Mountain Blog

Mountain Stage is back this week with a broadcast featuring folk-pop singer-songwriter Brett Dennen, string band revivalists the Red Clay Ramblers, country newcomer Charlie Worsham, European bluegrass instrumentalists The Kruger Brothers, and retro-Americana singer Nikki Lane.

 Click here to view the playlist, and click here find a time and station where you can listen. And as always, you can catch a preview of the show via our Song of the Week.

Northern California-based singer-songwriter Brett Dennen began signing fireside as a camp counselor, and slowly picked up a devoted West Coast following.

In 2004 he was championed by KCRW “the best unsigned artist of the year,” named by Rolling Stone as one of the 10 artists to watch, and songs have been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, and House. Originally set to appear with his full band, Dennen was battling serious cast of the flu the day of his Mountain Stage appearance. Ever the professional, Dennen chose to play a stripped down set, backed only by a bottle of cold medicine and a mug of hot tea.

 

You’ll also hear from revered string band revivalists the Red Clay Ramblers. Formed in North Carolina over 40 years ago, The Ramblers draw on everything from mountain music and country to rock and New Orleans Jazz. They’ve also maintained a long association with theater, scoring numerous American musicals (including several for playwright and actor Sam Shepard) earning them a Tony. They’ve been called “the house band of North Carolina.”

Country singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham kicks off the show. A child banjo prodigy, he appeared on the Grand Ole Opry at just 12. He went on to the Berklee School of Music, where he majored in production & engineering. Lately Worsham has been catching buzz for his forays into rootsy pop, which has earned him spots opening for opening for mainstream darlings Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift.

You can hear Worsham’s performance of his tune “Mississippi In July” now, via our Mountain Stage Song of the week.

The Kruger Brothers also stop by. Originally from Europe, and now making their home in North Carolina, Jens and Uwe Kruger were introduced to American audiences in the 90’s, and quickly gained the attention none other than Bill Monroe. Exploring the fertile ground between bluegrass and jazz, in 2010, the Kruger Brothers also premiered a new work for banjo, guitar, bass and chamber orchestra titled "An Appalachian Concerto.”

 

Finally, you’ll hear from Nikki Lane. Her path to country music winds from her native Greenville, South Carolina through Los Angeles, New York, and finally to Nashville, where she also operates a vintage clothing store called - what else - High Class Hillbilly. Her retro-voiced four-song EP called Gone, Gone, Gone was released in July to much interest and acclaim.

Find a time and radio station in your area where you can tune in. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook to learn the latest about our upcoming live shows and radio broadcasts.

This week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce was recorded on the campus of Ohio University in beautiful Athens. You'll hear from reunited alt-country pioneers The Jayhawks, along with Hot Tuna, Karan Casey & John Doyle, Ha Ha Tonka, and Ohio's own Southeast Engine.

Click here to view the playlist, and click here find a time and station where you can listen. And as always, you can catch a preview of the show via our Song of the Week. This time, it’s Karan Casey and John Doyle with “Sailing Off to the Yankee Land.”

Led by the sweet harmonies and crunchy guitars of Gary Louris and Mark Olson, The Jayhawks were among the first bands to combine elements of country, punk, folk, and classic rock into a form of stately Americana that would eventually be labeled “alternative country.”

Now reunited, the band issued a compilation disc in 2009, and released an acclaimed album of new material in September called Mockingbird Time.

Ozark-based indie rockers Ha Ha Tonka wrap rural images of their native Missouri with southern rock, folk, country and bluegrass. This spring they released Death of a Decade, and the bad was recently featured in the Ozarks episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations alongside Winter’s Bone author Daniel Woodrell.

 

We’ll also be joined by iconic blues-roots band Hot Tuna. Formed some four decades ago by Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, Hot Tuna has released its first new album in twenty years, Steady as She Goes. A resident of southeast Ohio, Kaukonen also owns and operates the Fur Peace Ranch, a 119-acre music and guitar camp in the hills of north of Pomeroy.

Irish vocalist Karan Casey and John Doyle kick off the show. The two were founding members of traditional supergroup Solas, and for their new project Exile's Return, the two former bandmates reunite to create a stripped-down album that showcases sweet vocals, driving guitar, and the power of traditional songs. 

 

Drawing from both the rich melancholy of Appalachia and the once-thriving indie rock scene in nearby Dayton,Southeast Engine was launched in 1999 by Ohio University students Adam Remnant and drummer Leo DeLuca. The group’s latest album Canary tells the story of an Appalachian family struggling through the great depression.

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Thanks for listening!