BONUS TRACKS: ‘Song Keepers’ Book Co-Published With Music Maker Foundation Nominated For Award And Other Roots Music News
Hilary Saunders
Posted On May 2, 2025
Today, Living Blues announced that the book No Depression co-published with the Music Maker Foundation last year, has been nominated for Best Blues Book of 2024 in this year’s Living Blues Awards. Song Keepers: A Music Maker Foundation Anthology was written by Georgann Eubanks and is the sixth book the Music Maker Foundation has released. The 148-page book features 4 CDs-worth of music from 30 years of recording, as well as interviews with artists like Taj Mahal, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and 100 original photos.
The online poll to vote for the winner is open now (although a paper ballot was included in the May issue of Living Blues). Voting ends on June 15, 2025 and is open to everyone.
Limited copies are still available at No Depression‘s store here.
Elsewhere in the music industry, South by Southwest (SXSW) announced that a senior executive from Penske Media Corp. (PMC) in Los Angeles will be taking over the Austin-based festival. PMC bought 50% of SXSW in 2021 and took complete ownership in 2023. The Austin Chronicle has more information about the staffing shakeups and the local impact.
As previously reported, the alt- and country record label Lost Highway is back. This week, however, the label announced that it would be (re)signing country (and pop) star Kacey Musgraves. Lost Highway and Musgraves initially began working together in 2011, but by the time her 2012 album Same Trailer Different Park came out, the label had been absorbed by Mercury Nashville.
Musgraves wrote in a statement:
“Lost Highway was always a musical stable for artists who might be considered outliers or outlaws; those who live on the fringe. In 2011, when other record labels questioned my songwriting and my more traditional country sound, Lost Highway believed in me, signing me to my first label deal and helped me take my music around the world. That journey has now come full circle in such a special way with [chairman & CEO] John Janick and Interscope and I’m deeply honored to be able to once again call Lost Highway my musical home.”
She also announced the move with a cover of “Lost Highway,” made famous by Hank Williams.
NEW ROOTS MUSIC RELEASES
Samantha Crain – Gumshoe (ND review)
Sterling Drake – The Shape I’m In
Jedd Hughes – Nightshades (ND review)
Lucius – Lucius
Mabilene – Storm Born
Mamma’s Marmelade – ICON
Esther Rose – Want (ND review)
Talbott Brothers – Borderlands
Yusuf/Cat Stevens – Saturnight: Live From Tokyo
Kassi Valazza – From Newman Street
Various Artists – Roots Rocking Zimbabwe – The Modern Sound of Harare’ Townships 1975-1980
Suzanne Vega – Flying with Angels
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO
The Doohickeys – “Rein It In Cowboy”
The Wildmans – “Take Me”
PUP – Who Will Look After The Dogs?
