SPOTLIGHT: Miko Marks - "Hell or High Water" [VIDEO]

Editor's Note: Miko Marks, whose new LP titled Hell or High Water is due out October 30 via Redtone Records, is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for October 2026. Read an in-depth profile about the singer-songwriter's journey to embracing the blues here and stay tuned all month for more on Marks.

Self-recording an original, exclusive video for No Depression as part of this Spotlight series can be a weird ask sometimes. Most musicians have set up the camera far away or asked someone else to record. Some, like Tami Neilson, have turned the opportunity into a mini-set while warming up for the main event. Others, like Amanda Shires, turned hers into a sort of film noir portrait.

When Miko Marks sings the title track of her new record, Hell or High Water, she makes direct, prolonged eye contact with the camera. She is looking right at the tiny phone eyeball to maintain a clear line of communication with anyone watching. She wants listeners to hear the defiant, accentuated lyrics in her 12-bar blues (and catch the allusions to other electrified blues songs). She sings with purpose, not to mention remarkable vocal control, and for everyone.