Evan Paul hosts Taste of Country Nights, On Demand, a weekly country music interview podcast that focuses on the music. Follow wherever podcasts are found, like Apple Podcasts and Spotify and leave a rating and review. ​​​​​​​​​​​This show is part of the Townsquare Media On Demand network.

If you ask a member of Dierks Bentley's parody band, Hot Country Knights, it all started in 2015 — or sometime in the 1980s. The "Gold" singer and some of his bandmates thought it would be a funny idea to dress up like country rockers from the '80s and be the opening act for his tour.

Now, as someone who has had the privilege of being about eight inches away from a Hot Country Knights performance, let me tell you that it is by no means a parody band. Dierks — or Douglas “Doug” Douglason — and his buddies really go all out to stay in character and deliver a show that is oddly amazing and captivating.

The key to their performance is that from the moment you see them until the moment you don't, they are always in character.

Hot Country Knights were in full-swing right before the pandemic. After getting the invite to hit the road with Dierks, they played some shows, but then the tour was canceled and the boys seem to never be heard from again.

While sitting down with Bentley for this week's Taste of Country Nights On Demand Podcast, I asked him if he thought that the group would be cranking it back up for a tour to promote his new album, Gravel & Gold, which is set to drop on Friday (Feb. 24).

The star says they have been spending a lot of time living out of the van again and they have been hitting him up wanting to get back on the road. Then he sneezed a few times, saying he is allergic to their name, so I'm not sure if the feelings are mutual.

Bentley then dropped some earth-shattering news: He said he thinks this might be the final year that Hot Country Knights will hit the road before finally retiring and hanging up the ripped, stonewashed jeans.

We talked about much more than HCK. In fact, he went pretty deep about an album that I believe to be his most traditional to date. Bentley also explained how it feels to be banned from the Grand Ole Opry. Then he went into detail about why Kenny Chesney has the best after-show parties.

Only time will tell if one of the greatest parody bands in history will keep their historical run alive, or decide to pack up the microphones. For now, you can get your Hot Country Knights fix while listening to my interview with Dierks Bentley on Taste of Country Nights On Demand, wherever you get your podcasts.

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