This week, too often, people with mental health challenges or substance use disorder wind up in jail. But crisis response teams offer another way. Also, changes to the Endangered Species Act could benefit big business. They could also kill animals like the eastern hellbender. And, in troubled times, a West Virginia writer says to find peace in nature.
LISTEN: Bela Fleck Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Bela Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, performing on Mountain Stage in 2022.Chris Morris/Mountain Stage
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Mountain Stage officially kicks off our 40th Broadcast Season this week with our 39th anniversary celebration featuring Bela Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, The Brother Brothers, Alice Howe with Freebo, The Bing Brothers featuring Jake Krack, and a special appearance from West Virginia’s Poet Laureate Marc Harshman.
By our best count, Bela Fleck has appeared on Mountain Stage more than 15 times, including trips with his wife Abigail Washburn, alongside his band The Flecktones, small group performances with Edgar Myer, Zakir Hussain, Chris Thile, and his very first which occurred in 1989 as a member of New Grass Revival.
New Grass Revival, 1989, courtesy of Mountain Stage Archives.
His most recent appearance is perhaps the most star-studded yet. Bela Fleck My Bluegrass Heart features Fleck on banjo with Sierra Hull on mandolin, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, bassist Mark Schatz, multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses, and guitarist Bryan Sutton. The corresponding album My Bluegrass Heart won top honors in the Bluegrass Album category at the 2022 Grammy awards.
Our Song of the Week is the opening track on that album, “Vertigo,” performed live on Mountain Stage.
Our Song of the Week comes from the legendary jazz fusion band, best known for their 70s era records with the great pianist Herbie Hancock, The Headhunters. “Watermelon Man” was written by Hancock and was first released in 1962. On this live recording, you’ll hear Michael Clark on drums, William Summer on Vocals and Percussion, Donald Harrison on Saxophone, Shea Pierre on Piano, and Chris Severin on bass.
“Around the world it’s just a simple song.” – Mountain Stage theme, composed by Larry Groce.
This week’s broadcast brings you music from all corners of the globe with a Mount...
Our Mountain Stage Song of the Week is "All Aboard," by The Del McCoury Band. This classic train song was originally written by Eugene Patrick Ellsworth, Charles Edward Stefl, and Bradley Ross Rodgers, and has become one of Del McCoury's most popular tracks.