The Panasonic table radio in my grandparents’ living room held a strange fascination for me. During the day, I’d stand in front of it, studying its matte silver facing and smooth faux-woodgrain finish. At night, with the sun hidden behind the arched backs of the Eastern Kentucky mountains, I’d pretend to sleep on the plush velour sofa, listening for the soft click of the knob and the lonesome lullabies that came tumbling into the black licorice night.

For a long time, I forgot about the radio, forgot about the AM station’s lo-fi crackling. The memory comes back to me while I’m heading north on US Route 23 in Kentucky. I’ve been asked to cover Healing Appalachia, an event that bills itself as the largest recovery-based music festival in the world. The truth is that I almost didn’t take the assignment. I’ve seen addiction at close range — how it tears through families, through whole communities. …