Mountain Blog

This Friday's Mountain Stage segment on NPR Music is a special encore performance by world renowned vocalist k.d. lang. In what was her second visit to Mountain Stage, lang brought along a small band, a four piece string section and songs from her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel.

The album includes songs written by heralded Canadian song crafters like Neil Young (“Helpless”), Leonard Coehn (“Hallelujah”), Bruce Cockburn (“One Day I Walk”) and lang herself (“Still Thrives” and “Constant Craving,” both co-writes with Ben Mink) among others. She performs here with Teddy Boroweicki on piano and accordion, David Piltch on bass, Danny Frankel on drums and Greg Leisz on pedal steel and guitar.

Taking advantage of what she calls an “auspicious occasion” to perform alongside the songwriter of “One Day I Walk,” lang invites fellow guest and fellow Canadian Bruce Cockburn to sing with her in the final number of this segment. Currently touring in support of her new album Sing it Loud, lang is joined now by the Siss Boom Bang, the first band of her own since breaking out with the Reclines.

This week’s encore edition of Mountain Stage features singer-songwriter Patty Griffin, in on of our favorite broadcasts of 2007.

Known for her well-crafted songs and powerful, gutsy vocals, Griffin's songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks, among others. Her appearance on this show was in support of her album Children Running Through, which was hailed by AllMusic as "her masterpiece thus far."

You can hear a preview in our Song of the Week, "Burgundy Shoes," a hauntingly beautiful celebration and remembrance of a childhood afternoon spent with her mother.

Acoustic blues musician Eric Bibb, also performs.  The son of renowned NYC folk singer Leon Bibb, Eric Bibb spent his childhood rubbing elbows with legends like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. Bibb calls his music a “further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul.”

The show opens with contemporary singer/songwriter and guitarist Luke Doucet who has exhibited a chameleon-like presence on the Canadian indie scene for more than a decade. In addition to leading the alternative surf rock band Veal, he has played with and produced Canadian acts like Sarah McLachlan and Chantal Kreviazuk. Doucet plays songs from his album Blood’s Too Rich.

Also appearing on the show is Last Town Chorus, the brainchild of singer and lap-steel player Megan Hickey. Brooding and ambient, Hickey performs with vintage equipment, including a 1940’s lap steel, and her recording Wire Waltz was released to international critical acclaim.

We're also joined by Australian alt-country singer/songwriter and guitarist Anne McCue. An expressive singer and strong guitarist, McCue's release Koala Motel featured contributions from a diverse palette of artists, including X's John Doe, Ann Wilson of Heart, and Lucinda Williams.  

Finally, Baton Rouge Louisiana natives The Red Stick Ramblers meld musical traditions of Cajun, Western Swing, Gypsy Jazz and a little southern honky-tonk. The band joined Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy for her 2006 release Adieu False Heart, which earned a Grammy nomination.  

Click here to see the playlist from the show, and click here to find a station where you can listen in your area.

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Thanks for listening, and thanks for supporting live music on your radio!