BONUS TRACKS: The Philanthropy of Billy Strings and a Farewell to County Sales

Billy Strings has a long tradition of giving back. His String the Halls holiday shows have benefited the Nashville Rescue Mission, and in 2021, he brought a truckload of new guitars to his old elementary school in Michigan to give students a chance at the delight the instrument has brought to him. His latest act of philanthropy is backing a new housing development for low-income tenants in Grand Rapids. The units will be built by Well House, a local nonprofit that provides low-cost permanent housing options for people who have faced chronic homelessness, mental or physical disabilities, or lack access to housing via traditional means. Read more about the project, and Strings’ support, in this article from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business.

It always hurts to hear about a record store going out of business, but County Sales in Floyd, Virginia, had a reputation that reached far beyond its small-town location. Old-time and bluegrass traditional music lovers were saddened this week to hear that the storied seller, which marked its 50th anniversary last year, is closing on April 30. Most of the store’s sales were via mail order, connecting traditional music lovers worldwide with the sounds they sought. But in a digital era, the board that oversees the store as well as the local Handmade Music School could no longer see a way forward for its retail operation. (County Sales first went out of business in 2017 after it was unable to find a buyer when original owner Dave Freeman retired, but it was resurrected a few months later by locals Dylan and Heather Locke.) According to an announcement from the store, all inventory in-store and online is now 30% off, with some weekend openings to augment its usual weekday schedule. Read more about the store’s history in this article in Bluegrass Today.

You might have heard that Beyoncé dropped a country album today — Cowboy Carter is Act II of her Renaissance series, which she announced during the Super Bowl. Our review is coming soon (shockingly, she didn’t send us an advance), but the conversation that’s already started about Black contributions to country music, past and present, is welcome and long overdue. There are any number of thinkpieces (I particularly like this one from The New York Times) about Beyoncé and what it all means, but I think the best companion to her album might be a new playlist that Dom Flemons has curated for Smithsonian Folkways that delves into several phases of Black country music across history and into today. Check out Flemons’ short essay about his selections, plus the playlist on multiple streaming services, here.

The nonprofit Salt Lick Incubator is once again offering grants to help independent artists fund song-driven projects like producing an album, making a video, pressing vinyl, touring, or other creative and career-supporting endeavors. Previous recipients include Taylor Rae, The Arcadian Wild, Elizabeth Moen, and Alisa Amador. Read up on the requirements and how to apply for the grants, which range from $5,000 to $15,000, here. While there are multiple grant cycles throughout the year, the deadline for the current window is April 16.

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO

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

Odie Leigh – “Either Way”
Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore – “We’re Still Here,” from their new album, Texicali, coming in June
Ani DiFranco – “The Thing at Hand,” from her new album, Unprecedented Sh!t, coming in May
Jacob Sharp – “Time”
Miko Marks feat. Buddy Miller – “Lay Your Burdens Down,” from her expanded Feel Like Going Home album, coming in April
Chicano Batman – “Live Today”

Cassandra Lewis – “Lost in a Dream”
Mitski – “Coyote, My Little Brother” (Pete Seeger cover for Spotify Singles)
Laurel Hells Ramblers – County Tradition
Rosie Tucker – Utopia Now
King Hannah feat. Sharon Van Etten – “Big Swimmer”
Abdallah Oumbadougou – Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music, Vol. 1
Fantastic Cat – “All My Fault,” from their new album, Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat, coming in June