‘New York Times’ Article Finally Gets Country Music Right
Make no mistake about it, we are living in a beautiful and remarkable time in country and roots music. Sometimes when you’re living through moments, it’s hard to recognize their importance, or put them in the proper context when zooming out and regarding them on a historical timeline. And of course, most of us suffer from recency bias, or nostalgic “good ol’ days” syndrome.
But without question, when subsequent generations look back at this era with Billy Strings in his prime, amazing upstarts like Sierra Ferrell and Charley Crockett setting the pace, and a whole host of other inspiring performers too long to name here, they will do so with envy. This is the moment when the independent became the mainstream, and you are privileged to be living through it, experiencing it in real time.
That is why it’s frustrating whenever big national publications like The New York Times broach the subject of country music, and do so through the lens of politics, or from a pop perspective. This moment in country deserves to be taken seriously. And with artists outside of the mainstream radio play perspective selling out arenas, it’s newsworthy, and deserving of serious coverage and chronicling.
The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications have received fair criticism here for missing the moment. A recent article by PhD professor and author Tressie McMillan Cottom called “The Country’s Gone Country. What Gives?” presented a decidedly skewed, surprisingly angry, and especially uninformed opinion about country music.
That is why it was so heartening to see the kind of reverence, gravity, and informed perspective that country and roots music deserves brought to bear in a June 3rd New York Times article titled “In the Age of the Algorithm, Roots Music Is Rising,” by Carlo Rotella, a Boston College professor of journalism and English.
Rotella attended the 2024 Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado (same as Saving Country Music), and used the festival experience as the foundation for his excellent exploration into the explosion of roots music. Incidentally, if you wonder why events like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival can hold such national impact, this is a great example. The NYT article comes as the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Festival comes up June 19th to 22nd.
Along with sharing observances and experiences from Telluride, writer Carlo Rotella also talked to important power players in the independent industry, from label owner David Macias at Thirty Tigers, to booking agent Keith Levy, to manager Andrew McInnes. Rotella says about the swelling roots scene rivaling mainstream Nashville country and why it’s so appealing, “It offers a strong contrast to the disembodied digital reality that more and more of us inhabit more and more of the time.”
Keith Levy is quoted in the article saying, “For a long time, we had radio telling people what to listen to, but we no longer live in a monoculture.”
Andrew McInnes, who is the manager for the Turnpike Troubadours and Sturgill Simpson says “It’s an equal and opposite reaction, like hair metal to grunge, disco to punk. An act like Florida Georgia Line mall-ified country, so then you get what they now call Americana — which to most is still country music, just not what gets played on commercial country radio.”
Most importantly though, the article profiles the important careers of Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell, Charley Crockett, Molly Tuttle (who ironically, recently moved away from bluegrass), as well as Rhiannon Giddens and others. As opposed to complaining about the lack of diversity in country music, the article highlights some of the artists who help represent it in the new roots resurgence.
Most importantly though, the New York Times article paints an important and accurate picture about what is happening in country and roots music at the moment, and how landmark this shift and this movement really is. Ironically, the same week the NYT published “In the Age of the Algorithm, Roots Music Is Rising,” The American Spectator published an article called “Algorithms and Blues — The Fall of Country Music.” Though the Spectator article accurately calls out the decline of commercial country radio, it fails to mention anything about the current country and roots resurgence.
Praise is deserved to Carlo Rotella and The New York Times for giving the patience, the thoroughness, and the reverence this moment in country and roots music deserves, and presenting it in such a high-profile publication where people outside of the roots music perspective will see it, and hopefully understand that a better alternative to the country mainstream exists, and seek out the artists profiled and others like them.
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June 7, 2025 @ 9:44 am
No mention of Childers?
June 7, 2025 @ 10:13 am
Tyler Childers was mentioned. He’s represented by Keith Levy who is quoted in the article. But I think it wanted to focus more on Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell, and Charley Crockett, since they all performed at Telluride Bluegrass last year. Childers did perform there as well, but it’s been a few years now.
June 8, 2025 @ 8:01 am
Probably means Childers will get a NYTimes feature when his album drops.
The New York High Priesthood has spoken.
The big tent is now simply to be called “Roots Music.”
Have a Nice Day.
June 7, 2025 @ 10:31 am
Agreed! Probably the best NY Times article in years, not only country related but also in terms of just a good article in general. Highlighted some great artists we here love. Hope it brings some attention to these folks. Even the political talk was minimal, which given its NY Times is shocking, especially given that disgusting article they published last month or so that trigger covered. I think the article accurately captures the moment. I was presently surprised. I’m glad!
All that said, I also don’t think it was a coincidence all the artists they interviewed lean or are outright left. So the politics was shoehorned in, especially with Rhiannon and her clear dig that mainstream country is designed to divide (ie it’s filled with conservative artists like hardy or Aldean who let you know their views).
But overall I praise the article and author for a thoughtful piece. I didn’t know the backstory of Crockett so that was cool!
June 9, 2025 @ 2:00 pm
I think it goes both ways. Try That in a Small Town was definitely designed as rage bait to capitalize off of a media storm and bring attention to Aldean. If it wasn’t, it would dishearten me to know that level of garbage was made for any reason other than cynicism. Same way Old Town Road was a specifically designed product to court controversy and, thus, publicity. If it wasn’t for the media I wouldn’t know the political affiliation any of my supposedly liberal, favorite non-production line artists (besides Isbell, obviously).
June 9, 2025 @ 2:45 pm
Sure artists on both sides speak their mind, but that’s different than getting a propaganda arm of the the democrat party to spew your hate of half the country.
I support the Aldean song because it came around the time of Morgan’s comeback from exile, and Oliver anthony’s track as well. We had for years been fed the lines about how country musics job is to promote dei, sjw, anti trump nonsense and that it was reflective of the artist themselves and the audience at large. It clearly wasn’t representative at all.
I also find it funny, how you said you’d have no idea of your favorite artists politics within the media, presumably you are referencing conservative media who would expose liberal artists in the industry.
You singled out Isbell as an example of this. Which I find interesting because Isbell isn’t known for hiding his politics. Do you follow him on x and instagram? Attend his shows? Listen to his lyrics? Did you happen to listen to the Georgia Blue album? Or attend any of his benefit concerts, including performing at the fucking DNC last year.
Isbell spends all day on x saying he hates conservatives. So I think you might not be as truthful as you are suggesting, mate!
As far as overall politics goes, trigger was correct in that expose of that racist ny times article last month. Agreed totally. And that reporter should be fined, fired and imprisoned.
This article though was well written, shoehorned politics aside.
My own stance is we get to decide what country means, is, sounds like, looks like and how it acts. NY times has zero say in that at all. We get to decide what is our culture and how it exists. Otherwise you don’t have a genre, nation or society. Leftists will hollow out our culture and wear it like a skin suit.
If your goal as an artist or fan within the genre is to promote racist dei politics, lgbtq excesses, and the woke mind virus policies of racial grievances under the guise of destroying our nation, you can, and I can’t say this clearly enough, get out of my country and my genre.
June 7, 2025 @ 12:05 pm
So refreshing to read a mainstream article written by someone who actually knows what’s going on in country music. Hopefully we’ll see more of it.
After so many years of fandom in a genre that’s quite obscure where I’m from it’s weird and often cringey to see this pop culture moment come about. But if mainstream articles like that are being written and read then perhaps some good will come of it.
June 7, 2025 @ 12:06 pm
Great to hear the Times got it right this time!
June 7, 2025 @ 2:56 pm
My feeling is that a big part of why roots music is so prominent and productive right now is that the distinction between “folk” and “country” lost it’s political undercurrent. That lifted arbitrary restrictions on both performers and audiences.
June 7, 2025 @ 3:50 pm
While we’re on the topic of excellent writing about Country Music from NYC, I wanted to shout out, that in my not-so-humble opinion, the greatest book ever written about country music is “In the Country of Country” by “New Yorker” writer Nicholas Dawidoff, aka a damn Yankee from NYC! Granted Dawidoff is provided introductions to country music legends by Emmylou Harris, who as the book illustrates, can soften Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Steve Earle, aka anyone… Anyway, I think the fact that Dawidoff is an “outsider” to the culture, yet is also curious and humble, is what allows him to be so perceptive. Anyway, great, great book!
June 7, 2025 @ 4:35 pm
Really good article and certainly surprising coming from the NYT. Nice to see someone that gets it, like Trigger has for decades and his band of misfit toys (aka SCM readers) following along. Welcome to the cool kids club Mr. Rotella. At least we like to think of ourselves as the cool kids…. Thanks for shining a light on this Trigger, I generally don’t read much from the mainstream media and never would have come across it without your help.
June 8, 2025 @ 3:12 am
The cool kids will never be as cool as us 😎
June 7, 2025 @ 4:39 pm
It’s a great article, “Absofruitly”.
June 8, 2025 @ 12:10 am
I read that article last week and enjoyed it. They mentioned many of my favorite artists and the writer had a good understanding of the current country landscape. I just read that other awful article. “The tension at the heart of country music”? What is she even talking about? Most of artists she mentioned are not my idea of country music at all and are not even on my radar (except for Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell & Adia Victoria who I’m a big fan of). She’s talking about pop artists. I guess everyone has their opinion but I don’t at all agree with writer Tressie McMillan Cottom.
June 8, 2025 @ 12:57 am
…if you read this nyt article from top to bottom, the bottom line would be: its not roots music that has been the driver behind this resurgence, it’s been very talented artists – not only muscians – that have given these sounds that always have been there new life. and technology has been taking care of new ways of distribution and sharing, thereby attracting new audiences.
the arenas and festival grounds do not only fill with people devoted to whatever old time or roots music is played there in the first place. they are mostly turned on by the players and what they do with it today.
again, the reactions of many of the “saviours” here, usually still carry a distinct element of lack of selfconfidence when it comes to their music of choice. or a tendency to raise it well above of what it really is. isn’t it time to just wholeheartedly enjoy this great period that has been prevailing in all sorts of roots-based music – which rhiannon giddens defines so aptly in the article – for quite some time now while it lasts and obviously noticeably expands even to national levels.
just take it for what it is: a beautiful cultural enrichment to (your) life and not a reason for culture war? anyone who needs some sort of pride or general reassurance to enjoy his favorite music may be wrong-stringed. and not everything with roots is per se tasty.
June 8, 2025 @ 6:12 am
“Beautiful cultural enrichment … and not a reason for culture war.” Exactly.
It’s unfortunate that something like that needs to be stated. But sadly, we share our 21-Century American reality with ideologically besotted souls to whom everything is cultural war. They can’t help themselves, apparently. And I definitely don’t mean just a Black woman who contributes a deservedly slammed op-ed to the NYT.
Can’t we just enjoy the moment?
June 9, 2025 @ 2:58 pm
Let’s celebrate it, I agree. But to act shocked when people push back at the political hints the article projects, is neither incorrect nor wrong.
Including that bullshit from Rihannon about how this is a scary time is naked culture war hirseshit meant to inflame the culture war not to celebrate the music. She could have easily just focused on how great it was the music coming out right now was quality and highlight her favorite artists. Instead she took the opportunity to lambaste the industry not in the genuine way trigger does it, but rather as a way to foment this boogeyman of terrible mainstream country. Not for their lyrics, or sound, or that they don’t promote real xoujtry, but rather her criticism was that mainstream country is made for and by “those people”. In her example “those people” are rural white people who voted trump. Given that he won the election; has the electoral and popular vote and has better approval rating than at any time in his first term, her critique is meant to inflame and it’s frankly, bullshit. She had every right to promote her style of music and these artists, but to put down the majority of people in this country, is gross. It’s not wanted nor is it needed.
It’s partisan politics.
June 9, 2025 @ 5:38 pm
A political science major in college, I have spent the subsequent decades educating myself in America’s political and cultural history. Though by now I have read extensively, I don’t recall that any in-the-democratic- mainstream constitutional scholar has argued that once somebody wins an election (in the present instance, moreover, by a fraction of the popular vote) those who think that the winner is an unfortunate choice are obligated to keep their mouths shut. Obviously, you wouldn’t think that way if the other candidate had won. And in that instance I would have supported without qualification your right to air your complaints. Though I might have argued with you, I wouldn’t have devoted a nanosecond to inventing reasons you shouldn’t speak your mind.
What you’re committing is just extreme partisan politics, far removed from the calmer, friendlier musical news, appreciation, and criticism that draw most of us to SCM. I certainly don’t question your right to your views. I only question why they’re so one-sided. Unfortunately, they seem to have drawn you from the basic pleasures to be had in this golden age of rooted sounds. Ideally, these sounds would relieve us — if only temporarily — of the burden of conflict over our differences, including a whole lot that are angrier than they should be, relative to larger matters. But as a democrat to my soul, I respect your call in this regard. You might try respecting others’.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:18 pm
If you voted for an opposing candidate that didn’t win, I agree you are well within your right to speak out. Just as we were the last 4 years prior when we weren’t in power. I’d hope you were also as vociferous in defending people’s rights to speak out when your candidate was in power and mine wasn’t. You said had my candidate lost you would have supported my right to speak out just as you are doing. Is there evidence of this on the board 2020-2024? Fair is fair.
Your original claim is something that I addressed but you didnt in your reply. Your original claim was how those who disagreed with the claims in the article were just engaging in bad faith drumming up of a culture war, and that can’t we just enjoy the moment was your words I believe, correct?
That doesn’t particularly sound like extending a branch to me or others to speak freely. In fact it’s the exact opposite, can’t we just enjoy the moment outright suggests people can’t dissent without ruining “the moment” whatever that means. And it’s nebulous too given who knows when “this moment” will pass. Can I speak out when the moment is over? Why not before?
Additionally, had you read my posts you’d see I applauded Rhiannon for talking about the music scene, praised the article. And said the artists she mentioned and profiled needed to be praised as well. Seems pretty accommodating and fair to me, my friend.
My issue was precisely what you seem unwilling to acknowledge. I didn’t come to the article wanting to be beating over the head with politics. Rhiannon used her platform to speak out on it and thus herself engaged in the culture war. How could she not be engaging in this sin? She literally called it out. It’s nakedly partisan and nakedly alienating not only to the majority of voters who voted the president in, but also shoehorns in politics where none were wanted or needed. She had no need to speak on politics in this article. A future NY times article about her specifically and her stances is fine. But that’s not this article. Nor should it be. This isn’t an article about her stances. It’s an article about exciting artists on the rise that the mainstream reader of nytimes who probably isn’t tapped into SCM, can learn about artists they’ve never heard of before. Her bringing in politics was petty and partisan in a way you seem to fail to notice, given the article had nothing to do with politics, and she was the sole artist profiled who mentioned it. That’s wanting attention.
In this divisive time, I think it’s important to be cognizant of others feelings and emotions regarding politics and the need to bring it into all spaces. Some of us just want to enjoy the music, friend. Point blank period. I’m not into being lectured to by her or anyone else . She could have made her point without making comments about politics. It wasn’t needed in the article at all.
Your characterizations seem very misguided. I didn’t start talking about politics just because. I started talking about it because Rhiannon mentioned it, in the article that this comment section here is based on. The one trigger write a response to. And it comes directly contrasted with and trigger quotes this in his piece above, that contrasts with an article about country music from the times recently that was completely and totally about politics. Trigger wrote an article about that one too.
So when someone says they don’t want politics shoved in their face in all occasions. Please respect my and others wish to have that as well. Please also try and see the other side which if love for you to see, since it’s a reciprocal thing here. It’s a two way street here. If you don’t want to talk politics, then don’t bring it up. Plain and simple
June 9, 2025 @ 7:28 pm
So what’s the gripe about? I used my power to speak out because I disagreed with what Rhiannon said and was critiquing it.
So you write about how I need to enjoy the moment.
Does that sound particularly warm
And open to allowing people like me to speak my mind, or is that the opposite?
Your issue seems to be you don’t understand the article itself was biased and brought in culture war politics. I was merely responding to it.
Why didn’t you say “just enjoy the moment” to Rhiannon? Could just as easily say
She was engaged in overt culture war bullshit by saying what she said.
If you are quoted in an article saying you have a problem with the political leanings of mainstream country. You are certainly entitled to voice that as she did. But the pretending this is non political or isn’t a culture war statement itself is wildly ignorant and fails to engage with the material in a serious or adult manner. It’s just supporting your team over another team.
The article should have remained non political. Not sure where you get off suggesting I brought politics into it. Rhiannon started it and all anger should be directed her way for “not enjoying the moment” but sending a cheap insult at the president and his supporters who whether she likes it or not are the majority not only in her own industry but also this country or nation. Not engaging with that reality is just hyper partisan horseshit masquerading as fair and balanced journalism. It’s not needed or wanted in this space or elsewhere and those who suggest it can fuck off.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:39 pm
No more comments here folks. This is not a political topic, and these back and forths bog down the comments section.
June 8, 2025 @ 3:33 am
It is an insightful really well written article. He gets it! Well worth a read.
June 8, 2025 @ 3:33 pm
You should review The Kentucky Gentlemen new and debut album Rhinestone Revolution. theyve been in nashville for 10+ years and their story is interesting. Would love to hear your thoughts. Nashville is abuzz with it right now apparently. Alot of takes. Brittney Spencer vocals are on it and all. Saw them with The War and Treaty last year and was floored. Luke Combs old team signed them.
June 8, 2025 @ 7:43 pm
Yes it is a fantastic article, very insightful and captures this moment in time. I am a retired journalist from New Jersey and not at all surprised that the Times came up up with this, they tend to break national stories ahead of others, although not as often as they used to. Anthony Mason on CBS has covered these folks several times but not with this depth. The writer spent an entire year working on this, so much time that Molly Tuttle has already moved on from bluegrass. I saw her first show with her new band on Nugs Friday night and they were really good. It’s hard-driving alternative rock, with Molly’s guitar front and center. I stumbled upon this music in 2022 via a Grateful Dead fan group. I was floored when I heard Billy Strings leading Billy and the Kids in a cover of the Dead’s “So Many Roads.” The singing and playing were much better than the Dead ever did it. Now I have seen both Billy and Molly in concert, could probably win a Billy or Molly trivia contest and have planned a September vacation to Nashville around a Billy concert at the Ryman.
June 9, 2025 @ 4:07 am
It was while watching an excellent PBS documentary about photojournalism at the Louisville Courier-Journal before the sellout to Gannett that I learned a newspaper’s Sunday magazine may have a different management structure than the daily paper. That might allow a story like this one to be published whereas it may have been shit-canned at the daily paper.
Maybe same sitch at the ‘newspaper of record’? Just a thought.
Interesting watch on your Monday–for those of us in the region with some of that time on our hands, mainly:
https://www.pbs.org/video/fleeting-reality-1Fmy08/
June 9, 2025 @ 11:55 am
Not really related to the original post, but I miss the Courier-Journal of the 70’s and 80’s that I grew up with as a kid in Eastern Kentucky. We could only get Sunday delivery, but those were really a gateway to the world for a small town kid.
June 9, 2025 @ 7:36 am
For Charlie: Yes the New York Times Magazine has a separate staff from the newspaper. Magazine pieces tend to be longer and more in depth than newspaper stories and take more time to research. That’s why they run in the weekly magazine and not in the daily newspaper.
June 9, 2025 @ 9:59 am
Because America is an anti urban heartland?
What’s inspirational about urban sewers?
June 10, 2025 @ 1:23 pm
Maybe off-topic, but speaking of roots music in the mainstream –
Trigger, any opinions regarding music featured in the recent movie Sinners, how that music is portrayed, and what is being implied by the movie about that music? The movie covers blues music primarily but features some Scotch/Irish and “old time” material as well. Rhiannon Giddens has a song on the soundtrack and, I think, was a music consultant on the film as well.
The movie seems to take some bold stances regarding topics you’ve covered here recently regarding the origins of American roots music, authenticity, appropriation, race, culture etc.
June 10, 2025 @ 5:16 pm
Have not seen the film but I will get it on my radar.