No Depression’s Best of February 2024 Playlist
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
BONUS TRACKS: Rhiannon Giddens’ Essay Brings Black Country History to the Mainstream
Whether a Black pop star is “allowed” to make country music is a subject of fierce debate in some corners of the internet lately, and probably in some dark, ugly places in real life, too. But the fact is Black people have been making country music since the genre’s
The Avett Brothers Announce Self-Titled New Album
Often when an album bears the name of the artist as its title, it’s a statement that the work fully represents its creator. It tends to happen on an artist’s debut project, or sometimes an album or two in, when they feel they really have their feet under
FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: When Boredom Blooms Into Creativity
A measured portion of boredom remains an essential part of any artist's regular diet. Getting that portion right is tricky. Too much smacks of indolence and indulgence; too little suggests an unseemly devotion to career over craft.
Our late sequestration during two years of COVID provided an overabundance
THROUGH THE LENS: Why Vinyl? The Roots Music Lover’s Guide to Analog, Part 5
To paraphrase one of the The Godfather movies, just when I thought I was out of things to say about vinyl, I have been pulled back in by some important happenings since last year’s report. For your convenience, I've listed my previous columns on vinyl at the
FRESH TRACK: Cascadia Falls – 'Sucker Punched'
Songs written and recorded for the 2024 film Red Right Hand, starring Orlando Bloom and Andie MacDowell, out now via Magnolia Pictures!