Amos Perrine

Like a small planted acorn, Mountain Stage presented its initial show in December 1983, showcasing West Virginia musicians to a small but enthusiastic audience for broadcast on West Virginia Public Radio. But word soon got around more widely that the show was extremely hospitable to a certain kind of music

What a tremendous year it has been for roots music. With so many stellar albums, it was an especially difficult task to winnow them down to any singular list. But the more I listened, the better I was able to hone it down to those essential records that spoke to

This week 14 No Depression photographers, from the Appalachian mountains to Australia, highlight the cream of the roots music crop released this year. Nearly all the artists are familiar names, especially to readers of this column, but you’ll also see a couple that are not as well known who

This week’s column features just a few of the many outstanding photos taken this year by 36 ND photographers. From New York to Australia, the 66 photos in the gallery below are representative of each photographer’s work as well as the many branches of roots music. You will

December is my favorite month for the Through the Lens column because it gives the ND photographers the opportunity to step out from behind their cameras and share with us what moved them this year. Here’s what 14 ND photographers have to say, in words and photos, about their

As the year winds down, many of us take time to look back on the year that was, and it was a busy one for roots music releases. This week’s column offers some quick summaries of six titles that got kind of lost in the shuffle. I hope you