This week’s broadcast comes from November 2019, when we recorded in Charleston, W.Va. with Ohio based duo Cave Twins. Featuring David Mayfield on mandolin and Abby Rose on guitar, the pair sing beautiful harmony on a heartfelt dose of encouragement for our Song of the Week, “Keep on Singing.”
Though it was recorded a little over a year ago, the song is a nice anthem for starting a new year.
"Then life gets tough, and you've had enough And it brings it to your knees Open up a window and let the blues fly out on the wings of a melody- Keep on Singing"
Cave Twins
The song appears on the duo’s debut recording Best Friends for Now. Last month Cave Twins released a new single, “Mighty Mountain Monster,” as well as a holiday tune to support a main streets program in their home state of Ohio. You can hear the songs and support Cave Twins on BandCamp.
1 of 5 — Chely Wright, 2019
Chely Wright performing on Mountain Stage, 2019
2 of 5 — Michaela Anne, 2019
Michaela Anne, performing on Mountain Stage in 2019
3 of 5 — The Claudettes
The Claudettes take a bow on Mountain Stage, 2019
4 of 5 — Andrew Combs, 2019
Andrew Combs performing on Mountain Stage in 2019
5 of 5 — Finale Song 11-3-2019
Artists gather for the finale song. Hear the show starting Jan. 8
Tune in to this week’s broadcast for the entire set from Cave Twins, plus live performances by country music star Chely Wright, breakout Americana singer and songwriter Michaela Anne, contemplative folk singer and writer Andrew Combs, and genre-blurring, piano-driven power-houses The Claudettes, on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage starting Friday, January 8.
Click here for the list of stations that carry Mountain Stage, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the latest.
Ohio based duo Cave Twins, featuring David Mayfield on mandolin and Abby Rose on guitar, sing beautiful harmony on a heart felt dose of encouragment for our Song of the Week, “Keep on Singing.”
"Then life gets tough, and you've had enough And it brings it to your knees Open up a window and let the blues fly out on the wings of a melody- Keep on Singing"
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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Artists gather for the finale song on stage to end the show.
Hear the entire set from Cave Twins, plus live performances by Chely Wright, Michaela Anne, Andrew Combs and The Claudettes, on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage starting Friday, December 6.
Two November live events have been added to the schedule for Mountain Stage and both shows are on sale at a special rate to Mountain Stage Members today.
Sunday, November 3 Mountain Stage host Larry Groce will welcome Andrew Combs to the Culture Center Theater. He first joined us after his album Canyons of My Mind came out in 2017. Combs returns to play songs from his highly anticipated latest, Ideal Man, due September 20. Combs worked with producer/engineer Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Benjamin Booker) to capture the songs live in Cohen’s Brooklyn studio.
He collaborated with some of his favorite writers on the album, including Dylan LeBlanc, Jeff Trott, Joe Henry, and Kenny Childers. After U.S. tour dates this fall, Combs spends the rest of 2019 touring Canada, Germany, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
More guests for November 3 will be announced in the coming weeks.
Stars of Longing – Andrew Combs
Credit Annie Beedy
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On Sunday, November 24 we’re back at the Culture Center Theater as host Larry Groce welcomes Merge Records recording artist Fruit Bats. Songwriter Eric D. Johnson, the primary creative force of Fruit Bats will perform solo. Fruit Bats’ latest, Gold Past Life, was released in June. Promo materials say Gold Past Life “marks both an end and a beginning. It’s the end of an unintentional thematic trilogy of records that began with 2014’s EDJ (a solo record by name, but a Fruit Bats release in spirit) and hit an emotional peak with 2016’s Absolute Loser. They encompassed years of loss, displacement, and the persistent, low-level anxiety of the current political climate. They were written in the wake of friends who left these earthly confines and families that could have been.”
The new record also features more keyboard influences and a range of guests including Greta Morgan (Springtime Carnivore, Vampire Weekend), Trevor Beld Jimenez and Tim Ramsey (Parting Lines), Meg Duffy (Hand Habits), and the late Neal Casal (Circles Around the Sun).
Literally Main Street, set for release September 27, is the latest album from Eric Anderson, who releases music as Cataldo. Produced by John Vanderslice, the album is filled with Anderson’s lyrical wit, driving pop arrangements, and observations about “early middle age.” Mountain Stage Assistant Producer Alexis Palmer covered “Ding Dong Scrambled Eggs” for NPR Music’s “Station Breaks” saying its “quick-witted, melodic view of the world that simultaneously exudes affection for the past.”
Also confirmed for November 24 are New York based “Sophisti-Pop” group Office Culture, who are set to release their new record A Life of Crime on November 1. The single, “Hard Times In The City,” has our appetite piqued, and we’re excited to hear the band’s live take on these songs when they join us November 24.
Tickets for both November 3 and 24 are only $10 for Mountain Stage Members that make a recurring gift of $10/month or a one-time gift of at least $120. Members check your email inbox for your code.
Interested in becoming a Mountain Stage Member? Browse our levels of support and contribute here, and please allow 1-3 business days for your membership to be processed. You’ll receive a code via email to access your presale.
Advance tickets for both shows will be $20, available online and at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston, starting Friday September 20. All tickets are general admission.
Allison Moorer appears on Mountain Stage Sunday Oct. 27 in Charleston, W.Va.
Elsewhere in our ever-expanding calendar of live events, we’ve added writer and singer/songwriter Allison Moorer to the line-up on Sunday October 27, alongside Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, and Mick Flannery. This will be her fifth appearance on Mountain Stage since 1998.
In October, Moorer will release her memoir and companion album, both titled Blood, which are available for pre-order. Moorer is embarking on an intimate tour throughout November presenting conversations about the book with acoustic performances. Blood marks her first memoir and her first album of original songs since 2015. Kathy Mattea is our guest-host October 27, and tickets for available online and at Taylor Books.
Blood, which are available for pre-order. Moore is embarking on an intimate tour throughout November presenting conversations about the book with acoustic performances. Blood marks her first memoir and her first album of original songs since 2015. Kathy Mattea is our guest host October 27, and tickets for available online and at Taylor Books.
On Sunday, October 6 we’ll showcase two flatpicking guitar greats in the duo of Tyler Grant & Robin Kessinger. A long-admired champion flat picker, Robin Kessinger has appeared on Mountain Stage in many configurations over the years. This time he’s partnered with another flatpicking champ, Tyler Grant, who also leads the funky roots rock group Grant Farm. The two convened in Bud Carroll’s studio near Point Pleasant, W.Va. and tracked “Kanawha County Flatpicking.” We’re excited to include them on this line-up alongside Shovels & Rope, Kelsey Waldon and Cris Jacobs. Tickets are available online and at Taylor Books.
Robin Kessinger teams up with Tyler Grant for an appearance on Mountain Stage October 6.
You can always sign up for our email newsletter to get updates in your inbox. You can glimpse behind the scenes on our Instagram, where we’re currently giving away a pair of tickets to see Delta Rae when they’re in Charleston next week.
This week’s Song of the Week comes from Martinsburg, W.Va’s Christian Lopez, recorded in Morgantown with WVU Arts & Entertainment.
Lopez was inspired to write “Steel On The Water” after entertaining 5,000 sailors aboard a United States aircraft carrier from Pearl Harbor to San Diego. The song appears on Lopez’ 2017 album Red Arrow.
"With the sea in his blood and tears in his eyes/ May the ocean rock you to sleep tonight."
You can hear Lopez’ entire set, plus performances from Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Andrew Combs, Lost Bayou Ramblers and Peter Mulvey, on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce. Find a station in your area or tune in Saturday evening at 8pm on the statewide radio network of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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Drew Holcomb, Peter Mulvey, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Andrew Combs and Christian Lopez appear on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage.
