On the cover: The Old 97's (l-r: Rhett Miller, Ken Bethea, Murry Hammond, Philip Peeples). Photo by Todd V. Wolfson. Song lyric from "Let The Idiot Speak" by the Old 97's.

FRONT PORCH
Hello Stranger; Box Full Of Letters; Field Reportings; All The Fixin's.

A PLACE TO BE
Road trip
Floyd Country Store in Floyd, Virginia.

MIKED
Live reviews
Butch Hancock's tribute to Townes Van Zandt in Austin, TX; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in San Francisco, CA; Don Walser, Hot Club Of Cowtown in Chicago, IL; Dave Alvin, Robbie Fulks in Charlotte, NC; Greg Trooper in Durham, NC; Haynes Boys, Burn Barrel in New York City, NY; Neil Young in Seattle, WA; "By The Hand Of The Father" in Austin, TX; S.P.I.T.T.L.E. Fest in Raleigh, NC.

TOWN & COUNTRY
Brief regional features
Monte Warden (Austin, TX); Gary Floyd (San Francisco, CA); Dave Moore (Iowa City, IA); Mary Lee Kortes (Brooklyn, NY); X-Angels (Portland, OR); Farmer Tan (Claremont, CA); Baker Maultsby (Spartanburg, SC); Johnny Smoke (Dayton, OH); Baseboard Heaters (Portland, OR).

THE LONG CUT
Extended features
Mandy Barnett (by Bill Friskics-Warren)
Rosie Flores (by Allison Stewart)
Ronnie Dawson (by Jim Caligiuri)
Old 97's (by Peter Blackstock)
Backsliders (by Linda Ray)
Jimmy Martin (by Jon Weisberger)

NOT FADE AWAY
Reissues
Gene Clark; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Elvis Presley; The Complete Sun Singles, Vol. 6; Gatemouth Brown; Meat Puppets; Jim & Jesse; Wilf Carter; Rex Allen/Spade Cooley; Groovey Joe Poovey; Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant; Jimmy Murphy.

WAXED
Record reviews
Jack Logan; Alejandro Escovedo; Radney Foster; Toni Price; Gourds; June Carter Cash; David Allan Coe; Ray Wylie Hubbard; Shaver; Volebeats; Tom Russell; Stephen Bruton; Ian Tyson; Chris Smither; Kim Richey; Iain Matthews; Jimmy LaFave; Chip Taylor; Pete Krebs & the Gossamer Wings; Phranc; D. Braxton Harris; Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors; Latin Playboys; Bill Lloyd; Amazing Rhythm Aces; Boo Hewerdine.

BOUND
Book reviews
Workin' Man Blues: Country Music In California (by Gerald W. Haslam); A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth Of The Grand Ole Opry (by Charles K. Wolfe).

THE NO DEPRESSION TOP 40
A retail chart for January-February 1999.

SCREEN DOOR
Stuff we like
Hands On A Hard Body, a documentary movie from Longview, Texas.