I didn’t grow up trying to be an influencer. I grew up loving music, stories, and the way a good song can tell the truth faster than all the babbling in the world ever could.

I’m Shauna Castorena, but most folks know me as WhiskeyChick. I’ve been writing about music, concerts, and the culture around them for more than twenty years, long before blogging turned into branding and long before “creator” became a job title. I came up through message boards, dive bars, and fan communities, learning how to listen before I ever learned how to publish.

What I do now is simple. I listen. I go to shows. I pay attention. I write honestly.

Sometimes that means breaking tour news. Sometimes it means calling out industry nonsense. Sometimes it means sitting with a feeling a song leaves behind and putting words to it before it fades. Most days it means taking over the bluetooth speaker and forcing my friends to listen to whatever my latest obsession is. I cover mainstream country, Red Dirt, regional scenes, festivals, and the quiet corners where the best stories usually live.

I also live a whole life outside the press releases.

I’m a Gen X woman with grown kids, chickens in the yard, a long-term partner, a deep appreciation for whiskey, and a habit of building things myself when I can’t afford to buy them. Rural life, music culture, and lived experience all bleed into my work because that’s how real people experience music too. Not in silos. Not in neat categories.

This site is my home base.

It’s where my personal essays live. It’s where the stories that don’t fit neatly on Country Music News Blog or Country Music On Tour land. It’s also where everything connects back together. The writing, the events, the playlists, the projects, the conversations.

If you’re a reader, welcome. Start anywhere.

If you’re an artist, publicist, or brand, know this upfront: I don’t do hype for hire. I work with people and companies that respect their audience, value authenticity, and understand that trust is earned over time. If that sounds like you, I’m always open to a real conversation.

Pull up a chair. Stay awhile. There’s plenty to dig into. And if you think we might work well together, you know where to find me.