Whether she's on the CMA Stage or the side of a highway in small town Arkansas, Ashley McBryde is one of the best artists and human beings in all of country music. During last week's CMAs, Ashley had the honor of performing "Help Me Make It Through The Night" with just her and a guitar for the Kris Kristofferson tribute and it was easily one of the best moments of the night and one of the all-time great CMA performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Baa_GvkX44 In a night of performances that were, shall we say, less than stellar, this was a standout, proving yet again that Ashley McBryde is hugely overlooked in country music. https://twitter.com/WhiskeyRiff/status/1859436229772632492 It's been a long road for Ashley, who released her debut studio album Jalopies & Expensive Guitars (an excellent title if I do say so myself) in 2016 after self-releasing two demo tapes in 2006 and 2011. She moved to Nashville in 2007 and began doing what any aspiring musician did (before TikTok at least), taking any possible gig and playing every available open mic night while working a day job to pay the bills. She had some minor success locally, winning back-to-back Country Showdown's and a state-wide Battle of the Bands tournament, before scoring some opening gigs for Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, and Chris Cagle. Jalopies & Expensive Guitars caught the interest of Eric Church, who invited her to sing "Bible and a .44" on stage with him during a Chicago stop on his Holdin' My Own tour, a performance that now lives in country music lore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lcSTQ22Ito That moment was a major stepping stone in Ashley's career and lead to her biggest successes in songs like "One Night Standards" and "Never Wanted To Be That Girl", a duet with Carly Pearce that went number one, won Musical Event of the Year at the 2022 CMAs, and won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. I'll die on the hill that her best songs are the album cuts that never saw a radio wave. Try listening to "The Jacket", "Southern Babylon", "Voodoo Doll", and "Livin' Next to Leroy" and honestly tell me those aren't some of the best tracks you've (maybe) never heard. Sure, it's unfair and she deserves more but that's also exactly what makes her such an alluring artist. Similar to Kip Moore and to an extent Eric Church, people will know her for the couple big hits but real fans know there's gold nuggets hiding in plain sight throughout her catalogue. Which brings us to a very cool moment that happened a few days ago in Ashley McBryde's hometown of Waldron, Arkansas. Ashley was honored by the town of 3,386 people where she grew up in a ceremony that took place on the side of the road next to a brand new sign the people in local government were bursting with excitement to share. https://www.instagram.com/p/DCzwy15pch5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=644d88a0-cd48-4cff-b900-b1234658840c Per a decree from the mayor, November 24th will now be called "Ashley McBryde" in Waldron, Arkansas and her name would proudly be displayed on a "Welcome to Waldron" sign on Highway 71. We've seen similar things happen to Carly Pearce in Kentucky and every time it makes me smile knowing that these "big time" stars still care so much for the place where they were raised. It proves there's truth to the cliche that there's no place like home. Big shoutout to Waldron, Arkansas and a big cheers to Ashley McBryde. I've been a fan for years now and can't wait to hear what comes next. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1090503252199936

Technology can sometimes be a beautiful thing. Notice that I said "sometimes" right there. That's because there's a plethora of examples of tech and artificial intelligence being used for good. But on the flip side, there's a number of issues that arise because of AI being used improperly. It's a toss up really, or to quote the great Brian Fantana (from Anchorman): "60% of the time, it works every time." AI has slowly-but-surely crept into our lives in the past five years, as companies like OpenAI have become more and more accessible. The idea is that the advancement in technology will make our lives easier, but you probably know just as well as me that artificial intelligence can easily cause controversy. To be transparent, there are plenty of examples of good, commendable AI usage. The tech was able to help Randy Travis release new music in 2024, and it even allowed for The Beatles to complete a song that had been considered a “lost recording” for decades. However, there’s also a number of questionable AI utilizations. Just recently, Coca-Cola opted to replace their beloved “The Holidays Are Coming” ad spots with artificial-intelligence-generated commercials. And a church in Switzerland faced backlash for installing an "AI Jesus" for people to talk to. It certainly seems like there is a right way and a wrong way to use AI, though its hard to figure out where exactly we should draw the line. I'll go ahead and boldly say that the line should be drawn somewhere, and only where it allows for fun, zany, nonsensical AI covers like the one I've included below. In the past, imagining country music legend George Strait singing Metallica would have likely come out of a fever dream of sorts. Now? It's something that can actually - and easily - be achieved thanks to the power of artificial intelligence. An Instagram account by the name of "There I Ruined It" - which is a great follow by the way - posted this video mashing up the lyrics of Metallica's well-known "Enter Sandman" and George Strait's iconic "Amarillo By Morning." The AI song follows utilizes Strait's vocals in the tune of "Amarillo By Morning," only the lyrics have been switched out (perfectly might I add) to sing the opening verse, pre chorus, and chorus of "Enter Sandman." It's one of those things where you say, "There's no way that would work," and then it magically does. Just hearing a snippet of it will make you want to hear a full-length album of George Strait singing Metallica. You could even call the project "Strait Metallica." Boom, I just did most of the hard work. Now we just need the AI to take over the rest and give us other beautiful renditions like this one (love that they added "Darlin" into the chorus): "Say your prayers, little one, don't forget, my son To include everyone I tuck you in, warm within, keep you free from sin 'Til the Sandman, he comes Sleep with one eye open Gripping your pillow tight Exit light Enter night Darlin, take my hand We're off to never-never land" https://www.instagram.com/p/DAKBrbhuPJK/

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