NO DEPRESSION SESSIONS: Wyatt Flores at MerleFest

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.

Stillwater, OK red dirt country artist Wyatt Flores kicked off our MerleFest x No Depression Session series with three songs about family, home, and the pursuit of happiness from his debut album, Welcome To The Plains. The quartet leans on each other beautifully, passing the lead around for nearly two minutes before Flores sings the first word of "Forget Your Voice," a song written about watching his grandparents' cognitive decline.

The second song, "When I Die," features a fiddle lead by Kenzie Sue Miracle before Flores comes in, and Miracle adds vocal harmonies. Everybody gets a moment in the sun on the last song "Oh Susannah," between the four-part vocal harmonies including from lead guitarist Austin Yankunas, and an extended solo by mandolinist Clem Braden.

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:
"Forget Your Voice"
"When I Die"
"Oh Susannah"