Federal funding for arts and culture has been curtailed. Trey Kay looks at the reasons in the latest Us & Them. Also, the state board of education has approved another round of school closures and consolidations, the state Legislature is expected to take up several bills in the coming session to address foster care and children who are homeless, and U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was laid to rest Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
Listen: Kyshona’s ‘Cleft Of The Rock’ Is Our Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Kyshona performs live on Mountain Stage in 2022. Chris Morris/Mountain Stage
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On this week’s encore episode of Mountain Stage, we welcome Peter Mulvey, who is joined by Michigan based string-duo SistaStrings, who have a set of their own earlier in the show.
We’re also joined by the incomparable Jill Sobule, plus a duo performance from cellist Ben Sollee and vocalist Scott Smith, who preview their upcoming release as Smith & Sollee.
Our Song of the Week comes from the powerful voice and insightful songwriting of Kyshona.
She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients – the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, an endeavor which led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and songwriting culture.
Written along with Micah Dalton, “Cleft of the Rock” is included in Kyshona’s 2021 release Live from the Sanctuary, and her performance of the song, backed by members of the Mountain Stage Band and vocalists Maureen Murphy and Nickie Conley, is our Song of the Week.
Peter Mulvey performing with SistaStrings, Monique Ross (cello) and Chauntee Ross (violin). Credit: Chris Morris/Mountain StageMonique Ross on cello, and Chauntee Ross on violin, SistaStrings. Credit: Chris Morris/Mountain StageWitty singer-songwriter Jill Sobule performs on Mountain Stage this week, starting April 8, 2022. Credit: Chris Morris/Mountain StageScott T. Smith and Ben Sollee comprise the duo of Smith & Sollee. Credit: Chris Morris/Mountain Stage
Our Song of the Week comes from The Critton Hollow String Band, a band that has been performing traditional American music to audiences around the world since 1975. The trio stopped by Mountain Stage during their 50th anniversary and performed a handful of songs, including "A Better Life to Find," which is our Song of the Week. The song features an old melody and a traditional refrain, with lyrics updated by the group's Joe Herrmann.
Our Song of the Week comes from singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark. “Tell It To The Wind” was written in a moment of gratitude while Clark was on tour in Waterford, Mississippi at Foxfire Ranch.
On this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage, we revisit the first of two 41st anniversary shows, which were recorded at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia in December 2024. Guest host and CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton welcomes Stephen Kellogg, Jill Sobule, Mindy Smith, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, and The David Mayfield Parade.
Our Song of the Week comes from Catskills singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen. On this episode of Mountain Stage, Cohen performs "Summer Sweat," a single from her newest album, Earthstar Mountain, which Rolling Stone called “one of the best indie releases of the year.”