NO DEPRESSION SESSIONS at MerleFest: Thee Sinseers

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.

Thee Sinseers were one of the most interesting bookings of MerleFest 2025, making the "plus" in "traditional plus" earn its keep. The vintage soul vibe that lead vocalist and producer Joey Quiñones brings to each performance makes me double-take every time, half expecting to see a Motown 45 spinning on a turntable as opposed to a living, breathing human man taking the art form to the next level. The crack band of L.A.'s finest backing Quiñones are each worth a Google and a follow in their own right. They're all making interesting moves, and I personally want to be among the first to know about whatever they get into next. Feels like it's going to be big.

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:
“Left With A Broken Heart” (The Four Tops)
“Love Me Like You Used To”
“Keep On Calling”

Joseph (“Joey”) Quiñones - Vocals
Eric Johnson - Tenor sax
Steve Surman - Baritone Sax
Joseluis Jimenez - Trombone
Christopher Manjarrez - Bass
Bryan Ponce - GuitarFrancisco Flores - Guitar
Luis Carpio - Drums
Adriana Flores - Vocals
Christian Meraz - Keyboards