Mountain Blog

Mountain Stage returns this weekend with another exciting all new broadcast featuring the sultry vocals of Joan Osborne, cutting-edge progressive acoustic music from The Punch Brothers, jam band royalty Leftover Salmon, worldly singer-songwriter Sylvie Lewis, and alt-country newcomer Lera Lynn.

Click here to find a list of stations and times where you can listen, and click here to view the playlist for this week’s show.

Kentucky native Joan Osborne has sold millions of albums and garnered multiple Grammy nominations throughout her career, which began while she was attending NYU’s film school. Inspired by singers like Billie Holiday and Etta James, Osborne’s gutsy, passionate vocals turned “One Of Us,” a track from her major label debut, into a massive MTV and radio hit.

Her latest release, “Bring It On Home,” is a collection of classic blues, R&B and soul songs. You can catch a preview of her performance via our song of the week: Osborn singing the Slim Harpo classic “Shake Your Hips.”

Depending on how you count it, this is The Punch Brothers third appearance on Mountain Stage. A bone fide acoustic super group led Chris Thile, along with a staggering lineup including guitarist Chris Eldridge, a founding member of the Infamous Stringdusters who occasionally sits in with his father’s band, The Seldom Scene; bassist Paul Kowert, who studied under Edgar Meyer at the Curtis Institute of Music; banjo player Noam Pikelny who has collaborated with the likes of John Cowan and Tony Trischka; and violinist Gabe Witcher who has recorded with Willie Nelson, Beck and Randy Newman. The group’s current release is titled “Who’s Feeling Young Now?”

Embarking on their first full-fledged tour since 2004, jam-band mainstays Leftover Salmon are back with their first new album in 8 years, produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin. Flaunting an unmistakable, fluid and rootsy sound that fuses improvisational fervor to a dizzying combination of bluegrass, Cajun, Southern rock, boogie, Caribbean, Latin, and jazz influences, Leftover Salmon has earned a legion of diehard fans, critical accolades, and a reputation as one of the most engaging concert experiences to ever hit the road. Founding member Vince Herman was on Mountain Stage just a year ago, with his solo project, Great American Taxi.

Armed with a musical education that took her from studying cello in Switzerland, opera in the U.K. and songwriting, piano and guitar at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, Sylvie Lewis creates timeless, gentle songs for the ages. Along the way, Lewis became obsessed with classic songwriters and jazz artists like Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Oscar Peterson, informing her music with a feel from another generation. Now living in Italy, Lewis is currently working with L'orchestra di Piazza Vittorio on their radical revision of Mozart's "The Magic Flute."  Her new CD is titled “It’s All True.” 

Finally, you’ll hear from Lera Lynn, who kicks off the show. A winner of the 2011 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition held at Merlefest for her song, “Bobby, Baby,” Athens, GA-based artist Lera Lynn also walked away with “Best Americana Artist” at her hometown’s 2011 Flagpole Music Awards. Her debut “Have You Met Lera Lynn?” has been met with wide acclaim, earning her spots on the road this summer alongside fellow guests Joan Osborn and The Punch Brothers.

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Thanks again for listening to Mountain Stage.