BONUS TRACKS: Guy Clark Documentary On Demand, Black Community-Building in Roots Music, and More

Without Getting Killed or Caught, a documentary about Guy Clark, will have its streaming debut on Saturday, to coincide with what would have been the revered singer-songwriter’s 80th birthday. The on-demand version of the film includes 2½ hours of additional interviews with Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Sarah Jarosz, and others who knew or were influenced by Clark. Tickets for on-demand access to the documentary will be available at www.withoutgettingkilledorcaught.com. Check out the movie’s trailer here.

So much of the magic in the music industry happens in informal settings — a chance meeting, a chat in a bar, a backstage jam. But people of color haven’t always been invited, so lately they’ve been creating their own opportunities for magic. This NPR piece talks about some of the events and efforts that are providing support and community for marginalized voices in roots music, including Our Native Daughters, The Black Opry, Color Me Country, and more.

Some artists — including Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan — really hate giving autographs, or at least they hate what tends to happen to those autographs, which often are for resellers rather than real fans. This story from American Songwriter gives a few famous examples and their rationale behind not taking up the pen.

The New York Times published an essay adapted from singer-songwriter Allison Moorer’s new book, I Dream He Talks to Me, about her 11-year-old son John Henry, who has autism and is nonverbal. In it, she describes the frustration and fear she encountered one night — likely one of many — when her son cried out in distress but couldn’t communicate what was wrong. You can read Moorer’s essay, titled “This Is the Worst Part,” here.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced its new stamps for 2022, and Pete Seeger is among the honorees. The 10th installment of the USPS’s Music Icons series, which has also featured Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, and Johnny Cash, the Seeger stamp incorporates a photo of the singer and banjo player taken by his son, Dan Seeger, in the early 1960s. Take a look at the Pete Seeger stamp and other 2022 offerings here.

If today feels a little special, that’s because it is. It’s Bandcamp Friday! An excellent opportunity to head over to the platform, which waives its cut of sales the first Friday of each month, and buy music from your favorite artists.

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO

Here’s a sampling of the songs, albums, bands, and sounds No Depression staffers have been into this week:

Willie Nelson and Family – “All Things Must Pass”
Kris Allen – “Hello, Mr. Right Next Door”
Jenny Lewis – “Puppy and a Truck”
This Lonesome Paradise – Electric Dreams
Chris Pierce and Garrison Starr – “Dark End of the Street”
Christopher Paul Stelling ­– “Hard Work”
Roger Harvey – “What a Weird Hill to Die On”
Sarah Shook and The Disarmers – “Talkin’ to Myself,” from the new album, Nightroamer, coming in February