Hilary Saunders

April saw a return of many No Depression stalwarts. Any new music from alt-country rock stars Old 97's constitutes a highlight over here. And tunes from singer-songwriting legend Lucinda Williams (on a compilation honoring 40 years of public radio music showcase Mountain Stage), indie-folk legacy

The FreshGrass Festival returns to North Adams, Massachusetts, this fall with another outstanding lineup. The 13th annual event — produced by No Depression's nonprofit publisher, the FreshGrass Foundation — will take place at the massive contemporary art museum Mass MoCA Sept. 22-24. In line with the Foundation's

March saw an explosion of roots music from unexpected places. In addition to stellar records from No Depression stalwarts like Sierra Ferrell, Taj Mahal, and Aoife O'Donovan, indie rock and pop stars like Waxahatchee, Kacey Musgraves, and Beyoncé flexed their country muscles too. No Depression covered them all,

Aoife O’Donovan maintains she’s not a political songwriter. Not intentionally, or outwardly, anyway. Sitting outside on her balcony in Central Florida, laughing about her coincidental fashion choice of a dad hat embroidered with the state’s outline, O’Donovan considers an artist’s public role in political matters.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Managing Editor Hilary Saunders’ letter, below, opens our Spring 2024 quarterly journal, featuring guest editors The Bacon Brothers and original cover art by singer-songwriter Joan Osborne. Buy the Spring 2024 issue in print or digitally here. Better yet, start a subscription with this issue and help

Even in a leap year, the short month of February was long in roots music releases. Spotlight artist Madi Diaz eases listeners into this month's playlist, before a strong cadre of bluegrass representation from musicians like double bass leader Missy Raines, banjo icon Béla Fleck (interpolating composer George