A Fiddler Contemplates The Fate Of The Mountain State

Phillip Bowen grew up playing the fiddle. The 38-year-old learned classical violin as well as how to improvise on the fiddle, combining musical styles and genres. Now, he’s turned to songwriting, becoming a phenomenon on social media. Bowen releases his first album soon, with a wide range of offerings. 

Us & Them host Trey Kay talks with Bowen about his music and the songs that focus on memories of things past as well as the Mountain State reality of today. Bowen sings about his small hometown of Montgomery along the Kanawha River; another song mourns the loss of family members, while yet another may just steal the show. 

“Vampire in Appalachia” offers a heartbreaking look at the ways his native state has become overshadowed by black lung illness from the coal industry and an opioid crisis that continues to take lives. 

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Daywood Foundation and the CRC Foundation.

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Listen to Philip Bowen’s entire performance on Mountain Stage. He appeared on Jan. 8, 2023 at a show recorded at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virgnia. Also on the lineup were: Tim O’Brien Band, David Mayfield Parade, Dirty Grass Players and Lauren Calve.