ON THE COVER: Mary Gauthier. Photo by Kristina Marie Krug. Song lyric from "Prayer Without Words" by Mary Gauthier and Tom Damphear.

FRONT PORCH
Hello Stranger; Box Full Of Letters; Field Reportings.

MIKED — live reviews
Alejandro Escovedo benefit in Austin, TX; Signature Sounds tenth anniversary concert in Northampton, MA; Gillian Welch & David Rawlings in Hepburn Springs, Australia; Del McCoury Band, Gibson Brothers in Albany, NY; Susan Cowsill in Charleston, SC; Jim Bryson in Toronto, ON; Buckskin Stallion in Boulder, CO.

TOWN & COUNTRY — brief regional features
Nathaniel Mayer (Detrot, MI); Chatham County Line (Raleigh, NC); Ray LaMontagne (Wilton, ME); Herald Nix (Salmon Arm, BC); Foghorn Stringband (Portland, OR); Mando Saenz (Houston, TX).

NO DEPRESSION CRITICS' POLL
The top new releases and reissues of 2004.

DON'T ASK ME NO QUESTIONS — Q&A
by Peter Cooper
A conversation with Kris Kristofferson.

THE LONG WAY AROUND — extended features
Gourds by Ed Ward
Mary Gauthier byGrant Alden
Sonny Landreth by Geoffrey Himes

NOT FADE AWAY — reissues
Stompin' At The Savoy; Spade Cooley; Al Green; Blaze Foley; Bettye Swann; Wynn Stewart & Jan Howard; Vern Williams Band; Roger McGuinn; Mother Earth; Elliott Murphy; Lefty Frizzell; Thomas Fraser; Where Will You Be Christmas Day?

WAXED — reviews
Alison Krauss & Union Station; Leonard Cohen; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds; Madeleine Peyroux; Cerys Matthews; Porter Wagoner & Pam Gadd; Julie Lee; Holly Williams; David Ball; Jesse McReynolds with Travis Wetzel; Michael Hurley; Jay Bennett; Tom Gillam; Tom Freund; Trent Willmon; Clive Gregson; Mark McKay; Bill Mallonee; Low; Moaners; Two Cow Garage; Great Unknowns; Eleven Hundred Springs; Polecat Creek; Amber Digby. TRIBUTARIES: Chuck Berry; Moody Blues. FILM AT 11: Old 97's; Norah Jones; Lyle Lovett; etc. BOUND: Bob Dylan memoir; Loretta Lynn cookbook.

THE NO DEPRESSION TOP 40
A retail chart for September-October 2004.

SCREEN DOOR — stuff we like
by Silas House
Remembering Larry Brown