When you think of “Appalachian cooking,” what comes to mind? For a lot of folks, it’s savory comfort foods like biscuits with sausage gravy, crispy fried chicken and mashed potatoes loaded with butter. But, what about folks who want that comfort food, without involving animals? Jan Brandenburg is a pharmacist and poet in Eastern Kentucky. Over the last 30 years, she’s collected and perfected recipes that take a plant-based approach to the Appalachian table. Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Brandenburg about her new book The Modern Mountain Cookbook.
Live Show News: Craig Finn, Shook Twins and More Added to Mountain Stage Line-ups
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It’s sure to be a busy summer for live-music fans in our area as the Mountain Stage schedule continues to grow with some exciting artist additions to our upcoming events.
Ticket prices vary by show, so be sure to click through for the details.
We’re thrilled to add Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers and Shook Twins to the line-up Sunday September 22 in Charleston, WV. This show already includes Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets and Patty Griffin, so we expect a quick sell out. Tickets are on sale now online and at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
Craig Finn’s latest on Partisan Records is I Need A New War, another brilliant collection in the great tradition of rock and roll story songs from the front man and songwriter for the widely beloved group The Hold Steady. He has said I Need a New War was made for “People who are living in a modern world who are doing their best to try and change at a pace that allows them to keep up with the world changing in various ways.”
Craig Finn – Blankets
Shook Twins join us Sept. 22 along with Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Patty Griffin and Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers.
From Portland, Oregon, Shook Twins is comprised of identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, and Niko Daoussis. The band makes harmony rich folk pop with twin vocals layered upon acoustic and electric instrumentation balanced with inventive, percussive loops. Their newest release is called Some Good Lives.
The band has won praises from the likes of author Neil Gaiman, and Mountain Stage alums like Langhorne Slim, Laura Veirs, Mason Jennings
More updates follow just below this video.
Shook Twins – Stay Wild
Corey Zinn
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Big Possum Stringband will appear on Mountain Stage Saturday July 27 during the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, WV.
We’ve finalized the line-up for our Saturday July 27 show in Elkins, WV as we help close-out the Augusta Heritage Festival with the Big Possum Stringband. A 21st century Appalachian roots trio, Big Possum Stringband have been winning ribbons and trophies throughout the region’s many string band and instrumental competitions, including 1st place in the Traditional Band category at the 2018 Appalachian String Band Festival, commonly known as “Clifftop.” Comprised of Tessa Dillon on fiddle, Seth Swingle on banjo and Evan McBrayer Collins on guitar, the band is looking to release their debut album later this Summer.
Also appearing on July 27 will be Chance McCoy, the trio of Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer and Sam Gleaves, roots-blues luminary Jody Carroll, and percussive dance-driven string band T-Mart Rounders. Tickets are available online and at the Augusta Heritage Center on campus of Davis & Elkins College.
Credit Courtesy of the Artist
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Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis just released their latest duets album “Beautiful Lie.”
One last addition to announce, for now: The Texas based duo of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis will appear for the first time as a duo on Mountain Stage Sunday September 15 with songs from their brand-new record “Beautiful Lie.” Keep scrolling to see the beautiful video for their song “Astrodome.”
Bruce & Kelly join the bill alongside Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky and Rebecca Loebe. Tickets are available online and at Taylor Books.
We also announced two new shows last Friday, that are on sale now to Mountain Stage Members. Public on-sale for both Aug. 11 and Sept. 29 is this Friday, June 28 at 10a.m. Our guests include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Carrie Newcomer, Erin Rae, The Steel Wheels and Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert. Read more about those shows here.
Be sure to visit our Live Show Schedule for the complete list of chances to be a part of our live audience as we record for NPR Music. Most of these shows will be hitting NPR stations in late-summer and early fall.
The 2025 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, presented by Spilman Thomas & Battle, are planned for May 19 to 26.
This year’s event includes the debut of the Under-23 (U-23) Women’...
Dozens of union workers and community members gathered outside Charleston’s main post office to voice opposition to federal job cuts Thursday afternoon.
For generations, Skeenies Hot Dogs in Sissonville, West Virginia, was known for serving some of the best slaw dogs around. The restaurant closed in 2018 — but still comes alive for the annual Skeenies Tribute Sale. Folkways reporter Zack Harold has this story.
On this West Virginia Morning, we look at a bill that would make opioid treatment centers in the state unlawful, and The David Mayfield Parade brings our Song of the Week.
