BONUS TRACKS: Lukas Nelson and POTR Announce Hiatus + More Music News

After 15 years as a band, Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real announced this week they’re going their separate ways, at least for a while. In a social media post, the band said they’ve “decided to take a well-earned hiatus, and begin a new creative chapter in all our lives.” Nelson plans to continue writing, recording, and performing, the announcement said, and other band members — percussionists Tato Melgar and Anthony Logerfo, bass player Corey McCormick, and multi-instrumentalist Logan Metz — “will continue to pursue our own projects.” A fixture on festival lineups for years, Lukas Nelson and POTR’s most recent album was 2023’s Sticks and Stones (ND review). The band has six more dates on its calendar before hiatus, including a show tonight at KHYI’s 28th Annual Texas Music Revolution in McKinney. They’ll also appear at the Red Ants Pants Festival in July and, lastly, at Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Fest in September.

Spotify sure hasn’t been making any new fans lately. Last week, CEO Daniel Ek posted on X some thoughts on music’s staying power, especially in an era with so much of it. What rubbed people the wrong way, quite understandably, was prefacing his thoughts with a comment that the cost of creating “content” (ha ha, what a great word, just like a real human would use!) is “close to zero.” Actual artists — the ones that make the “content” that multibillion-dollar company Spotify pays out fractions of pennies for, when it pays out at all — immediately begged to differ. You can read some of the spicier retorts in this story from NME. Ek walked his comment back a few days later, saying his wording was “clumsy” and that he did not intend “to devalue the time, effort, or resources involved in creating meaningful works.” If that doesn’t get your goat, okayyyy, but here’s something else: Spotify announced this week that it’s increasing its subscription prices, less than a year after another price hike. In the US, premium plans are going up by $1 a month, and family plans are going up by $3, starting July 1. Learn more about that in this coverage from CNN.

These days, and throughout his career, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, DJ duties on several SiriusXM channels) is known as much for his activism as for his music. He’ll be honored with the 2024 Woody Guthrie Prize, awarded in recognition of his social justice work and musical contributions, Sept. 25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Previous recipients include Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Chuck D., John Mellencamp, and Mavis Staples. Read more in this story from Billboard.

Dolly Parton (photo by Jim Wright)

Dolly Parton — no stranger to Broadway after the late-aughts 9 to 5 musical she wrote music and lyrics for — has announced a new musical that tells the story of her life and career through her songs. Hello, I’m Dolly (which shares the name of her 1967 debut solo album) will land on Broadway in 2026, she announced Thursday at CMA Fest. Parton is the producer, wrote the score, including a new song for the show, and will co-write the book. You can sign up for updates about the production on the musical’s website.

Look, we know musicians aren’t always great with deadlines. So our friends at the FreshGrass Awards have extended the deadline for the 2024 band, guitar, fiddle, and banjo awards a few days to make sure everyone who wants to apply can. The new deadline is next Wednesday, June 12 — plenty of time to send in a little info and submit a couple videos. Learn more about the awards, including the amazing prizes (including cash!) involved, here. The FreshGrass Awards are presented by the FreshGrass Foundation, No Depression’s nonprofit publisher.

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO

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

Ruthie Foster – “Rainbow,” from her new album, Mileage, coming in August
Caleb Caudle – “Sweet Critters,” the title track from his new album, coming in August
The Lonesome Ace Stringband – “Stage Fright” (The Band cover)
Skylar Gudasz – “Fire Country,” from her new album, Country, coming in August
Maya de Vitry – “Compass,” from her new album, The Only Moment, coming in July
Ben Sollee – “Misty Miles,” from his new album, Long Haul, coming in August
Ray Lamontagne – “Step Into Your Power,” from his new album, Long Way Home, coming in August.

Steve Earle – “I Ain’t Ever Satisfied,” from his new album, Alone Again (Live), coming in July
Donovan Woods – “116 West Main, Durham, NC,” from his new album, Things Were Never Good If They’re Not Good Now, coming in July
S. Raekwon – Steven
Christelle Bofale – Swim Team [EP]
The Arcadian Wild – “Common Courtesy”
Fancy Gap – “Little Heart Racer,” from their self-titled new album, coming in July
Fantastic Cat – “So Glad You Made It”