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The Singular Sensation of Ani DiFranco
Over the course of her more than 25 years of making music, Ani DiFranco has been widely celebrated and often emulated. The trouble is, DiFranco\’s work is a moving target which words and imitation fail miserably in hitting. She would argue — and has — that hers is a living, breathing body of performance art…
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Michaela Anne: “Where Will I Be Found”
Over the past few years, a lot of ink has been spilled about outlier country artists who honor their heroes rather than chase the trends. The women oft-cited in that regard are Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, and Ashley Monroe, though lately, another wave has joined their fray — Margo Price, Dori Freeman, and Michaela Anne,…
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Ana Egge & the Sentimentals: Say That Now
Ana Egge is no stranger to collaboration. On her last outing, 2015\’s Bright Shadow, she partnered with the Stray Birds. On her new set, Say That Now, she nabbed the Sentimentals, a folk-rock band from Denmark. The Danes provide a wonderfully complementary mooring for Egge\’s buoyant voice, whether they\’re working through the bluesy rock of…
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Squared Roots: LP x Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison was the kind of artist who defied all qualifiers and quantifiers. His voice, alone, could stop time. And his songs stand the test of it. Though Orbison had myriad contemporaries, he had no counterparts. Not really. His indelible talent and understated style collided to create a mesmerizingly mysterious allure. Across his more than…
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A Radical Spirit: A Conversation with Filmmaker Josh Fox
Any which way you slice it, the world is currently at a critical juncture. Environmentally, politically, socially, economically, and otherwise, the systems we have built have long been crumbling with people — and the planet — beginning to slip through the cracks. Documentary filmmaker Josh Fox has told one of those stories in great detail…
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Four Questions: Sarah Jarosz
The talent that Sarah Jarosz wields is truly something to behold. Like some of her peers — Sierra Hull, Parker Millsap, Mipso, and others — the width and depth of what she has done and will yet do is a little bit mind-boggling. And her gorgeous new album, Undercurrent, warrants even further acclaim as it…
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Squared Roots: Kevin Morby x Harry Dean Stanton
Roots culture cuts a wide swath that expands far beyond music, and Kentucky native Harry Dean Stanton is a living testament to that. Any list of roots icons would have to include him, if only for his performances on screens big and small in everything from Cool Hand Luke to Gunsmoke. But what only the…
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The Gambler's Last Deal: Kenny Rogers Knows When to Fold 'Em
Kenny Rogers pauses for a moment when I ask him to recall his first tour. \”We didn\’t know that big, big amplifiers weren\’t heavy enough to stay down on the top of the station wagon,\” he says with a laugh. \”So we\’re driving 60 miles per hour and that amplifier came sliding down the freeway…
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Wendell Berry and the Virtue of Hope: A Conversation with Filmmaker Laura Dunn
For legions of folks, Wendell Berry is far more than a writer and a farmer. He\’s also a hero, an icon, a role model. His plain-spoken, yet poetic way of moving through the world inspires those who seek to tread a similarly thoughtful path without leaving much in the way of footprints. Through his book…
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Five Questions: Sean Watkins
Most folks in the roots music world are very familiar with Sean Watkins, if not through his years as one-third of Nickel Creek (alongside Chris Thile and his sister Sara) or his ongoing Watkins Family Hour project, then certainly through his solo records. The guitarist/singer/songwriter always seems to have new music pouring out. His latest…