NO DEPRESSION SESSIONS at MerleFest: The Fretliners

No Depression set up the "studio" at the 37th annual MerleFest for a dozen sessions with legends and legends-in-the-making. The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Doc Watson’s son Merle, and features “traditional plus” music, meaning a broad range of styles from the sweet falsetto harmonies of East L.A. to the high lonesome sounds of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Fretliners brought their Colorado roots music to us in North Carolina, sharing three songs from their self-titled 2023 album. We discussed the band's origin between songs, but it's just too good not to put it in writing as well. Bassist Taylor Shuck (not to be confused with The War And Treaty's banjoist Taylor Shuck, different person, same name) hosts a periodic jam called "The Shuckwagon," open to musicians who hear about it through the grapevine. One night at the Cloverlick Banjo Shop in Fort Collins, CO, the Shuckwagon lineup gelled "10 or 15 seconds into the first song," and went on to form The Fretliners.

Please enjoy this performance, and stay tuned for more No Depression x MerleFest '25 sessions in the pipeline. Special thanks to everybody who made this series happen: MerleFest director Wes Whitson and his team of aces including artist relations manager Lindsay Craven, production managers Jim and Katherine, Carrie and Lauren for keeping us fat and happy, Danielle and the Victory Lap family for bringing us together in the first place, and of course to the team at Window World for making it all possible!

Setlist:
"Dreaming of the Dawn"
"Purple Flowers"
"Suitcases & Heartaches"

Tom Knowlton - Guitar, vocals
Sam Parks - Mandolin
Dan Andree - Fiddle
Taylor Shuck - Bass