LISTEN: Hot Tuna Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week

This week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded in front of a live audience at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia on the campus of Virginia Tech with host Kathy Mattea, featuring a highly anticipated performance by Hot Tuna during their “Final Electric Run.”

We’ll also hear from Irish singer songwriter Mick Flannery, contemporary roots duo Viv & Riley, accomplished Americana/Blues artist William Lee Ellis, and folk singer and writer Kaia Kater, who draws influence from Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia.

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady of Hot Tuna have been performing together since 1969, and while they are retiring their long-running plugged-in project, they don’t plan on stopping their performances together entirely. On their website, Kaukonen states, “It has been said that the music Jack and I play was transformative and that we injected an energy into our sound full of constant improvisation taking the compass on a joyride. It is still our plan to continue in our original duo format. We are not retiring from touring, but the Electric lineup of this long-lived incarnation is going fishing for a while. The road may not go on forever, but the destination is still beyond the horizon.”

Our Song of the Week is Hot Tuna’s cover of “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” which is originally by the American gospel blues singer-guitarist Reverend Gary Davis.

Tune in to this week’s episode starting Friday, Aug. 9 on these public radio stations. Be sure you’re watching our podcast page for the newest episodes and sign up for email updates to help plan your trip to be a part of our live radio audience.