Mountain Blog

A little over a month ago, Mountain Stage traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska to record two shows, as guests of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We were truly honored that they thought so highly of Mountain Stage that they sent our team – and our equipment – 4000 miles away. By every measure, it was no easy task.  

But how time flies. This Friday, the first of these two shows feeds to our stations. You'll hear from Hot Club of Cowtown, Horse Feathers, Tim Easton, the Whipsaws, and Melissa Mitchell. Click here to find alist of stations and times where you can listen in your area, and take a look at the playlist by clicking here. 

Hot Club of Cowtown closes the show. A perfect fusion of hot jazz and western swing, Hot Club of Cowtown was inspired by legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli's Hot Club of France, and the Western swing influence of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.

Since their 1998 debut, the group has become a favorite at festivals in this country and overseas, opening stadium shows for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. You can preview their performance via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week.  

You'll also hear from chamber-folk band Horse Feathers. Based out of Portland, Oregon, Horse Feathers centers around singer-songwriter Justin Ringle and a rotating cast of supporting musicians adding strings, horns woodwinds and brass.

Influenced by both the stark folk music of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska and the post-classical work of Scandinavian composer Max Richter, the band signed with the Kill Rock Stars label in 2007 and released the stunning House with No Home which became one of the highest-selling debuts in the label’s history. Thistled Spring, released in 2010, marking the group's first release without Broderick. The band's fourth and current CD is titled Cynic’s New Year.  

Before pursuing a solo career, Tim Easton was a member of Ohio bands Kosher Spears and the country-rocking Haynes Boys. Striking out on his own, he found a home at New West Records, and toured and mentored with the likes of Lucinda Williams and the Flatlanders.

For his fifth release, Porcupine, Easton, recruited some former bandmates from Ohio and traveled to Nashville where he also tapped the considerable talents of noted guitarist Kenny Vaughn. Now living in Joshua Tree, Easton is also a visual artist who had a showing at this year’s SXSW conference.  

Anchorage bar room favorites The Whipsaws also appear. Formed in the mid-2000's, The Whipsaws and have earned praise from seasoned vets like Lucinda Williams, and toured the Lower 48 3 times, with the high point being appearances at SXSW. Its final SXSW gig was backing Tim Easton (who guested on 60 Watt Avenue) at the Continental Club with Lucinda Williams joining in.  

Melissa Mitchell kicks off the show. A native of Kasilof, Alaska, singer-songwriter Melissa Mitchell has performed with artists including Jewel, Mason Jennings, the Indigo Girls and Greg Brown. In 2005, she became a volunteer for the Arts in Corrections Program at California’s Folsom Prison and on Thanksgiving eve of that year performed in a nationally broadcast concert with Michael Franti - the first live concert at the prison since the 1968 performance by Johnny Cash.  

Find a time and radio station inyour area where you can tune in. Connect with Mountain Stage on Facebook and Tumblr to stay in touch with the latest information, and follow us on Twitter for even more about upcoming shows.  

Thank you for listening to Mountain Stage!