This week, a poet and musician draws inspiration from a distant family connection to the Grand Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens. Also, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game for teens.
And, a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina found her calling before she could drive a car.
Listen: Hayes Carll has the Mountain Stage Song of the Week
Hayes Carll performing on Mountain Stage, 2021BRIAN BLAUSER
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Join us starting Friday, July 8 as Kathy Mattea welcomes Ani DiFranco, Hayes Carll, Dar Williams and Mipso, for a show recorded at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston, West Virginia.
Hayes joined us for the sixth time with songs from his latest release, You Get It All. “Nice Things,” the opening track from that album, is our Song of the Week.
Listen To The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Hayes Carll performs "Nice Things" on Mountain Stage in 2021
You can hear the entire set from Hayes, plus engaging performances by indie-folk pioneer Ani DiFranco, songwriting luminary Dar Williams, and progressive roots band Mipso, all on this week’s episode. Find a station in your area the carries Mountain Stage here, peep the playlist, and then make plans to join us on the radio.
1 of 5 — Ani DiFranco on Mountain Stage, 2021
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
2 of 5 — Dar Williams on Mountain Stage, 2021
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
3 of 5 — Hayes Carll on Mountain Stage, 2021
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
4 of 5 — Mipso 1.jpg
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
5 of 5 — Artists join Kathy Mattea for the finale song.
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
Be sure you check in on the Mountain Stage channel at LiveSessions.NPR.org. We’ve uploaded a ton of great content there, including songs by Rodney Crowell, Amythyst Kia, Colin Hay, Amy Helm and many others.
On this West Virginia Week, another round of school consolidations in the state, the Republican caucus lays out plans for the upcoming legislative session and a Nashville poet and songwriter channels a connection to LIttle Jimmie Dickens.
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This week, a poet and musician draws inspiration from a distant family connection to the Grand Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens. Also, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game for teens.
And, a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina found her calling before she could drive a car.
A lot of people who came of age listening to the Grand Ole Opry know Little Jimmy Dickens. With his clever songs and his rhinestone-studded outfits, the West Virginia native influenced a generation of performers. Now he’s remembered in a new book of poetry.
For some Americans, this year’s political earthquakes hit close to home. Trey Kay reflects on federal budget cuts, the elimination of programs and agencies and the resulting layoffs of hundreds of thousands of workers. 2025 was also a year highlighting escalated immigration enforcement, and the deployment of National Guard troops in U.S. cities. One of those missions resulted in the tragic loss of a West Virginia National Guard soldier. On this end-of-year episode of Us & Them, we examine how today’s culture-war battles are reshaping the nation’s foundation.