

“Today, it’s making sure that obviously the love and the flame is alive, but also just remembering how to have fun with each other,” he said. “At the end of the day, if you and your wife ...

Looking back on our talk with Lainey Wilson at Faster Horses 2024, as we celebrate the GRAMMY winner's new album, 'Whirlwind.'

HARDY went hard for his first official Rock album, QUIT!!, which released last month, and now, the Philadelphia, MS native is taking time to reflect on how it all panned out.

With features including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, the record definitely fits the Rock category, but also invites HARDY’s established Country fan base in as the lyrics lean towards the redneck side.

“I will never, ever be able to escape the Country lyrics because it’s really the only thing I know how to do and whatever kind of music is behind that,” the 33-year-old told Audacy’s Rob + Holly during the Friday Night Takeover. Moving forward, the singer-songwriter says he’ll be making more of an effort not to label his music with a genre when possible and just focus on continuing to stay true to his unique style.

“For the sake of charts and stuff you have to put a genre behind it, but I’m going to try and do a better job or just sayin’, ‘It’s just me, it’s just my music,'” he shared. Whatever genre you want to call it, QUIT!! includes 13 tracks that each stand-out in their own way, with one in particular that has captured the emotions, attention, and love of fans everywhere titled, “Six Feet Under (Caleigh’s Song).”

The reflective, deeply personal tune closes out the album as track 13 and is dedicated to HARDY’s wife, Caleigh, who is well-known by his fans for her support, love, and good time personality.

“I’m not usually a method writer where I feel like everything I go through I have to write, but I just needed to get that emotion out,” HARDY shared of the song that details the highest and lowest moments of his life. “Basically… the month of October in 2023 started off as the worst month of my life and ended as the best,” he shared of the inspiration behind the song. “It started off with the bus accident, which was the first, second maybe third of October… and the 29th was the day I got married. That was such a difficult emotional roller coaster because all the stuff goin’ on.”

He continued, “The best moment of my life — and I can still say that to this day — was Caleigh and I did private vows and hearing her give those vows and I’m sitting there listening to them, and I’m like, ‘I thought I was going to f**king die three weeks ago, I thought I was dead,” he shared. “I owed her that song, I owed her that emotion because sometimes it’s hard for me to put into words all of that.”

The song shows a new side of the couple’s deeply rooted relationship which brings a smile to so many fans as HARDY and Caleigh are well known to be the life of any party. Their own wedding had beer burros, a tattoo parlor, and a 90s Country cover band.

“When I met my wife, I was afraid of her,” HARDY said of his wife’s love ...