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! 

Mountain Stage is gearing up for a long series of shows this fall, and thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can preview a few of the acts set to appear.

Now while we don’t like to play favorites, after a long summer and thousands of miles traveled, we’re seriously looking forward to our home show in Charleston on October 28, when we’ll be joined by Beth Orton, Jesse Harris, and David Wax Museum. And as luck would have it, thanks to our friends over at NPR Music, you can stream Beth Orton’s highly anticipated new album Sugaring Season in its entirety this week. And if you want a preview of the upcoming live show, you can watch her recent All Songs Considered Tiny Desk concert (sorry, no embed).

And speaking of David Wax Museum – since appearing on the show last March, the duo’s unlikely blend of Mexican folk music and Americana has earned them all sorts of attention, including this write-up and interview in the New York Times.

On October 14 Mountain Stage will make the short trip to the lovely campus of Ohio University in Athens, where we’ll be joined by Rodney Crowell, Sara Watkins and Memphis-based country rockers Lucero. You can preview their new album Women and Work, as well as get a behind-the-scenes look at what the band’s been up to via the video above.

On October 21 we’ll be up in Morgantown, at West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center, where we’re excited to have powerhouse vocalist Brandi Carlile with us. If you’re wondering what she might have in store for us, take a look at her recent Tiny Desk Concert. Tickets are going fast.

Also appearing on the same stage is Ben Taylor. Check out the new Amanda Demme-directed video to his song “Oh Brother” above.

And finally, Mountain Stage is thrilled to be returning to the historic Keith Albee Theater in Huntington on November 4. Dr. Dog, the Mountain Goats, Spirit Family Reunion and Red Wanting Blue will be there. We’re happy to report that you can listen to the Mountain Goats new album in its entirety over at Rolling Stone.com.

It’s going to be an exciting fall. Tickets to these shows and more can be purchased by following the links on our Live Show Schedule page. Several acts will be added to all of these shows in the upcoming days and weeks, so watch this space. We hope you can join us!

Mountain Stage is back this week with another premier episode of live performance radio.

Recorded at the Culture Center Theater in partnership with FestivALL Charleston, you hear from beloved folk singer Dar Williams, Texas troubadour Ray Wylie Hubbard, power pop pioneers The dB’s, the musical hijinks of the New Rope String Band, and Mountain Stage NewSong Contest winner Arthur Alligood.

Click here to see the playlist, and click here to find a complete list a stations and times where you can listen in your area.

One of the most popular and frequent guests to the Mountain Stage, Dar Williams emerged in the 1990’s to become one of New England’s most important folk singers. Known for mixing the poignant with her own peculiar take on the world, she’s crafted a style all her own.

She appears alongside her own band, with a set drawn from her tenth studio album, In the Time of Gods. You can catch a preview of her performance via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week – “I Have Been Around the World.” 

We’ll also be joined by Texas singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard.

No stranger to Americana audiences, Hubbard might best be described as an amalgam of Guy Clark and John Lee Hooker. A high school classmate of Larry Groce, Hubbard found success early in his career by penning the proto-country party anthem “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mothers.” He’s remained an in-demand producer, writer, and performer ever since. And Hubbard fans take note: if you’re hoping to hear “Snake Farm,” you’re in luck. Snake Farm. It’s a reptile house.

Mountain Stage is also thrilled to be joined by newly-reunited power pop pioneers The dB’s.

Best described as the band that filled the gap between Big Star and REM, the music the dB’s created in the early 1980’s helped change the course of guitar-driven power pop for years to come. (And the band’s members, including Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby continued on with successful careers in their own right.) Their critically acclaimed release Falling Off the Sky is the band’s first new album with the original lineup in 30 years.

The New Rope String Band returns to Mountain Stage from the UK, having already become something of a FestivALL tradition.

Gifted musicians, singers, songwriters – and clowning vanguards, all at the same time – the New Rope String Band combines superb musicianship with masterful comedic timing. There are elements of circus, vaudeville, slapstick, and the Python-esque absurd, along with beautiful acoustic music from a variety of traditions. And also – a Theremin.

Finally, you'll hear from Tennessee-born singer-songwriter Arthur Alligood.

Alligood won grand prize honors at the 2011 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest for performing songwriters. His prize included a session with producer Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz) along with in-demand session musicians Jim Keltner on drums, Leland Sklar on bass and Michael Ward on guitar. The resulting album, One Silver Needle was released to high praise on the NewSong Recordings label.

Find a time and radio station in your 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!

A quick note before Mountain Stage sets off to record two shows in Grand Marais, Minnesota: on October 7, we’ll be returning to the border town of Bristol TN / VA, where our guests will be the undisputed Queen of Rockabilly, Ms. Wanda Jackson. Her new album Unfinished Business was produced by none other than Justin Townes Earle, who can be heard on this week’s radio broadcast of Mountain Stage. You can get a taste of Wanda’s new album in the video above.

We’ll also be joined by the lovely country singer and West Virginia native Connie Smith, old-school rock and roll newcomer JD McPherson, and as of today – Pokey LaFarge. No Stranger to NPR audiences of late, you can check out LaFarge’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert below. You can also watch JD McPherson’s electrifying performance on Conan O’Brien byfollowing this link (sorry, no embed).

Tickets to this show are ON SALE NOW. See our complete schedule here. We hope to see you there!

This Sunday, Mountain Stage is back with an all new episode featuring folk icon Arlo Guthrie, along with his family band Boys Night Out.

Iconoclastic singer-songwriter Paul Thorn opens the show with a special solo set, Broadway star and Huntington native Michael Cerveris, brings his Americana sound to his hometown, and soulful country-pop newcomers Delta Rae make their first appearance on the show.

For decades now,  folk singer, songwriter and raconteur Arlo Guthrie has performed the heavy task of carrying on the legacy of his father, Woody Guthrie, while earning a place as a highly regarded musician in his own right. This year, Arlo is celebrating what would have been his father's 100th birthday. He joins us for a special, hour-long extended set.

We’ll also be joined on the Group W bench by singer-songwriter Paul Thorn. The son of a Pentecostal preacher, the nephew of a pimp (so the story goes) former boxer turned musician, Paul Thorn has earned a loyal following over the years through his signature blend of the sacred and profane. His most recent album, What the Hell is Going On? follows his highly regarded Pimps and Preachers and features Thorn's take on songs written by everyone from Lindsay Buckhingham to Buddy Miller.

Hailing from Durham, NC, DeltaRae fuses alt-pop band with rich Carolina soul. Recently signed to Sire/Warner, the group has four lead singers and incorporates all aspects of Americana into a joyful, passionate performance. Delta Rae has been headlining shows on both coasts, and released their debut Carry the Fire earlier this summer.

Finally, you’ll hear from Huntington native Michael Cerveris. An established, Tony-award winning actor who has played John Wilkes Booth in Assassins, and originated the title role in the Broadway hit “Tommy.” As a rock musician, he fronted the British band Retriever and was guitarist-vocalist on Bob Mould's Dog and Pony Show tour. Some of his earliest experiences of professional theater were thanks to the Marshall Artist Series (in particular first national tours of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell), so his appearance onstage at the Keith Albee for Mountain Stage celebrating MAS has a special personal meaning for him.

Find a time and radio station in your 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 supporting Mountain Stage.