Thirty Years of Roots Music Journalism
From a print magazine born in the alt-country underground to a thriving nonprofit, independent digital home for roots music, No Depression has been the definitive voice of roots music and culture for over three decades.
No Depression first launched when founding co-editors Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden created a quarterly magazine named for an online message board at the heart of the then-burgeoning alt-country movement. That message board took its name from a Carter Family song that Uncle Tupelo famously covered as the title track of their 1990 debut album.
Fueled by passion for the music and a commitment to high-quality long-form journalism, Blackstock, Alden, and publisher Kyla Fairchild drove No Depression through a successful 13-year print run, publishing 75 issues in total. Cover artists included Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek, and Lucinda Williams. In-depth features explored icons like Ralph Stanley, Gram Parsons, and Merle Haggard, helping validate alt-country as part of the wider constellation of roots music.
The Great Recession forced a difficult decision. Blackstock and Alden published three celebrated bookazines through the University of Texas Press, while Fairchild steered No Depression into new territory — a community-driven website built on the passion of its readers.
For five years as an online-only entity, No Depression had no writers or editors on staff. Fairchild launched nodepression.com as a community-driven platform, where all content came from a vibrant group of dedicated users managed by Fairchild and Community Manager Kim Ruehl. The grassroots group was so active, fueled by a shared love of the music, that it laid the groundwork for a remarkable revival.
The FreshGrass Foundation revived No Depression as a quarterly print journal in time for its 20th anniversary. Ruehl, now Editor in Chief, led the publication back to print, where it would remain for another decade. Under her leadership, No Depression solidified its place as a leader in roots music journalism. Also during her tenure, the inaugural No Depression Fellowship debuted; Sarah Smarsh's four-part reported series on Dolly Parton ran in 2017 and ultimately became the 2020 Scribner book She Come By It Natural.
Managing Editor Hilary Saunders, Assistant Editor Stacy Chandler, and Designer Marcus Amaker built each quarterly journal with original reporting, photography, and illustration. Guest editors including Rhiannon Giddens and Béla Fleck brought new dimensions to the publication; original essays by John Prine and Hayes Carll expanded its reach; and partnerships with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Smithsonian Folkways solidified its credibility. All print journals are digitally available to members in our Archives.
No Depression returned to an online-only format in 2025, powered by its supporting members, subscribers, and its nonprofit publisher, the FreshGrass Foundation. By leveraging technology in this new iteration, the publication continues to champion roots music and culture online, in depth, and with the same uncompromising commitment that started in 1995.
Thirty Years & Still
Telling the Story
As a nonprofit, independent journalism outlet, No Depression continues to champion roots music and culture online, in depth, and with the same uncompromising commitment that started in 1995. You can support our work by joining No Depression as a member!
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