Mountain Blog

This week’s premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage features the New Orleans jazz ensemble The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, along with roots music luminary Darrell Scott, Irish-American supergroup Solas, singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave, and newcomer Rosi Golan.

Click here to find a station and time where you can listen in your area. If there’s a song you’re hoping to hear, check out theshow’s playlist. And click here to see our entire schedule of upcoming broadcasts.

Highly regarded as a performer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, Darrell Scott has seen his songs covered by more than 70 artists, including the Dixie Chicks, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Guy Clark, Sam Bush, Tim McGraw, Kathy Mattea and Garth Brooks. A Kentucky native, Scott excels on dobro, mandolin and guitar, and earned a degree in poetry from Tufts University. He has played on hundreds of sessions, and in 2001 was named “Songwriter of the Year” by the Nashville Songwriters Association.

In 2010, Scott joined Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, along with Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin and Byron House. His new album Long Ride Home features contributions from some of country music’s most experienced session players, including West Virginia Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy. Hear him discuss this and more in our latest "Backstage at Mountain Stage" video.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is perhaps the only group that can claim to have shared stages with the Grateful Dead, Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, 2 Live Crew, and the Black Crowes. They're credited with revitalizing the brass band tradition in New Orleans, spreading it around the world, to more than 30 countries on five continents.

They’ve been featured guests on albums by David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and the Modest Mouse; and the city of New Orleans now has an official Dirty Dozen Brass Band Day.

The group is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now, and preparing for the release their new album Twenty Dozen on May 1. You can hear a preview of their performance via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week.

Celtic supergroup Solas has been called “the first truly great Irish band to arise from America.” Leader Seamus Egan was a teen prodigy who recorded his first album at age 16 and toured with Ralph Stanley and Peter, Paul and Mary. He formed Solas in 1994, and their current lineup includes co-founder Winifred Horan, guitarist Eamon McElholm, Mick McAuley, Eamon McElholm, and Niamh Varian-Barry.

Solas fans include Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris and rap producer Timbaland, who sampled a Solas track on his radio hit “All Ya’ll.” Their latest is Turning the Tide.

For eight years, the Texas singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimmy LaFave honed his skills by hosting open mike nights in Austin. With a grassroots approach that blends country, blues, folk and rock 'n' roll, LaFave was named Best Singer-Songwriter at the Austin Music Awards, and veteran rock critic Dave Marsh called him “One of America's greatest voices."

LaFave was a participant in the "Ribbon of Highway - Endless Skyway” tour which paid tribute to the spirit of Woody Guthrie, and featured on the resulting live double album. In 2007, LaFave’s showed off his country side on Cimarron Manifesto. His latest release is Favorites 1992–2001. Every the charmer, LaFave, who is a Texan by way of Oklahoma, begins his set by welcoming the West Virginia audience to the Big 12.

Israeli born singer-songwriter Rosi Golan didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 19, when she heard a radio commercial advertising a sale at her local Guitar Center. Since then, she’s amassed quite an audience, thanks to songs from her debut The Drifter & The Gypsy being featured on One Tree Hill and Private Practice, and in the film Dear John. Recently, Golan sang “Set The Fire To The Third Bar” with Snow Patrol on the band’s recent appearance on David Letterman. Her current release is Lead Balloon.

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Thanks for listening to Mountain Stage!