On this week’s encore Mountain Stage broadcast, critically-acclaimed “one-man orchestra of the imagination” Andrew Bird stops by with a set full of acoustic roots-pop (not to mention some A+ whistling).
You’ll also hear performances from Esme Patterson, Ryley Walker, The Flat Five and Blind Pilot.
Mountain Stage host Larry Groce got together with staff for the daunting task of choosing some of their favorite performances from the year 2017. We truly enjoy all our guests, and choosing favorites can seem subjective. So here are our 34 Highlights from the 34th Season of Mountain Stage. Curated by Larry and our staff- Executive Producer Adam Harris, Associate Producers Jeff Shirley and Vasilia Scouras, and our Digital Engineer Patrick Stephens- the list is presented in alphabetical order, from Andrew Bird to Mokoomba to Tyler Childers.
From 26 shows, recorded in six different cities, including 10 road shows across three states, you’ll find two Andrews, two Pauls, and one Will & Grace star.
Not seeing your favorite? Leave us a note in the comments, send us a Tweet (@MountainStage), or share your thoughts on Facebook.
Thanks to all the artists we worked with in 2017, to our colleagues at WVPB and NPR Music, and to each and every radio listener, ticket holder and public radio member out there.
Thank you, and Happy New Year.
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Andrew Bird– Are You Serious (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on January 27, 2017- Episode #888)
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Andrew Combs– Better Way (WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, WV on September 10, 2017 – Episode #905)
2017-10-27_andrew_combs-better_way.mp3
Andrew Combs- Better Way, live on Mountain Stage
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Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn– Divine Bell (The Clay Center in Charleston, WV on May 14, 2017- Episode #897)
Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn- Divine Bell, live on Mountain Stage
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Bill Kirchen- The Times They are A-Changin’(Harper-McNeely Center during the Augusta Heritage Festival on August 12, 2017 at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV- Episode #903)
Kishi Bashi with strings- Can’t Let Go, Juno (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on June 25, 2017- Episode #899)
2017-09-15_kishi_bashi-can_t_let_go_juno.mp3
Kishi Bashi with Strings – "Can't Let Go, Juno" – Live from Mountain Stage
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Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands- Millionaire (Harper-McNeely Center during the Augusta Heritage Festival on August 12, 2017 at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV- Episode #903)
Margo Price- Hurtin’ (on the Bottle) (Little Theater – Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, WV on February 26, 2017- Episode #890)
2017-04-07_margo_price-hurtin_on_the_bottle.mp3
Margo Price – "Hurtin' (on the Bottle)" – Live from NPR's Mountain Stage
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Mokoomba- Kumukanda (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on July 23, 2017- Episode #901)
2017-09-29_Mokoomba-Kumukanda.mp3
Mokoomba- Kumukanda, live on Mountain Stage
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Nancy And Beth- Waiting for My Child (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 7, 2017 – Episode #896)
2017-06-02_nancy___beth-waiting_for_my_child.mp3
Nancy And Beth – "Waiting for My Child" – Live from NPR's Mountain Stage
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Otis Gibbs- Sputnik Monroe (ETSU in Johnson City, TN – April 2, 2017 – Episode #893)
mtnstage170505_otis_gibbs-sputnik_monroe.mp3
Otis Gibbs- Sputnik Monroe, live on Mountain Stage.
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Paul Kelly – Rising Moon (Clay Center in Charleston, WV on October 8, 2017- Episode #907)
2017-11-10_paul_kelly-rising_moon.mp3
Paul Kelly sings "Rising Moon," live on Mountain Stage.
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Paul Thorn’s Mission Temple Fireworks Revival – Mission Temple Fireworks Stand (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV November 5, 2017 – Episode #910)
Tim O'Brien – Where the River Meets the Road, live on Mountain Stage.
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Tyler Childers- Universal Sound (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on June 29, 2017- Episode #899)
2017-09-15_tyler_childers-universal_sound.mp3
Tyler Childers- Universal Sound, live on Mountain Stage
We kick off our 35th season of live shows starting January 14 in Morgantown, WV and we’ll be back to fresh broadcasts and podcasts starting in March 2018. Subscribe below so you don’t miss a note!
Thanks to everyone out there listening because without you there would be no Mountain Stage and we never forget that.
This week’s episode of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is a special one, comprised of some of our favorite performances of the last couple of years. Among others, you’ll hear a set from Andrew Bird, who brought his small ensemble to Mountain Stage in January 2017. They performed songs from his latest, “Are You Serious,” including the title track, heard here as our Mountain Stage Song of the Week.
You’ll also hear songs from Margo Price, Foy Vance, Shemekia Copeland, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn and many more, on this week’s special episode of Mountain Stage.
Find a station in your area here, and follow Mountain Stage on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for a peak behind the scenes.
Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is proud to announce nine (that’s right, nine) live shows scheduled for the first few months of 2017.
Tickets to all the events will be available on Monday, November 21 at 10a.m. Guest artists scheduled to appear include Colin Hay, Andrew Bird, Pokey LaFarge, Solas, and Pink Martini, among others. Venues, locations, and ticket info follows.
“We are over the top about what we have lined up for Mountain Stage in winter and spring of 2017,” says Mountain Stage’s long-standing host and artistic director Larry Groce. “If you’ve never been in our audience before, pack your bag and hit the road! We promise you a party, before, during, and after the shows.”
Mountain Stage will record episode #886 on Sunday, January 15, at the WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. The show will include former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, French-English folk troubadour Piers Faccini, and more. The two-plus hour show will be recorded for distribution to 180 NPR Stations nationwide in early 2017. Tickets cost $26-38 in advance (or $10 for WVU students) and are available online, by phone (304-293-7469) and at the Create Arts Center’s Box Offices (10am-5pm).
Don’t worry Charleston, WV fans! Mountain Stage will return to its home at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston for a string of shows shortly after that. Be a part of episode #888 on Sunday, January 29, with eclectic multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird, indie rockers Blind Pilot, Chicago guitar wunderkind Ryley Walker, pop vocal supergroup The Flat Five, and more. Tickets for this show are $30 in advance ($35 day of show) and are available online, by phone (877-987-6487), and locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
On Sunday, February 12, Mountain Stage will record episode #889 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston with retro-roots crooner Pokey LaFarge, Canadian alt-country songwriter Fred Eaglesmith, award-winning blues singer Ruthie Foster, Scottish folk musician Rachel Sermanni, and more. Tickets for this show are $20 in advance ($25 day of show) and are available online, by phone (877-987-6487), and locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
Mountain Stage then heads to the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater for episode #890 on Sunday, February 26, with traditional Celtic band Solas, Trampled By Turtles alt-country side-project Dead Man Winter, and more. Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 day of show) and are available online and by phone (1-800-745-3000).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P83Vrq1SQYY
You can also catch Mountain Stage in Charleston, West Virginia, at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences on Sunday, March 5. This show will include a special one-hour set from Pink Martini, as well as performances from Beth Hart and more. Tickets are $30-40 in advance ($35-45 day of show) and are available online and by phone (304-561-3570).
As for April, make sure to catch Mountain Stage on the road on Sunday, April 2, at East Tennessee State University’s D.P. Culp University Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. The show includes performances from award-winning bluegrass-ers Claire Lynch Band and more. Tickets cost $10 for students (with ID), $20 for seniors, and $25 for the rest, available online.
The week following (Sunday, April 9), Mountain Stage heads to Marietta, Ohio, to record its first show at the Peoples Bank Theatre. Acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets cost $20-32 in advance and are available online.
And on Sunday, April 30, Mountain Stage will return to the WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. The show ‘s line-up will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets cost $26-35 in advance (or $10 for WVU students) and are available online, by phone (304-293-7469) and at the Create Arts Center’s Box Offices (10am-5pm).