ON THE COVER: Iris DeMent. Photo by Alice Wheeler. Song lyric from "Hide Thou Me" by Fanny J. Crosby (Public Domain).

FRONT PORCH
Hello Stranger; Box Full Of Letters; Field Reportings; Farther Along (Skeeter Davis, Charlie Waller, Isidro Lopez, Kenny Buttrey).

MIKED — live reviews
Bloodshot 10th Anniversary in Chicago, IL; Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Hot Club Of Cowtown in Des Moines, IA; Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue in Atlanta, GA; Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX; John Prine, Kris Kristofferson in Vienna, VA; Notorious Cherry Bombs in Nashville, TN; Golden Smog in New York City, NY; Victoria Williams & Mark Olson in Tuczon, AZ; J.T. Van Zandt in Wakefield, Quebec.

TOWN & COUNTRY — brief regional features
Laurie & John Stirratt (Chicago, IL); Jill Sobule (Brooklyn, NY); Ox (Vancouver,BC); Dolorean (Portland, OR); Geraint Watkins (London, England); Amy Correia (Brooklyn, NY); Ben Weaver (Minneapolis, MN); Moviola (Columbus, OH).

A PLACE TO BE — regional portrait
by Judy Zimola

DON'T ASK ME NO QUESTIONS — Q&A
by Neal Weiss
John Fogerty.

THE LONG WAY AROUND — extended features
Robyn Hitchcock by Kurt B. Reighley
Hem by Peter Blackstock
Iris DeMent by David Cantwell
Gene Austin by Barry Mazor

SITTIN' & THINKIN' — essay
by Paul Cantin
Auctioning away the legacy of Johnny & June Carter Cash.

NOT FADE AWAY — reissues
Can't You Hear Me Callin'; Waylon Jennings; Faces; Chuck Wagon Gang; CloseHarmony; Jim Reeves; Jimmy Dean; Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys; Lloyd Green; Kenny Baker & Bobby Hicks; Dwight Yoakam; Peter Case; Skeletons; Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks; Jean Ritchie; Peter Stampfel & the Bottlecaps; Holy Modal Rounders; Fort Worth Teen Scene.

WAXED — reviews
Elliott Smith; Elizabeth Cook; Elvis Costello & the Imposters; Richard Buckner; Charlie Robison; Peter Rowan & Tony Rice; Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder; Tony Joe White; Clarence " Gatemouth" Brown; Kevn Kinney; Tom Waits; American Music Club; Anders Parker; Beaver Nelson; Jason Wilber; Matthew Sweet; Finn Brothers; NRBQ; Percy Sledge; BeauSoleil; C.C. Adcock; Jesse Dayton; Irene Kelley; Kieran McGee; Black Keys; Legendary Shack Shakers; Steve Turner & His Bad Ideas; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; Tim Lee; Eric Andersen; Alice Gerrard; Ray Bonneville; Heath Haynes & the Crying Shames; Kasey Anderson; Sara Cox; Noam Pikelny; John Brannen; Nathan; Li'l Cap'n Travis; Dave Gleason's Wasted Days; Salim Nourallah; Happiness Factor; Bill Staines; Robert Gordon; Steep Canyon Rangers; Split Lip Rayfield; Honeychurch; Jake Brennan & the Confidence Men; Ken Will Morton; Jeffrey Foucault; Mike & Amy Finders Band. COMP LIST: 13 Ways To Live; This Is Americana. TRIBUTARIES: Wanda Jackson; Warren Zevon; Daniel Johnston; Ola Belle Reed. LIVE WIRES: Neko Case; Greg Brown. FILM AT 11: Calexico; Los Lobos; Mavericks; Los Lonely Boys; Austin City Limits; etc. BOUND: Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison; Sing My Way Home; The Life And Times Of Howlin' Wolf; Nudie The Rodeo Tailor.

THE NO DEPRESSION TOP 40
A retail chart for July-August 2004.

SCREEN DOOR — stuff we like
by Michael Lipton
"The Friendly Neighbors Show" in Chapmanville, WV.