We revisit our Anniversary show from 2018 this week with Amy Ray Band, Crash Test Dummies and more.
Singer and songwriter Amy Ray has been a member of beloved folk-duo Indigo Girls for over 30 years, and has released several albums over her own material since 2001. She brings her band and songs from her latest release, Holler, to this week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage, including our Song of the Week, “Sure Feels Good Anyway.”
Also joining in the celebration are alt-rock darlings Crash Test Dummies, who reunited for the 25th anniversary of their landmark album “God Shuffled His Feet.” You’ll also hear Oklahoma roots-rocker Parker Millsap with a gripping solo performance, plus songwriter and recent-Broadway playwright Anais Mitchell and West Virginia’s own power pop journeyman William Matheny.
UPDATE: Thanks to our colleauges at VuHaus and the Video Production department of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, we will be offering a live video webstream of this Sunday’s 35th Anniversary Celebration of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce.
UPDATE: As of 4:30pm Friday advance tickets have sold out. Any available tickets will be placed on sale starting at 5p.m. at the Culture Center Theater, first come first served.
ORIGINAL POST- November 29, 2019: Less than 50 tickets are available for this Sunday’s special Mountain Stage as Larry Groce and the gang celebrate 35 years of live performance radio from the Mountain State of West Virginia.
Advance tickets are general admission and can be purchased online or at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston while supplies last.
Larry will welcome long-time friend of the show Amy Ray, who makes her third appearance as a solo artist after seven performances with the Grammy Winning duo Indigo Girls. Ray’s new album Holler features guest spots from Derek Trucks, Vince Gill, Brandi Carlile, The Wood Brothers and Lucy Wainwright Roche among others. Banjo virtuoso Alison Brown, also featured on Holler, will appear this Sunday as part of Ray’s band.
Also on the bill are Canadian alt-rockers Crash Test Dummies, who are taking their own celebration on the road as they reunite for the 25th anniversary of God Shuffled His Feet. While the hits from that record, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” and “Swimming In Your Oceans” among them, are how most of us got to know the band, their first appearance on Mountain Stage was nearly two full years before that album was released. It’s fitting to welcome them back as a band that has never been easily categorized, and they’ve always honored their artistic vision. Maybe we’ll recreate this shot from their 2001 appearance!
Crash Test Dummies backstage at Mountain Stage in August 2001.
It was 2007 when Anais Mitchell first performed a song from her folk-opera “Hadestown” on Mountain Stage. Now the critically acclaimed musical is in residency at the National Theatre in London and, as recently announced in the New York Times, it will debut on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on March 22.
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Parker Millsap joins us this Sunday in Charleston to record for Mountain Stage.
Oklahoma native Parker Millsap will return for his third appearance on Mountain Stage- his first solo- and he brings songs from his latest Other Arrangements. Released in May, Rolling Stone Country calls Other Arrangements Parker’s “tightest, sharpest and most infectious set of songs to date.”
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West Virgina’s rock-n-roll lifer William Matheny brings his band to Mountain Stage for the second time this Sunday.
2018 was a great year for artists from our region, with the likes of Tyler Childers, Ona, The Parachute Brigade and Hello June making waves on the national scene. William Matheny has been one of the work-horses of the field since he released his critically acclaimed Strange Constellations in 2016. Matheny included his 2016 Mountain Stage performance on his EP Moon Over Kenova, which was followed earlier this year by a new single, “Flashes and Cables/Christian Name.” He and his band of Appalchia-based rockers return to the show this Sunday.
Be sure to follow Mountain Stage on social media, as we’re destined to spend a little bit of time roaming down memory lane in the next few days. We’re on Instagram and Twitter, and you can help spread the word by clicking “going” on our Facebook Event.
The lineup has been finalized for Mountain Stage’s 35th Anniversary show in Charleston, W.Va., Sunday December 2.
Host Larry Groce will welcome back Oklahoma native Parker Millsap, who wowed audiences with his 2016 appearance on Mountain Stage. Millsap will return Dec. 2 for a solo set featuring songs from his acclaimed CD Other Arrangements, released in May. He’s had a string of highlights in recent years including his network television debut on CONAN, a performance with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival in London, an Austin City Limits taping and an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. He has also received praise from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, LA Times, Austin Chronicle and Rolling Stone to name a few.
William Matheny and his band will return to Mountain Stage on Dec. 2.
Rounding out the lineup is West Virginia’s own rock-n-roller William Matheny and his band. Rolling Stone Country just named Matheny one of “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know” in October 2018, praising his “melodic, garage-influenced twang.”
In addition to countless miles on the road in 2018, Matheny released Moon Over Kenova, an EP of live tracks and rarities that also includes tracks from his 2016 Mountain Stage performance, and a new single, “Flashes and Cables/Christian Name,” both on Misra records. His 2017 full-length record Strange Constellations won praise across the board and includes, “Living Half to Death,” a favorite in the Mountain Stage office. Watch a live version on our VuHaus Channel.
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Amy Ray returns to Mountain Stage Dec. 2 with songs from her new record “Holler.”
Already scheduled to appear for the 35th Anniversary celebration are Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray, who has a new country album called Holler, reunited alt-rockers Crash Test Dummies, and venerable songwriter and playwright Anais Mitchell.
Tickets are available online, at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston and by phone at 877.987.6487. This episode will be scheduled for distribution by NPR Music in March 2019.
Stay tuned to Mountain Stage on social media as we’ll be announcing our first two live shows of 2019, our36th season, this Friday.
Mountain Stage broadcast its first regularly scheduled episode on Dec. 11, 1983. Host Larry Groce and West Virginia Public Broadcasting will celebrate the program’s 35 years on public radio with episode #935 on Sunday, December 2 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.Va.
Returning to Mountain Stage for the third time as a solo artist, in addition to many appearances with Indigo Girls, singer songwriter Amy Ray will return with her band to perform songs from her newest release of original material, “Holler.” Recorded at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC, Ray says “Holler” is “inspired by traditional country, southern rock, mountain music, gospel and bluegrass.”
Due on September 28, “Holler” features cameos by Vince Gill, Derek Trucks, Kofi Burbridge, The Wood Brothers and The Freedom Singers, among others.
Since her last appearance on Mountain Stage in 2012, the fearless Anais Mitchell has been busy with her Off-Broadway musical theater piece “Hadestown,” which has been garnering award and nominations in just about every category imaginable. You can hear Mitchell perform songs from “Hadestown” on our show in 2011 at NPR Music. Mitchell returns to perform with us again on December 2.
Advance tickets for December 2 are available to Mountain Stage Members now (members, check your e-mail inbox for your discount code). Mountain Stage Members make a recurring gift of $10 a month or more and receive online pre-sale access to all our Culture Center Theater shows.
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Crash Test Dummies made their first appearance on Mountain Stage in 1991. The original lineup has reunited after 17 years,
Update to original post: Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies will reunite for the first time in 17-years to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their seminal sophomore album God shuffled His Feet. The north American tour will launch November 23 with a stop at Mountain Stage on Sunday December 2. The band will feature the original line-up of Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts, and Mitch Dorge. The band made three appearances on Mountain Stage, first performing in 1991.
We will announce another addition to the schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 18, so stay tuned to social media for the latest.
Tickets are $20 in advance, available online, by phone at 877.987.6487, or locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston starting Friday, Sept. 21 at 10a.m.
In other live show news, Sean Rowe has been added to the bill on Sunday, October 7 along with Livingston Taylor, Gretchen Peters and Jill Barber. Rowe’s latest is called “New Lore“. Tickets are available here.
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Morgantown, WV’s Hello June will appear on Mountain Stage Sunday November 11 in Charleston, WV.
On Sunday, November 11 we’re happy to announce that #NPRSlingshot artist Hello June, the indie-rockers based out of Morgantown, WV, will make their Mountain Stage debut, along with The Lone Bellow and more TBA. The band has released two singles from their upcoming full-length debut, Mars and Candy Rain, ahead of the self-titled record’s release on September 28. Tickets for November 11 are available here.
There are plenty of chances to catch a live show in the coming months. Take a look at our Live Show Schedule and plan your trip to come be a part of the radio audience.
Indigo Girl Amy Ray appears on this week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage, with songs from her latest solo release. Growing up in Georgia, The Allman Brothers were one of the very first bands Ray listened to, playing a major part in her musical upbringing. Here she pays tribute to the band’s beloved legendary lead guitarist with the song “Duane >Allman.”
Indigo Girl Amy Ray visits Mountain Stage this week, with songs from her latest solo release. Growing up in Georgia, The Allman Brothers were one of the very first bands Ray listened to, playing a major part in her musical upbringing. Here she pays tribute to the band’s beloved legendary lead guitarist with the song “Duane Allman.”
