West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Telling West Virginia's Story
The first family of banjo, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn join us for this podcast episode recorded in 2014. We’ll also hear from Australian Kate Miller-Heidke, composer and witty songwriter Gabriel Kahane, blues vocalist Janiva Magness, and Irish folk-pop duo, Storyman.
Support for the Mountain Stage Podcast is provided by Digital Relativity. https://digitalrelativity.com
With unmatched musicianship and a good dose of humor, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn are featured on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce.
The first family of the banjo returns to Mountain Stage this week when Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn perform songs from their 2017 release, “Echo In the Valley.”
Our Song of the Week from this week’s episode is the couple performing “Bloomin’ Rose.”
Tune in to one of these public radio stations to hear the entire episode starting Friday, July 31. You’ll also hear sets from Kentucky song craftsman Chris Knight, blues-guitar great Sue Foley, progressive Western swing from The Quebe Sisters and former member of The Stray Birds, Maya DeVitry.
Be sure to follow Mountain Stage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and sign up for our newsletter to receive some live music and other updates in your inbox.
Some tickets remain for Sunday’s Mountain Stage taping in Charleston, but thanks to WVPB and VuHaus you can watch live online.
UPDATE: Friday Aug. 2. 10a.m.
A limited number of tickets to Sunday’s Mountain Stage in Charleston are available online and at Taylor Books, so you can still make plans to be there. For those of you who are unable to be with us at the Culture Center Theater, you can watch along live starting at 7p.m. EST on Sunday night at MountainStage.org, VuHaus.com, or this post.
Our guests will be Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Chris Knight, Maya de Vitry, Sue Foley and The Quebe Sisters.
Original Post: Tuesday July 30. 10a.m.
Mountain Stage with Larry Groce will record episode #951 this Sunday, August 4 in Charleston, WV at our home in the Culture Center Theater. We have a five-star line-up, arguably as good as anything happening anywhere in the country.
Tickets are available online and at Taylor Books, but don’t wait around until show-day because sales are picking up. There’s nothing like being there, so be sure to RSVP on Facebook and feel free to invite a friend!
The Grammy award winning first family of the banjo, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, will make their fourth appearance as a duo this Sunday on Mountain Stage with songs from their acclaimed release Echo in the Valley.
Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn – Come All You Coal Miners/Take Me To Harlan
Bela and Abi have been appearing on Mountain Stage throughout their careers. Fleck first appeared in 1989 as member of New Grass Revival and has joined us with just about every configuration he’s masterminded. Abigail Washburn first appeared on Mountain Stage as a solo artist in 2005, then as a member of Uncle Earl in 2007, and with her Sparrow Quartet twice, in 2006 and 2008. She brought a quartet on the show in 2010 to support her brilliant record City of Refuge.
Singer-songwriter and folk rocker Chris Knight will return to Mountain Stage with songs from his highly anticipated release, ALMOST DAYLIGHT, due on October 11. It will mark Knight’s first release in seven years, however his influence can be heard in the music of folks like Tyler Childers, Colter Wall and Kelsey Waldon, among many others. He joins us for the third time this Sunday.
“The Ice Queen is on Fire!” were the words the Austin Chronicle used when describing Sue Foley. The Austin based blues guitarist is a highlight at any festival, including Ottawa Bluesfest, Montreal Jazz Festival and the Lonestar Blues Festival. Later this year she’ll tour France, Belgium and Denmark. She makes her fourth appearance on Mountain Stage this Sunday, with songs from The Ice Queen.
Progressive Western Swing is the style of Grace, Sophia, and Hulda, The Quebe Sisters. This trio of fiddling singers have 15 years of touring experience under their belts. The sisters will be opening shows for Asleep at the Wheel later this year, including a stop at the Peoples Bank Theatre, and in February of 2020 they’ll hop aboard the Cayamo Cruise.
Adaptations is the first solo record from Maya de Vitry following her output as a member of roots trio The Stray Birds, who appeared on Mountain Stage three times since 2013. Lindsay Lou, Courtney Hartman, and Oliver Wood were among the roots music luminaries to offer their talents to Adaptations, which was released in January of 2019.
As of this posting tickets are still available online and at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston. Tickets are $30, or $35 on show day (when available).
Mountain Stage Members get early online access to tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Click here to read more about our levels of Mountain Stage Membership, and consider making a sustaining gift to support our live performance radio show from the Mountain State of West Virginia.
Mountain Stage continues it’s 36th season of live performance radio with three shows, just announced, for late Summer. All three shows are on sale now to Mountain Stage Members, who receive exclusive online pre-sale access to all Culture Center shows. Click here to browse the levels of support and sign-up for membership. Once your gift has been processed (2-3 business days), you’ll receive a code in your inbox to gain pre-sale access, and the reduced general admission ticket price of $25.
Already a member? Check your inbox!
Read on for dates and more details. All shows are at the Culture Center Theater on the State Capitol Grounds in Charleston, W.Va. The lobby opens at 5p.m. on show day. Doors to the theater open at 6:30p.m. and the show starts at 7p.m.
Mountain Stage is pleased to announce the return of the first family of banjo- Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, and Canadian blues great Sue Foley, on Sunday, August 4. More artists will be announced in coming weeks.
Watch: Come All You Coal Miners/Take Me To Harlan
Watch: Sue Foley – Ice Queen
Beloved singer and songwriter Shawn Colvin will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of her 1989 debut album “Steady On” as she returns for an intimate solo performance on Mountain Stage Sunday, September 15. That classic album featured vocals by long-time Mountain Stage favorite Lucy Kaplansky, who recently released her first new album in six years, Everyday Street. That release features a guest-spot from, you guessed it, Shawn Colvin, so we couldn’t be happier to welcome these “https://youtu.be/xWUheGc2x-g”>Old Friends” back to West Virginia on the same show.
Adding to the excitement on September 15 is the first appearance by genre-bending songwriter Rebecca Loebe, whose latest release Give Up Your Ghosts features the single “Popular,” which you hear in the new video below.
Venerable UK songwriter, producer and performer Nick Lowe, and Nashville based surf-rockers Los Straitjackets, have joined forces once again with their latest collaboration, the EP Love Starvation/Trombone. The combo will appear on Mountain Stage on Sunday, September 22.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAzpRCxxC80
Also appearing on September 22 will be the incredible Patty Griffin. She just released her latest, self-titled album in March. The songs on Patty Griffin come from a deeply personal perspective as you can hear in her recent World Café session, a highly recommended listen.
Tickets for all three of these shows are available NOW to Mountain Stage Members. Already a member? Check your inbox!
Advance tickets will be available online and at Taylor Books in Downtown, Charleston starting Friday, May 31 at 10a.m.
Follow Mountain Stage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates, and be sure to sign-up for our e-mail newsletter here. We promise to only reach out often enough that you’ll always look forward to hearing from us.
These shows will be recorded for distribution by NPR Music later this Fall. See our upcoming Broadcast Schedule to see what will be hitting airwaves near you soon.
Lovingly referred to as The First Family of the Banjo, partners in love, life and music Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn join us on the Mountain Stage for an extended set during this week’s encore broadcast.
This week’s encore broadcast also features performances from The Del McCoury Band, Malcolm Holcombe and West Virginia’s own Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys on Mountain Stage.
Like what you hear? Subscribe to the Mountain Stage podcast where you can find our episodes in their entirety.
Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is proud to announce the return of Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn and The Del McCoury Band to Charleston, West Virginia.
On Sunday, May 14, Mountain Stage will celebrate its 34th season of live performance radio at The Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, with the unofficial “First Family of the Banjo” Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn. The duo are widely credited with reinventing the sound and image of the banjo — Fleck through the three-finger Scruggs style and Washburn via the traditional clawhammer approach. A fifteen-time Grammy winner, Béla has devoted time away from his genre-busting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments, from writing a concerto for the Nashville Symphony to exploring the banjo’s African roots to jazz duos with Chick Corea, while Washburn has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums, done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force and become quite a live draw in her own right.
The show will also feature the return of The Del McCoury Band. One of the most respected and beloved performers in bluegrass music, Del McCoury began working as a musician in the ’60s, touring and playing as a singer and guitarist with various groups, including Bill Monroe’s famous Bluegrass Boys. He made his first trip to Mountain Stage in 1989, backing legendary mandolin player David Grisman. It was also around this time that he began spending more time with his own band, which included his young sons Ronnie on mandolin and Robbie on banjo. The band’s popularity has continued to rise over the years, and they remain one of the few groups capable of headlining both traditional bluegrass festivals and jam band shows with equal success and adoration.
More acts for this show will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets are already available for Clay Center subscribers. Single tickets go on sale for the general public online and at the Clay Center Box Office on Friday, January 6, and are $25 in advance and $40 day of show. All tickets are assigned seating for this May 14 show, with doors opening at 6:30pm and the show promptly starting at 7pm.
Stay up to date on Mountain Stage show news and ticket deals by following us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and signing up for our e-mail newsletter. And if you’re looking for a new soundtrack between now and then, listen back to our favorite performances of 2016 and subscribe to the Mountain Stage podcast on iTunes.
