music

Each week, “A Change of Tune” host Joni Deutsch will chat with up-and-coming artists and give Spotify-like music recommendations in a feature called “Recommended If You Like.” This week, Joni interviews Vancouver-based indie pop band Young Liars’ Jordan Raine (vocals, guitar) and Ty Badali (drums, percussion) about comic books, Madonna covers, and the band’s new record, Tidal Wave. If you’re a fan of Two Door Cinema Club, this band and interview are recommended for you.

Each week, “A Change of Tune” host Joni Deutsch will have one-on-one conversations with emerging talents and give Spotify-like music recommendations in a feature called “Recommended If You Like.” This week, Joni interviews Australia indie folk band Boy & Bear’s Jon Hart (vocals, mandolin, keyboard) about Americana music, the official “Twilight” movie soundtrack, and the band’s new record, “Harlequin Dream.” If you like Mumford & Sons, this band and interview are recommended for you.

Every week, “A Change of Tune” host Joni Deutsch will have one-on-one conversations with emerging talents and give Spotify-like music recommendations in a new feature called “Recommended If You Like.” This week we'll hear from Vancouver-based band The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer’s Shawn Hull (aka “The Harpoonist”) about the state of the music industry, fan experiences, and the band’s new record, “A Real Fine Mess.” If you like The Black Keys, this band and interview are recommended for you.

Child and family advocates are continuing their push at the statehouse for the restoration of 800 thousand dollars in state funds. West Virginia Center for Civic Life director Betty Knighton and Catherine Moore, an Appalachian Transition Fellow assigned to 'What's Next, WV? speak with Beth Vorhees about the new initiative. An Elkins couple is working to keep storytelling, history and music alive in Appalachia through their work in Randolph County Schools.

Mountain Stage's 30th anniversary season was certainly one for the books. While some might think this year's stellar roster of artists is extraordinary in some sense, the truth of the matter is that the impressive list of musicians that Larry Groce and the Mountain Stage crew put together sticks pretty closely to what the show has been targeting since its inception.

I'm sad to report that this sixth 'Songs From the Doc' post marks the penultimate in the series that documents the music used in 'Mountain Stage at 30: A Radio Retrospective'. It's been a lot of fun putting these posts together and being able to share the music that's help shape the history and identity of the show.

In case you haven't been tuning in (or, "logging on", rather) to the 'Songs From the Doc' series, the music presented in these posts is pulled from an hour-long radio documentary I produced for the 30 year anniversary of our live performance radio show, Mountain Stage. 

Ask anyone who has worked on Mountain Stage or has been to the show more than a few times and they'll tell you picking a favorite show or act would be like asking someone to choose their favorite child. There's simply been too much incredible music to whittle it down to just one or two favorites.

Lyle Lovett - "Cowboy Man"

One of the most impressive things about Mountain Stage's roster of guests isn't just who has played the show but when they did so.  Acts like Alison Krauss, Ani DiFranco, Norah Jones, Counting Crows, and Phish performed on Mountain Stage before they were widely known across America and the world. While this practice of introducing audiences to emerging talent is par for the Mountain Stage course these days, it took awhile for the show to stabilize itself and be able to develop this side of its identity. One of the first acts the show introduced the rest of world to was country crooner Lyle Lovett in May 1987.

First off, Merry Christmas!

Hello again and welcome back (presuming, of course, you stopped by for the first installment in this series a few days ago)! While Monday's post is a nice run-down of the earliest moments of Mountain Stage, from here on out you can expect some incredible performances from a wide range of artists included in 'Mountain Stage at 30: A Radio Retrospective'.

Probably--well, not probably, most definitely--the most fun part of producing a documentary on 30 years of Mountain Stage is getting to cull through the archives of 2,000 hours of live performance radio. It's daunting, humbling, and exciting all in one. There's music recorded on virtually every format: reel to reel, DAT, miniDisc--you name it--they've got it on that medium.

For 30 years and with over 800 episodes, Mountain Stage has been a mainstay in public radio and American music.

Like anything that evolves into a lasting endeavor, Mountain Stage’s success is part happenstance mixed with years of dedication and hard work. Truly, though, it all comes down to the people who made the show possible coming together with a shared vision.

Folks in fracking country Pennsylvania work on air pollution issues.

Kentucky college students are having a blast- with some mine research.

America’s Test Kitchen has an Appalachian connection.

And we learn about the famed Fairfax Stone.

Have you ever wondered how Mountain Stage got started? Retrace the show's history Thursday (Thanksgiving) night at 8:00 p.m., when Mountain Stage at 30: A Radio Retrospective premieres on West Virginia Public Radio.

Listen to a preview of how Larry Groce, Andy Ridenour and Francis Fisher helped start this West Virginia tradition and how they've keep the show going strong for 30 years. 

The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame will induct its latest class of notable musicians Saturday, November 16.  West Virginia PBS and West Virginia Public Radio will air the ceremony live from the Culture Center Theater in Charleston at 8 p.m. Executive Director Michael Lipton considers the induction ceremony and the short video bios about the artists being inducted as historical documents that highlight the diverse array of musical styles for which West Virginia is known.

Lori McKenna has become one of Nashville's most in-demand singer-songwriters, even though she didn't begin making music of her own until she was in her mid-20's. Here she performs "If I Could By This Town," on an episode of Mountain Stage recorded on the north shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

The lush, dark, and atmospheric sounds Twin Cities band The Pines evoke the steely autumn breeze coming off the shore of Lake Superior, where this week's premiere episode of Mountain Stage was recorded.

Find your local affiliate and listen to the entire show this week.

Roots rock heroes The Bottle Rockets return to Mountain Stage with a love song - and a story - inspired by a new guitar, and frontman Brian Henneman's wife's favorite discount shopping location.

Find your local affiliate and listen to the entire show this week.

This week's special broadcast from the Mountain Stage archives looks back to 1989, when we were joined by the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe. Here he plays what many consider to be his signature tune, "Uncle Pen."

Find your local affiliate and listen to the entire show this week.