Mountain Blog

Mountain Stage returns to your radio this weekend with another premiere episode of live performance radio. You’ll hear from oddball rockers Dr. Dog, indie-folk sensation Mountain Goats, the multi-talented Nellie McKay, road warriors Red Wanting Blue, and stringband Spirit Family Reunion. Click here to see a list of stations and times where you can listen in your area. If there’s a song you’re hoping to hear, view the playlist by clicking here. And as always, you can preview the show via the Mountain Stage Song of the Week – This time, it’s Dr Dog, with their psychedelic jam “Turning the Century.”  

Founded by guitarist Toby Leaman and drummer Scott McMicken, the Philadelphia-based Dr. Dog is part of a long tradition of D.I.Y. pop oddballs who blend classic rock sounds with lo-fi recording techniques and an apparent disregard for current trends. Through the years, the band’s lineup has included more than 20 members and, at one time, included a one-string guitarist in a skintight skeleton costume and a member whose sole task was to dance in the crowd dressed in a tuxedo.

The group’s 2002 release, Toothbrush, found its way to Jim James of My Morning Jacket who asked the group to open for MMJ’s first tour. In 2007, We All Belong earned the group opening slots for Wilco and the Raconteurs, and landed them on a number of late-night television shows. Dr. Dog’s current release it titled Be the Void.

While living in California and working as a psychiatric nurse, John Darnielle began recording as the Mountain Goats in 1991. In more than two decades, the singer/songwriter has released a varied body of work that has taken him from an intentionally hiss-filled cassette releases to a more polished album for the 4AD label. The Sunset Tree, released in 2005, featured covers that were individually hand-painted by Darnielle, and, in 2011, All Eternals Deck was recorded in four different studios with four different producers. His current release - his 16th to date - is titled Transcendental Youth.

Born in London and raised in bohemian Harlem by her actress mother, vivacious and multi-talented Nellie McKay quickly set a new standard for diversity and creativity. Just 27, her resume would be impressive for someone twice her age.

To date, McKay has done Brecht on Broadway, opened for Lou Reed at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, dueted with Eartha Kitt and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, and played Hilary Swank’s sister in the 2007 film “P.S. I Love You.” Her 2004 debut was a two-CD set on Columbia Records that drew comparisons to Randy Newman, jazz vocalist Blossom Dearie and Cole Porter. In 2010, she released, Home Sweet Mobile Home, featuring production from her mother Robin Pappas and creative input from David Byrne.

Led by singer-songwriter Scott Terry, Red Wanting Blue is proudly based in Columbus, Ohio, but is sometimes referred to as “America’s local band.”

With the aid of positive word of mouth and an unwavering perseverance, Red Wanting Blue has established a devoted following in and around the Midwest where the band regularly fills clubs reserved for bigger names. Red Wanting Blue’s latest studio recording From the Vanishing Point has been called the band’s coming-of-age album and, and is its first to be recorded for a label after several self-released records. The record debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, another testament to the band’s loyal and growing fanbase.

Based out of Brooklyn, Spirit Family Reunion plays music heavily influenced by traditional mountain string band music, with drums, an occasional accordion and lots of soul. The band has already performed at the Newport Folk Festival and opened for the late Levon Helm and the Alabama Shakes. Drawing comparisons to Felice Bros and Old Crow Medicine Show, the band cut its teeth performing on the street corners, farmer's markets and subway stations of New York City while its songwriting was nurtured during the band's year-long residency at the Lovin' Cup Café. The group’s debut album is titled “No Separation.” 

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