Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
Award-winning bluegrass group Balsam Range made their first appearance on Mountain Stage last March with songs from their newly released album Aeonic. Our Song of the Week, “If I Needed Someone,” finds the band blending bluegrass with The Beatles, which helps explain why the band was awarded the prestigious “Entertainers of the Year” at the 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s awards and honors.
You can hear the entire set from Balsam Range, as well as sets from jam-grass innovators Yonder Mountain String Band, Australian roots-pop group Oh Pep!, plus Quebec’s Les Poules à Colin (now known as Rosier) and alt-folk luminary Peter Case, on this week’s encore episode of Mountain Stage.
This week's premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded on the campus of West Virginia University at the Canady Creative Arts Center. On this episode, we hear live performances from Duke Robillard Band, Cedric Burnside, Sam Weber, Las Cafeteras, and The Black Feathers.
This week, our spring broadcast season continues with a new episode of Mountain Stage featuring guest host David Mayfield. Joining us is Virginia Bluegrass band Nothin’ Fancy, 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association Bass Player of the Year Missy Raines & Allegheny, acoustic blues guitarist Rory Block, singer-songwriter and guitarist Ed Snodderly, and multi-instrumentalist folk artist Meredith Moon.
On this week's premiere broadcast of Mountain Stage, host Kathy Mattea welcomes Sarah Jarosz, Tim O’Brien Band, Karan Casey Trio, Dirk & Amelia Powell, and The Tin Men. On this episode, we celebrate Tim O'Brien's 70th birthday and an impressive 50 years of making some of the best bluegrass music out there.
This week's broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. On this episode, host Kathy Mattea welcomes GRAMMY-winning Australian rock star Colin Hay, Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, legendary folk and country artist Ramblin' Jack Elliott, San Francisco rocker Chuck Prophet and his band The Make Out Quartet, and folk duo The Lucky Valentines.