Tift Merritt, Backstage at Mountain Stage
This week’s premier broadcast of Mountain Stage with Larry
Groce is the second of our two shows recorded on the campus of the University
of Alaska Fairbanks. You’ll hear
from legendary multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, along with
singer-songwriter Tift Merrit, bluegrass band Bearfoot, Steve Brown & The
Bailers, Pat Fitzgerald and Robin Dale Ford, and a special appearance by Susan
Grace.
Click here to find
as station and time where you can listen in your area.
Texas-born, North
Carolina-raised singer-songwriter Tift
Merritt makes her fourth appearance on Mountain Stage in Fairbanks. She burst on the
alt-country scene ten years ago with her solo debut Bramble Rose, and with an assist from fellow North
Carolinian Ryan Adams, she signed to Lost Highway Records.
After her 2004
release Tambourine was
nominated for a Grammy, Merritt moved to Paris
where she wrote the material for 2008's Another
Country. Her latest, Traveling Alone is on North Carolina-based Yep
Roc. Hear her talk about the new record with Larry Groce in our latest
Backstage at Mountain Stage video above, and preview her performance by listening to this week's Mountain Stage Song of the Week.
 |
David Lindley performs live on Mountain Stage |
An eclectic multi-instrumentalist of the highest order, David Lindley performs music
that mixes and matches a dizzying array of influences. Known for his many years
as the featured accompanist with Jackson Browne, and leader of his own El
Rayo-X, Lindley has long championed the concept of world music.
Using an array
of instruments including lap steel, the Turkish saz and Middle Eastern oud, Lindley
effortlessly combine American folk, blues and bluegrass traditions with
African, Arabic, Asian, Celtic, Malagasy, and Turkish musical sources. The list
of Lindley’s sessions is as diverse as his musical influences, including Little
Feat, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Carlene Carter, the Bangles,
Emmylou Harris, Holly Cole and the Blind Boys of Alabama. His latest is Big
Twang.
 |
Bearfoot, live on Mountain Stage |
You’ll also hear from Bearfoot, in one of their final
appearances featuring their current lineup. Winners of the fiercely competitive
Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition in 2001, the band came to
Nasvhille by way of its native Alaska.
After their 2009 debut Doors And Windows
debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Magazine’s Bluegrass chart, founding members
Angela Oudean and Jason Norris recruited Todd Grebe, another Alaskan
transplant, and singer-songwriter Nora Jane Struthers and bassist P.J. George.
Their latest, American Story,
weaves together styles ranging from string band and hardcore bluegrass to
acoustic pop.
 |
Pat Fitzgerald & Robin Dale Ford on Mountain Stage |
Alaskan favorites Pat Fitzgerald & Robin
Dale Ford also appear. Collectively and separately an integral part of
the Alaskan music scene for more than two decades, Pat Fitzgerald and Robin
Dale Ford are part of their state’s unique musical landscape. Pat was a drummer
for the seminal Alaskan rock band The Glass Bead Game while Robin, playing
banjo, was part of the old-time and bluegrass revival.
After she picked up the
electric bass, the two collaborated in a number of bands including Stir Crazy,
The Flyers, The Firewalkers and their current group, DANG! At the same time the
couple maintained solo acoustic careers and, in the late ‘90s, began touring
the U.S., Canada
as an acoustic duo.
 |
Steve Brown & The Bailers, live on Mountain Stage |
You’ll also hear from Alaskan favorites Steve Brown & The
Bailers, and Susan Grace. Led by singer-songwriter Steve Brown, this
popular Alaska band features acoustic guitars, mandolin, upright bass, and
percussion. They were asked to appear on Michael Feldman’s “Whad’ya Know?” when the show traveled to Fairbanks,
and remain a staple at fairs and festivals.
 |
Susan Grace, live on Mountain Stage |