BONUS TRACKS: No Depression Reporting Fellowships, Brandi Carlile Scholarship, RIP Don Schlitz, and More Roots Music News
After a week off, Bonus Tracks returns with a double dose of roots music news! Last month, No Depression announced the launch of a new fellowship program, thanks to a generous donation from nonprofit publisher, the FreshGrass Foundation. The Criticism Fellowships, given to writers, authors, and previous No
Black News 
After a week off, Bonus Tracks returns with a double dose of roots music news!
Last month, No Depression announced the launch of a new fellowship program, thanks to a generous donation from nonprofit publisher, the FreshGrass Foundation. The Criticism Fellowships, given to writers, authors, and previous No Depression contributors, Erin Osmon and Annie Zaleski, are already in the works and are set to debut in May.
And now the Reporting Fellowships — modeled after the 2017 edition, in which Sarah Smarsh wrote four pieces that went on to comprise her bestselling book, She Come By It Natural (Scribner, 2020) — have been awarded! David Hajdu and Santi Elijah Holley will each receive $20,000 to investigate and write 40,000 words on an under-reported topic in roots music. Hajdu, a critic and cultural historian whose bio of Billy Strayhorn made the New York Times' list of the hundred best nonfiction books of all time, will write about queer icon Jill Sobule; Holley, an award-winning journalist, essayist and author who penned the upcoming Beg Borrow Steal: The Visionary Art of Melvin Van Peebles and the Rise of Independent Black Cinema, will explore gospel and Black religious music within the wide framework of African American roots music. Congratulations to all the No Depression Fellowship recipients!
In other funding news, applications for the Brandi Carlile Scholarship Fund are due Sunday, April 26. The scholarship, a joint effort between Carlile's own Looking Out Foundation and and We Are Moving The Needle, will award students either $5,000 or $10,000, depending on the specific fund. According to a social media post, the scholarship "opens doors for aspiring women, trans, and non-binary songwriters, producers, and engineers, giving them access to the education and resources they need to build a lasting career in music." In the meantime, check out this recent, emotional cover of "Forever Young" she performed on The Late Show.
Noah Kahan may be a star now, but not too long ago he was an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who No Depression profiled ahead of the game in the Winter 2023 journal. Now, he's got an award-winning documentary titled Noah Kahan: Out of Body that's available via Netflix. In a press release, Kahan described the film as:
A little glimpse into the last few years of my life at home and on tour. Though I’ve always felt it important to be as honest as I can in my music, it was weird and nerve racking to be filmed up close and vulnerable for the more intimate moments that I’ve in the past always kept to myself. I wanted to share some of these with you because I do believe there is something in this hour and a half that I feel better for having seen in third person. It helped me understand myself, what I’ve been through in the last few years, what my family has experienced, and how incredibly loved I am lucky enough to be. I wonder if it will reach some part of you. Or maybe you’ll just find it funny to watch me stumble through life the same way I think most of us do.
The state of Tennessee named “Tennessee” by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors an official state song last week. As the frontman and songwriter wrote in a press release:
I am beyond humbled that the state of Tennessee has chosen my song as an official state song. It is an honor I could not have imagined as a young kid learning to play the guitar in Memphis, or as a college student in Knoxville playing my first concerts, or even now, years into my career in Nashville as a traveling singer/songwriter. This song was written when we were still a young band touring the country in a conversion van, playing shows all over the country, often homesick, thinking of getting back to this place we love. Everywhere we go, people ask for this song, regardless of where they are from. At the end of the day, it’s a song about home, and my beloved home is here in Tennessee.
The song originally appeared on the band's 2014 album, Dragons.
Arkansas singer-songwriter (and sometimes opera singer!) Bonnie Montgomery has launched a crowdfunding campaign. She recently released a standalone single with Melissa Carper, whose small, independent label Mae Music, will put out the forthcoming album.
Beloved bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice would have turned 75 this June. In his honor, Craft Recordings will reissue his 1977 self-titled album on vinyl. Pre-orders are available now. Until then, enjoy this journey of a story about one of Rice's guitars, which originally appeared in the Winter 2023 issue.
Gearheads and fans of The 400 Unit will be pleased to hear that guitarist Sadler Vaden now has his own signature Gibson SG. The instrument, modeled after his 2005 model, will retail for $1,999. Check out the Gibson gear page here for full specs.
Photos courtesy of Gibson
A Manhattan-based federal jury has found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster do, in fact, comprise a monopoly. The case found that the entertainment conglomerate uses its scale and reach to minimize competition. Read a full breakdown in The Guardian.
Earlier this month, PBS News Hour released a special about Kentuckians in recovery who work with a local luthier nonprofit called Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Co. Check out the inspiring story here.
RIP to Nashville songwriter Don Schlitz, who passed away unexpectedly yesterday after a brief illness. A fixture in the Music City songwriting scene, he crafted hits for Kenny Rogers, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and more. Additionally, Schlitz was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Grand Ole Opry. Read a full tribute over at Billboard and more from colleagues and institutions below.
And finally, acknowledging the circle of life, congratulations to Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield and partner Kevin Morby, who are expecting!
Have a happy Record Store Day tomorrow!
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
Vandoliers - "Girl on the Run"
Michaela Anne - "B-Sides"
Devon Gilfillian - "IRL"
Hayes Carll & Corb Lund - "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)"
Mya Byrne - "Almost Gone"
NEW RELEASES - 4/17/26
Todd Albright - Blues for Dexter Linwood
Vincent Neil Emerson - Blue Stars
I'm With Her - Sing Me Alive
Dirk Powell - Wake
Benjamin Tod - Vengeance and Grace
Banshee Tree - Bad Luck
COMING SOON - 4/24/26
Blood Sucking Maniacs (Terry Allen family band) - Blood Sucking Maniacs
Rachel Brooke - This One’s For You
Kiki Cavazos - Goodbye Blues
Mikaela Davis - Graceland Way
Angelo De Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes
The Hip Snacks - Out On A Limb
Noah Kahan - The Great Divide
Milk Carton Kids - Lost Cause Lover Fool
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road
Taylor Dallas Vidic - Cat & Mouse
Dale Watson - Unwanted
