Mary Bragg is a special kind of writer. If you've been kicking around Nashville for long enough like I have, you probably know that: there's an empathy in her work, a directness in the storytelling that instantly shoots you into place. Just listen to the opening
It's finally tolerable weather here in Nashville again, which means I've been trying to take a walk or run early in the morning before I start my day; just me, the local turkeys, the deer and whatever is coming through my headphones. Sometimes I choose music
Brit Taylor is a wonderful Nashville singer-songwriter responsible for two of the best, most consistent front-to-back country albums of the past five years; the vocals are flawless, the sound is a well-honed '90s-country-bluegrass-pop blend that, of course, is that amazing sweet spot
Taking down the paywall this week to just share a bunch of new, great music that you can buy — it's Bandcamp Friday, which means that every cent you spend goes directly to the artists (instead of Bandcamp taking a cut). Marissa did a Bandcamp-centric post a couple
This past Americana Fest, I was lucky enough to moderate a great panel with Raye Zaragoza, Chris Pierce, Mary Bragg and Mon Rovîa about art and activism. And one of the things we spoke about, naturally, was protest music. It's something we're obviously interested in here
The historic reign of "Choosin' Texas" (as of this week it's officially the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 song ever, without a clear end in sight) is sparking all kinds of takes — that it's slop (all respect to Robin James, whose work
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good "Bound To Ride," Dolly Parton
A country music newsletter.
I will confess: there is so much going on at Americana Fest in Nashville this week, it is hard to get your head around it all. The insane heat wave and spread out nature of the venues makes navigating it all a bit tricky (and hot). That said, there is
Let's start off by admitting that I don't know if anyone reading this newsletter is actually skeptical of Roger Miller. His box set is called "The Genius Of Roger Miller," after all. But I find that his name gets mentioned a little less often
Over the past few months, I've been really enjoying sharing some archival interviews from people I spoke with for my book Her Country, which will finally be available in the UK on September 24 via Omnibus Press. You can preorder a copy here, which has a new cover,
Today marks an unfathomable loss: Dolly Parton has died. Brilliant artist, devoted philanthropist, remarkable human; to list her achievements here feels redundant, as the cult of Dolly has long since gone national. Here, I've collected some of my writing on Dolly that has been scrubbed from the web;
It's sort of a surreal time to be writing this newsletter. (Also, a surreal time to be alive I suppose but when isn't that the case…) For years now, Marissa and I have jointly been banging the drum: Appreciate the women in country music, and make
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good "If I Was An Outlaw,"
Over the past few months, I've been really enjoying sharing some archival interviews from woman I spoke with for my book Her Country, which will finally be available in the UK this fall, on Omnibus Press. You can preorder a copy here, which has a new cover, extended
Like sands through the hourglass, the days of 2026 are already way more than half gone (somehow!!). Though we are perilously close to year-end list season, I don't think you should have to wait until then to listen to good tunes. Some of these I've
We all know that Bandcamp can be a jewel for hidden music, so every now and then I like to take a late-night spin through the site for great new country finds - it's much better for the soul than spending your last waking hours of the day
There's always been a stark honesty to Caleb Caudle's songs, but on his new album Heavy Thrill, the North Carolina native delves even deeper into the corners of the human experience we all recognize but aren't always comfortable talking about. Recorded at the Cash
Everybody loves a pedal steel these days—it's all over indie and Nashville's neotrad revival and of course lends a glossy honky-tonk flair to the biggest song of the year. Am I sort of spoiling what I should pitch as an actual story? Maybe! But
It's a nice idea that "This Land Is Your Land" should be our national anthem, a wonderful song full of generous and idealistic sentiment that's actually easy to sing. (That the Star-Spangled Banner should be replaced, I think, is a truth universally acknowledged