Joseph Hudak. Photo: Koury Angelo

Joseph Hudak has been upped to Deputy Editor and Head of Country at Rolling Stone. In his new role, he will oversee the magazine’s country music coverage across editorial, digital, social, audio and live platforms, as well as expand Rolling Stone‘s presence in Nashville.

In 2014, he assisted in the launch of Rolling Stone Country. Hudak also hosts, writes, and produces Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast. The debut guest included Margo Price, and since then he has hosted Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Vince Gill, Charley Crockett, Amanda Shires, Carly Pearce, Lukas Nelson, Ne-Yo, Bryan Andrews and more.

“For more than a decade, Rolling Stone Country has been a leader in country music journalism, reporting on America’s most popular genre with both the critical eye and the fan point of view that it deserves,” says Hudak. “With Nashville Now, we’re meeting our audience where they are on their screens and streaming services to deliver in-depth conversations that celebrate the music while also raising important issues. As Deputy Editor, Head of Country, I look forward to working with our writers and contributors to bring country fans the stories and access that have long been a hallmark of Rolling Stone.”

Hudak also hosts The Rolling Stone Writers’ Room and Musicians on Musicians, and has moderated live interviews with artists Kris Kristofferson, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Charley Crockett, Portugal. The Man and Sleater-Kinney.

He has been at Rolling Stone for over a decade. Prior to Rolling Stone, he served as managing editor of Country Weekly and spent 12 years at TV Guide.

The Red Clay Strays. Photo: Robby Klein

The Red Clay Strays are celebrating their new album Grateful with their biggest headlining tour so far, “The Grateful Tour ‘26.”

The new tour, which kicks off in Columbia, Maryland on July 30, will include stops in Philadelphia, Sioux Falls, Bozeman, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, San Diego, Fort Worth, Orlando, Baton Rouge and many more through Nov. 13.

An array of special guests will join the band on select dates throughout the tour, including The Revivalists, Dylan Gossett, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, Shane Smith and The Saints, Sierra Ferrell, Travis Tritt, Haley Reinhart, Brent Cobb and Sweet Talk. General tickets go on sale May 1, at redclaystrays.com/tour.

The Red Clay Strays will officially kick off their tour later today, (April 24), with a press conference and a top-billed appearance at Indio, CA’s Stagecoach. They also recently announced “The Red Clay Strays Fan Fest 2026,” the first-ever RCS fan festival set to take place at Rexford, Montana’s Abayance Bay Marina on June 24-28. The five-night event will feature a headline show from The Strays, the very special “Strays with Stories – Intimate Performances and Stories with The Red Clay Strays,” headline shows by Lukas Nelson and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, and much more.

The Red Clay Strays – Tour 2026 Dates:
April 24 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach †
May 24 – Norfolk, VA – Patriotic Festival
June 5 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest presented by SoFi †
June 13 – Columbus, OH – Buckeye Country Superfest †
June 18 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
June 21 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgates N’ Tallboys †
June 24-28 – Rexford, MT – “The Red Clay Strays Fan Fest 2026” at Abayance Bay Marina
June 26 – Calgary, AB – Country Thunder Alberta †
July 11 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club †
July 17 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin †
July 19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days
July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion *
August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden *
August 5 – Laval, QC – Place Bell * (NEW DATE)
August 7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann ** (NEW DATE)
August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden **
August 15 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair
August 16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center # (NEW DATE)
August 18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center # (NEW DATE)
August 19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center # (NEW DATE)
August 21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse § (NEW DATE)
August 22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Center # (NEW DATE)
August 26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena ## (NEW DATE)
August 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ## (NEW DATE)
August 29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center ## (NEW DATE)
August 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ## (NEW DATE)
September 2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center # (NEW DATE)
September 4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic # (NEW DATE)
September 6 – Aspen, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience †
September 11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center # (NEW DATE)
September 12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena # (NEW DATE)
September 16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego # (NEW DATE)
September 17 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena # (NEW DATE)
September 19 – Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Music Festival †
September 20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center + (NEW DATE)
September 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond †
September 30 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre * (NEW DATE)
October 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena * (NEW DATE)
October 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena * (NEW DATE)
October 7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ++ (NEW DATE)
October 14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center * (NEW DATE)
October 15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena * (NEW DATE)
October 17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium * (NEW DATE)
October 18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena * (NEW DATE)
October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena ^
October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena ^
October 28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center ^^ (NEW DATE)
October 31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena ++ (NEW DATE)
November 5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center ‡ (NEW DATE)
November 6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena ‡ (NEW DATE)
November 8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena ‡ (NEW DATE)
November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ||

† Festival Appearance
* w/ Special Guests The Revivalists & Haley Reinhart
** w/ Special Guests The Revivalists & Brent Cobb
# w/ Special Guests Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
§ w/ Special Guests TBA & Sweet Talk
## w/ Special Guests Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
+ w/ Special Guests Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk
++ w/ Special Guests Shane Smith and The Saints & Brent Cobb
^ w/ Special Guests Sierra Ferrell & Brent Cobb
^^ w/ Special Guests Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb
‡ w/ Special Guests Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
|| w/ Special Guests Travis Tritt & Brent Cobb

The Americana Music Association has revealed the first round of artists slated to showcase at AMERICANAFEST in Nashville, running from Sept. 15-19.

Artists set to appear include Benmont Tench, Melissa Etheridge, Hiss Golden Messenger, Buddy Miller, Erin Enderlin, Lee Roy Parnell, The McCrary Sisters, Shakey Graves, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines, Next of Kin and many more.

AMERICANAFEST Festival 2026 Wristbands, which allow admission into evening showcase venues and select sanctioned special events, are $150 and are available online here. Silver Wristbands are currently on sale for $470 ($350 for Americana Music Association members) and provide first access to RSVP events, and access to the daytime educational conference, plus sanctioned special events.

The week of festivities kicks off with the Americana Honors & Awards, which celebrates Americana luminaries and welcomes the next generation of trailblazers while offering one-of-a-kind performance pairings at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Tickets will be first available to Silver Wristband Holders, followed by Association members and Festival Wristband Holders, then a general public sale at a later date.

Ella Langley. Photo: Courtesy of NOYZ

Ella Langley has debuted a new fragrance, Be Her Eau de Parfum, in partnership with NOYZ.

Langley worked closely with renowned Robertet perfumer Jérôme Epinette, who also developed the broader NOYZ fragrance collection. The scent will be available online and exclusively at Ulta Beauty shortly.

“Partnering with NOYZ to develop a custom fragrance feels like an extension of the same storytelling I chase in my music – layered, authentic and intentional. Every fragrance note has a purpose, originates from a memory, and the entire process translates something intangible into a fragrance that people can carry with them” shares Langley.

“The timing of this partnership could not be more perfect, Ella is breaking charts and is the hottest new name in music, and NOYZ has experienced a meteoric rise itself in 2026,” adds Shaun Neff, Founder of NOYZ. “I am hyped on how Ella created this scent to embody her song Be Her and how this collaboration has magically come together. ”

“From the beginning, NOYZ was built on the idea that fragrance should reflect real life, raw, emotional, and deeply personal,” says Malena Higuera, CEO of NOYZ. “This partnership with Ella represents a new model for how scent can come to life, where it’s not inspired by an artist, but created with them. Be Her translates her lyrics, her perspective, and her sense of identity into something tangible. It’s a reflection of where fragrance is going. More expressive, more collaborative, and more storytelling than ever before.”

CBS and New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash have signed a new multi-year deal to stream the annual celebration globally. The annual stream takes place on Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. CST live from Nashville the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+.

The show is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Sandra Restrepo serves as Director.

“Mary and I are thrilled to continue our partnership with CBS and the City of Nashville to bring New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash to audiences across the country,” says Deaton. “There’s nothing quite like ringing in the new year from Nashville, surrounded by the energy, heart and incredible talent of country music. We’re proud to keep growing this celebration into one of the biggest nights of the year for fans everywhere.”

The event is hosted infront of thousands of attendees at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. This year’s lineup, hosts and special guests will be announced at a later date.

Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.