The Roots Music Authority called No Depression
The website called No depression is a follow up from a quarterly print magazine covering alternative- country music in 1995. The magazine was canceled in June 2008. I caught a glimpse of it while at work the other day and from what I saw of their final issue I wish that they continued on with it.
I found the magazine highlighting a ton of blues players and other songwriters, I only skimmed through it for around an hour and then the patient that had brought it in had to go.
No Depression had received Utne Reader Independent Press Awards for Arts & Literature coverage, and was cited as one of the nation’s Top 20 magazines of any kind in 2004 by the Chicago Tribune. It had it’s own radio show in Texas that was syndicated in between 2002 – 2003. They even did a tour with a couple of bands that they fell in love with during the magazine. They were featuring Whiskeytown, the Old 97’s, Hazeldine, and the Picketts) in 1997.
Our name, No Depression, refers to a song written by southern gospel pioneer J.D. Vaughan called “No Depression In Heaven.” The Carter Family recorded it in 1936, making the song one of their few topical offerings. It was cut again by Charlie Monroe (Bill’s brother and one-time singing partner) in 1948, released as the B-side of his 1950 RCA single “Mother’s Not Dead.” It next resurfaced, minus one verse, on a 1959 album by the New Lost City Ramblers (whose membership included Mike Seeger) called Songs From The Depression. That is the album that St. Louis band Uncle Tupelo heard and that they made the title track to their 1990 debut album. And that, in turn, led to the naming of an Internet discussion board, No Depression/Alt.Country. We thought all that history made it an ideal name for a magazine that wished to cover the past, present and future of American music. And with nodepression.com, we’re echoing the roots of that first-generation discussion board (which is still active, by the way).
In that final issue they also did a piece on a old high school friend of mine Carl Wilson, now that blew my mind!
So check it out and tell me what yo think of it!
Keep on jammin’
