Through the Lens: MerleFest 2026 Was a “Traditional Plus” Triumph!
MerleFest – named for Doc Watson's son Merle – had rather humble beginnings in 1988, when traditional musicians gathered on a flatbed trailer as a fundraiser for the Wilkes Community College, where the fest has been held ever since.
The fest is best described by Doc himself, “When Merle and
The Milk Carton Kids' Top 5 Songs Right Now
EDITOR’S NOTE: No Depression’s new “Top 5” series features a quick playlist in which roots musicians share what they’re listening to at the moment. It gives artists the chance to highlight their contemporaries, as well as classic songs getting them through the days. This installment comes from
BEST OF THE BLUES: April 2026
April's offerings could be viewed as a legacy celebration. That's especially true of Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis’s new collaboration, Fight On, True Blues Vol 2. This month also features new releases from Texas Tornado Freddie King (whose live set is still the
ALBUM REVIEW: Hiss Golden Messenger Promise Hope Amidst Trying Times with ‘I’m People’
MC Taylor, frontman of Hiss Golden Messenger, writes with the kind of fervent simplicity of Joni Mitchell, as evidenced on "Mercy Avenue," the album benchmark from Messenger's latest, I'm People. There’s an honesty to the story about everyday people living, barely getting by,
With 'Middle of Nowhere,' Kacey Musgraves Finds Equilibrium In The Great Unknown
Editor's Note: Annie Zaleski has been awarded one of two No Depression Criticism Fellowships to write in-depth album reviews on roots music's most important albums. The Criticism Fellowships kick off with this review of Kacey Musgraves' Middle of Nowhere, out today via Lost Highway.
BONUS TRACKS: RIP David Allan Coe, New Punch Brothers, A Bob Dylan/Bon Iver Crossover, and More Roots Music News
Outlaw country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe passed away on Wednesday at 86 years old. The controversial musician was rife with contradictions over his life and career – growing up in Ohio, but becoming synonymous with the South; drifting in and out of prison, but welcomed among Nashville's royalty