Percussive dance blends with old-time instruments for a fresh take on traditional music by the trio called T-Mart Rounders, who have our Song of the Week.
Dancer Becky Hill, fiddler/vocalist Jesse Milnes and banjoist Kevin Chesser comprise the T-Mart Rounders, who began playing together in Elkins, W.Va. Their debut album features updated versions of traditional numbers along with a song written by Milnes. Their performance of Milnes’ original “Margaret’s Song” is our Song of the Week.
Milnes said he wrote the song based on a story he was told at a laundromat in Beverly, W.VA.
“I was waiting for my clothes to come out of the dryer, playing fiddle as you do. This woman walked in and looked at me and said, ‘My husband loved that fiddle music.’”
The result is this heartbreaking story-song of love lost to illness, and the sacrifice the husband makes for his true love.
This week’s encore episode was recorded in partnership with the Augusta Heritage Festival on the campus of Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. Hear the entire show starting Friday July 24, with performances from past Old Crow Medicine Show member Chance McCoy (below), award winning traditional group the Big Possum String Band, folk-blues guitarist Jody Carroll, and the trio of Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer and Sam Gleaves.
Read more about the Augusta Heritage Summer Workshops and their upcoming virtual offerings for this Summer on the Augusta Heritage website.
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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Chance McCoy, a West Virginia native, recently took hiatus from Old Crow Medicine Show to work on his solo material. You can hear his performance on Mountain Stage starting Friday, July 24.
Larry Groce will be leading the Mountain Stage band, staff and crew north to Elkins, W.Va. for the sixth time to help close out the Augusta Heritage Festival. A rare Saturday show for Mountain Stage will take place at the Myles Center For The Arts- Harper-McNeely Auditorium on campus of Davis & Elkins College with a 7:30p.m. show time.
Tickets can be found at the Augusta Heritage office on campus, or online. All tickets are general admission, $25.
Appearing on Saturday is a line-up of all-stars in the roots and old-time music genres. Old Crowe Medicine Show member Chance McCoy is prepared to release his solo debut later this year. We’ll get a preview of the material when he joins us Saturday in Elkins. McCoy caught up with the Charleston Gazette-Mail in advance of Saturday’s appearance.
Big Possum Stringband will join us in Elkins, WV Saturday July 27 as we close out the Augusta Heritage Festival.
The Big Possum Stringband are also set to release their debut album soon. They carry on the tradition of the original Big Possum string band, who were on Mountain Stage back in 1988, believe it or not, with fiddler Harvey Sampson. Comprised of contest winners Tessa Dillon (fiddle) and Seth Swingle (banjo) and multi-instrumentalist Evan Collins, this group is keeping Applachian Stringband music alive and well. They’ve been winning awards left and right, including 1st place in the 2018 old-time stringband contest at the Appalachian Stringband Festival, a.ka. “Clifftop.” The band join us before heading to the 2019 activities at Clifftop, then they’re headed off to Australia.
Another group expanding on the traditions of old-time music is the T-Mart Rounders. Featuring Jesse Milnes on guitar, fiddle and vocals, Kevin Chesser on banjo, and the percussive dance of Becky Hill, T-Mart Rounders are re-envisioning Appalachian clogging and flatfooting as its own instrument within the band. They were founded in 2012 in Elkins, and in 2017 released their debut recording.
Two-time Grammy winning duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer have been making traditional and contemporary music together for several decades now, and they’ve recently brought in young banjo player Sam Gleaves for an album called “Shout and Shine”. Sam was on Mountain Stage in Elkins back in 2015, and Fink & Marxer joined us most recently in 2017.
We’ll also hear from Portland, Oregon based acoustic roots luminary Jody Carroll, whose blend of progressive and traditional acoustic blues is beloved in folk and blues music circles alike. He wowed at MerleFest in 2018 and has shared the stage with many blues greats. His latest labum is called Back to the Country.
Jody Carroll – Aces & Eights
Tickets for Mountain Stage this Saturday are available online and at the Augusta Heritage office on the Davis & Elkins campus. Show time is 7:30p.m. and you can RSVP on Facebook to let us know you’re coming.
More updates on our September live shows below.
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In other news: On Sunday September 15 we’re excited to welcome back our guest host Kathy Mattea for performances by Shawn Colvin, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, Lucy Kaplansky, and Rebecca Loebe.
Just announced, we’ll be joined by Canadian duo Kacy & Clayton, whose latest for New West Records was produced by Jeff Tweedy. The pair will be showcasing at the Americana Music Association Festival this year, and will be heading out to support Ray Lamontagne later this fall. They join us September 15 here in Charleston. Tickets are available here, and locally at Taylor Books.
On Sunday September 29 Larry Groce will be back with us as The Steel Wheels return for their fourth appearance on the show. Last week we told you that songwriter Amy Speace had been added, as well as the duo of Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert. This week we’re happy to announce the return of revered songwriter, and recent author, Radney Foster to the bill on September 29. Tickets are available online and at Taylor Books.
Foster has released For You To See The Stars, his first book of fiction, as a companion piece to his 11th album of the same name. Journalist Peter Cooper puts it best, “Radney Foster writes with uncommon depth of emotion, humor, empathy, and clarity. I’m going to ask him how he does it, and if he tells me I’ll let you in on his secret. Until then, it’s best that we read, wonder, and revel.”
Foster has written eight number one hit singles, including his own “Nobody Wins,” and “Crazy Over You” with duo Foster & Lloyd. His discography contains countless cuts by artists ranging anywhere from country (Keith Urban, The Dixie Chicks, Luke Bryan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) to contemporary (Marc Broussard, https://youtu.be/vjOgyVETIVk”>Hootie & The Blowfish, Kenny Loggins, Los Lonely Boys).
Hear one of music’s most distinct vocalists perform songs from her new album in this week’s encore episode of Mountain Stage, recorded at the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, W.Va. in 2018.
Kathy Mattea returns to Mountain Stage with songs from her brand new album “Pretty Bird.” The collection finds the Grammy-winning singer interpreting some of her favorite songs by a variety of artists, including our Song of the Week- the iconic story-song “Ode to Billy Joe.”
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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This week’s episode features special guest-host Bil Lepp.
Hear more of Mattea’s performance, plus award winning bluegrass group Darin and Brooke Aldridge, West Virginia honky-tonk treasures Blue Yonder, and old-time musician Joe Newberry, when special guest-host Bil Lepp nagivates the latest episode of Mountain Stage recorded on the campus of Davis & Elkins College.
Mountain Stage is back at the Augusta Heritage Festival this weekend for a live show Saturday, July 27 at 7:30p.m. Find the details here.
It’s sure to be a busy summer for live-music fans in our area as the Mountain Stage schedule continues to grow with some exciting artist additions to our upcoming events.
Ticket prices vary by show, so be sure to click through for the details.
We’re thrilled to add Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers and Shook Twins to the line-up Sunday September 22 in Charleston, WV. This show already includes Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets and Patty Griffin, so we expect a quick sell out. Tickets are on sale now online and at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
Craig Finn’s latest on Partisan Records is I Need A New War, another brilliant collection in the great tradition of rock and roll story songs from the front man and songwriter for the widely beloved group The Hold Steady. He has said I Need a New War was made for “People who are living in a modern world who are doing their best to try and change at a pace that allows them to keep up with the world changing in various ways.”
Craig Finn – Blankets
Shook Twins join us Sept. 22 along with Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Patty Griffin and Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers.
From Portland, Oregon, Shook Twins is comprised of identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, and Niko Daoussis. The band makes harmony rich folk pop with twin vocals layered upon acoustic and electric instrumentation balanced with inventive, percussive loops. Their newest release is called Some Good Lives.
The band has won praises from the likes of author Neil Gaiman, and Mountain Stage alums like Langhorne Slim, Laura Veirs, Mason Jennings
More updates follow just below this video.
Shook Twins – Stay Wild
Corey Zinn
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Big Possum Stringband will appear on Mountain Stage Saturday July 27 during the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, WV.
We’ve finalized the line-up for our Saturday July 27 show in Elkins, WV as we help close-out the Augusta Heritage Festival with the Big Possum Stringband. A 21st century Appalachian roots trio, Big Possum Stringband have been winning ribbons and trophies throughout the region’s many string band and instrumental competitions, including 1st place in the Traditional Band category at the 2018 Appalachian String Band Festival, commonly known as “Clifftop.” Comprised of Tessa Dillon on fiddle, Seth Swingle on banjo and Evan McBrayer Collins on guitar, the band is looking to release their debut album later this Summer.
Also appearing on July 27 will be Chance McCoy, the trio of Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer and Sam Gleaves, roots-blues luminary Jody Carroll, and percussive dance-driven string band T-Mart Rounders. Tickets are available online and at the Augusta Heritage Center on campus of Davis & Elkins College.
Credit Courtesy of the Artist
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Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis just released their latest duets album “Beautiful Lie.”
One last addition to announce, for now: The Texas based duo of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis will appear for the first time as a duo on Mountain Stage Sunday September 15 with songs from their brand-new record “Beautiful Lie.” Keep scrolling to see the beautiful video for their song “Astrodome.”
Bruce & Kelly join the bill alongside Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky and Rebecca Loebe. Tickets are available online and at Taylor Books.
We also announced two new shows last Friday, that are on sale now to Mountain Stage Members. Public on-sale for both Aug. 11 and Sept. 29 is this Friday, June 28 at 10a.m. Our guests include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Carrie Newcomer, Erin Rae, The Steel Wheels and Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert. Read more about those shows here.
Be sure to visit our Live Show Schedule for the complete list of chances to be a part of our live audience as we record for NPR Music. Most of these shows will be hitting NPR stations in late-summer and early fall.
