hot doc alert: the story of americana music on the cbc

No Depression points to a terrific long-form radio documentary from the CBC about Americana music from the POV of Canadian journalist Madonna Hamel called Portrait of Lincoln With the Wart, which she explains in a beautiful introductory essay. She nails it right away by calling Americana an "ethos" rather than a genre and then keeps the insights coming through the end of the doc. Hamel interviews a cool cross section of artists: Rosanne Cash, Colin Linden, Jim Lauderdale, Ruthie Foster, Mike Farris and others. It's as good a primer on the subject as you could ask for, including a history lesson courtesy of format co-founder John Grimson and a touch of today's ongoing mission with Americana Music Assn. prez Jed Hilly. So nice to hear the music's virtues portrayed with insight and depth. Not to mention a strong voice and literary sensibility. A very cool listen.