 The Summer 2019 issue ofNo Depression journal | |
| Editor | Hilary Saunders[1] |
|---|---|
| Categories | Music journal |
| Publisher | FreshGrass Foundation |
| First issue | September 1995 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | nodepression |
| ISSN | 1088-4971 |
No Depression is a fully online publication and formerly a bi-monthly magazine (1995-2008) and quarterly journal (2015-2025). In print,No Depression was a publication focused on long-form music reporting and deep analysis that ties contemporary artists with the long chain ofAmerican roots music– now published online atnodepression.org.[2] In April 2020,No Depression introduced digital versions of their print journal. While the print journal remains ad-free, the digital versions include roots-music-related advertisements.[3] Its journal contributors include roots music artists as well as professional critics and reporters, photographers, illustrators, and artists.
Its online edition was largely crowd-sourced by contributions from a combination of writers and fans, regular columnists and staff reviewers. In 2019, the online version of the publication moved to align more with its print version variant by no longer accepting community posts.[4]
As of May 2025,No Depression retired its print journal and now publishes its long and short-form roots music journalism through its membership based websitenodepression.org.[5]
No Depression was launched in September 1995[6] (as a quarterly) by co-editors/co-founders Grant Alden and Peter Blackstock. Kyla Fairchild, who handled the business functions of the magazine from the beginning, became a co-publisher with Alden and Blackstock in 1998. The magazine was named for theCarter Family song "No Depression in Heaven," the 1990 albumNo Depression by the bandUncle Tupelo, and an earlyAOL online discussion group on alternative country called The No Depression Folder.[7]
No Depression has received theUtne Reader Independent Press Awards for Arts & Literature coverage,[8] and was cited as one of the nation's Top 20 magazines of any kind in 2004 by theChicago Tribune.[9]
TwoNo Depression music festivals took place at Marymoore Park, just outside Seattle. The first was on July 11, 2009, and featuredGillian Welch,Iron and Wine,Patterson Hood and the Screwtopians,Jesse Sykes,Justin Townes Earle,Jessica Lea Mayfield,Zee Avi, and Seattle roots music all-stars.[10][11] The second was August 21, 2010 and featuredThe Swell Season,Lucinda Williams,The Cave Singers,Alejandro Escovedo,Chuck Prophet,Sera Cahoone, andThe Maldives.[12][13]
The publishers announced in February 2008 that the May–June 2008 issue would be their last.[14]Buddy Miller was featured on the cover of the final issue, withNo Depression declaring him Artist of the Decade. Soon after, co-founders Alden and Blackstock sold their ownership stakes to Fairchild in 2008 and 2010, respectively.[citation needed] In the wake of the magazine going out of print,No Depression launched a community website (NoDepression.com) on the Ning platform in February 2009.
Fairchild sold her ownership ofNo Depression to FreshGrass LLC in 2014.[citation needed] In 2016, the FreshGrass Foundation – a nonprofit organization that supports roots musicians and music scenes around the United States – took overNo Depression and the FreshGrass Festival which it operates in conjunction with Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA).
In May 2015,No Depression announced it would be returning to print after seven years of being an online-only publication.[15] According to an article by Kim Ruehl, "we’re opening up pre-orders via Kickstarter for what will be a truly unique magazine – there will be no advertisements. Instead, the articles will be accompanied only by stunning photography and original illustrations. The paper will be larger and thicker than you might remember from the original incarnation, printed by one of the only carbon-neutral printers in North America."[16]
In May 2025, No Depression made the decision[17] to retire the print journal and publish all stories onnodepression.org. No Depression said on the topic "Rising costs of production and shipping made it unsustainable to continue. While we know the print journal meant a lot to our readers (and to us), this shift to online memberships allows us to focus on delivering great roots journalism to be published on our website as well other mission focused initiatives like our writing Fellowships with the FreshGrass Institute."
Features from theNo Depression print journal (2015–present)
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Return to Print | Fall 2015 |
| Roots & Branches | Spring 2016 |
| Homegrown | Summer 2016 |
| Speak Up! | Fall 2016 |
| Bluegrass Beyond | Winter 2016 |
| Heartland | Spring 2017 |
| Over Yonder | Summer 2017 |
| Foremothers | Fall 2017 |
| Singer-Songwriters | Winter 2017 |
| Appalachia | Spring 2018 |
| (Im)migration | Summer 2018 |
| Innovate | Winter 2018 |
| Standards & Stanzas | Spring 2019 |
| Folk | Summer 2019 |
| Wellness | Fall 2019 |
| Vision | Winter 2019 |
| Live and In Person | Spring 2020 |
| Tools of the Trade | Summer 2020 |
| Going Green | Fall 2020 |
| All Together Now | Winter 2020 |
| The Great American Songbook | Spring 2021 |
| Voices | Summer 2021 |
| Ghosts | Fall 2021 |
| Good News | Winter 2021 |
| General Admission | Spring 2022 |
| Movers & Shakers | Summer 2022 |
| Fall 2022 | Fall 2022 |
| Winter 2022 | Winter 2022 |
Cover features from the original print magazine (1995–2008)