Will Hodge
Verified- Freelance Writer, NoDepression
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Host/creator of @unplugged_pod | Writer * Bylines: @RollingStone, @NoDepression, Grammys, etc. | PhD ABD @GeorgiaStateU | R.E.M. Lifer will.c.hodge@gmail.com
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Articles by Will Hodge
Street Style: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova on The Art of Busking and the 15th Anniversary of ‘Once’
Editor's Note: This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2022 "General Admission" issue of No Depression. We're sharing it now in tribute to Glen Hansard, frontman of the Irish folk-rock band The Frames, solo artist, and co-star of the film Once, who passed away on July 29 in a motorcycle accident at just 56 years old. The entire No Depression team sends their condolences to Hansard's family, collaborators, and team.
Glen Ballard and Brock Walsh Interview Original
The 1980s were possibly the most fertile decade for the consumerist cash-grab intersection between notable pop culture IPs and novelty Christmas music. A plethora of beloved toy-and-TV franchise characters, including Pac-Man, Barbie, the Smurfs, Care Bears, and Strawberry Shortcake, among countless others, all got their own full-length holiday albums at some point during the “greed, for lack of a better word, is good” era.
R.E.M. - Around the Sun [Vinyl Reissue]
Once again partnering with Craft Recordings, R.E.M. is reissuing a quartet of late-era reissues on high quality, 180-gram vinyl: 2011’s Collapse into Now and 2004’s Around the Sun (both out July 14), as well as 2001’s Reveal and 2008’s Accelerate (both out August 25). 2004 was certainly an interesting year to be an R.E.M. fan.
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now [Vinyl Reissue]
It goes without saying that 2011 was a deeply bittersweet year for R.E.M. fans. The highs of getting a brand new album (Collapse Into Now, their fifteenth studio album overall) bottomed out just six months later when the legendary outfit finally called it a day.
JOURNAL EXCERPT: The Many Phases of The Milk Carton Kids’ New Album
EDITOR’S NOTE: To mark the release of Milk Carton Kids’ new album, I Only See the Moon, this week, we’re sharing an excerpt of our story about the album and the band from our Spring 2023 journal, available now.
Aoife O’Donovan Finds Fertile Ground in ‘Nebraska’
“I first heard Nebraska as a young child in the early 1990s when I was just old enough to start having my own opinions about music,” Aoife O’Donovan reminisces.
JOURNAL EXCERPT: Roots Musicians Aim to Bring More Thanksgiving Songs to the Table
EDITOR’S NOTE: As readers in the US celebrate Thanksgiving this week, we’re sharing this story about the holiday and roots musicians’ complicated relationship with songs about it.
17 Songs That Explicitly Mention World War III
As soon as Germany and Japan signed their own treaties of surrender in 1945 to end World War II, the term “World War III” almost immediately became pop cultural fodder. In fact, Cold War paranoia was so prevalent that as early as 1951 we had the sci-fi parable The Day The Earth Stood Still in theaters and Collier’s Preview of the War We Do Not Want issue on newsstands.
Inside the Making of Wilco’s 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'
EDITOR’S NOTE: As Nonesuch Records releases seven (!!!) special editions of Wilco’s milestone album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot this week, we wanted to share this excerpt from a story in our Fall-Winter 2018 journal, “Innovate.” You can read the whole story and check out exclusive images in that issue, available in print or as a digital download. REALLY like Wilco?
Inside the Making of Wilco’s 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'
EDITOR’S NOTE: As Wilco’s milestone album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot celebrates its 20th anniversary this week, we wanted to share this excerpt from a story in our Fall-Winter 2018 journal, “Innovate.” You can read the whole story and check out exclusive images — and so much more — in that issue, . REALLY like Wilco? Our Wilco bundle — the Fall-Winter 2018 journal plus Spring 2020 “Live and In Person,” which includes an interview with Jeff Tweedy about the band’s Solid Sound Festival — is for you.
How marketing teams can drive company-wide change on sustainability
Company sustainability initiatives need to involve marketing teams in order to be widely adopted or to create lasting change. Sustainability initiatives need to involve marketing in order to be widely adopted or to create lasting change. Yet marketing’s traditional role on the sidelines of core business strategy – specifically, how often it is left out of C-suite discussion
Son Volt Charges Up for New Album, ‘Electro Melodier,’ in July
Like a needed kick in the butt as the world returns to something like normal, Son Volt is back with their 10th studio album, Electro Melodier, coming out July 30 on Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers. “I wanted to concentrate on the melodies which got me into music in the first place,” band founder and Uncle Tupelo alum Jay Farrar says in today’s album announcement.
THROUGH THE LENS: Something For Everyone in March’s Roots Music Releases
Whenever March rolls around, I play George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun.” Usually, the line “It’s been a long lonely winter” is perfunctory, but this year we need that sun more than ever. We also need an appropriate soundtrack. While there are quite a few interesting releases coming down the pike this month, there are four in particular that got me though a colder-than-usual February.
O Brother, Where Aren’t Thou?: The Two-Decade Cultural Impact of ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’
The year 2000 was an absolutely dizzying time to be a music fan. Intricately constructed boy bands and hyper-objectified teen divas ruled radio, MTV, and record sales, with the top two best-selling albums of the year being NSYNC’s No Strings Attached (9.9 million copies) and Britney Spears’ Oops! … I Did It Again (8.8 million copies).
15 Best Country Christmas Duets
When it comes to Christmas-themed country duets, it’s pretty surprising that many of the genre’s most well-loved and well-known duos never captured a shared seasonal moment for an official release.
Oasis' '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' At 25
Lisa Loeb Celebrates 25 Years Of 'Tails' making-heads-or-tails-success-lisa-loeb-celebrates-25-years-her-major-label-debut-album "We have an audience for a song," singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb told Entertainment Weekly in the fall of 1995, "I hope they want to hear a whole album." As the first unsigned artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Loeb was situated within the unique position of having to balance the television-and-radio promotional whirlwind around her platinum-selling single...
Coolio Talks 25 Years Of "Gangsta's Paradise"
Bartees Strange Talks Debut LP, 'Live Forever' bartees-strange-live-forever-why-it-shouldnt-be-weird-see-black-rock-bands Bartees Strange is clearly a student of all things indie rock, and that was clear as soon as his introductory EP, the National covers project Say Goodbye To Pretty Boy. Inspired by a concert where he was one of the only Black audience members, he wanted to re-interpret their catalog and connect it to his own experience.
Lisa Loeb Celebrates 25 Years Of 'Tails'
Lisa Loeb Celebrates 25 Years Of 'Tails' making-heads-or-tails-success-lisa-loeb-celebrates-25-years-her-major-label-debut-album GRAMMY.com talks to Loeb about making 'Tails' amidst the meteoric rise of "Stay," navigating "acoustic guitar equals folk music" pigeon-holing, and releasing her most recent album, 'A Simple Trick to Happiness' Sep 23, 2020 - 8:28 am "We have an audience for a song," singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb told Entertainment Weekly in the fall of 1995, "I hope they want to hear...
Flashback: Dwight Yoakam Bridges Genres, Generations With Wild 'Guitars'
Long before Renaissance man Dwight Yoakam was selling over 25 million records and making an impression on movie audiences in films like Sling Blade, Panic Room and South of Heaven, West of Hell (which he also co-wrote, directed and scored), the genre-blurring Buck Owens devotee was just another young upstart excited to finally be releasing his first record. His debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
Can’t Look Away: Musicians, Writers, and More Reflect on 30 Years of Uncle Tupelo’s ‘No Depression’ - No Depression
On June 21, 1990, alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo (Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn) released their iconic debut album, No Depression.
Toil and Trouble: Uncle Tupelo’s ‘No Depression’ Turns 30
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a two-part series marking the 30th anniversary of Uncle Tupelo’s debut album, No Depression, which was released on June 21, 1990. Check back Monday for the second part, a roundtable of artists and music industry insiders talking about the album, the band, and the legacy.
Celebrating 25 Years Of Bob Dylan’s MTV Unplugged'
Robyn Hitchcock On His New EP, John Lennon & More robyn-hitchcock-nashville-living-his-planet-england-ep-john-lennons-legacy-making Chances are, you've never met anyone quite like Robyn Hitchcock. The beloved British singer/songwriter has spent the better part of the last five decades earning a sort of self-adjudicated PhD in all things rock and roll, poetry, folk, America, philosophy, the human condition, psychedelia and, of course, the Beatles.
Pearl Jam Producer Josh Evans Unpacks 'Gigaton'
Robyn Hitchcock On His New EP, John Lennon & More robyn-hitchcock-nashville-living-his-planet-england-ep-john-lennons-legacy-making Chances are, you've never met anyone quite like Robyn Hitchcock. The beloved British singer/songwriter has spent the better part of the last five decades earning a sort of self-adjudicated PhD in all things rock and roll, poetry, folk, America, philosophy, the human condition, psychedelia and, of course, the Beatles.
PRINT EXCERPT: Johnny Cash’s Career-long Love Affair with Train Songs
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is an excerpt from a story in our Summer 2018 print issue “(im)migration” You can read the whole story — and much more — in that issue, here. And please consider supporting No Depression with a subscription for more roots music journalism, in print and online, all year long. As one of the most prolific entertainers of the modern era, Johnny Cash sang about a vast array of topics throughout his legendary half-century career.
Johnny Cash's 'Unchained' at 20: Inside the Making of a Masterpiece
“To hear Johnny Cash sing a Jimmie Rodgers song towards the end of the 20th century in the middle of Los Angeles … it’s almost like the spiritual clock of country music was reset during that song.” This is how singer-songwriter and country-music historian Marty Stuart frames the initial impact and enduring legacy of Unchained, the second installment in Johnny Cash’s American album series. Produced by Rick Rubin and released in 1996, Unchained celebrates its 20-year anniversary this month.
PRINT EXCERPT: Chris Shiflett on Touring Extremes
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is an excerpt from a story in our Spring 2020 print issue “Live and In Person.” You can read the whole story — and much more — in that issue, here. And please consider supporting No Depression with a subscription for more roots music journalism, in print and online, all year long.
Jim Beaugez
10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: October 2018 Posted in: Country Music Lists By Jim Beaugez, Jedd Ferris, Will Hodge, Brittney McKenna, Thomas Mooney, Marissa R. Moss Bastian Baker, Lauren Morrow, J.S. Ondara and more artists to hear this month
Jeff Goldblum On His New Jazz Album
Damian Lazarus On Day Zero, Tiesto & '90s Raves damian-lazarus-discusses-day-zero-2020-spiritual-awakenings-befriending-tiesto-90s British DJ/producer/mystical event wizard Damian Lazarus' well-loved sound is much more of a mood than genre. The music he favors is ethereal, emotive and takes the listener on a journey. His parties often take place in awe-inspiring locations, from the expansive dustiness of Burning Man to the jungles of Tulum, Mexico.
Looking Back: Pearl Jam's "Unplugged" Performance
Looking Back: Pearl Jam's "Unplugged" Performance how-pearl-jams-unplugged-performance-captured-grunge-gods-pop-cultural-rise To commemorate the forthcoming release of RSD exclusive 'MTV Unplugged (3/16/1992),' the Recording Academy spoke with director Joel Gallen about how the then-new band approached their MTV acoustic set Nov 26, 2019 - 11:55 am For the last decade or so, Record Store Day and Record Store Day Black Friday have been the venues through which bands have chosen to offer their...
Letters To Cleo Talk Holiday EP, 'OK Christmas'
Playing Janis Joplin: Inside The Must-See Musical janis-joplin-musical-night-janis-joplin-hits-cinemas-nationwide Mary Bridget Davies has been living the musical life of Janis Joplin, singing her songs and bringing her music to her original fans as well as younger generations.
Juliana Hatfield Talks New Police Cover Album
Felly On "Heartstrings," New Album & Icons felly-talks-heartstrings-vulnerability-new-album-learning-icons 24-year-old Connecticut-born, Los Angeles-based artist Felly is on a roll. Since his first mixtape in 2014, he's released at least one major project a year, culminating in his debut studio album, 2018's Surf Trap. He's gathered a growing fan base along the way, with his laid-back demeanor and experimental approach to surf-rock-drenched, at-times-jazzy, hip-hop.
The Lumineers Talk New Album ‘III,’ the Weight of ‘Ho Hey’ on Chris Shiflett’s Podcast
“It’s a big blessing, but you also have to fight to get out of its wake,” says the band’s Wesley Schultz of group’s massive hit, on Shiflett’s ‘Walking the Floor’ The Lumineers are this week's guests on Chris Shiflett's 'Walking the Floor' podcast.
Slang Jang was a family recipe I thought I hallucinated
Illustration: Allison Corr Acquired TastesAcquired TastesIn Acquired Tastes, The Takeout explores the food and drinks we can’t live without. While American cuisine has quite a few universally agreed-upon summer staples—hamburgers and hot dogs, ice cream and apple pie, grilled anything—some of the more adventurous foods of the season can be found in the passed-down recipes of family get-togethers.
10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: March 2017
March 14, 2017 12:57PM ET From a soulful vocalist who evokes John Mayer to the fiddle-playing protégée of Jack White An anonymous country shtick-kicker, the son of a late cowboy legend and the fiddle player whose latest album was produced by Jack White make up this month’s installment of new country and Americana artists you need to hear right now.
91 years of chili dogs: How Atlanta’s The Varsity lasts and lasts
Photo: SeanPavonePhoto (Getty Images) FeaturesStories from The Takeout about food, drink, and how we live. Even if you’ve never stepped foot in Atlanta, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of The Varsity. Dubbed “The World’s Largest Drive-In,” the iconic Georgia landmark takes up two city blocks in the heart of downtown Atlanta and overlooks the permanently packed I-75/85 Downtown Connector from its perch across the interstate from the Georgia Tech campus.
Inside the black (cherry) market of vintage Kool-Aid packet collectors
Illustration: Karl Gustafson When you’re in the mood for Kool-Aid, you can walk into a grocery store and chose from about 20 different flavor packets all priced at about a quarter a piece. However, if you’re in the market for some quintessentially classic, high-grade, “Oh Yeah!”-era Kool-Aid, you’ll have to enter the fruit-flavored underbelly of one the most intriguing subsets in the world of pop culture food enthusiasts: the black market of vintage Kool-Aid packet collectors.
Christmas as Folk: Why Holiday Standards Belong in the Folk Songbook - No Depression
There are plenty of topics for spirited musical debate out there: Are you a Beatles person or a Stones person? Who are the pillars of hip-hop? Which city yielded the most authentic type of blues? Did video truly kill the radio star? Yet very few subjects generate as heated a level of discussion and scholarly research as the matter of what elevates or invalidates a song for the sonic sainthood known as folk music.
Christmas as Folk: Why Holiday Standards Belong in the Folk Songbook
There are plenty of topics for spirited musical debate out there: Are you a Beatles person or a Stones person? Who are the pillars of hip-hop? Which city yielded the most authentic type of blues? Did video truly kill the radio star? Yet very few subjects generate as heated a level of discussion and scholarly research as the matter of what elevates or invalidates a song for the sonic sainthood known as folk music.
How JD McPherson Blew Up Christmas Album Cliches on New ‘Socks’
When Oklahoma retro-rock revivalist JD McPherson decided to record his first-ever Christmas album, Socks, he asked himself one key question. “What do we exclude?” says McPherson. “What are the first things that most bands want to do when making a Christmas record and how do we not do those things?” The resulting 11-track album of all original songs, out now via New West Records, stays true to McPherson’s list of exclusions: there are no jingle bells, no cover songs and no schmaltz.
10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: November 2018
Modern-country songwriter Nick Wayne, rockabilly vet Kim Lenz and garage-country outfit the Craig Brown Band are among the 10 new country and Americana artists you need to hear now.
Costa: Creating a nation of coffee lovers
This case study shows how Costa, a coffee shop brand, successfully grew its brand affinity and sales in the UK with an integrated campaign. Restaurants & takeaways United Kingdom Strategy Principal authors: Will Hodge and Matthew Waksman, KarmaramaContributing authors: Caroline Harris, Whitbread; Sid McGrath, Karmarama Elizabeth 1stof England was an unlikely ruler. Her mother was... WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading Not a subscriber?
How marketing teams can drive company-wide change on sustainability
Company sustainability initiatives need to involve marketing teams in order to be widely adopted or to create lasting change. Corporate social responsibility Sustainability Brand management Managing the marketing function United Kingdom Strategy Sustainability initiatives need to involve marketing in order to be widely adopted or to create lasting change. Yet marketing’s traditional role on the sidelines of core business strategy – specifically, how often it is left out of C-suite discussions...
10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: October 2018
A Swiss country star who toured with Shania Twain, the onetime singer for Americana rock band the Whiskey Gentry and a Kenyan singer-songwriter with a fresh take on the American experience make up our list of artists you need to hear this month.
Interview with John Hiatt
Over the last four decades, John Hiatt has proven to be one of the most influential and celebrated singer-songwriters in the game.
For "Weird Al" Yankovic, "Eat It" was both a hit song and a creative mantra
Photo: Bob Riha Jr. (Getty Images)There’s no denying that “Weird Al” Yankovic has been a fixture of American popular culture for the last four decades and counting, thanks to his rich catalog of pop song parodies, artist-specific style pastiches, thematically-layered polka medleys, and supremely underrated original compositions. The accordion-clad musical satirist has amassed a multitude of music industry milestones: 14 standalone full length albums, four Grammy Awards, six platinum albums.
From possums to jellybeans: What our presidents eat affects how we think about them
When it comes to the tricky business of shaping a legacy, every president has some measure of control over elements like their leadership style, foreign policy approaches, and other political decisions that have impact long after the individual has left office.
40 Best Country Albums, Americana Albums of 2017
While a number of country veterans released their strongest albums in years – Willie Nelson’s God’s Problem Child and Brad Paisley’s Love and War, among them – 2017 belonged to new artists. Fresh faces like Carly Pearce, Luke Combs, Midland and RaeLynn delivered debut LPs that both looked forward and revived the tenets of the genre: personal stories, smart lyrics and sing-along hooks.
See Chris Shiflett's Scorching Live 'West Coast Town' Video
Christmas is coming early for Chris Shiflett fans as the singer-songwriter, Foo Fighters guitarist, and podcaster has just launched a pre-order for the vinyl pressing of his latest solo album West Coast Town and is also sharing an exclusive look at a new live music video.
Inside Bloodshot Records' Wacky Holiday Compilation '13 Days of Xmas'
No matter where you fall on the love-it-or-hate-it Christmas-music spectrum, no one can escape the seasonal certainty of a new batch of holiday-themed albums guaranteed to roll out just as soon as (or, in some cases, before) the Halloween candy is gone.
Will’s Weekend Wrap-Up: Dr. Dog, Justin Townes Earle, Madi Diaz, and Jack London
Well, hello there, NoiseTraders! With it being such a strong week for new album releases from some of my favorite artists, I thought I’d take the opportunity to revisit some of our coinciding NoiseTrade Eastside Manor Sessions from a couple of them. After enjoying the “in the room” feel of those exclusive live EPs, be sure to check out their new releases from this past Tuesday as well.
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