BONUS TRACKS: Steve Earle’s ‘Copperhead Road’ Named a Tennessee State Song on 4/20

The state of Tennessee this week added a new song to its list of official anthems. Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road,” about a Vietnam veteran returning home to scratch out a living growing pot, joined the ranks of “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top.” But while dancing with your darling (depending on how they’re dressed, I guess) and girls that are half bear and the other half cat are still legal in Tennessee at last check, marijuana is not — a fun bit of irony, especially as Earle was invited to a ceremony to add the song on 4/20. At the ceremony, Earle performed “Copperhead Road” on mandolin for lawmakers, thanked “everybody who made this possible,” then said, “I want to remind you there’s another song on the Copperhead Road album you gotta check out: It’s called ‘The Devil’s Right Hand.’” He punctuated his comment by raising his right hand in a pistol gesture — the song, of course, being about gun fascination and gun violence, an issue on many Tennesseans’ minds (though not enough lawmakers’ minds, sadly) after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville last month that killed three 9-year-olds and three adults. Learn more about the ceremony and watch a video of Earle’s performance and commentary in this story from Rolling Stone or this one from Stereogum.

We all got to know Mandolin (the streaming platform, not the instrument, necessarily) pretty well during the pandemic lockdown. The company, launched June 1, 2020, delivered an untold number of livestreamed concerts that kept artists and audiences connected while in-person shows were out of the picture. As real shows have returned, though, livestreams have mostly fallen out of favor — which is a shame, in my opinion, as they offered access to concerts for people far from venues or unable to attend live shows due to disabilities, night work, responsibilities at home, and any number of other reasons. Mandolin tried to stay afloat by pivoting to ticket sales for meet-and-greets, advance merch and food ordering, and other services, but it apparently wasn’t enough. On Wednesday the company posted a statement thanking fans for their use of the platform and encouraging them to “[redirect] the money and attention you would have paid to see a stream with us to buying your favorite artist’s latest vinyl, merch or tour ticket on their channels of choice!” Read more about Mandolin’s news in this coverage from Variety.

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO

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

Logan Ledger – “Ripple” (Grateful Dead cover)
The Arcadian Wild – “Dopamine,” from their new album, Welcome, coming in July
The Ruen Brothers – “Bullet Blues,” from their new album, Ten Paces, coming in June
Brennen Leigh – “Running Out of Hope, Arkansas,” from her new album, Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet, coming in June

Fruit Bats – A River Running to Your Heart
North Americans – Long Cool World
Devon Gilfillian – Love You Anyway
The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Easy Skanking in Boston ’78 (newly found footage)
El Dorodo – Unincorporated
Charlie Woods and Deep Hollow – “Set Me Free”
Cheryl Wheeler – Sylvia Hotel
Jenn Grant – “Judy”
Dan Tyminski ­– “Hey Brother,” from his new album, God Fearing Heathen, coming in June