What’re you looking at, son? You wanna go? Well, it seems like Gavin Adcock can’t get enough of the fightin’ side of country music, and the media (The Dads included) can’t get enough of his bologna. This week, we dive into the beefs, why country music seems to foster this kind of violent rhetoric, what dads should do about it and how the media landscape makes it all worse.

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00:58 - Who is Gavin Adcock and why is country music (and its tabloids) so obsessed with him? The Dads get into his origin story, his approach and why he’s the perfect foil. He’s either a marketing genius or an idiot savant.

6:21 - Donnie outlines why he doesn’t like him, but Dave jumps in to say he totally gets his appeal, that vibe and that stupidity. There is something to be said about acting a fool. But it needs to be safe for everyone involved.

10:31 - Beefs, it’s what’s for dinner. The Dads outline the wild number of beefs that Adcock either instigated or accelerated. Up first, we talk about Braxton Keith and Adcock.

13:28 - Next, we cover the swing Adcock took at Beyoncé. His take was loaded and unneeded.

16:53 - Now we get to the good stuff: Zach Bryan vs Adcock. They came into it with the same energy, and this one is wonderfully messy. They both looked like fools because neither chose to de-escalate.

21:10 - On to Charley Crockett and his master class in narrative control. Adcock put himself back into the conversation, ego and all. And boy did he miss. The allegations of “Cosplay Cowboy” against Crockett fall so flat. All stage performers put on an act -- including Adcock.

27:46 - The fight and beef drives streaming revenues, but it’s not going to establish Adcock for the long term.

29:16 - Benjamin Tod, the $75 a night beef and the outlaw version of puka shells.

34:14 - How do these beefs stand up to the history of country music beefs? They are similar, but the social media system exacerbates the situation.

36:10 - What role do violence and male bravado play in country music -- it’s all about the storytelling. From Johnny Cash to Jason Aldean, country uses violence to tell a story and foster the image of power and control. And this music provides an escape. Understanding the line between violence as an escape vs a solution is critical.

45:19 - How do dads help their kids deal with this kind of trash talk or bullying? Be a better person: don’t let yourself be hurt, and find a better way to fix the problems that will always arise. And this isn’t just about dumb beefs or little kids. This is about how society solves its problems.

54:29 - Dad Life Sound Check for meeting the bully in the parking lot.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

Thanksgiving doesn't get any respect, but we're looking to change that. The beleaguered middle child of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is often overlooked. Yet so many elements of Thanksgiving (gathering with family, romanticizing our past traditions, and reckless binge-eating, among others) seem to make it the perfect holiday for a dad and for country music. We explore why Thanksgiving doesn't get its due and we take our best shot at creating a Country Music Thanksgiving Playlist.

0:01 - The introduction: Why do we, in the country music and dad community, not elevate Thanksgiving to its rightful place as the American Holiday?

2:33 - A Bit of History about Thanksgiving and how it became today’s National Holiday. Please note that Donnie had a lot of trouble with the word “popularization.”

5:30 - What does Thanksgiving mean to the Dads? What must you have to eat in order for it to be “right?” And how does being an adult make a difference? Donnie also talks about when he was in shape and ran really fast during a Turkey Trot (Much like the misremembered history of the holiday, Donnie made up a bit of the story, but he did come in first place in the Clydesdale division one year).

13:16 - Deep-fried turkeys, roasting turkey and handling the bird like a chunky nine-month-old. Also, how do you pronounce “giblets?”

16:30 - How do kids change your traditions? Establishing these rituals is very important, and with a bit of planning, you can do great things. But there is more that gets done, and less pure enjoyment and celebration.

19:08 - The great joy of being a parent comes from hard work, and what Donnie says to people who are considering having kids.

21:21 - A Call to Dad Action: We should take Thanksgiving and make it THE American Dad Holiday.

22:30 - What must be on your Thanksgiving table?

26:20 - Donnie and Dave discuss why we think Thanksgiving doesn’t get the respect it deserves. And like the Father of our Nation, George Washington, the Country Music Dads make a proclamation naming Thanksgiving the Dads’ Holiday.

29:48 - Why are there no country music Thanksgiving songs? There are a few songs that work, and the Dads try to jam a square peg into a round hole.

40:51 - Green Bean Casserole is easy: Dads, you can up your game! Donnie outlines the entire process of making it—and it’s super easy.

42:31 - Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie is a bonkers banana pants song, but it’s a song about Thanksgiving. Sorta…

44:00 Change My Mind: Donnie pretends to believe that turkey is overrated. And Dave changed my mind -- in the name of tradition. But everyone can agree that the next day sandwich is what Thanksgiving is really all about.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

• Butterball Togetherness Report

This episode needs no introduction: Shooter Jennings joins Donnie and Dave to discuss his dad’s cache of recordings, the process of bringing together three albums' worth of new Waylon Jennings music, and his feelings about the first installment, Songbird. Shooter talks at length about the discovery of Waylon’s previously unreleased music, his relationship with his legendary dad and his own role as a father of two. This one was big for the Country Music Dads, as there couldn’t be a more perfect topic for this podcast.

1:24 -- Shooter tells us about the discovery of these songs and how the Songbird project came together.

6:12 -- Dave says it was surreal to hear these songs in 2025. Shooter felt the same way. And then he knew he had to share this with others so they could have the same experience.

8:26 -- The Myth vs. The Man: Shooter explores what fans might be able to take from these projects.

10:42 -- Shooter’s childhood on the road and why he’s tired at shows regardless of how much sleep he gets.

12:20 -- Waylon the Artist vs. Waylon the Dad. Shooter kept true to the art but modernized it a bit — “letting the music on the tape talk.” That said, the experience of going through this chapter of his dad’s life was very special to Shooter.

20:07 -- As a producer, the process of this project was a bit different for Shooter because Waylon is no longer with us; he is his father, and there was so much more material than usual. So he wanted to make it last to “make it like Waylon is here for a minute.”

23:00 -- Donnie asked about how relationships impact Shooter’s production style. He specifically pointed to Turnpike Troubadour’s last two albums and the fan backlash after Cat in the Rain. Shooter’s direct and honest answer provides an interesting view into his producing style.

28:58 -- The Dads ask Shooter how the production on the next albums fit together and how they tell a story. We also learn that there are several other projects to come from this collection of recordings, including songs by his mother, Jessi Colter. It’s like a little Marvel Universe of Waylon Jennings, they joke. But wouldn’t that be cool?

30:40 -- How this project impacts Shooter’s legacy and his kids’ vision of him.

36:30 -- What’s next for Shooter? He’s working with Charley Crockett and BJ Barham of American Aquarium again.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

• Songbird album by Waylon Jennings
• Countach (for Giorgio) album by Shooter Jennings
• Tony Joe White
• Sometimes Y album by Yelawolf

This week, Donnie speaks with Ryan Posner, a Los Angeles-based bass player, side man and musical director, about balancing his home and professional life, how to define country music, why it is important to push art forward and how bass players make great dads.

They dive deep into the value of his current project, the nearly weekly Y’all Star Revue, a showcase at the original Desert 5 Spot in Hollywood. This event highlights the best local and touring country music talent who are on the verge of breaking out.

1:50 -- Ryan’s origin story: From a 16-year-old rocker to figuring out playing country music right before the pandemic. He tells Donnie that his first concert was Willie Nelson at age five and his second concert was Weird Al opening for the Monkees in the early 1980s -- which really summarized his musical existence. Until he watched Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary.

6:38 -- Bass players make great dads: Ryan has always been attracted, and it seems that the Country Music Dads are attracted to bass players. Perhaps the kind of person who likes to play bass is also the kind of person who wants to be a dad.

8:58 -- How do you truly balance the parenting? Being honest is a good start.

10:40 -- What is The Y’all Star Revue, and what is the impact of this program on country music?

17:25 -- What is real country music? Ryan ends the debate of what country music is and what it is not. His platform is to share new music with new audiences.

20:19 -- Freedom from Choice: Ryan hopes that his new curated platform can help bring so many different kinds of music together to help develop a new experience outside of the over-saturation of the Los Angeles music scene. He prefers “freedom from choice” rather than “freedom of choice.”

22:19 -- More Debate on What Makes Real Country Music: But does this kind of platform push country music too far? Ryan says no. There is no line too far. Country music evolves just like every other kind of music, and the only person who can define “real” country music for that person is that person.

30:55 -- The Dad Life Sound Check: Ryan brings “Funny How Time Slips Away” by Willie Nelson, and Donnie talked about Waylon’s “Songbird.”

38:15 -- THE LIGHTNING ROUND, which gets completely derailed by the last question about the one concert you could attend at any time.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

• Few Miles South
• Slick City Pickers
• Jerry Zinn, West of Texas
• Ken Burns Country Music documentary

This week, the Dads talk about a growing trend in country music and on the faces of men everywhere: the mustache. While facial hair is divisive, this episode takes a light-hearted view of the ‘stache, the correlation between masculinity in society and the prevalence of mustachioed individuals and much more. This is just one long “Change My Mind” segment, and you won’t be disappointed.

1:45 - The History of the mustache, pogonotrophy and some notable ‘staches from history. There are several horrible dad jokes about facial hair throughout this section.

6:30 - The place of the mustache in pop culture from the Fu Manchu to the handlebar to Tom Selleck, everyone’s favorite short-short-wearing Private Eye.

11:52 - The mustache is a symbol of Dad Life. Dave comes from a long line of mustachioed dads.

13:33 - A mustache is an intentional act of manliness and all that is baked into that statement. In the end, men grow mustaches for their fellow men.

16:11 - The evolution of the mustache in modern society, the impact of Movember and shifts in culture.

17:50 - The great (and not so great) mustaches of country music. And for some reason, Dave brought up Chris Gaines in relation to Garth Brooks.

29:44 - Change My Mind: Here it comes down to this -- will Dave change Donnie’s mind about the 'stache?

35:54 - The Dad Life Sound Check

• Prince Rahotep
• Pazyrik horseman
• 2014 BBC article about Edward, Prince of Wales
• Dr. Fu Manch from the British author Sax Rohmer
• Magnum P.I.
• Yosemite Sam
• Tombstone
• Jeopardy and Alex Trebek
• Fatherly article about moustaches
• Movember
• Children's Book Episode
• Identify this 90's moustache on Instagram with Zach Top
• Buzzing sounds…

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new...

In this episode, The Dads speak with Jeremy Pinnell, a country music dad from Elsmere, Kentucky. Jeremy released his first full-length album in 2014 on SofaBurn Records, featuring a collection of songs that draw from his life to tell a truly country story. Jeremy recently released brand new singles “Save You” and “Come Home to Me.” He joined the Dads to talk about family, finding balance and all sorts of other topics on this episode.

2:00 - Jeremy’s music seems highly biographical, but he gets into his roots and family background that shaped his musical approach and personal experience.

5:15 - The stories in Jeremy’s music feel true. And that is something that resonates with him. Story songs have always resonated with Jeremy, and he believes other folks like them too because they want to experience others and “feel uncomfortable.” In the discussion of “Feel This Right,” Jeremy notes that the story is true -- perhaps.

8:38 - Jeremy discusses how his experiences and drug use influenced his earlier writing. He goes on to say that he doesn’t discuss these songs with his son as he wants to allow him to just be a kid, something that he didn’t have the opportunity to do in many cases.

11:02 - A discussion of the push and pull of home and the road -- Jeremy started touring about the same time his son was born. It’s getting harder as he grows up, but he still needs to balance the pull of the road.

12:40 - Donnie brings up the ideas of “I Don’t Believe” about religion, being a good person and other issues. Jeremy explains that he was looking for something when he wrote that song, and he’s still not sure why, but it has become a study of being content where you are in life.

15:05 - Jeremy talks Jiu-Jitsu, getting his ass kicked and finding balance in being uncomfortable.

18:31 - Work makes Jeremy happy. He shares that enjoyment on socials, but it’s more about sharing what he enjoys, not some desire to prove his country credentials. For the Dads and Jeremy, work provides a counterbalance to chaos that is always rewarding.

21:09 - When talking about balancing inspirations, Jeremy told the Dads about the rules about not talking about the venue until you are three miles down the road with the windows up. And that gave birth to a great idea -- and that is sort of how that happens.

24:00 - The story of the “Save You” music video.

26:38 - The new singles from Jeremy were produced by Shooter Jennings. The studio process was about highlighting the song and making it as strong as it could be, Jeremy explains.

28:45 - The Dad Life Sound Check is coming in hard with Jeremy leaning into silence. A nice shift. Donnie and Dave have songs.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or...

Dave goes solo for this episode with a brief update on Country Music Dads' plans in the coming months and with a brief rant about parental leave for dads.

00:34: The Update Dave's having a baby! He shares how that news will affect the timing of the podcast in the coming months as he takes Podcaster Parental Leave. The Country Cutler Takeover of Country Music Dads is underway....

03:53: A Brief Rant on Parental Leave for Dads: Dave encourages dads to take EVERY MINUTE of their paternity leave (especially if they get paid for it). It's good for you, it's good for the baby and it's good for the women in your lives.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

• Article about paternity leave by Tulane University Law School

• Theme Music: “Dark Country Rock” by Moodmode

This week, the Dads sit down with Manitoba's own Sean Burns. He’s a sideman, a frontman and a radio man -- and he’s your new best friend. Sean has been playing bass and touring with one of Canada’s best underground country stars, Corb Lund, for years. He makes time for his own solo career as a songwriter and purveyor of classic country sounds as the frontman of Sean Burns and The Lost Country. And he’s also the evangelical lover of traditional real country music and as the host of the Boots & Saddle Show, your humble home of honky-tonk and beautiful country music by beautiful country music singers, he shares his takes on what make great country music every Tuesday on CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg, and then on podcast services around the globe.

Throughout the show, they discuss the balancing act of being a touring musician with a deep passion for the music and being an engaged father to a young daughter. For Sean, it’s all about how the two worlds influence one another and finding the right balance as he navigates his life with his wife and kiddo.

2:01 -- Sean Burn’s country music origin story.

6:14 -- Dave asks Sean a very easy question: What is the best country music album of all time? He has his opinions, and then he gets into how to define country music -- what is and what isn’t country. It’s not as divisive as you might think.

9:24 -- The planning process for the Boots and Saddle Show.

13:30 -- The Canadian Music Rules and how Sean breaks the laws -- because he’s an outlaw! But he has great reasons for it. And then Sean goes deep into the history and Canadian infrastructure of country music through the 20th Century.

21:07 -- Balancing the road and the home life: Sean loves being a road warrior and “dadding up,” but it’s a hard balance.

25:33 -- How all the different creative pursuits provide different fulfillment to Sean that makes him a better and more complete person, which in the end makes him a better dad too.

30:00 -- Sean is a true critic and delivers truth without being a jackass. It’s not an easy process but the key is to be honest and keep it about the music, not the people. In the end, it is about what he wants. He also has some strong words about 90s country and the people making it.

36:01 -- The clear divide between the road and the home comes down to the responsibilities we all have. But the road and the music influence the home life, which exposes the little one to a bit of the road. And that brings the kiddo into the music life -- and gets to meet some weirdos. Driven and independent folks, but weirdos all the same!

41:24 -- The Dad Life Sound Check -- Sean and the Dads share their songs of the moment.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love to hear what you think, so send us comments, suggestions, friendly banter on Instagram @countrymusicdads, or via email countrymusicdads@gmail.com.

• The Boots and Saddle Show
• Don Stickle aka