Hilary Saunders

⟦ writes things ⟧ Managing Editor @NoDepression 🎶 Previously in Paste / ESPN / Next City / Bitch / Complex / etc. Rock and roll can save the world. She/ella/זי

Featured in: Favicon

nodepression.com Favicon

bandcamp.com Favicon

espn.com

complex.com Favicon

siriusxm.com Favicon

pastemagazine.com Favicon

consequence.net Favicon

miaminewtimes.com Favicon

forward.com Favicon

bkmag.com + 7 more

Articles

SPOTLIGHT: Sister Sadie - “Prodigal Daughter” [VIDEO]

5 days ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

Editor's Note: Sister Sadie is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for June 2025. Learn more about the band and their new album, All Will Be Well, which is due out June 27, in this feature, and keep an eye out for more all month long. Thirteen years
BONUS TRACKS: New Songs for "No Kings," Juneteenth, and Pride Month

1 week ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

Last Saturday, more than 2,000 cities around the US held "No Kings" protests, which drew between four and six million people, according to The Independent. Canadian-American banjoist and singer-songwriter Allison Russell and New York City-based hip-hop and bluegrass collective Gangstagrass teamed up for a song inspired by the protests, titled "No Kings (In The USA)," which was released before the events.
BONUS TRACKS: Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Margo Price, The Americana Honors & Awards and More

2 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

This was a devastating week in the roots music community. RIP to Bonnaroo and Outside Lands co-founder Jonathan Mayers (The Tennessean) and New York City venue owner and local music champion Billy Jones (Pitchfork). Additionally, two musical legends — funk, rock, and soul artist Sly Stone and the Beach Boys’ pop genius frontman Brian Wilson both passed away this week.
In The Deep End With...Māhealani Uchiyama and Kalani Pe'a

2 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

Māhealani Uchiyama wants to reclaim the Hawaiian word pōpolo. The black tinged berry, recognized for its medicinal properties, is found through the Hawaiian islands and across wider Polynesia. But too often, it can be used as an insult for locals of African descent. For more than two years now, Uchiyama has been working on a project called Pōpoloheno: Songs Of Resilience And Joy, which honors the history of this small, yet mighty community.
BONUS TRACKS: Roots Music News from Tony Rice, John Prine, Jesse Welles, and More

2 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

The devil works fast, but the internet works faster...or something along those lines. The biggest news of the day today is Donald Trump and Elon Musk melting down online, so of course, Arkansas-based singer-songwriter Jesse Welles took to a field and sang the news in a little ditty called "My Billionaire Daddies Are Fighting." Check out more from Welles in No Depression's recap from FreshGrass | Bentonville last month.
I’m With Her Is Always A Band

3 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

I’m With Her never intended to be a one-off project. But it took seven years — a lifetime in the music industry — for Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz, and Sara Watkins to reunite and release new music. Wild and Clear and Blue, which arrived May 9 via Rounder Records, leans heavily on their heavenly harmonies, while building upon their individual instrumental strengths. Over the course of this near-decade, the three songwriters, locked down, endured deaths, gained spouses, and birthed children.
No Depression’s Best of May 2025 Playlist

3 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

Spring is never lacking in new growth, discoveries, and opportunities, and May's Best of the Month playlist features more than 50 musical blooms. Last month included Spotlight artist Kristina Murray, as well as fellow newcomers and new discoveries like Amble and Ken Pomeroy. Additionally, May's flowers brought the return of seasonal favorites like I'm With Her, Watchouse, and even a new project by Béla Fleck.
Bonus Tracks: A Curtain Call for ‘Around The Horn’ and Tribute to “All Your Favorite Bands”

4 weeks ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

After 23 years and 4,953 episodes — more than either The Oprah Winfrey Show or The Late Show With David Letterman — my favorite sports show went off the air last Friday. I’ve long said that music and sports share a lot of commonalities, and watching the last episode of Around The Horn last week was like hearing your favorite band is breaking up. Around The Horn was, in many ways, the sports anti-talk show.
SPOTLIGHT: Kristina Murray - "Little Blue" [VIDEO]

1 month ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

Editor's Note: Kristina Murray is No Depression's Spotlight Artist for May 2025. Learn more about her life and new album, Little Blue, which was released May 9, in this feature, and keep an eye out for more all month long. Although the closing track on her new album, "Little Blue" was one of the first songs Kristina Murray wrote for her new album. Learn more about its backstory in her emotive, honest essay, also written as part of this Spotlight.
BONUS TRACKS: News on AI Policy, The Chicks on Broadway, Ketch Secor, and More

1 month ago | nodepression.org | Hilary Saunders

We're back this week after taking off to travel to, and report from, the FreshGrass Festival in Bentonville, Arkansas. As a result, we've got a double-dose of new roots music news. Contemporary politics and technology intersect again in a way that impacts the roots music world.