Sunny Sweeney Takes Over Sirius/XM Outlaw Afternoons
It has been a tough few months over at the Sirius/XM Outlaw channel, which has been one of the few audio outlets where you can hear many of the great independent country and Americana artists highlighted here on Saving Country Music. First you had the death of Mojo Nixon in February, who was a mainstay on the channel for many years. Then you had the death of the station’s Program Director Jeremy Tepper in June. Tepper had been in that position for some two decades.
Since then, there has been a lot of speculation about what might happen next, and some complaints from longtime listeners about some of the programming and song selections on the channel lately. Hoping to create some stability and a start a new Outlaw tradition, SiriusXM has announced that Sunny Sweeney will be the new afternoon host on the Outlaw Channel, 4 to 8 pm Eastern, with her new show “Sunny Side of Life.”
The singer, songwriter, and performer originally from Texas is no stranger to the SiriusXM format. In 2022, Sweeney launched “Sunny Side Up” as the 6 am to 12 pm show on the Outlaw’s sister station, Willie’s Roadhouse.
“When an out of left field opportunity presented itself at the exact right time in my life over two years ago, I took it! I got a call from an old friend, Jeremy Tepper, asking if I’d be up for hosting a radio show. I said yes before I asked if I had to relocate or even if it paid,” Sunny says. “Well, now, starting on Monday, you can also join me in the afternoons, and Saturday 2-6pmET on the Sunny Side Of Life.”
Yes, Sunny will be pulling double duty, along with touring and continuing to record and release music. Sweeney just released a slew of new tour dates, as well as a deluxe edition of her 2014 album Provoked with new songs “My Own Lane” and “My Bed” with Will Hoge.
You can hear Sunny Sweeney on SiriusXM Outlaw Channel 62 starting on Monday, August 5th.
August 3, 2024 @ 11:39 am
They couldn’t have picked a better person for it! Love some Sunny. She’s one of my favorite artists and does a great job on her current show as well.
August 3, 2024 @ 11:54 am
I let my Sirius subscription expire a few years ago after a decade plus of faithful listening to the Outlaw channel. I find it more beneficial to explore playlists than hear “The Road Goes on Forever” 3x a day. And after Hank III went into hiatus, it really became the Americana channel.
Does Elizabeth Cook and Hillbilly Jim still have shows on Outlaw? Towards the end, that was all I was listing too.
August 5, 2024 @ 9:59 am
“Bullets in the Gun” is the better song anyway.
August 6, 2024 @ 3:54 am
If you are trolling, then I say great work. If you are serious, I got nothing.
August 5, 2024 @ 5:38 pm
Elizabeth Cook is the only show work listening to on there now. I got Sirius about a year ago and was really excited about the outlaw channel, but it is terrible and I never listen to it. Elizabeth Cook plays great stuff thoug.
August 3, 2024 @ 12:07 pm
I was an avid listener to XM Radio’s X-Country up until the morning I woke up to hear they merged with Sirius radio and the AWFUL Outlaw Country took over my beloved Country. Talk about a channel that is an insult to one’s intelligence.
I dropped my subscription immediately and never looked back.
August 3, 2024 @ 7:35 pm
Yup, XM was better all over for music than Sirius ever was or is.
October 23, 2024 @ 2:54 pm
I have five subscriptions satellite radios,,,,,, my favorite is outlaw country in the daytime and at my home it’s always on,,,,,,,,, unfortunately there’s too much talking with the new dj , yes I know mojo had big shoes to fill,, but you have to understand subscribers of xm radio support this because of no talking or very little,,,,,,, unfortunately thinking of canceling all five ,,,,,, I hope corporate make notes of these reviews because we are real people that pay real subscriptions,,,
August 3, 2024 @ 1:59 pm
she’s great, saw her a few times in Bakersfield at Buck Owens Crystal Palace (which is for sale. if you know anyone with $7.4mil, minus the name and the memorabilia, but is, of course, negotiable)
August 3, 2024 @ 2:00 pm
Did you write about Los Hermanos Mendoza? They fit in what can be called as the evolution of the Bakersfield Sound (with a little of corrido touch in the instrumentation) in my opinion.
August 3, 2024 @ 2:05 pm
Random comment. But no, I haven’t written anything about them yet. All I have seen is cover songs, but if they release some original stuff or an album, I might review it.
August 3, 2024 @ 3:07 pm
If you don’t like random comments I don’t comment here anymore then. Mr sincere.
August 3, 2024 @ 4:35 pm
Hey Eric,
I don’t want to discourage you from commenting and didn’t mean to come across as harsh. But generally speaking, it’s best to keep the comments on the topic at hand.
August 5, 2024 @ 4:58 pm
And I didn’t meant to be overreacting. It’s just not the first time that I comment off topic and receive a similar answer from you lol anyways, once I randomly commented asking about Zach Top before you made any article and then you did write.
August 3, 2024 @ 3:44 pm
Saw Sunny and Erin Enderlin for an hour long acoustic set earlier this summer. She is a delight.
August 3, 2024 @ 4:37 pm
I let my subscription lapse last year, and I don’t miss it. Both Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse have disappointingly limited playlists, and I kept hearing the same songs over and again. Plus, on the Roadhouse, Islands in the Stream. Really? There are some great options on Radiobox, free as the wind, and with much larger playlists.
August 3, 2024 @ 5:01 pm
I’ve been a subscriber for about twenty years, back when XM and Sirius were different companies. I have a driving job and prefer listening to Country and Bluegrass all day. However, like some of the other commenters, I’m becoming bored with SiriusXM’s limited Country playlist.
I’d like to hear more novelty, like Ranger Doug’s Cowboy Corral and Truegrass. Even though I’m getting bored and frustrated, it still beats the hell out of “Today’s FM Country Hits!”
August 3, 2024 @ 11:24 pm
Go check out mixcloud. Tons and tons of DJs with wild record collections. The ameripolitan Music show, honky tonk jukebox, and more. I’m sure that Sonny’s show is going to be great though. I was also thinking about signing up for Sirius in order to listen to the interviews that Dwight Yoakam does with various people
August 4, 2024 @ 2:21 pm
I’m a big fan of Classic Cowboy Corral and Ray Benson’s Austin Outer Limits.
August 3, 2024 @ 8:18 pm
When I had my XM subscription I listened to the Outlaw channel a few times, but it seemed to play music that was a bit too far from traditional country for my taste. My home on XM was Willie’s Roadhouse.
August 4, 2024 @ 4:42 am
Ditto! Since when were the Rolling Stones considered “Country?”
August 4, 2024 @ 3:20 pm
Obviously they are not a country band but they have at least 10 or more country/country adjacent songs. And generally they are fantastic.
August 3, 2024 @ 8:21 pm
This is great. She is the real deal.
August 4, 2024 @ 6:01 am
Happy for Sunny and have no doubt she will do a great job. Kinda surprised that Sirius/XM is still hanging around though. I got a 6 month free subscription when I purchased my last car, and after checking it out for a bit, I never really listened to it at all. Definitely didn’t consider extending it past the free time period. Maybe if I had a job requiring many hours on the road it would be worth it, but I don’t really see it offering anything that streaming and podcasts don’t. And the sound quality was very poor as well.
August 4, 2024 @ 7:32 am
Real DJ’s. That’s about it. Streaming can start to feel robotic sometimes.
August 4, 2024 @ 12:02 pm
Well there is another SXM channel I won’t listen to! Sweeney and Cayley Hammock are awful. Who cares what they think or about their lives. Play music and shut up. They have such a great example of how to behave in Mike Terry. Hammock and Sweeney are like listening to teen age girls gossiping. Shame on SXM for promoting them.
August 4, 2024 @ 6:25 pm
Playing only music isn’t a business model for Sirius XM now that streaming is readily available in all cars. You don’t need to like it, but it makes sense for Sirius to still have DJs talk between songs.
August 4, 2024 @ 2:24 pm
While both Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse are somewhat repetitive, for roughly $6 a month I enjoy being able to put them on in the background at home. Also, the weekly shows – the Buddy and Jim Show, Classic Cowboy Corral, Austin Outer Limits, among others – provide a lot of variety.
August 4, 2024 @ 3:22 pm
So who did she take over for? I loved her shows when she pinched-hit but not clear as to what sent away.
August 4, 2024 @ 10:22 pm
This is the spot that Mojo Nixon was in for many years.
August 5, 2024 @ 3:51 am
I got a new car about six months ago, and have had SXM for the first time.
I love listening to Sunny on Willie’s Roadhouse.
But as others have commented, sometimes the playlist can be repetitive and confusing. Trigger, do you have any insight into the method for how songs are selected on Willie’s Roadhouse? I feel like every time I turn on this channel there is a pretty good chance I am going to hear “Middle Age Crazy” by Jerry Lee Lewis or “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed” by Barbara Mandrell, yet I can’t say for certain that I have ever heard “Coal Miners Daughter” or “Mama Tried” at all. Something just seems a little off with that.
August 5, 2024 @ 7:47 am
I honestly don’t know how they choose their playlists. But Willie’s Roadhouse is considered more of a catalog station, meaning people tune in to hear classics they’re familiar with. It’s sort of like the classic rock format, though ultimately they’re still playing the stuff labels want promoted. Outlaw includes a lot of new stuff from independent country and Americana artists. I do know that the Outlaw DJs seem to have total autonomy to play what they want. Willie’s Roadhouse may have a “playlist,” meaning a selection of songs each DJ can choose from.
August 5, 2024 @ 11:00 am
may god rest Mojo Nixon’s soul, but he was painful to listen to. I’m glad I’ll finally be able to listen to the Outlaw Country station on my commute home again.
August 5, 2024 @ 11:31 am
Most throwback stations have limited playlists. It’s frustrating. The local country “Legends” station* rehashes the same 3-4 songs by artists. Alan Jackson had a deep catalog. There’s no need to replay “www.memory” every day or only play “Red Neckin Night” by Conway.
*I use the term legends loosely. I don’t consider Shania Twain or early Kenny Chesney to be legends. But the station does.
August 5, 2024 @ 2:52 pm
All you Sirius haters are seriously missing out.
If Elizabeth Cook won’t cheer you up with a killer playlist and her amazing on air personality, then Sunny Sweeney sure will.
Honestly I found Mojo a bit much, he was too much schtick. But RIP still, he was awesome.
And on top of Elizabeth and Sunny we’ve got the incomparable Buddy & Jim show.
You can get a year’s Sirius sub for under $100 too. It’s the best $100 I spend.
August 6, 2024 @ 2:50 pm
I agree completely, Happy Dan. I cannot imagine a better radio station playing country-adjacent and americana than Outlaw Country. Elizabeth Cook is awesome and so is Sunny. I hope Mr. Tepper’s passion doesn’t result in one single change to their format.
August 9, 2024 @ 8:41 pm
Mojo in the afternoon was a Friday treat for me. Was crushed when he left us. I love Elizabeth Cook, and Sunny is okay, but damn I miss Mojo. Shooter Jennings’ Electric Radio is another bright spot; dude is always introducing me to new (to me) stuff from all realms of music.
All the Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse folks are fine, with the exception of Johnny Knoxville and his babbling cousin; just can’t listen to that nonsense. I’m sure many love him, but it’s not my jam.
November 8, 2024 @ 11:39 am
No disrespect to Mojo, but he was more yee haw than outlaw. Speaking of yee haw, could they please get rid of “I luuuve country!”
December 4, 2024 @ 8:56 am
My husband listens only to Willies Roadhouse, but he will mute the sound or turn it off before he listens to Elvis Presley!!! When did he become a country artist??? Also if you are going to play some George Strait, play some of his early songs. Drinking Champagne isn’t county to me. Same goes for Alan. Jackson. Would like to here more of them.