ROOTS & BRANCHES: Springsteen’s New Song, and Record, in the American Grain
Last week, Bruce Springsteen announced a new record, Western Stars, for release on June 14 — Flag Day. It will be his first studio album in five years. Here is how he describes it: “This record is a return to my solo recordings, featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral
The Work Is Never Done: Anaïs Mitchell’s Folk Opera 'Hadestown' Gets New Life
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an excerpt of a story from No Depression’s Fall 2016 print issue, “Speak Up!”, about a pre-Broadway production of the musical Hadestown. The Broadway version, adapted from singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera, won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical and an
EASY ED'S BROADSIDE: Spade Cooley: Western Swing's Killer Cowboy
My oldest son and his friend stopped by my apartment the other night for a few minutes and I punched the play button on a playlist I put together of old jazz and western swing tracks. There are a couple thousand songs in there that I enjoy listening to, mixing
‘We All Have the Same Questions’: Josh Ritter Takes a New Route to Answers
Over the past 20 years, Josh Ritter’s vivid imagery and expansive song topics have established him as a singular voice in songwriting — a reputation cemented by substantial experimentation and collaboration. His 2011 novel, Bright’s Passage, and visual art (including the cover art for 2017’s Gathering) attest to
Anders Osborne’s ‘Buddha and the Blues’ Contains Many Flavors
Musicians must hate it when a reviewer likens their hard work to that of a more famous performer — particularly if, like New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Anders Osborne, you have been around a while yourself.
But Osborne’s lovely new album Buddha and the Blues has moments throughout when others come to
SPOTLIGHT: Molly Tuttle on ‘The Best Gig I’ve Ever Played’
The best gig I ever played was in the summer of 2017 at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. For those of you who don’t know, alopecia areata is a specific kind of hair loss that is caused by the immune system attacking hair follicles. I was diagnosed with alopecia