Morgan Wallen Walks Away from Wreckage in New “I Got Better” Music Video

On the heels of concluding his 2025 I’m The Problem Tour on September 13 in Edmonton, Alberta, Morgan Wallen has notched another top five-and-climbing single at Country radio with “I Got Better,” the second-of-37 tracks on his blockbuster fourth studio album, I’m The Problem. Today, the 19-time Billboard Music Award winner released the official music video for the single he dubbed his “most personal” upon its May 16 release. Watch Below.
 
Co-written by Wallen alongside Michael Hardy, Chase McGill, Blake Pendergrass, Ernest Keith Smith and Ryan Vojtesak, “I Got Better” comes to life on screen under the direction of Justin Clough. The cinematic video uses a car accident as a metaphor for the wreckage of a relationship. The storyline follows Wallen as he walks away from the crash, his wounds gradually beginning to heal as he does so. 
 
Wallen first teased the video’s creative clad in bloodied attire via a social media post on September 3 during a week off on tour, simply captioning, “Interesting bye week lol”. 
 
I’m The Problem spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and 13 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. It also became Wallen’s first album to debut at No. 1 on the UK Official Charts – making him one of only five artists to debut at summit with a country album. The project has already yielded four No. 1’s at Country radio, including the title track, which remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. 
 
The project debuted at No. 1 in seven countries upon release. In Australia, I’m The Problem became the longest-running No. 1 album by a country artist in 10 years, with three consecutive weeks atop the ARIA albums chart, while “What I Want (feat. Tate McRae)” spent five weeks at No. 1 on Australia’s Country Airplay chart.

About Morgan Wallen:
Morgan Wallen sets the pace in, and beyond, country music – with Billboard calling him “one of the biggest stars in the music world right now” and The New Yorker adding “[he’s] popular on a scale that seems to circumvent genre entirely.” With 19 No. 1 singles at Country radio, 19 Billboard Music Awards to-date, 198 weeks spent atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (the most in country music history), the highest selling country tour under his belt and more, Wallen has propelled country music to a global level in less than five years. 
 
Wallen’s fourth studio album, I’m The Problem, available now via Big Loud / Mercury, debuted at No. 1 globally across seven countries; while his preceding albums – Dangerous: The Double Album and One Thing At A Time – have remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart for more than 100 weeks each, making him the first artist ever to achieve that feat. I’m The Problem – which Hits Daily Double observes is “a 37-song cycle of self-reckoning” – has already yielded four No. 1’s at Country radio, including the title track, which remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. Wallen also broke his own record for the most simultaneous entries in Billboard Hot 100 History, with 37 songs charting on release week.
 
Wallen’s 20-stadium-show 2025 I’m the Problem Tour recently concluded in Edmonton, Alberta. In addition to his 20 stadium-plays, Wallen held his inaugural, personally-curated and multi-genre Sand In My Boots Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama in May. He also performed an intimate album release show at The Roundhouse in London.
 
Wallen donates a portion of every ticket sold to his Morgan Wallen Foundation — which supports youth music and athletic programs and gives communities access to essentials in times of crisis. More at MorganWallen.com.

Photo Credit: Spidey Smith

Messina Touring Unveils New Logo and Brand Identity

Messina Touring, a leader in live entertainment, unveils a new logo and refreshed brand identity that reflects the company’s forward-looking approach to live music and its unwavering commitment to artists.
 
Founded by legendary promoter Louis Messina, Messina Touring has spent decades at the forefront of touring innovation, building record-setting tours for some of the world’s most celebrated performers, including George Strait, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, The Lumineers, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Ty Myers, Old Dominion, Phoebe Bridgers and Zac Brown Band.
 
The updated branding reflects Messina Touring’s continued commitment to leading the way in live entertainment, challenging industry norms by creating enhanced artist partnerships and redefining an artist-first approach to touring. Messina Touring continues to break records and elevate artist success while reshaping the touring landscape, empowering artists with ownership of their fan data while providing the tools to meaningfully engage and strengthen those relationships.
 
As Messina Touring reveals its refreshed logo, the company reinforces its core belief that a more transparent, collaborative and tech-forward approach benefits artists, fans and the future of live entertainment.

Jamey Johnson Set to Perform "Symphony in the South" with the Nashville Symphony on Oct. 17-18

Ten-time GRAMMY nominee Jamey Johnson will join the Nashville Symphony on Oct. 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. for its first collaboration as part of the Nashville Symphony’s 2025-26 Pops Series at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. 

“The Schermerhorn shows are really a full circle moment for me,” Johnson says. “I started my journey in music with both a guitar and a French horn, so I have always played country music, gospel and classical. The Schermerhorn shows are my reconnection with the symphony and it’s going to be special. It’s going to show a different side of the songs I do every night.”

Tickets can be purchased HERE. 

Johnson selected the theme “Symphony in the South,” so the set list will include some of his most-loved songs, such as “In Color,” “Lead Me Home” and “Even the Skies Are Blue,” as well as some of his favorite country classics and other standards.

“There will be a really good mix of songs, just like most of my shows,” he says. “I am doing songs that match with the theme of ‘Symphony in the South.’ There is a definite Southern theme to the songs. It’s kind of like a photo album with music: This is what the South sounds like. These are the songs of the South done with symphonic instruments.”

The Schermerhorn shows mark the national debut of Johnson’s “Symphony in the South” shows that he will perform with various symphonies. “This will be a way of bringing a little bit of the South to everywhere else in the country,” he says.

Johnson has been called “one of the greatest country singers of our time,” by The Washington Post. The Grand Ole Opry member is also widely regarded as one of the greatest country songwriters of his generation. He is one of only two people in the history of country music (along with Kris Kristofferson) to win two Song of the Year awards in the same year – for “Give It Away” and “In Color” – from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

But perhaps less well known are his classical musicianship and love of symphony music, especially Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann, Johann Sebastian Bach and Richard Wagner.

About Jamey Johnson:
Ten-time GRAMMY nominee Jamey Johnson has been called “one of the greatest country singers of our time,” by The Washington Post. His music has garnered international acclaim and is embraced by fans of classic and contemporary country, as well as Americana and mainstream rock. He released his latest album, Midnight Gasoline, a collaboration between his label, Big Gassed Records, and Warner Music Nashville, in November 2024. He released a new song, “Never Gonna Be,” with Ronnie Dunn on Sept. 12.

The Grand Ole Opry member is also widely regarded as one of the greatest country songwriters of his generation. He is one of only two people in the history of country music (along with Kris Kristofferson) to win two Song of the Year awards in the same year – for “Give It Away” and “In Color” – from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. 

A consummate storyteller, his songs have been recorded by George Strait, Trace Adkins, Willie Nelson, James Otto, Joe Nichols and others. 

His recent prime-time television performances have been widely recognized as the best of the shows, from singing “Georgia on My Mind” in the CBS special Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration” and “Angels Among Us” for the CMT Giants: Alabama to performing “Beer for My Horses” with Lainey Wilson for the top-rated NBC special Toby Keith: American Icon” (available to stream on Peacock.)

The Recording Industry Association of America recently honored him for sales/streams of 9 million, including the 5X platinum-certified single “In Color,” the 2X platinum-certified album That Lonesome Song, the platinum-certified single “High Cost of Living,” the gold-certified song “Between Jennings and Jones” and the gold-certified single “That Lonesome Song.”  

Jamey performed in “Life Is a Carnival: A Music Celebration of Robbie Robertson,” which was held in Los Angeles and filmed by Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese for an upcoming release.

Eric Church and Chief Cares Expand Commitment to Rebuilding Western North Carolina

Country music star Eric Church and his nonprofit Chief Cares are deepening their long-term commitment to restoring the fabric of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. After breaking ground earlier this year on their first housing community, Blue Haven, the organization is now broadening its reach by expanding homeownership opportunities—not only to those whose homes were directly impacted by the storm, but also to pillars of the community: educators, healthcare workers, first responders and others who selflessly serve Western North Carolina.
 
Through this next phase, Chief Cares will offer mortgage-free homes to selected applicants—a powerful investment in the people who are integral to our communities every day.
 
“Keeping the community intact has been my goal all along,” said Church. “And what we’ve learned these past several months is that offering long-term housing to the people who hold our communities together—from those whose homes were impacted, to those who are critical to rebuilding—will bring the greatest impact. We’re responding in real time to the evolving needs of Western North Carolina. Chief Cares is here for the long haul.”
 
The expanded initiative reflects a belief that it takes more than houses to rebuild a community. It’s the people—educators, first-responders, public servants—who turn towns into a community worth staying in. This phase of the Blueprint for the Blue Ridge aims to keep that infrastructure strong by helping those who serve the region to stay rooted right where they’re needed most.
 
Located in Avery County, Blue Haven isn’t just a place to live, it’s a pathway to long-term stability and homeownership. All recipients of a Blue Haven home will live rent-free for ten years, where they’ll continue to invest in the community. At the end of the ten-year term, the deed will be transferred, making the home fully theirs to own. It’s a unique model built on trust, dignity, and a shared investment in the future of this region. 
 
The initiative is bolstered by a recent $6 million investment from AmeriHealth and the AMY Wellness Foundation, which will fund key infrastructure, wraparound services and expanded housing capacity across Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties.
 
With the first families slated to move into Blue Haven by Thanksgiving, and additional properties under contract in surrounding counties, Chief Cares is on pace to deliver roughly 200 homes across the region.
 
“We’re not just building homes—we’re investing in the people that will carry this community forward for generations,” Church added. “This isn’t about short-term solutions. It’s about long-term hope.”

About Chief Cares:
Chief Cares was established by Eric and Katherine Church to impact lives and make a difference not only in the United States but throughout the world. In response to Hurricane Helene, the organization is focused on mid- to long-term disaster recovery, starting with a bold housing initiative in Western North Carolina designed to become a national model for rebuilding and sustaining resilient communities.
 
For more information or to apply, visit ChiefCares.org. 

Whiskey Myers Strike with 'Whomp Whack Thunder'

Whiskey Myers has never cared for categories or boundaries, and with their seventh studio album Whomp Whack Thunder, hailed by Rolling Stone as “their most supercharged album yet” that “sounds on the whole like an invigorated, freewheeling rock band in its prime,” the multi-Platinum independent band delivers the sweat and soul that have defined their career. Available now via the band’s own Wiggy Thump Records, listen below.
 
“I never said, ‘We are a rock band,’” explains frontman Cody Cannon. “We were just a band. Really, we’re a road band. We did it the old school way: played every bar, every night and cut our teeth. That’s a lot of experience and wisdom earned. It’s all we’ve ever done. It builds character, hones your skill and gets some grit on you.”
 
For the band from East Texas, success was built from concentric rings of local bars turning to bigger bars, longer runs and traveling further and further from home. The will to thrive wherever they could set up and play fueled an unstoppable group of friends, determined to see how far the ride could take them.
 
And since topping Billboard’s Country Albums, hitting No. 2 on Active Rock and No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, in addition to garnering 4.1+ billion global streams, over 2.7 million in sales and 9 RIAA Certifications, Whiskey Myers wanted a new, more robust way to do the things that set them on fire.
 
Having self-produced their last two records, the band enlisted GRAMMY-winning producer Jay Joyce, who provided a freedom to be in the moment, sparking off each other and not having to worry about anything except playing, singing and responding with what the songs required. Always a spontaneous group of players, Whomp Whack Thunder delivers a leaner, more boot to the kneecap immediacy.
 
“I don’t know how it happens,” guitarist John Jeffers confesses. “The emotions here are all different, but we really want people to feel all of it – and that’s rock and roll. People have forgotten what rock and roll is: blues-based, some country to it, but coming hard.”

The band will also perform a special pregame concert for Dallas Cowboys fans at the Miller Lite®House at AT&T Stadium this Sunday, September 28, at 4:50 p.m., just before the Cowboys take on the Packers. Doors to Miller Lite®House open at 3:00 p.m., and all fans with a game ticket are invited to attend. Please note, the concert is standing room only.
 
The What We Were Born To Do Tour continues tonight in Oklahoma City with dates through mid-October. At last night’s stop in Austin, Texas at Moody Amphitheater, fans were treated to onsite activations celebrating the release of Whomp Whack Thunder, adding to the already high energy of the night.
 
The band will also headline their own personally curated Moon Crush “Whiskey Moon” music vacation taking over Miramar Beach, Fla. Nov. 7-9 ahead of Whiskey Myers & Friends, bringing a special, stripped-back version of their multi-Platinum catalog to the Northeast this December.
 
For more information and to purchase tickets to all upcoming dates, visit WhiskeyMyers.com and follow on social media @WhiskeyMyers.

Upcoming Whiskey Myers Tour Dates
What We Were Born To Do Tour
Sept. 26  ||  Oklahoma City, Okla.  ||  Paycom Center
Sept. 27  ||  The Woodlands, Texas  ||  The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct. 9  ||  Chattanooga, Tenn.  ||  Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 10  ||  Greensboro, N.C.  ||  White Oak Amphitheatre at Greensboro Coliseum Complex
 
Whiskey Myers & Friends Acoustic Shows
Dec. 5  ||  Philadelphia, Pa.  ||  The Met Philadelphia
Dec. 6  ||  Brooklyn, N.Y.  ||  Brooklyn Paramount
Dec. 7  ||  Montclair, N.J.  ||  The Wellmont Theater
Dec. 9  ||  Scranton, Pa.  ||  Scranton Cultural Centre at the Masonic Temple
Dec. 11  ||  Wallingford, Conn.  ||  Oakdale Theatre
Dec. 12  ||  Albany, N.Y.  ||  Palace Theatre
Dec. 13  ||  Boston, Mass.  ||  Orpheum Theatre
 
Additional Dates
Sept. 28  ||  Arlington, Texas ||  Miller Lite House® at AT&T Stadium 
Oct. 11  ||  North Charleston. S.C.  ||  Riverfront Revival Music Festival
Oct. 18  ||  Lincoln, Ala.  ||  Talladega Superspeedway
Nov. 7-9  ||  Miramar Beach, Fla.  ||  Moon Crush “Whiskey Moon”

About Whiskey Myers
Genre-bending band Whiskey Myers have played nearly 3,000 live shows to ever-increasing crowd sizes since their emergence in 2007. In addition to headlining their own sold-out shows from coast to coast at iconic venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Ryman Auditorium, plus performing at marquee festivals Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, Download and more, the six-piece was also personally selected to open The Rolling Stones’ Chicago stadium show. The band is poised to begin their next chapter with their highly-anticipated seventh studio album Whomp Whack Thunder, available now via the band’s own Wiggy Thump Records, with lead single “Time Bomb” climbing the Active Rock radio charts. Their previous project, Tornillo, featured the No. 17 most-played Americana song of 2022, “John Wayne,” and followed breakthrough album Whiskey Myers, which debuted at No. 1 on both the Country and Americana/Folk sales charts, at No. 2 on the Rock chart and No. 6 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart (No. 3 among new releases). In total, Whiskey Myers have sold more than 2.7 million albums and amassed over 4.1 billion streams while earning nine RIAA Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certifications as an independent band. Known for their high-energy live show and unique sound, the band praised by Esquire as “the real damn deal” has also earned sync success with features in Paramount’s hit shows “Yellowstone” (including an on-screen performance) and “Landman,” plus Netflix series “What/If,” Angelina Jolie film “Those Who Wish Me Dead” and CBS series “SEAL Team,” among others. USA Today describes their sound as “a riff-heavy blend of Southern rock and gritty country that has earned comparisons to the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin,” with Rolling Stone noting “it’s the seminal combination of twang and crunchy rock & roll guitars that hits a perfect sweet spot.”

THE REST OF THE TOUR: Kenny Chesney's HEART LIFE MUSIC Adds 5 More Cities

 THE REST OF THE TOUR
Kenny Chesney’s HEART LIFE MUSIC FINAL Book Events   
 “Hello, Philly, Jersey, Key West, LA, Tampa”
Philadelphia 11/3, Bergen, NJ 11/4, Beverly Hills, CA 11/7
Key West 11/10, Tampa 11/11
 
Bringing Intimate Conversations about His Path, Heroes, Songs,
Making Music, Setbacks, Big Fun + How to Chase an Impossible Dream
All Ticketed Guests will Receive a Signed Copy of HEART LIFE MUSIC

Complete Tour Now Announced – Ticket Details Below
 HEART LIFE MUSIC In-Stores Nov. 4; Pre-Order Available Now

Nineties Rock Legends Launch New Supergroup Howl Owl Howl, Hitting the Road this Fall

A true rock supergroup is one of the most elusive creatures in music, yet today a new specimen emerges. Dubbed Howl Owl Howl and drawing on three of the most impactful careers in American rock, a star-studded new band (with an old school rock & roll soul) is alive, and kicking.
 
Founded by Grammy winning Hootie & the Blowfish frontman/multi-Platinum country star Darius Rucker, R.E.M. co-founder/Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mike Mills and The Black Crowes co-founder/former drummer/lauded media personality Steve Gorman, Howl Owl Howl was born in 2021 from a longtime friendship, evolving from casual jam sessions into something unique. 
 
Some 30 years in the making, the new band fuses organic roots rock with an open-minded alternative flair, matching a fluid, feel-oriented rhythm section to the barrel-chested vocal rasp of an iconic frontman. 
 
Now powered by world-class instincts and their own personal chemistry, the band’s founding members spent years in the same orbit through their hard-touring ‘90s heyday, often saying they should start something of their own. With Howl Owl Howl, the moment has finally come – and these rock legends are far from done making noise. 
 
“It feels great to be singing with a rock band again. It’s like buddies getting together, but also getting to play with your idols,” Rucker explains. “The stuff we’re writing is so different than anything I’ve tried to do before.”
 
“You never can explain band chemistry,” Mills adds. “We all like each other. And we all admire each other musically. All those things come together and if it weren’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it.”
 
Howl Owl Howl’s debut track “My Cologne” arrives October 31.

Photo Credit: Steven Cohen

Meanwhile, Howl Owl Howl will start its first chapter doing what a rock band does best – hitting the road for the Howl Owl Howl Tour 2025. Showcasing their longtime creative camaraderie and unique new sound, nine initial dates kick off November 3 in Indianapolis, Indiana, with additional stops stretching across the Eastern U.S. and Midwest.
 
Along the way punchy garage rock and jangle pop will mix with throwback soul, blues and beyond, as self-penned songs veer from deeply personal to colorful and quirky – steeped in the rebellious passion and forever-young philosophy of rock … yet designed in a different phase of life.
 
Each show will combine three distinctive, award-winning talents in new and unheard ways, as the band performs their original music live for the first time.
 
“There’s not a single guarantee. We’re finally going to get to plug in and let it rip a little bit,” Gorman explains.
 
All tickets for the Howl Owl Howl Tour 2025 go on sale this Friday (9/26) at 10 a.m. local time. Full tour routing below.
 
Howl Owl Howl Tour 2025:
November 3  ||  Indianapolis, IN  ||  The Vogue
November 4  ||  Chicago, IL  ||  Metro Chicago
November 6  ||  Washington, D.C.  ||  9:30 Club
November 7  ||  Asbury Park, NJ  ||  Stone Pony
November 8  ||  Boston, MA  ||  Paradise Rock Club - Music Hall
November 11  ||  New York, NY  ||  Webster Hall
November 12  ||  Philadelphia, PA  ||  Union Transfer
November 14  ||  Athens, GA  ||  Georgia Theatre
November 15  ||  Atlanta, GA  ||  Variety Playhouse
 
KEEP UP WITH HOWL OWL HOWL
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Eric Church Expands ‘Free the Machine Tour’ w/ 24 New Dates in 2026

With five shows underway of his 2025 Free The Machine Tour, Eric Church is expanding his run into 2026 with 24 new dates, kicking off January 22 and 23 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. Church will be joined across varying dates by special guests Kashus Culpepper, Caylee Hammack, Ella Langley, Ashley McBryde, Stephen Wilson Jr. and 49 Winchester (support bios are available HERE).
 
The Free The Machine Tour comes on the heels of Church’s May 2 release of his ninth studio album, Evangeline vs. The Machine. Anchored by the 10-time GRAMMY nominee’s uncompromising vision and genre-defying songwriting, the album arrived to critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone lauding it as “dazzling, challenging, and a masterwork,” while GRAMMY.com dubbed Church “one of country's most authentic and fearless artists,” adding the album “emphasizes his creative conviction in a musical climate defined by viral moments and AI threats.”
 
Tickets to all shows are available to the general public beginning next Friday, October 3 at 10 a.m. local time. As always, premium members of the Church Choir will have early access to tickets through the Church Choir presale beginning Monday, September 29 at 10 a.m. local time. Premium members should check their email for presale details and can log in at EricChurch.com or the official Eric Church app to access their unique codes. A registration presale via Seated, available to non-premium Church Choir members and the general public, kicks off Tuesday, September 30 at 10 a.m. local time. To register, please visit EricChurch.com and sign up for your desired date.
 
Church’s 2025 run resumes tomorrow in Green Bay, Wisc. with special guests Marcus King Band. 
 
For more information, visit EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter/X @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.

Newly Announced 2026 Free the Machine Tour Markets, Venues and Special Guests: 
Jan. 22 || Washington, D.C. || The Anthem || Caylee Hammack
Jan. 23 || Washington, D.C. || The Anthem || Caylee Hammack
Feb. 5 || Omaha, Neb. || CHI Health Center || Ella Langley
Feb. 6 || Sioux Falls, S.D. || Denny Sanford PREMIER Center || Ella Langley
Feb. 7 || St. Paul, Minn. || Grand Casino Arena || Ella Langley
Feb. 12 || Toronto, ON || Scotiabank Arena || Ella Langley
Feb. 13 || Buffalo, N.Y. || KeyBank Center || Ella Langley
Feb. 14 || Albany, N.Y. || MVP Arena || Ella Langley
Feb. 19 || North Little Rock, Ark. || Simmons Bank Arena || 49 Winchester
Feb. 20 || Kansas City, Mo. || T-Mobile Center || 49 Winchester
Feb. 21 || St. Louis, Mo. || Enterprise Center || 49 Winchester
Feb. 26 || Tulsa, Okla. || BOK Center || Stephen Wilson Jr.
Feb. 27 || Fort Worth, Texas || Dickies Arena || Stephen Wilson Jr.
Feb. 28 || Austin, Texas || Moody Center || Stephen Wilson Jr.
Mar. 5 || Knoxville, Tenn. || Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center || 49 Winchester
Mar. 6 || Greensboro, N.C. || First Horizon Coliseum || 49 Winchester
Mar. 7 || North Charleston, S.C. || North Charleston Coliseum || 49 Winchester
Mar. 19 || Birmingham, Ala. || Legacy Arena at the BJCC || 49 Winchester
Mar. 20 || Atlanta, Ga. || State Farm Arena || 49 Winchester
Mar. 27 || Hollywood, Fla. || Hard Rock Live || Kashus Culpepper
Apr. 3 || Greenville, S.C. || Bon Secours Wellness Arena || Ashley McBryde
Apr. 4 || Charlotte, N.C. || Spectrum Center || Ashley McBryde
Apr. 10 || Jacksonville, Fla. || VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena || Ashley McBryde
Apr. 11 || Tampa, Fla. || Benchmark International Arena || Ashley McBryde
 
Remaining 2025 Free the Machine Tour Markets, Venues and Special Guests: 
Sept. 25  ||  Green Bay, Wisc.  ||  Resch Center  ||  Marcus King Band
Sept. 26  ||  Milwaukee, Wisc.  ||  Fiserv Forum  ||  Marcus King Band
Sept. 27  ||  Des Moines, Iowa  ||  Wells Fargo Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 2    ||  Detroit, Mich.  ||  Little Caesars Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 3    ||  Lexington, Ky.  ||  Rupp Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 9    ||  Indianapolis, Ind.  ||  Gainbridge Fieldhouse  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 10   ||  Grand Rapids, Mich.  ||  Van Andel Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 11   ||  Cleveland, Ohio  ||  Rocket Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 23   ||  Salt Lake City, Utah  ||  Delta Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 24   ||  Boise, Idaho  ||  ExtraMile Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 25   ||  Spokane, Wash.  ||  Spokane Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 6    ||  Vancouver, B.C.  ||  Rogers Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 7    ||  Portland, Ore.  ||  Moda Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 8    ||  Seattle, Wash.  ||  Climate Pledge Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 13   ||  Sacramento, Calif.  ||  Golden 1 Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 14   ||  Fresno, Calif.  ||  SaveMart Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 15   ||  Inglewood, Calif.  ||  Intuit Dome  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin

Kenny Chesney's HEART LIFE MUSIC Tour Adds Chicago, Nashville & Miami Book Fair

When Kenny Chesney started work on Heart Life Music, he had no idea what would unfold. But like everything he does, he committed to the process, dug in and really examined the road from being a sports-obsessed kid lying in the yard and staring at the sky, to becoming the man the Wall Street Journal deemed “the King of the Road.” Football stadiums, student bluegrass band trips to Moscow, Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica, George Jones’ plane and experiencing Key West with his friend Jimmy Buffett are just some of the places the songwriter-superstar from East Tennessee found himself revisiting to tell the story.
 
“And after all of it, I can’t wait to share all the characters I’ve met, people who’ve been behind the scenes, the dead ends and places that maybe seemed like not much with readers,” Chesney enthuses. “Because every single step, smile or hard lesson was part of this crazy ride. I had no idea how much I’d remember and learn about how we got here, but I am really excited to share it with No Shoes Nation.
 
“Whether a Lower Broadway that no longer exists, and almost can’t be imagined, or the insane crowds at Chicago’s Soldier Field over the last 20 years, I’ve tried to make this book tour go  places that really stuck with us, made us – all of us – into the community we are,” he continues. “These stories aren’t just postcards from stops along the way, they are love letters to every person or place who was there. It’s why the final end papers are a picture from Soldier Field in 2024 with all those people that made it magic.”
 
Adding three more dates, Heart Life Music: the Book Tour will go to Chicago the day after release for an event at the Copernicus Center, presented by The Book Stall. Then Chesney will head to Nashville for two book talks at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater, in partnership with Parnassus Books. 
 
“I wanted to go to the heart of the country, and Chicago sure represents that for me. I wanted to go to the place where all of my music came together, the songwriters and creative community were so generous and encouraging to me. Teaming with Parnassus Books for an event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, yards from the Turf where I’d played for tips when I arrived, is a dream come true.
 
“And we were asked to be a headliner for the opening  of the Miami Book Fair. I feel like we’re going back to the Super Bowl, which when you read the book, you’ll get the reference. It’s an honor to be part of such a respected and iconic event. And the way I love South Florida – from West Palm Beach’s Coral Sky to the Tortuga Music Festival, Miami and the Keys – this is a whole other homecoming.”
 
Joined for freewheeling conversations that explore the story and process by two-time LA Press Club Music Criticism and Entertainment Journalist of the Year and co-author Holly Gleason, Chesney will deep dive into Heart Life Music. Establishing a voice that captured coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, the man the Los Angeles Times called “the people’s superstar” wants each event to reflect his unique relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone seeking inspiration to create their own place in the world.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
7:00PM Copernicus Center
Chicago, IL
Bookseller: The Book Stall
Tickets on sale Friday, September 26 at 10 am ET HERE
 
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
5:30PM & 8:00PM Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s CMA Theater
Nashville, TN 
Bookseller: Parnassus Books
Tickets on sale Friday, September 26 at 10 am ET HERE
 
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Miami Book Fair
7:00PM, Chapman Center
Miami Dade College, Downtown Miami, FL
Bookseller: Books & Books
MBF Members only tickets on sale: Friday, Sept 19
General public tickets: Monday, October 13 HERE

Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water. Each ticketholder will receive a signed copy of the book.

Maddox Batson’s Latest Track “Coincidence” Out Now

On the heels of his I Need A Truck Tour kick-off, rising 15-year-old artist and Billboard Magazine’s youngest male artist to appear on 21 Under 21, Maddox Batson, releases the upbeat, sentimental track “Coincidence.” Available via Prosper Entertainment / Warner Records, Batson’s latest admits that a certain kind of love is no coincidence. Listen to the track and watch the music video below.
 
Written by Beau Bailey, Casey Brown, Travis Wood and Batson, “Coincidence” taps into Batson’s signature combination of vulnerable country lyrics derived from honest observation and young love’s perspective.

Recently, Batson kicked off his I Need A Truck Tour in Richmond, Virginia on September 7 and hits 29 markets before wrapping in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama on November 2. Key stops include Kansas City, MO; Milwaukee, WI; Pittsburgh, PA; Philadelphia, PA and Boston, MA’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway. 
 
Batson is also joining Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind Tour for select dates, including a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on October 2.
 
The 15-year-old also recently released “No More,” a powerful track that taps into heartbreak and healing with a combination of grit, vulnerability and raw emotional delivery. Fueled by a hook-heavy chorus and defiant lyrics, “No More” highlights Batson’s continued evolution as both a songwriter and performer.
 
NBC Nightly News hailed Batson as “A young star, new on the country charts already striking a chord and hitting all the right notes.” At the same time, Forbes declares him as a teen who “blends country and pop with heartfelt vocals.” Batson continues to build a loyal fan base thanks to his high-energy shows, honest storytelling and genre-blending sound that connects across generations.
 
Following a breakout year that included his Grand Ole Opry debut, a high-profile appearance at Stagecoach, “Coincidence” is available here and on all streaming platforms.

Photo Credit: ShotsByCarl.LLC

Maddox Batson’s I Need A Truck Tour Routing:
September 19  ||  Jacksonville, FL  ||  Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
September 20  ||  LaGrange, GA  ||  Sweetland Amphitheater at Boyd Park
September 21  ||  Myrtle Beach, SC  ||  House of Blues
September 23  ||  Columbia, SC  ||  The Senate
September 24  ||  Greenville, NC  ||  The State Theatre
September 26  ||  Greensboro, NC  ||  Piedmont Hall
September 27  ||  Charlotte, NC  ||  The Fillmore Charlotte
September 28  ||  Norfolk, VA  ||  The NorVa
September 30  ||  Lexington, KY  ||  Manchester Music Hall
October 1  ||  Knoxville, TN  ||  The Mill & Mine
October 4  ||  Fayetteville, AR  ||  JJ's Live
October 5  ||  Oklahoma City, OK  ||  The Criterion
October 7  ||  Kansas City, MO  ||  The Truman
October 9  ||  Milwaukee, WI  ||  The Rave
October 10  ||  West Des Moines, IA  ||  Val Air Ballroom
October 12  ||  Omaha, NE  ||  Steelhouse Omaha
October 14  ||  Grand Rapids, MI  ||  The Intersection
October 21  ||  Pittsburgh, PA   ||  Stage AE
October 22  ||  Philadelphia, PA  ||  The Fillmore Philadelphia
October 24  ||  Huntington, NY  ||  The Paramount
October 25  ||  Wallingford, CT  ||  The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
October 26  ||  Boston, MA  ||  MGM Music Hall at Fenway
October 28  ||  Sayreville, NJ  ||  Starland Ballroom
October 29  ||  Silver Spring, MD  ||  The Fillmore Silver Spring
October 31  ||  Gonzales, LA  ||  Boots On The Bayou Music Festival
November 1  ||  Brandon, MS  ||  City Hall Live
November 2  ||  Birmingham, AL  ||  Avondale Brewing Company
 
Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind Tour Support Dates:
October 2  ||  Nashville, TN  ||  Bridgestone Arena
October 16  ||  Maryland Heights, MO  ||  Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
October 17  ||  Rosemont, IL  ||  Allstate Arena
October 18  ||  Saint Paul, MN  ||  Xcel Energy Center
 
About Maddox Batson:
Maddox Batson navigates the world with wisdom and wit far beyond his 15 years. After the Nashville-born, Alabama-based songwriter began gaining notoriety covering songs from Zach Bryan, Red Clay Strays and more, he started to write his own songs. Thanks to early singles like “Tears In The River” and “I Wanna Know,” Batson quickly showed that he wasn’t only a star at covering country hits, but an excellent writer of his own home-cooked cuts – a practice he saw first-hand as a co-writer on Lana Del Rey and Quavo’s smash hit collaboration, “Tough.”
 
With the arrival of his deluxe EP First Dance (The After Party), Batson was ready to show the world you’re never too young to be the face of music all while preparing for sold-out live shows across the country with his I Need A Truck Tour. Batson also recently made his debut appearance at Stagecoach Music Festival and released “No More” on July 31. Life is moving fast for the multi-instrumentalist (piano, guitar & mandolin) and he’s trying his best to remain a kid while becoming next up in country-pop music. “It can be overwhelming, this life, but I’ve got a lot of good people surrounding me,” he explains. “I’m still just a kid, though, and I’m happy about that.”
 
STAY TUNED WITH MADDOX BATSON
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Chase Rice Releases New Album, ‘ELDORA’

After helping ignite an entire era of country music’s modern history, Chase Rice is no stranger to blazing trails. But on his new album ELDORA, out now, his instincts point deep into the creative wilderness.… To the rugged, untamed authenticity of the American West.
 
Fifteen years into an adventurous career, Rice has seen it all (and done most of it twice) – a true singer-songwriter with success in both disciplines. Yet there are always mountains left to climb. And right now, there’s only one direction he wants to go.
 
“That’s what I feel like this record is,” Rice says. “For me, it was that absolute freedom I was looking for, that’s what took me out West. It’s been my life the last 10 years, and the biggest theme on this album is running towards freedom. I’ve found that almost always means running away from home.”
 
Stripped down to an exhilarating degree, ELDORA does find the star leaving his past work behind – but to be fair, the Florida-born North Carolina native has never been a fan of staying put. Bursting onto the country scene as a Diamond-certified songwriter (“Cruise”), Rice went on to become a 10x Platinum artist, with hits like “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and “Eyes On You” notching two No. 1’s at Country Radio. Through chest-thumping euphoria and bold romantic passion, he booked sold-out international tours, and shared stadium stages with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney, racking up more than 3 billion streams in total. But for the former collegiate linebacker and NASCAR crew member, it was never about the stats. Leaving the major-label system in 2024, Go Down Singin’ brought Rice full independence – and a new dedication to his storytelling craft. Yet for his eighth studio album, that commitment hits the next level. 
 
Written in a Colorado cabin and inspired by a hidden, mountainside town, the 12-songs on ELDORA represent the most raw, unguarded expression of Rice’s talent to date. Born in the afterglow of an epic show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, it finds a hit maker stepping back from spectacle, to put his lyricism firmly in the spotlight … a journey few of his stature would dare attempt. And while there’s no map for the path ahead, Rice doesn’t shy from the trail less traveled.
 
“I don’t know many people that have ever gone down the road I’m going down,” he admits. “And when you’re this mainstream artist who makes a big shift, it takes a lot to get people to believe. But I think it’s extremely believable … because it’s extremely real.”
 
Working hand-in-hand with co-writer/producer Oscar Charles, Rice adopts the unfiltered, rough-hewn approach of an off-the-grid maverick for ELDORA. Prioritizing in-the-moment honesty – and building on a rediscovered love for songwriting legends like John Prine – simple, acoustic-guitar-based songs tell unflinching tales with vivid characters, while his smoky vocal cuts to the heart of good times and bad. Each track was captured in minimalist style, and then placed on the album in the order it was written. To call it “bare bones” would barely do it justice.
 
“Every night we’d do like 10 work tapes of the day’s song – as soon as it was written – and we realized after the first one we really loved how my voice was sounding,” Rice explains. “So we decided right there to take that process, and scale it up. Everything you hear on this record is live, one take. The next day we’d add on the band, but the foundation was me and a guitar singing live, with zero editing afterwards. You can’t edit a vocal when there’s a guitar in the track, too.”
 
As a producer, Charles says he almost had no choice in the matter. Rice has “grown exponentially” as both a singer and guitarist – so it would be a disservice not to place them front and center.
 
“I think this album is the most inviting presentation of Chase’s artistry to date,” he explains. “The rawness and  ultravulnerability is immediately disarming, from the first notes. I think it will cause listeners to really lean in and get to know Chase.”

With the opening track, “Cowboy Goodbye,” Rice lays out his intent. A campfire-style ballad dedicated to a modern-day drifter, it finds the former bro-country icon saying farewell to his former self.
 
“I’ve been living in Montana and my Airstream for the last five years, for about four months out of the year,” Rice explains. “So the way I see the world is completely different. For the first time in my life, I had zero thought – absolutely zero – of ‘What do people want to hear?’ Actually, the main thought behind the album was ‘What are real stories about people?’”
 
Those stories shine throughout. Named after a hideaway map dot, the misty title track “ELDORA” features a dreamy vocal echo, as Rice tells the tale of a young Colorado couple, long on the run from their painful past. Thick with metaphor, they finally decide they are worthy of a fresh start.
 
“Honestly, it’s about forgiving yourself,” Rice says. “We’re all running from something, but we’re also running towards something. You just have to let go of your past.”
 
Meanwhile, tunes like “Mr. Coors” tribute the American Dream behind the billion-dollar beer brand (with Rice’s dedication to the truth born out in biographical detail). And with the anguished Americana of “Circa 1943,” a swirling tale of star-crossed lovers redefines the term “bittersweet.”
 
Inspired by the favorite pickup of Colorado locals, rootsy up-tempos like “Two Tone Trippin’ (feat. Wyatt McCubbin)” pair the steady roll of endless blacktop with a gravel-and-blues edge. And while the woozy “Cottonmouth” hits like a red-eyed anthem of string-bending country punk, Rice gets consciously political on “Tall Grass (feat. Kashus Culpepper and Elvie Shane).” Roots gospel and copperhead soul collide as the trio call out the danger of power-hungry snakes, hidden from view.
 
Elsewhere, Rice’s romantic roots are stronger than ever on tracks like the dark, moody “Country & Western (feat. Madeline Edwards)” – a sexy, Texas-meets-tall-pines anthem with a “John Mayer guitar solo.” “Namin’ Horses” features a gentle acoustic gallop, and with the reflective “One Drink Long,” Rice nurses the memory of too many midnight mistakes.  
 
Finally, “Good Side of Gettin’ Older” tributes the things Rice learned along his winding trail – a standout singalong with an easy-going front porch sway. And with the album-ending “Sunsettin’,” he channels magic-hour into a breathtaking sonic panorama. Another quiet contemplation, framed by his tender vocal, finger-picked guitar and fiddle, it finds Rice lost in thought, wondering what might have been … if different choices were made. But he won’t lose sleep over ELDORA.
 
“I know I’m taking big risks … but I’m not in this for fame and money,” Rice says. “I want to be proud of my music at the end of my life. And if that costs me the other two, I’m okay with that.”

Eric Church’s ‘Free The Machine Tour’ is Underway

Eric Church kicked off his 2025 Free The Machine Tour with stops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday (Sept. 12) and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday (Sept. 13), bringing critically acclaimed eight-song Evangeline vs. The Machine, rounded out with performances of his biggest hits, to the northeast in his first of 22 arena shows this year.
 
With a chorus of backup singers in tow, Church belted out his 27-song setlist on opening night to an enthusiastic crowd, noting, “You don’t just pick any city to start your tour… We’ve done some damage together over the years.”
 
After rolling through all eight songs of Evangeline vs. The Machine consecutively, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remarked, “Tom Waits would have been stunned watching it climax with an arena country crowd clapping to his ‘Clap Hands’ while the band made a stomping clatter.”
 
Church then delved deeper into his catalog, singing Platinum and multi Platinum-certified hits including “Desperate Man,” “Smoke A Little Smoke,” “Drink In My Hand” and more, while also hitting deep cuts and Church Choir favorites, “Knives of New Orleans” and “Through My Ray-Bans.” 
 
Prior to playing his 8x-Platinum No. 1 hit “Springsteen” midway through his set – instead of saving it for the end of show like usual – Church jokingly recalled his early touring days, when he was opening for Kenny Chesney following the release of his 2011 album Chief. “I walk out there, and I’m full of myself… we just had this big Chief album, and I said, ‘You know what I’m going to start with? I’m going to start with ‘Springsteen,’’ he shared. “It was the biggest hit we had, and I remember, I was talking to Chesney pre-show, and he goes, ‘What are you opening with tonight?’ And I said, ‘Springsteen.’ And he goes, ‘Hahaha, seriously? Are you nuts?’ Yes. Certifiable.”
 
Free The Machine Tour continues this week with stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York with Elle King. Tickets to remaining shows are available at EricChurch.com.
 
For more information, visit EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter/X @ericchurch and

Eric Church and full band on stage at PPG Paints Arena for Free The Machine Tour, Friday, Sep. 12 in Pittsburgh, Penn. | Photo Credit: Anthony D’Angio

Free the Machine Tour
Sept. 18  ||  Philadelphia, Penn.  ||  Wells Fargo Center  ||  Elle King
Sept. 19  ||  Boston, Mass.  ||  TD Garden  ||  Elle King
Sept. 20  ||  Brooklyn, N.Y.  ||  Barclays Center  ||  Elle King
Sept. 25  ||  Green Bay, Wisc.  ||  Resch Center  ||  Marcus King Band
Sept. 26  ||  Milwaukee, Wisc.  ||  Fiserv Forum  ||  Marcus King Band
Sept. 27  ||  Des Moines, Iowa  ||  Wells Fargo Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 2    ||  Detroit, Mich.  ||  Little Caesars Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 3    ||  Lexington, Ky.  ||  Rupp Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 9    ||  Indianapolis, Ind.  ||  Gainbridge Fieldhouse  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 10   ||  Grand Rapids, Mich.  ||  Van Andel Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 11   ||  Cleveland, Ohio  ||  Rocket Arena  ||  Marcus King Band
Oct. 23   ||  Salt Lake City, Utah  ||  Delta Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 24   ||  Boise, Idaho  ||  ExtraMile Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Oct. 25   ||  Spokane, Wash.  ||  Spokane Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 6    ||  Vancouver, B.C.  ||  Rogers Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 7    ||  Portland, Ore.  ||  Moda Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 8    ||  Seattle, Wash.  ||  Climate Pledge Arena  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 13   ||  Sacramento, Calif.  ||  Golden 1 Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 14   ||  Fresno, Calif.  ||  SaveMart Center  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
Nov. 15   ||  Inglewood, Calif.  ||  Intuit Dome  ||  Charles Wesley Godwin
 
About Eric Church
A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including 2020’s Entertainer of the Year) and 10-time GRAMMY nominee – including three nods for Best Country Album, Eric Church has built a passionate fan base through his critically acclaimed catalog of music. Church’s October 2024 release, “Darkest Hour,” saw the superstar signing over all of his publishing royalties to the people of North Carolina to provide immediate relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene while also providing ongoing funds to support a more resilient future for his home state. The song is featured alongside current single “Hands Of Time” on his recently released album, Evangeline vs. The Machine, marking his first new music since 2021’s Heart & Soul triple album (“Stick That In Your Country Song,” “Hell Of A View”). That project followed prior releases including RIAA Gold-certified Desperate Man (“Some Of It,” “Desperate Man”), Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and 4x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 32 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs. Church is also a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, a co-owner of the iconic Field & Stream brand, has his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” his own liquor offering, Whiskey JYPSI, and recently celebrated the first anniversary Chief’s, his six-story venue on Nashville’s famed lower Broadway.

Morgan Wallen Wraps 2025 ‘I’m The Problem Tour’

With band members Mark “Taco” Annino (Drums/MD), Luke Rice (Bass/Guitar), Dominic Frost (Guitar/BGV), Tyler Tomlinson (Guitar/BGV), Chris Gladden (Aux/Keys) and Tony Aichele (Aux/Guitar/Pedal Steel) by his side, Morgan Wallen made his final walkout of the 2025 I’m The Problem Tour in Edmonton, Alberta on Saturday night (Sep. 13). 
 
After bursting onto the stage performing his upbeat, rock-inspired “Ain’t That Some,” Wallen thanked his fans for showing up all year. “It’s hard to believe this is the last show of this tour this year, and from the looks of it, we couldn’t have picked a better place for it,” Wallen remarked. “I just want to say thank you guys for the energy that you have brought me this entire year. I don’t think that there’s a better fanbase on the entire planet than the one that I have.”
 
Wallen’s 26-song setlist was the same both Friday and Saturday, while Edmonton Oilers’ Center and Captain, Connor McDavid, joined him on Friday’s walkout. Opener Zach John King performed Florida Georgia Line’s part in Wallen’s first No. 1 single “Up Down,” while Ella Langley stepped in for Tate McRae for the live performance of “What I Want.”
 
The 2025 I’m The Problem Tour spanned 20 stadium-shows across 10 cities, including a historic stop at University of Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, where Wallen became the first artist to play the venue since The Rolling Stones in 1997 – and the first artist ever to play two consecutive nights, marking the largest concerts in the state’s history.
 
Additional tour stops in Cleveland, Ohio became the highest-ever attended shows at Huntington Bank Field and left Cleveland.com remarking, “There’s just something special to see an artist at the height of their powers, seemingly surfing the zeitgeist through top-selling and resonating material that is equaled by a touring prowess demanding a stadium audience.” Likewise, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette dubbed him “One of the hottest artists of the century,” while AZCentral lauded him “a commanding presence” during his Glendale, Arizona stop.
 
In addition to the 20 stadium-plays, Wallen also held his inaugural, self-curated and multi-genre Sand In My Boots Festival, and intimate album release show at The Roundhouse in London, in May. 
 
During his tour run, Wallen donated a portion of every ticket sold to his Morgan Wallen Foundation (MWF) — which supports youth music and athletic programs and gives communities access to essentials in times of crisis. Those donations enabled MWF to donate over $600,000 worth of instruments to schools in need across U.S. touring cities, including Gulf Shores, Alabama, in addition to a $30,000 donation to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jays Cares RBI program. For more information, visit MorganWallenFoundation.org. 
 
A rotating lineup of guests including Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett and Koe Wetzel joined in direct support with Gavin Adcock, Corey Kent, Ella Langley and Anne Wilson as second-of-four, and Zach John King added as first-of-four.
 
I’m The Problem Tour was named after Wallen’s fourth studio album, which spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop both the Billboard 200 albums chart and Billboard Canadian Albums chart. I’m The Problem became Wallen’s first album to debut at No. 1 on the UK Official Charts, making him one of only five artists to debut at summit with a country album. The project has already yielded four No. 1’s at Country radio, including the title track, which remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. 
 
I’m The Problem debuted at No. 1 in seven countries upon release. In Australia, I’m The Problem became the longest-running No. 1 album by a country artist in 10 years, with three consecutive weeks atop the ARIA albums chart, while “What I Want (feat. Tate McRae)” spent five weeks at No. 1 on Australia’s Country Airplay chart.

Photo Credit: Matt Paskert

About Morgan Wallen:
Morgan Wallen sets the pace in, and beyond, country music – with Billboard calling him “one of the biggest stars in the music world right now” and The New Yorker adding “[he’s] popular on a scale that seems to circumvent genre entirely.” With 19 No. 1 singles at Country radio, 19 Billboard Music Awards to-date, 198 weeks spent atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (the most in country music history), the highest selling country tour under his belt and more, Wallen has propelled country music to a global level in less than five years. 
 
Wallen’s fourth studio album, I’m The Problem, available now via Big Loud / Mercury, debuted at No. 1 globally across seven countries; while his preceding albums – Dangerous: The Double Album and One Thing At A Time – have remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart for more than 100 weeks each, making him the first artist ever to achieve that feat. I’m The Problem – which Hits Daily Double observes is “a 37-song cycle of self-reckoning” – has already yielded four No. 1’s at Country radio, including the title track, which remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. Wallen also broke his own record for the most simultaneous entries in Billboard Hot 100 History, with 37 songs charting on release week.
 
Wallen’s 20-stadium-show 2025 I’m the Problem Tour recently concluded in Edmonton, Alberta. In addition to his 20 stadium-plays, Wallen held his inaugural, personally-curated and multi-genre Sand In My Boots Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama in May. He also performed an intimate album release show at The Roundhouse in London.
 
Wallen donated a portion of every ticket sold to his Morgan Wallen Foundation — which supports youth music and athletic programs and gives communities access to essentials in times of crisis. More at  MorganWallen.com.
 
About Morgan Wallen Foundation:
Morgan Wallen Foundation supports programs for youth in the areas of sports and music, both a constant presence in Morgan Wallen’s life. Playing sports instilled in him the values and benefits of team, discipline, hard work and commitment. Exposure to music at a young age has led him to become the artist, songwriter and entertainer he is today. MWF is also committed to being there for communities in times of need. Whether it’s providing supplies in the wake of natural disasters, meals for first responders, distributing groceries to food insecure families, we are there to help. Wallen donates a portion of every concert ticket sold to MWF.  More information at www.MorganWallenFoundation.org.

Kenny Chesney Kicks Off HEART LIFE MUSIC @ ETSU, Boston Nov. 1 + 2

With the audio book underway, the final edits complete and the start of fall ahead, Country Music Hall of Fame 2025 electee Kenny Chesney knew he wanted to do something very special to launch his upcoming Heart Life Music. Tracing the path of a pretty regular kid living well beyond the lights of Knoxville, Tennessee, he decided to kick off his book tour at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, where his dream truly took wing, with a special event at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts on Nov. 1 at 3pm.
 
“Having looked at my life in ways I never thought of,” says the man Wall Street Journal called “the King of the Road” about the process, “I realized: I’ve always loved sports, music and the sea. But the idea I’d chase this dream came together in Johnson City, trying to learn Doc Watson picking from Jack Tottle, playing Quarterbacks and Chuckey’s, and going to Russia with East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass Band.
 
“For me, going back to East Tennessee State University where all of this began was the only way to kick this book tour off. Hopefully, someone in the audience who’s wondering about their own dream might find what they need to get serious about whatever it is they’re chasing.”
 
And if he’s leaning into his heart, it stands to reason that Chesney would hit Boston the next day. With his legendary Gillette Stadium shows, including a three-day run in 2024, No Shoes Nation was named in 2012 and he passed a million fans in 2018, as well as the friends he’s made from the region over the years, the 8-time Entertainer of the Year will appear at Back Bay Events Center Nov. 2 at 7pm.
 
“Whether the friends I made in the islands long before this journey kicked into gear, Ginny Brophy who welcomed a kid with nothing going on at WKLB, the crazy fun with Grace Potter, sailing and more with Ethel Kennedy around the Nantucket Sound, conversations with the Globe’s Steve Morse or Super Bowls with Robert Kraft and his organization, there’s been something about the people of New England that recognizes the kid from East Tennessee in me. I like to say, ‘They believe me,’ but I think it’s more they know the same grit and passion that’s driven me and my team all these years.
 
“I know these are intimate events,” Chesney continues. “But I want everyone to really be able to hear, absorb and feel like we’ve come together before they dive into the book. There’s a lot there, and a lot that went into it – and I want to have very real conversations about all of it to give people a real sense of the role where they live has played in my journey and the man I wanted to be and – hopefully – became.”
 
Chesney will be joined by two-time LA Press Club Music Critic, friend and co-author Holly Gleason for freewheeling conversations to enrich reading Heart Life Music, anchoring the places book events will occur. Having found his voice delivering the experiences of coming of age and living life as fully as possible in the 21st Century, the songwriter/superstar wants each event to reflect his relationship with No Shoes Nation, the music and anyone trying to find inspiration to create their own place in the world.

Saturday, November 1
Location: East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts in the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall
Time: 3:00pm
Tickets: On sale this Friday, September 19 at 10am ET HERE
Bookseller: ETSU Bookstore
 
Sunday, November 2
Location: Back Bay Events Center
Time: 7:00pm
Tickets: On sale this Friday, September 19 at 10am ET HERE
Bookseller: Harvard Book Store
 
Known for commanding the largest stages nationwide, Heart Life Music ventures to places long gone, makes unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Beyond meeting and collaborating with heroes, forging transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond, Chesney’s introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation offers the intimacy of sharing a slow afternoon on the water.
 
About the Book
Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney
with Holly Gleason
On Sale: Nov. 4, 2025 | William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063423107 | $32.50
E-book ISBN: 9780063423114 | $14.99
Digital Audio ISBN: 9780063423121 | $27.99
Preorder HERE
 
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music's biggest names, Kenny Chesney was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and was named Billboard’s No.1 Country Artist of the 21st Century. Selling out America’s major stadiums for two decades and playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, Variety pronounced him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” The East Tennessee songwriter/superstar has over 105 platinum certifications, won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as holding Billboard's record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age in the flyover in the 21st Century. This year, the game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes into a whole new dimension. Creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers. Heart Life Music is his first book.
 
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year.  A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller Y’all Eat Yet as well as  Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.

Kenny Hits The Studio...without Musicians; HEART LIFE MUSIC Audio Book Underway

Normally when Kenny Chesney’s in the studio, there are multiple guitarists, a monster drummer and a whole lot of great songs. Not this summer. Just songwriter/superstar and a mic hit Blackbird Studios to capture an East Tennessee kid with a headful of wonder’s journey through a Nashville that was built on creative types at all levels seeking his fate.
 
From catching a spark playing for tips at various bars, as well as traveling to Russia with the East Tennessee State Bluegrass Band during college to then playing a destitute Lower Broadway, where the Ryman was on the verge of being torn down and characters populated the seedy bars, and being signed to a publishing deal at Acuff Rose, home to Hank Williams Sr. and Dean Dillon, it’s the power of curiosity to drive someone with nothing but a hunger to write and sing songs. It’s also an homage to perseverance when the going is more than rough, the ability to find laughter in the cracks and a will to keep going.
 
“It’s funny,” marvels the man whose stadium tours have become a rite of summer, “when you’re living it, it’s being in the moment. When we were writing it, it was looking back and really striving to get it right. But now, reading it, all of these stories become real again. I can see everybody, from the Turf and the Wheel, to (Capricorn Records founders) Phil Walden with all that charisma and (legendary producer) Barry Beckett telling me to ‘put a smile on it.’
 
“It takes a lot longer than I thought to record an audio book, or maybe it’s just I would get lost in seeing all the people and places along the way. In a way, it’s what I did with my summer vacation: visit all these adventures I’ve had, because when I started to hear the stories, I felt like I was living them all over again.”
 
Whether making unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifting across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Chesney will engage with a coterie of singular folks, friends and inspirations, as he embraces the unabashed joy of being alive. “Thinking about the moments, reading the stories, it all got very real for me – the blessings of so much wisdom people gave me and unthinkable things I got to do. I was here at an amazing time, got to experience a Nashville closer to Willie Nelson or George Jones when they were trying to make it happen – and I got to live this crazy dream alongside so many heroes, make great friends. Hearing it come out of my mouth, it’s a lot to take in; I almost wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been there.”
 
Written with longtime friend and collaborator Holly Gleason, Heart Life Music celebrates the life and rise of a man whose songs have set the tone and whose shows have anchored a world without borders for the last quarter century. From the road, stage quiet moments and unthinkable thrills, it’s a trip for anyone who’s ever wondered what the voyage to No Shoes Nation might be like.

Official Release Nov. 4; Preorders HERE

About the Book
Heart Life Music
by Kenny Chesney
with Holly Gleason
On Sale: Nov. 4, 2025 | William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Hardcover ISBN: 9780063423107 | $32.50
E-book ISBN: 9780063423114 | $14.99
Digital Audio ISBN: 9780063423121 | $27.99
Preorder HERE
 
About The Authors
One of contemporary American music's biggest names, Kenny Chesney has been selling out major stadiums across the nation for two decades; playing to over a million fans every summer since 2002, prompting Variety to pronounce him “country music’s only true long-term stadium act.” He’s earned over 105 million RIAA certifications and won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year eight times, as well as being Billboard's Country Artist of the 21st Century as well as holding Billboard’s record for the most Country Airplay No. 1s with 36 chart-topping songs that define coming of age across America in the 21st Century. The game-changing superstar became the first country artist to perform at the groundbreaking Sphere, taking No Shoes into a whole new dimension. Creating a space to work hard, play hard, love hard and come together in the spirit of celebrating all the moment offers, his popularity continues to grow year after year. Heart Life Music is his first book.
 
Holly Gleason’s work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, the Library of Congress’ National Registry of Sound Recordings, among other outlets. She was the LA Press Club’s Entertainment Journalist of the Year and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Association’s Independent Journalist of the Year. A former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame/Case Western Reserve Fellow, she’s the creator of Belmont Book Award-winning Woman Walk The Line, and co-authored Miranda Lambert’s New York Times best-seller  Y’all Eat Yet as well as Prine on Prine: Interviews & Encounters.

Jamey Johnson and Ronnie Dunn Release "Never Gonna Be" on Friday, Sept. 12

When Jamey Johnson and Ronnie Dunn recorded “Never Gonna Be,” which will be released on Friday, Sept. 12, the lyrics had special meaning to Johnson because Dunn co-wrote the song about him. 

The recording is a poignant full-circle moment because Dunn and co-writer Terry McBride wrote the song about Johnson 15 years ago, just as the Alabama native’s career was taking off.

“It makes me think of my early days in Nashville, bringing my guitar downtown to play,” Johnson says. “Once I was playing Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and came back out and my 1986 Dodge had been towed. It reminds me of those days when everybody out there was working hard and trying to get noticed and write a better song and perform a version of it live.” 

The song is not only a snapshot in time of Johnson’s early solo career, but a powerful description of the steady stream of countless aspiring artists that have been coming to Nashville for decades, “riding on high hopes, living on dreams,” as the song says, hoping to make it in a town full of “them that are and has beens, and never gonna be.”

Pre-save “Never Gonna Be” HERE.

What did it mean to Johnson to have Dunn write a song about him? He says, “It was awesome! I never ever really knew what to do with it because I don’t think I knew he was pitching it to me to record. I don’t know what I thought at the time.

“I thought he nailed the concept as far as everybody coming to Nashville and it chews them up and spits them out. I guess I never did know which of those categories I fell into. Now I think I do: I’m a ‘never gonna be,’ and I’m OK with that,” he says with a laugh. 

Johnson and Dunn first crossed paths in 2005-06, when Johnson opened shows for Brooks and Dunn. In 2010, Dunn and McBride wrote the song in Saskatchewan, Canada, during a break in Brooks & Dunn’s tour there. 

“It was back when Jamey was just coming on strong, maybe just before he’d had ‘In Color,’” Dunn says of Johnson’s award-winning hit. “We were just looking at the new wave of outlaws coming into town.

“It’s like, ‘Oh boy! This is going to be fun!’ We just took off, thinking, ‘What would it be like?’ Listening to him in interviews, you’d get insights into people and what was going on with him. Man, we were excited! 

“I came from a conservative place in West Texas, where you couldn’t have your hair over your ears in school. I thought, ‘Oh man, we’re gonna get to meet hippies finally!”

Messina Touring Group Elevates Rachel Powers to Vice President

Messina Touring Group (MTG) has elevated Rachel Powers from Vice President of Marketing to Vice President, reflecting her expanding role within the company and her continued impact on the live entertainment industry.
 
“It’s an absolute honor to continue growing with a company known for its unwavering commitment to artists, always putting them and their best interests first,” shares Powers. “I’m fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented professionals in the business, many of whom have helped pave the way for me. It’s been a privilege to support some of the best artists and their incredible teams. I’m especially grateful to Louis for his mentorship and for believing in me – this opportunity means the world.”
 
In addition to prior responsibilities of co-leading the marketing department and overseeing tour marketing for Blake Shelton, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band, this new role expands Powers’ focus beyond marketing to include broader oversight and more deeply involved in high-level decision-making, cross-functional leadership and driving overall growth for the business
 
Powers has been a driving force behind some of country music’s most successful tours. Since 2017, she has overseen tour marketing for Shelton, from his Doing It to Country Songs Tour to his upcoming 2026 Live in Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum.
 
She leads marketing for Church’s highly anticipated Free the Machine Tour launching this weekend, following her work on his The Gather Again Tour, which sold over 860,000 tickets, grossed $100 million, and earned Top Country Tour at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and Church’s record-breaking Double Down Tour in 2019, which sold more than 770,000 tickets, grossed nearly $72 million and made history as the first solo headliner at Nissan Stadium.
 
Her contributions have been widely recognized throughout the industry. She has been named to Billboard’s Country Power Players list (2024, 2025) and Women in Music Executive list (2023, 2025). She was selected for the second cohort of the Country Music Association’s Women’s Leadership Academy, recognized as an inaugural honoree on Pollstar’s Impact: NextGen list in 2019, and invited to join the first class of the American Express Women in Music Leadership Academy.

Photo Credit: Chris Zebo

Brantley Gilbert Releases New Single "Want You Back" + 'Greatest Hits...So Far' Available 12/12

Multi-Platinum country rocker Brantley Gilbert returns to Country radio with a clever twist on heartbreak in his single, “Want You Back,” out now via The Valory Music Co. The track made its global premiere yesterday exclusively on Country radio, before going wide across all digital platforms today. Listen to “Want You Back” Below.
 
With its 90s-meets-modern-country sound, pedal steel woven into his signature rock edge and a hook that's instantly addictive, “Want You Back” finds Gilbert leaning into tongue-in-cheek humor, wishing his ex had done him dirty so he’d have a reason to move on. Written by Gilbert with HARDY, Hunter Phelps and Will Weatherly, and produced by Gilbert, Weatherly and Brock Berryhill, the single proves even heartache can come with a grin:

Today’s release will be found on Gilbert’s forthcoming Greatest Hits…So Far, available December 12 via The Valory Music Co., along with previously unreleased songs “Real American” and “Ride With Me.” Pre-save/pre-add Greatest Hits…So Far HERE.

The Tattoos Tour continues this weekend with shows in Allen, TX and Kinder, LA, with additional stops in Franklin, TN on October 3 and Colorado Springs on October 11 among additional dates through February 2026. Tickets are available at BrantleyGilbert.com.
 

The Tattoos Tour 2025 Dates
 
Sept. 6             Coushatta Casino Resort || Kinder, LA
Sept. 11           Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom || Hampton Beach, NH
Sept. 12           The Great Frederick Fair 2025 || Frederick, MD
Sept. 13           Portsmouth Pavilion || Portsmouth, VA
Oct. 3              FirstBank Amphitheater || Franklin, TN
Oct. 4              Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary || Petros, TN
Oct. 10            Rio Rancho Events Center || Rio Rancho, NM
Oct. 11            Ford Amphitheater || Colorado Springs, CO
Oct. 12            Blue FCU Arena || Loveland, CO
Feb. 26            Pensacola Bay Center || Pensacola, FL
Feb. 27            Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena || Jacksonville, FL
Feb. 28            Donald L. Tucker Civic Center || Tallahassee, FL

Jenna Paulette Releases “Steady,” Readies CowboyGirl Fall Collection for 9/15 Launch

Leo33’s rising country artist Jenna Paulette, who teased new music in 2026 in a recent COWGIRL Magazine profile, is previewing her upcoming project with the release of “Steady,” available everywhere now. Listen Below. 
 
“Ross and I were working cattle one day and I looked over at him, his handle on his horse looked so light and good, and I thought, 'he holds my hand like he holds the reins…steady.' I put that into my phone and ended up talking about the idea with Rhett Akins and Will Bundy on a writers retreat,” Paulette recalls of the writing process. “The song was way slower when we work taped it. My manager said on a call with the label, what about “Steady,” but think of it as more uptempo with soaring steel guitar. I’m so glad he could hear the potential through a rough version of the song.”
 
Written by Paulette, Will Bundy and Rhett Akins, and produced by Bundy, “Steady” is a testament to the understated strength of a dependable partner. 

Alongside new music, Paulette is celebrating the one-year anniversary of her CowboyGirl women’s range wear collection, in partnership with Ely Cattleman, with the launch of the CowboyGirl fall line on September 15. The fall drop introduces fresh seasonal details, including new autumn-oriented colors, a seasonal plaid and an expansion of the line to include the Little CowboyGirl collection — designed with the same fabrics in a “mommy down” style for mothers and daughters to wear together.
 
Reflecting on this chapter in her life, Paulette shares, "I feel like I'm getting into the groove of motherhood while being a touring musician, things are picking up in all aspects of my life. It’s feeling more like a moving train that I'm riding. It's picking up speed—I’m excited for the momentum of it all, with the way the music and Cowboygirl work together.” 
 
The Fall line builds on CowboyGirl’s focus of functional fit, with classic tone-on-tone styles available in both seasonal colors and classic solids of white and black — designed for dressier occasions or for rodeo competitors in need of dependable gear. CowboyGirl’s fall collection will be available at local retailers or elycattleman.com. 

CowboyGirl Celebrates One-Year Anniversary with Fall Collection Launch on
Monday, September 15

California Cowgirl: Annie Bosko’s Debut Album Arrives October 3

Working with producers Trent Willmon and David “Messy” Mescon, and writing alongside the likes of Mescon, Jeffrey Steele, Bridgette Tatum, Danny Myrick, Terri Jo Box and more, Bosko co-wrote over half the songs found on California Cowgirl, including the already released title track, “God Winks, “Tequila Time,” “Country Girls! (Who Run the World)” and “Heartburn” featuring Dwight Yoakam. The project also features tracks penned by Lainey Wilson, Garth Brooks and Hannah Dasher.
 
Bosko will join Dolly Parton for Dolly: Live in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace on December 10, following her album release party on October 3 at Desert 5 Spot in Los Angeles. She is also set for a headlining performance at Nashville Dance Fest this Sunday, September 7 and a date supporting Jessica Simpson at Genesee Theatre on Saturday, September 20.

Rising singer/songwriter Annie Bosko is stepping into a new chapter with her debut album, California Cowgirl, arriving October 3 via QHMG/Stone Country Records. Growing up a farmer’s daughter, the collection reflects her West Coast roots that run deep in the heart of California’s agricultural country while blending her love of timeless storytelling with a sound that’s equal parts confident and catchy. Pre-save/pre-add California Cowgirl HERE.
 
“California Cowgirl is a colorful tapestry woven from the threads of my life — with a fabric for everyone,” shares Bosko. “From the grit of growing up a farmer’s daughter to the faith that’s kept me chasing my dreams, this album reveals both the tender and the tough sides of who I am. It carries the pioneer spirit of the West, the heartbeat of the American dream and a Golden State glow with country soul.”
 
To accompany today’s announcement, Bosko also releases a new studio version of “Honky Tonk Heartbeat,” a track fans may recognize from Ariat’s buzzed-about “Line-Men Dancing” campaign, featuring fellow Ariat ambassador and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
 
Penned by Bosko specifically for the campaign, Purdy leads his center Jake Brendel, retired tight end Bear Pascoe and a squad of Stanford University linemen in a choreographed line dance, bringing “Honky Tonk Heartbeat (Football Line-Men Dance)” to life:

Annie Bosko Upcoming Shows
Sept. 7             Nashville Dance Fest || Nashville, TN
Sept. 12           Wine & Country || Sam Simeon, CA
Sept. 20           Genesee Theatre || Waukegan, IL
Sept. 27           Get Down Downtown || Searcy, AZ
Oct. 3              Desert 5 Spot || Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 9              WhiskeyJam || Nashville, TN
Oct. 10            Four Peaks Oktoberfest Tempe Town Lake 2025 || Tempe, AZ
Jan. 31             REHAB Telethon & Auction || Abilene, TX
Feb. 20            Los Fresnos Rodeo || Los Fresnos, TX