By now you’ve heard some of the buzz words, the catch phrases everyone has tried to come up with for this “alternative country” thing that’s been picking up steam for the past couple years. Americana. Western Beat. Twangcore. Countrypolitan. Insurgent Country. Outlaw Country. Cowpunk. Grange Rock. Country Wok.
We prefer No Depression. Why? Because it captures a sense of both the storied American history this music is deeply rooted in — “No Depression” is an old Carter Family song from the 1930s — and the innovative spark being applied to the form by contemporary artists — No Depression was the title of Uncle Tupelo’s groundbreaking debut album in 1990.
More directly, the name of our magazine comes from a music message board on America Online that was created July 13, 1994. It began as an Uncle Tupelo fans’ board, but the regulars there soon found themselves more deeply connected to each other through a hard-to-define yet distinctive core of songs, albums and artists that branched out widely from the Tupelo base. Eventually the board was renamed “No Depression — Alternative Country,” a nod to the UT album and Carter Family song.
Our magazine’s title extends that tip of the hat to the ND online regulars who got the ball rolling. Now it’s up to us to take it and run. Today, Belleville; tomorrow, the world….
