Darius Rucker has been in the music business a long time, so it should be no surprise he has the best show-day ritual we’ve ever heard of.

“I play golf, work out, and take a nap,” the 57-year-old told Audacy’s Katie Neal of his daytime activities on show days before clarifying a 2-hour nap is the sweet spot for him.

“We still do a shot together every night before we go on [too],” he added. “We’ve been doing that for decades. That’s still one of our traditions, I love it.”

Darius is currently keeping the traditions alive on the road with his, Starting Fires Tour. The name is a nod to his brand new single, “Fires Don’t Start Themselves,” which, according to him, has been a big hit with the live audiences.

“The reaction’s been great,” he said. “That song is such a Country song and people just love it when we play it. By the first chorus, everybody is already in so, that’s what you’re lookin for.”

The track is the lead single off Darius’ forthcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy, a tribute to his late mother arriving late Summer/early Fall 2023.

“We’re talking about doing some really cool stuff, especially in Charleston where I was born and raised,” Rucker said of plans to honor his mom with the album release. “Hopefully we’ll get something really cool and something that makes me happy, and makes my family happy too.”

“Fires Don’t Start Themselves” isn’t the only song Darius has brought on the road from the new project which he credits for having “a lot of great Country stuff.”

He also shared he plays the songs, “Have a Good Time,” “Never Been Over,” and “Still Would’ve Loved Her,” which are all included in the forthcoming project. All that in addition to his previously released collaboration with Chapel Hart, “Ol' Church Hymn.”

“Those girls are just absolutely amazing,” Darius said of working with the all-female trio that got their big-break on season 17 of America’s Got Talent.

“Anytime I see a text from one of those girls I know it’s going to be funny… I love hanging out with them when we get together. They make me laugh the whole time we’re together. I love them so much.”

It’s not all new stuff that’s fun for Darius to play on the road. The South Carolina native says he still has the best time performing his iconic cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wago ...

There’s never a dull moment when the guys of Old Dominion are around. On the road and writing music together for more than 15 years, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers and Geoff Sprung have formed a brotherhood like no other — one we wonder if they’d ever commemorate with matching tattoos.

“I can’t get these guys to [get tattoos],” frontman, Matt Ramsey said. “They’re too scared.”

“If we can settle on one tattoo that we all get, [a] team tattoo, we each have it [I’d get one]” Rosen chimed in. “It would be a giant Old Dominion logo,” he said, sarcastically of the design they’d get.

While the guys don’t sound fully committed to the idea as of now, finding a tattoo artist won’t be an issue should they change their mind while on their No Bad Vibes tour. Ramsey shared tattoo artists are regular guests at the different tour stops and provide tour tattoos for their band and crew.

“I’ve got a couple, actually,” Ramsey said of getting tour tattoos by artists on their current tour. “Sometimes we’ll have some connection to somebody that can come just hang out and say, ‘Hey if anybody wants a tattoo.’”

The tour has proven worthy of permanent ink as it wraps its Spring leg and is scheduled to continue into the Fall, featuring new music from the group’s recently released EP, Memory Lane.

“We have ‘Some Horses,’ ‘How Good Is That,’ and ‘Love Drunk and Happy,’” Ramsey said of the brand new songs available on the EP, in addition to some previously released tracks. While all tracks reflect the bands beloved “feel good” vibes, there’s one song that sticks out for them as it represents a first for them in their 16 years of being a band.

“‘Some Horses,’ in particular is pretty special in that it’s the only song we’ve ever recorded that we didn’t write,” Ramsey shared. “That song has been around over ten years and we’ve always just loved it.”

After recently reminiscing on the song with bandmate Trevor, Matt decided to pitch the tune to the rest of the guys to be included on their next project. “I played it for them that morning and said ‘Just hear me out, let’s just give this a shot’.” Ramsey recalled. “It was really a special moment."

You can hear ‘Some Horses,’ plus two more brand new songs on the guys’ brand new EP, Memory Lane, available now. Find out more about their tour, tattoos and favorite 4th of July memories by listening to their full interview with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Luke Bryan is working double overtime as he prepares to head out on multiple tours, pieces together a new album, and teaches his 15-year-old how to drive.

LISTEN NOW: Luke Bryan says teaching his 15-year-old son to drive is a ‘nightmare’

Forget taking the stage in front of thousands every night, or writing the next big Country hit — Dad duty is the most stressful thing Luke Bryan has on his plate right now as he helps his son, Bo, practice for his driver’s test.

“He’s 15 so he’s doing the whole learner’s permit nightmare,” Luke told Katie Neal. “He is not a very good driver right now, so we’re having to work with him pretty hard.”

While Luke says the task isn’t coming very naturally to Bo, sounds like his son would beg to differ. “He’s very frustrating right now because he thinks he knows how to drive, but he has no idea what he’s doing,” Luke shared. “He thinks because he can operate a 4-wheeler or Polaris that he is quite proficient, but he is not, I assure you.”

It’s not all struggles for young Bo, who Luke said caught his first 10-pound bass weeks ago — beating Luke’s first by decades.

“He caught [his first 10-pund bass] a couple of weeks ago,” Luke said. “It took him 15 years, it took me 46 years.”

As Luke continues to teach the rules of the road, and take fishing flack from the fam, it’s a good thing he has a light-hearted, good-time single to play while on tour the rest of the year.

“I feel like, ‘But I’ve got a Beer in My Hand’ is something that’s really, really a fun song for the summer,” he said of the tune. “People can just sit back and listen to it while they’re at a concert, hold a beer up, have fun and dance.” Sounds like something he could use for a break from the ever-stressful driving instructor role.

Luke promises lots more light-hearted fun to come in the future as he pieces together his next studio album, which he shared is already well in the works. “I’m all about from now to the twilight of my career just having a blast when I’m on stage, playing songs that make people have fun,” he said.

“We’ve got several things recorded,” he shared of the progress on his next project. “I’d say we got around 10 songs recorded, probably going to record, six, seven, eight more songs just to be able to put out a full-length LP. As I find songs, as I write songs that I really love, we’ll go in the studio an record ‘em and just keep adding layer upon layer to the album and just put out.”

Inspiration can come from anywhere when you’re one of Nashville’s most successful singer-songwriters, and Jordan Davis’ 6th consecutive big hit, “Next Thing You Know,” is a perfect example.

Davis recently joined Audacy’s Katie Neal for a conversation on the Superstar Power Hour and explained just how eating breakfast with his young daughter turned into a unique #1.

“I was just having breakfast one morning and it kind of hit me how fast my daughter is like [growing up],” Davis said. “I blame it on the iPhone [because] you’ll get a photo from like, a year ago and my daughter is like, in a crib… and the next thing, she’s telling me exactly what she wants for breakfast.”

Just so happened that Jordan had a writing session scheduled that day with songwriters Chase McGill, Josh Osborne and Greylan James, who coincidentally had the idea “Next Thing You Know.”

Meshing the moment of Jordan’s morning reflection and James’ title idea, “Next Thing You Know,” was born and while he loves the song, Davis said he was shocked at the quick success it had due to it breaking a major songwriting “rule.”

“There wasn’t a real chorus to it, so I was like, ‘That’s a lot of words to remember,’” Jordan recalled of his initial thoughts surrounding the song. “This is me in my songwriting brain that I’m trying to get out of, but writing a song that doesn’t have a chorus is a very good way to have that song never heard again.”

Clearly not the case for this hit that was a fan favorite from the very beginning, essentially making itself a single from Davis’ latest project, Bluebird Days.

“Probably two weeks into playing, everybody was singing every single word,” he said, noting that he started playing it before it was even released. “We were having talks about the next single and and I was like, ‘Guys, this is getting kind of hard to ignore — the way this song is reacting. From the day we released it, it just took off.”

The song continues to be a favorite for fans as it sits in the #1 spot and Davis is still receiving large fan reactions as he plays it on the road every night on Dierks Bentley’s Gravel & Gold Tour.

Hear more from Davis about the tour, newest addition to his family and how he froze up in the presence of Dolly Parton by checking out his full conversation with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Brian Kelley has never been shy to show his coastal roots when it comes to his music. Known as the “Florida” half of former duo, Florida Georgia Line and titling his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, the Sunshine-state native’s roots are definitely present throughout his music, but he’s ready to show another side.

Kelley is currently at work on his next solo album and while the lead single, “See You Next Summer,” might have fans thinking another beach project is on the way, they’ll have to think again.

“It’s important for me to show all sides on this new music, not just one and not just kind of that coastal Country thing, because I’m more than that,” Kelley told Audacy’s Katie Neal. “I really have dug on where I want to take this… there’s a little bit of coastal stuff, but a lot of Country stuff to be honest with you.”

Exploring his solo Country sound isn’t the only new approach BK took for this project. The 37-year-old also said he adopted a new mindset when it came to picking songs for the album, one that rid him of his ego and solely focused on finding the best songs possible, whether he wrote them or not.

“With this solo outlet, I want to do it the right way,” he shared. ”I think part of that, for me… is having kind of the Garth [Brooks] and Kenny [Chesney] mindset of, ‘yeah we’re going to write as many songs as we can and hopefully many of those make the album, but we welcome outside songs.” 

The fresh approach is all part of BK’s new state of content “open mindedness,” which he says is the main difference he’s noticed since going solo. 

“I’m open minded, but also have kind of a clear path of where I want to sit and where I want to stay, in a sense,” he said. That open mindedness has also prompted BK to stretch far outside his comfort zone when it comes to his music, especially in the writer’s room. 

“When it comes to that mindset, I told my whole team, I was like, ‘whoever y’all want me to write with — new, old — just make me uncomfortable,” he said. “I don’t care, I’m after great songs, so I think to end up with a great project and something that you’re super proud of and to elevate where you’ve come from, you have to get uncomfortable.” 

Hear more about what’s to come with BK’s second solo project, plus how he scored a free airstream, his best marriage advice and favorite song he’s written for another artist by listening to his full conversation with Katie Neal above. 

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Megan Moroney is celebrating her very first #1 at Country radio with her debut single, “Tennessee Orange,” and while it means big things for her career, it could also mean something big for her personal life — a tattoo.

Moroney recently joined Audacy’s Katie Neal on air where she recalled begging her parents for permission to get a tattoo in years past and finally got their permission — under one condition — she land a #1 on Country radio. Little did they know, as their daughter had sights set on a career as an accountant, a #1 would actually become a reality. 

“My parents have been [like], ‘You can’t get a tattoo or you’re getting taken off the will,’” Moroney explained. “Back when I was going to be an accountant, I used to try and push their buttons with that and [say], ‘What if I have a #1 on Country radio?’ And they told me, ‘Yeah, Megan. If you have a #1 on Country radio you can get a tattoo.’” 

While she technically has their blessing, Megan’s admits she’s having second thoughts and may just stick to celebrating with “a lot of tequila.”  

“If I am able to get a tattoo, if it’s the approval thing, I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I really want one,’” she said. “I just like to push my mom’s buttons sometimes because we’re the same person and I told her that I was going to get a big [University of Tennessee] T on my arm right here if not goes #1.” 

While the tattoo idea may have been a joke, Megan was a 100% serious when she had another idea to have her brother join her on stage as she performed on the main stage at last weekend’s CMA Fest in Nashville — one year after she played the festivals’ lower-profile, Spotlight Stage. 

“My brother came and played with me at the spotlight stage last year… I knew I wanted my brother there with me bacuse I didn’t want to do it alone” she shared before revealing she inited her brother back this year to take on the big stage with her. 

“This year, I’m flying my brother back in and he’s going to play the stadium with me, we’re trying to make CMA Fest a tradition,” she said before clarifying he’s not a professional musician — he’s an attorney. 

You can catch Megan’s performance, alongside her brother, as CMA Fest airs on ABC July 19 at 8PM ET, hosted Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson. Catch Megan’s full interview with Katie to hear more about CMA Fest, her #1 and new album, Lucky, above. 

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal 

Katie Neal talks with Chase Matthew at CMA Fest 2023.

Katie Neal talks with Matt Stell at CMA Fest 2023.

Katie Neal talks with Mackenzie Porter at CMA Fest 2023.

Katie Neal talks with Hunter Girl during CMA Fest 2023.