...to No Depression magazine and the TVT label, which released a couple of great Saints albums in the late 80's -- All Fools' Day and Prodigal Son. All Fool's is a masterpiece, and Prodigal has 3-4 great songs on it, but isn't as consistent.

I can't tell you how many albums, bands, CD's I picked up after reading No Dep. Not as many as TP, to be sure, but quite a few. I'll miss picking it up at the local used CD store.

I saw the press release about No Depression. It's a shame. I have to admit, I haven't been a regular reader in some years, but then, I haven't read any music rag regularly in a long time. But it's an intelligent, passionate mag, and I'm sorry to see it go.

TVT is closing shop? I'm surprised - I thought the hip-hop records they've been concentrating on the past few years had done well for them.

Just saw the story in Billboard about the Chapter 11 for TVT. I'm still surprised, considering how successful they've been in the '00s.

I hate to hear that about No Depression. I had thought they had found a good niche and were making it all right. I wonder if mags like Paste or Harp ate into their circulation? They don't have the exact same emphases, but seem to all target the same demographic - shall we say Mature Alternative Music fans? People who are more likely to hear about a band on NPR or Radio Paradise than MTV.

Actually, never mind my guesses. They say it best themselves:

[www.nodepression.net]



Post Edited (02-19-08 16:44)

There was a time in the late '90s (and into 2001) when I thought the caliber of writing in No Depression was heads and shoulders above other publications. I was fortunate to be a fairly regular contributor from 2001-2004 and always felt like I really had to up my game for those No Depression pieces so that I was up to scratch. Grant and Peter had a crazy idea--just like Ira, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose did--to create music magazine that was like nothing that preceded it. And they saw that vision out to a level they could only imagine (again the TP parallel). It's been a good run.

For some reason, once I contributed to the magazine, I somehow was granted a lifetime subscription. (I've talked to others and this is standard practice for ND.) I'm going to miss getting that plastic-wrapped magazine in the mailbox--I'm going to miss the creative and artful covers and insightful writing. It's the only magazine I've been reading cover to cover, every single issue, for years.



Post Edited (02-19-08 18:15)

A good clip of All Things Considered addressing No Dep:

[www.npr.org]

And to bring it around to TP (as ira would say), Grant Alden is a contributor to the TP Guide. . .



Post Edited (02-23-08 10:03)