It’s always dangerous to build up one’s expectations, because disappointment, when it follows, will always be more acute. When, however, you allow yourself to indulge the luxury of great expectations and you are not disappointed, music is never more sweet. […]
The ad-hoc name of Rollin’ Creek Dippers is a disguise for five individuals whose careers are of indisputable interest to readers of No Depression. Mark Olson (formerly of the Jayhawks), Victoria Williams (Olson’s wife), Jim Lauderdale, and a second husband-and-wife […]
When Jimmie Dale Gilmore traveled north for this show, his purpose was to “see Alaska” and support the Alaska Federation of Natives voter-registration drive. Gilmore and his four-member band of gifted musicians did more than just “rock the vote,” they […]
A special edition of the Western Beat Barndance, a weekly event in Nashville, this event coincided with what would’ve been Hank Williams’ 73rd birthday. Jett Williams, Hank’s daughter, kicked off the proceedings by singing “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, […]
Just put aside all of the superficial cataclysmic spectacle-related bullshit — the uncontrolled onstage fires; the sledgehammered toilet; the raw chicken. The hulking 6-foot-8 freak in full basketball getup (plus gas mask), swinging wildly from the end of a leash. […]
It was only appropriate. On the same the Country Music Association was holding its awards show in Nashville and on network TV, extravagantly celebrating the blandness of mainstream country, the folks at Austin City Limits saw fit to honor their […]
Peter Rowan tells a story about touring Europe as one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys. As they were going through customs, an agent stopped Monroe and, looking at his passport, asked his name. “Bill Monroe,” he said. Then the agent […]
Whither Max Johnston? A veteran of latter-day Uncle Tupelo and then Wilco before being dismissed shortly after completion of Wilco’s new opus Being There, the talented multi-instrumentalist recently spent a couple weeks on the road with his sister, Michelle Shocked, […]
Held just outside of Yosemite National Park, the twice-annual Strawberry Music Festival offers great music amidst warm, sunny days and cool, clear evenings in a pastoral green field surrounded by tall pines. The festival is usually held every Memorial Day […]
One of the stated missions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is education, and it certainly fulfilled that goal with a week-long celebration of Woody Guthrie in late September. A series of seminars, films and other activities was […]
