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: Regina Spektor Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
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This week we’re sharing a special archived episode from 2007 featuring Regina Spektor, They Might Be Giants, the subdudes, Asleep At The Wheel and Matt White. Find your favorite public radio station and tune in!
Our Song of the Week is performed by Russian-born, New York-based singer, pianist, and songwriter Regina Spektor. Spektor’s tantalizing piano playing and her quirky character pieces helped land her widespread exposure in the early-mid 2000s. Hear her song “Samson” and her full set on this week’s special archive edition of Mountain Stage.
Listen: Regina Spektor performs "Samson" on Mountain Stage
1 of 4 — Asleep At The Wheel
Asleep At The Wheel may be Texas swing royalty, but they were formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia
2 of 4 — Matt White
Matt White performs on Mountain Stage this week as we look back to an episode recorded in 2007.
3 of 4 — They Might Be Giants
Alt Rockers They Might Be Giants’ 2007 performance is featured this week on a special archive edition of Mountain Stage.
4 of 4 — the subdudes
the subdudes on Mountain Stage in 2007.
We’ll also hear from Texas Swing staples Asleep At The Wheel, indie rockers They Might Be Giants, New Orleans swamp rockers the subdudes, and cinematic songwriter and singer Matt White. Tune in this week as we look back to 2007 on public media stations across the nation.
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.
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.