Mountain Blog

We'd like to thank the 730+ people who attended yesterday's sold out Mountain Stage show at the Civic Center Little Theater. That episode is currently scheduled for nationwide broadcast the week after April 15. You can find a list of stations in your area here.We hope you can tune in. 

This Sunday, Mountain Stage travels to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 304.293.SHOW or on campus at the Mountainlair Box Office. Our guests will be Railroad Earth, Todd Snider, Great American Taxi, Sean Rowe and Corey Smith.

Great American Taxi's Vince Herman, who was on Mountain Stage in 1999 with Leftover Salmon, is a former student at WVU and has called the city his "musical home."  The Taxi is also heard on Todd Snider's latest double CD "Live: The Storyteller."

On Sunday March 20 we return from a SOLD OUT show in Bristol with the BCMA to welcome art-rockers Ra Ra Riot, swamp-blues man JJ Grey, songwriter Susan Werner, African star Khaira Arby and New York's Elizabeth & the Catapult. This remains our only live show that still has tickets available. Get yours ONLINE or locally at Taylor Books before it is too late. Visit the Live Show Schedule for more information and thank you for your support. 

Advance sales for this Sunday's Mountain Stage recording at the Civic Center Little Theater have Sold Out. But there will be tickets available at the Civic Center Box Office starting at 2pm. Will-call tickets can be picked up at the Little Theater Box Office starting at 5pm. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7pm.

Please plan to arrive early as parking will be at a premium due to another event happening in the main Civic Center Arena. 

And let us know you are attending on our Facebook Event. 

The Charleston Gazette has posted a feature on The Low Anthem and The Daily Mail interviewed Johnny Irion. 

Thank you for your support and we hope you will enjoy the show! Radio audiences will hear this episode starting April 15. 

Be sure to visit our Live Show Schedule for more event info and get your tickets while you can. 

The Mountain Stage radio broadcast for the week of February 25 features the swampy, bluesy rock of Paul Thorn; soulful country rock from Band of Heathens; folk-pop singer Peter Bradley Adams; the jangle pop of former astroPuppees front woman Kelley Ryan; and West Virginia's own fiddle-centered string band The Fox Hunt. View the playlist here, and click here to find a radio station and airtime in your area.

Here's our interview with the always charming Thorn, "Backstage at Mountain Stage," where he talks about his critically acclaimed latest CD, "Pimps & Preachers."

You can preview this week's show on our Song of the Week page, now featuring The Fox Hunt's tune "Lord We Get High." Led by singer/songwriters John R. Miller and Matt Kline, along with Matthew Metz and Ben Townsend, this was The Fox Hunt's first appearance on Mountain Stage. Visit our YouTube Channel for an interview with the Fox Hunt.

Be sure to stay up to date on our live show and broadcast schedule, and tell your friends about us on Facebook. 

Only a handful of tickets remain for our February 27^th show featuring Lucinda Williams. In the meantime, you can now stream Lucinda's new studio album "Blessed" free and in its entirety from NPR music. "Blessed" will remain available for streaming until its release in stores on March 1^st.

If you like what you hear, "Blessed" is available for preorder from Amazon in your choice of three different formats – audio CD, the Deluxe Edition (with a bonus disc of album demos Lucinda recorded in her kitchen), and the vinyl / CD combo set. As always, if you order from Amazon by clicking through the links above, your purchase will benefit Mountain Stage at no extra cost to you.

It's a big week for record releases, as The Low Anthem's "Smart Flesh" and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion's "Bright Examples" are set for release Tuesday, February 22. They will both be with us on Sunday as well.

Rounding out the line-up are Red Horse (John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson) and Ivan and Alyosha. You can order tickets online through Ticketmaster, purchase in person from the Charleston Civic Center Box Office (200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston WV), or by phone at 800.745.3000.

Please note you can avoid fees and convenience charges by purchasing your tickets in person at the Civic Center Box office during normal business hours. The Civic Center Little Theater doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show starts at 7pm.

Visit the Live Show Schedule for more information on our other shows.

Tickets for our March 13 Mountain Stage at the Paramount Center in Bristol have SOLD OUT. We’re happy to be partnering with the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance for the sixth year in a row to welcome the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Grammy Award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, former everybodyfields singer Jill Andrews, Carter Family descendant Dale Jett & Hello Stranger, and a trifecta of bluegrass’ most distinctive voices, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley & Kim Fox.

If you already have tickets, consider yourself fortunate and let us know you’re attending by RSVPing to our Facebook Event.

This will be our second engagement with the Chocolate Drops and our first glimpse at its two new members, human beatboxer Adam Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins. The two join the group as founding member Justin Robinson departs to take up new challenges.

Tickets are going fast our upcoming Live Shows in Charleston, as well. If you don’t have tickets for Feb. 27 at the Little Theater w/ Lucinda Williams, The Low Anthem, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Ivan & Alyosha and Red Horse, you shouldn't wait any longer. The same goes for March 27 when we welcome Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain, Dar Williams, Raul Maulo and David Wax Museum.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now. February 27 tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or at the Civic Center Box Office. All Culture Center shows can be found online, by phone at 800.594.TIXX or downtown at Taylor Books. Visit the Live Show Schedule for more information.

We’re also excited about our March 6 trip to Morgantown with our friends at WVU Arts & Entertainment. We’ll welcome our buddy Todd Snider, roots rockers Railroad Earth, Americana group Great American Taxi, newcomer Sean Rowe and Georgia’s own Corey Smith.  Get your tickets online, by phone at 304.293.SHOW or at on campus ticketing locations. 

This week’s Mountain Stage broadcast features the traditional sounds of country music star Patty Loveless, the irreverent folk of Loudon Wainwright III, the IBMA Award-winning bluegrass of The Grascals, singer/songwriter Pieta Brown, and country rockers Leslie Stevens & the Badgers. Check out the playlist and find a radio station in your area to find out when to listen.

As always, we’ve posted a preview of this show on our Song of the Week page, where you can hear Loudon Wainwright perform “Times Is Hard,” the opening track from his most recent album “Songs For The New Depression.” A Mountain Stage regular since 1988, Wainwright’s diverse credits span 21 studio albums and multiple appearances in film and television projects such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,”  “Knocked Up,” “Undeclared,” and “Parks and Recreation.” His 2009 "High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project" brought home a Grammy for Traditional Folk Album.

Stay connected with us on Facebook, where we’ll keep you up to date with the latest news and announcements about our Live Show Schedule and Broadcast Schedule. Visit out our YouTube channel, where you can explore our new and rapidly growing series of behind the scenes and performance videos, captured live on the Mountain Stage.

Tickets are selling briskly for our February 27 Live Show at the Civic Center Little Theater. Get yours now at TicketMaster.com, by going by the Civic Center Box Office (200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, WV) or by phone at 800.745.3000. Doors open at 6:30pm and showtime is 7pm. 

Here’s some of the latest news on our scheduled performers.

Lucinda Williams is prepping the release of her latest CD “Blessed,” which is blessed to have three different versions available now for preorder: Standard CD Edition; Deluxe Edition; Deluxe CD/LP Version. Click any of those links to order through Amazon and a portion of your purchase benefits Mountain Stage at no extra cost. “Blessed” will be released March 1.

The Low Anthem are preparing to release “Smart Flesh,” their much anticipated follow up to “Oh My God Charlie Darwin” on February 22. There is also a standard version and 2 CD Deluxe Edition. Right now they are streaming “Smart Flesh” exclusively through NPR Music up until release date. Here’s their official video for “Ghost Woman Blues.”

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion are also gearing up for a new album February 22. Their latest, “Bright Examples” was produced by Andy Cabic of Vetiver and has a great, west-coast country sound. Here’s a video for the title track with photos of the sessions. Click here to preorder on Amazon.

Newcomers Ivan & Alyosha are hitting the road on their way towards SXSW in March. The group is raising funds to help them get around in support of their new EP, Fathers Be Kind. Here is their Tiny Desk Concert from NPR Music.

Red Horse is comprised of three of our good friends who have made a combined 20 appearances on Mountain Stage - John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson. Getting to see these three together in their element promises to be a treat. Just listen to these harmonies on “I Am A Child.” You can order their self-titled debut from Amazon.

Get your tickets online, by phone or at the Civic Center Box Office while you still can. Visit our Live Show Schedule for more upcoming performances.

Mountain Stage is looking forward to recording our first show in Charleston of the year this Sunday, February 13, when we return to our home in the Culture Center Theater. We’ll be featuring some of our good friends and some new, emerging artists that we know you’ll appreciate. Tickets are on sale now Online, by phone at 800.594.TIXX or locally at Taylor Books in Charleston. Doors are at 6:30pm and show time is 7pm. Visit the Live Show Schedule for more upcoming events.

We’ll welcome back Mark Olson on Sunday. His old group The Jayhawks have been touring and receiving some media attention as of late with the reissue of their landmark recordings: “Tomorrow the Green Grass” and “Hollywood Town Hall”. These influential albums still sound great today and Olson has continued to create adventurous music, just check out his YouTube channel or listen to his latest, “Many Colored Kite” for all the proof you need. Check out this video of a song he recorded with the Creekdippers, “One Eyed Black Dog Moses.”

Also appearing on Sunday is Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith, whose new album “Long Player Late Bloomer,” due March 1, was produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, The Cult). Check out this interview with Sexsmith by Bill Lynch in the Charleston Gazette. You can preorder Long Player Late Bloomer on Amazon through this link and a portion of your purchase goes to Mountain Stage at no extra cost.

The Civil Wars’ hard work has been paying off. They’ve been hitting the road since January, including a stop to play The Tonight Show, and this week their debut album “Barton Hollow” charted at #12 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the iTunes Charts. We’re happy to have them with us this Sunday.

Sonya Kitchell was barely old enough to drive when she first appeared on Mountain Stage in 2005. We’ve watched her evolve as an artist and we’re excited to hear her again when she brings The Brooklyn Strings, and material from “Convict of Compassion,” to the show this Sunday.

Rounding out the line-up is bluegrass group The Steel Wheels from over the hills in Virginia. They’ve made a name for themselves quickly by playing renowned festivals and venues in the area, including Appalachian Uprising, Floyd Fest, and they’ve appeared at The Purple Fiddle.

Get your tickets online, by phone at 800.594.TIXX or at Taylor Books. Feel free to pass around our Facebook Events on the official profile and tell some friends you’re coming to see Mountain Stage! Thank you for your support.

We’re happy to announce that alt-rockers Ra Ra Riot will be joining us in Charleston on Sunday, March 20 at the Culture Center Theater. The road warriors from New York will be touring constantly throughout March and have already made stops on Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel to perform songs from their highly acclaimed latest release, “The Orchard.” In April they’re scheduled to return to Japan and last year Jay Z and Beyonce apparently dug their set at Coachella.  

This show also features swamp blues man JJ Grey in a solo performance, New York alt-pop trio Elizabeth & The Catapult, endearing folk singer Susan Werner and African legend Khaira Arby.

Tickets are available now Online, by phone at 800.594.TIXX or locally at Taylor Books here in Charleston. Visit our Live Show Schedule for more information, and be sure to check out our events and share them with friends on Facebook.

Here’s the official video for the jumpy tune “Boy” from The Orchard.

This week’s Broadcast of Mountain Stage features serious string work from several different regions. Memphis-based rockers Lucero perform songs from their major label debut 1372 Overton Park for an enthusiastic crowd that gathered in Charleston last February. Mid-west rockers The Bottle Rockets make their sixth appearance with songs from their masterful “Lean Forward.” Bluegrass living legend Sam Bush and his band perform songs from Sam’s latest “Circles Around Me,” including the inspired-by-true-events murder tale “The Ballad of Stringbean & Estelle.”

You’ll also hear performances by Virginia’s Sons of Bill - who are currently holed up with Cracker’s David Lowery working on a follow up to “One Town Away”- and West Virginia’s own Bud Carroll & the Southern Souls, who are also polishing up a new release. The proud West Virginians last release, “Wasted Words & Best Intentions” is available here.

As always we have a preview in our Song of the Week, a heartfelt ballad from Lucero, “Mom.”

Find a radio station in your area and be sure to tell your friends how to tune in by sharing the word on Facebook. We hope you can tune in, wherever you are.  

 

We’ve added some more guest artists to our exciting Live Show Schedule. Tickets for all of these shows are on sale now so get them while you can.

Note: Tickets for Feb. 27 at the Little Theater are not available at Taylor Books. You can purchase them online at www.TicketMaster.com or stop by the Civic Center Box Office, 200 Civic Center Drive in Charleston, M-F 10am-5pm, or order by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

March 27 we welcome back Raul Malo, an amazing singer who was last with us as a member of the Mavericks. He’s released some great stuff since then, including his highly acclaimed latest release “Sinners & Saints.”  Just like Mountain Stage, Malo just returned from a trip to Glasgow, Scotland as part of the Celtic Connections Festival. Check out audio and photos here.

Tickets are available online, by phone at 800.549.TIXX or locally at Taylor Books. Also appearing March 27 are Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer with Zakir Hussain, Dar Williams and David Wax Museum.

April 24 we’ll welcome Lucy Wainwright Roche back for her second appearance, alongside Amos Lee, Nellie McKay and the Wailin’ Jennys. Lucy comes from folk music royalty, but is quickly developing her own voice and style that fills those shoes nicely.

Her latest, titled “Lucy,” is available now. So are new releases from Amos Lee (“Mission Bell”), Nellie McKay’s “Home Sweet Mobile Home” and the Jennys’ “Bright Morning Stars” is set for release Feb. 8. Pre-order on Amazon and a portion of your purchase goes to Mountain Stage at no extra cost to you.

Tickets are on sale now online, by phone at 800.594.TIXX and at Taylor Books. Visit the Live Show Schedule for more details, invite your friends on Facebook and enjoy this video.