Episode 196 with Riley Green & Garth Brooks

We are back from an extended break with an action-packed episode featuring interviews with Riley Green and Garth Brooks. This edition of The Music Universe Podcast originates from Brooks' new Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk in the historic area of Nashville's Lower Broadway, recorded ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and the soft opening of the new multi-level venue.

Before we talked with Brooks, I had a chance to chat with Green in October surrounding the release of his new album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo, released via BMLG Records. The Alabama good ol’ boy shares a close relationship with fans, taking them inside of his country lifestyle and talking about how his grandfather inspired the project.

"The title's after the title track 'My Last Rodeo' that I wrote about my Granddaddy Buford, and something he told me before he passed away back in 2010. I didn't write this song until just recently, so it was one of the last songs to make the album, but I thought the sentiment of it kind of embodied the traditional country music sale that I think we were going for on this record," Green shares. "Also, it's been a while since we put an album out, so it's always nice to remind fans that you're writing constantly and that you got new music and it's great to have new songs to play at shows."

Last week, we attended a press conference ahead of the soft opening at Brooks' new Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk. We were on hand as Brooks relaunched The Garth Channel on TuneIn, which has its studio overlooking the stage in the facility. During our three-minute two-on-one chat, Brooks discussed his new The Limited Series box set which features his latest album, Time Traveler, as well as whether additional albums are expected from the country superstar.

"Individual record sales aren't really out there. People do [albums] for like artwork and stuff," Brooks says. "So I don't know when it's gonna [be released individually] -- it'll eventually come out on its own. But right now it's sitting in the box."

He adds, "The whole thing of what albums are now and how music is served, I'm not sure an album is in the future of any artist. So I think right now what you want to do is just watch technology and see how people are digesting music and then we'll figure it out from there."

He also states the highly-anticipated Ireland television special from the five-night-finale of his global Stadium Tour in September 2022 is still in the production stages.

"I'm getting to see the pieces [of the film]. We're working on it a week from Sunday, too, so it's still in the evolution stages. I can tell you this. When you talk about how sweet it was -- top-tier stuff, come back stuff -- I'm going to put this up against anything we've ever shot, including Central Park. When you see it, you're not going to believe it. I can't believe it when I see."

This episode also features an interview with Natalie Cox, who's a new host on The Big 615, Brooks' flagship station with TuneIn and his Sevens Radio Network. Additionally, we talk with Blake Carter, who returns as the voice and Program Director of The Garth Channel.

We round out the episode by taking music fans inside three new exhibitions at the Country Music Hall of Fame and M