Music Notes: Riley Green’s ’25 Tour, Wetzel’s Wonderland, Midland’s Ode to Sin City, PLUS the Heartwreckers, Scotty McCreery & More

Country Music & Entertainment News From Hook & Barrel Magazine

Just Announced: Riley Green’s Damn Country Music 2025 Tour

Riley Green is set to trek around North America with his Damn Country Music tour, kicking off late March of 2025. The tour was announced with a promo video - a nod to “Smokey and the Bandit” featuring Green and his opening acts. Watch the video here.

“I learned to play guitar to my granddaddy’s favorite Country songs from back in the day and the new album is a throwback to the era when I first became a fan,” said Green. “For this tour I was able to find some of my favorite artists and songwriters to join us, and singing with Ella every night will be a lot of fun.”

Damn Country Music’s lands in British Columbia, Canada on March 27, 2025. From there, the singer will head to Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee and Idaho, to name a few. The tour celebrates Green’s latest album, “Don’t Mind If I Do” and features supporting acts Ella Langley, Vincent Mason, Mike Ryan, Lauren Watkins and more.

See the full lineup and buy tickets (on sale Friday, 9/27): rileygreenmusic.com/tour.

Koe Wetzel Brings Wetzel’s Wonderland to Texas

Koe Wetzel announced he is bringing the holiday spirit home to Texas this year with two live performances of “Wetzel’s Wonderland.”

The shows, will be held Dec. 26 in Austin, TX, and Dec. 26 in Fort Worth, TX, and bring to life Wetzel’s “Wetzel Wonderland EP,” released in 2023. Fans will be treated to songs off the EP such as “Blue Christmas,” “Please Come Home For Christmas,” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” with specials guests Morgan Wade and Stephen Wilson, Jr.

The holiday shows also will serve as an end to Wetzel’s string of sold-out shows on his Damn Near Normal tour, running through November.

For more information and tickets (on sale now), visit KoeWetzelMusic.com.

Midland Released Ode to Sin City - “Vegas”

Grammy-nominated trio Midland released a new single off their upcoming album, accompanied by a music video, “Vegas.” The song, an ode to Sin City, will appear alongside the track list also newly released on their upcoming album, “Barely Blue.”

“‘Vegas’ is an homage to the wildest town in the world and the intense connections and losses that tend to happen in Sin City along the way,” says lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach. “Sonically, the song feels like a tip of the cowboy hat to early George Strait classics penned by the legendary Dean Dillon.”

The trio also announced additional tour dates to their Get Lucky tour, which kicked off September 19 of this year in Cincinnati, OH, with stops at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the ACL Live in their hometown of Austin, TX.

“‘Vegas’ takes Sin City's unofficial calling card 'what happens in Vegas' and interprets it through a love story,” said guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson. “The phrase instead here is a sweet and tender ode to an all too brief romance that lingers after the tellers have returned to their daily lives.”

Up-and-Coming Duo Heartwreckers Signs with BMG

New country duo Heartwreckers - comprised of Brock Butler and Ryan Garrett - signed a new publishing deal with BMG.

The duo, hot off their release of “Shut Up and Drink,” also joined Tim McGraw on his Standing Room Only summer tour, after a run of shows in Key West, Denmark and the UK.

“Ryan and Brock are strong vocalists and performers in a live setting but what sets these two apart as Heartwreckers is their depth of talent as songwriters,” said Chris Oglesby, VP, Publishing, BMH Nashville. “They have tapped into what connects with listeners; there’s a rawness and vulnerability that balances the ‘in your face’ truth-telling songs they’re becoming known for.”

Tim McGraw, adds, “The guys were awesome on the tour this year and I’m thrilled we could partner up with BMG Publishing.”

“Shut Up and Drink,” the duo’s five-track debut EP is the cap of their, where they have been features on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” in Hook & Barrel Magazine (and in their latest video series Light’s Out - include link here), and on Spotify’s New Music Friday Country playlist, among other spotlights.

Catch more on the duo at their website: www.realheartwreckers.com.

Tickets for Scotty McCreery’s Fall of Summer Tour on Sale Now

Scotty McCreery is back on the road this fall with his “Fall of Summer” tour, and tickets are on sale now. With his recent release of “Rise & Fall,” and single “Cab in a Solo” becoming the country artist’s sixth number one, McCreery launched his latest tour early in September.

“I’m so proud of my new Rise & Fall album, and I’m pumped to bring the Fall of Summer Tour out on the road,” said McCreery. “Performing live is one of my favorite things to do, and I can’t wait to play these songs for folks across the country as well as a few Canadian shows in Ontario.”

Tickets are still available for the tour that will run through early December. Get tickets and more information at his website, ScottyMcCreery.com.

John Rich Released Single “Revelation”

John Rich, half of the duo Big and Rich, released his own single, “Revelation.” Rich wrote the song in under an hour, and paired with the video it offers three and a half minutes of veracity.

“’Revelation’ is a song inspired directly from the prophecies of the Apostle John about the future of our planet, and the eventual return of Jesus Christ,” said Rich. “I hope this song brings strength to the saved, conviction to the lost, and fear to the truly wicked. The real war is not between left and right, it's between good and evil, and God wins in the end.”

Rich is currently on tour as part of Big & Rich, has been crossing the country on the group’s 20th Anniversary Tour, featuring Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy.

Jenna Paulette’s “Outside” Out Now

Cowgirl and songstress Jenna Paulette’s “Outside” is an ode to nature’s healing impact, and it’s out now. Paulette grew up on a ranch in Oklahoma, working cattle, and being outside is where she has always felt most true to herself.

“I heard this song and instantly saw myself in it,” said Paulette. “We adjusted a few of the lyrics to better fit the 'me' that played Little House on the Prairie with my sisters under the pecan trees at my family's ranch. ‘Outside’ is what shaped me into the woman and artist I am--a west wind blowing through barbed wire truly makes me feel the most at home in my own skin.”

Paulette’s new release comes after her release of “The Girl I was (Red Dirt Deluxe)” in March of this year. She’s currently on the road with Aaron Watson as part of the “The Armadillo Dance Hall Tour.”

For more on Paulette and to give her single a listen, check out jennapaulette.com.