Hello!

First things first: if your zine has not arrived yet, please let me know and we’ll send you another as long as you gave us the right address the first time.

• If you haven’t yet grabbed one, you can do so here.

• If you choose to subscribe, you’ll get issues 5, 6, and 7 immediately and 8 as soon as it comes out in December.

• If you’re not in a good spot to contribute, we also give out one free issue for every 10 sold. Here’s the form — we have a few more to give for our most recent issue, #7.

Next, we’re collaborating with bands we love on a few shows and hope you can join us:

1. Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday, November 13, at Jalopy Tavern. Music is from 9–late with Christian Paul Apuzzo and the Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective. The show is free and 21+ because it’s at a bar. Bring some cash to tip the band.

2. Austin, Texas, on Friday, December 12, at Sam’s Town Point with June Shine, Ramsay Midwood, and Valley Flower. Tickets are $15 here. This will be a launch party for our eighth issue, the final of 2025.

3. Asheville, North Carolina, on Thursday, February 12 at the Grey Eagle with The Asheville Mountain Boys. Tickets are $20 + fees here. This will be a release party for our ninth issue, the first of 2026.

Free firm handshakes for zine subscribers.

We’re hard at work on issue #8! If you’d like to be considered to contribute art, please email me and introduce yourself and include some examples of your work. All commissions are paid!

And uhhhh let’s see what else. There’s a great new book called Doc Watson: A Life in Music and we made a playlist on Spotify and Apple Music of all 229 songs — by Doc and otherwise — mentioned in the book. Shoutout to Brakeman for putting in the hard work and getting that done, for your ears to enjoy.

We also have playlists inspired by each issue of the zine on YouTube, compliments of Promontory Paul. We’re ultimately dreaming of creating a version of the Internet that you can only reach through the print magazine, full of stuff like this. One day. For now, enjoy the email links.

And then there’s Smokestack, our on-again-off-again blog that was fun until I got laid off from an insanely chill job and starting working for myself, which is decidedly less chill, so things have been a little busier ‘round here! Tbd if this continues, as print is our priority, but enjoy the archives for now.

And then also if you got any leads on GA tickets in Newark for Friday and Saturday, I’m in the market!

—The Conductor