Best of 2015 Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

2015 was a big year for Mountain Stage. We began a beautiful friendship with public radio music discovery machine VuHaus. We created a new, bite-size podcast called Mountain Stage 2 Go.

And across nine venues in four states, we recorded over 100 live sets that showcased the best and brightest musicians in the world today. (Of course, none of this would have happened without your support!)

Before we embark on our 33rd musical year around the sun, Larry Groce and the Mountain Stage crew have picked out 27 performances that deserve another listen and another round of applause. From A to Z, these are our favorite Mountain Stage performances of 2015. (Hint: click the Episode # for their Mountain Stage podcast episode, where available.)

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Allen Toussaint (Keith-Albee Theater in Huntington, WV on February 15, 2015 – Episode #838)

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Bahamas (June 14, 2015 – Episode #846)

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Craig Finn (November 1, 2015 – Episode #857)

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Darlingside (University of Ohio in Athens, Ohio with WOUB on October 18, 2015 – Episode #855)

2015-11-13_darlingside-god_of_loss.mp3

Darlingside – "God of Loss" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Dawes (June 7, 2015 – Episode #845)

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Drive-By Truckers (West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on March 15, 2015 – Episode #841)

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Earls of Leicester (March 8, 2015 – Episode #840)

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Field Report (June 14, 2015 – Episode #846)

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Jimmy LaFave (North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN with WTIP, KUMD and MPR on September 18, 2015 – Episode #853)

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Joe Pug (May 5, 2015 – Episode #844)

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John Mark Nelson (North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN with WTIP, KUMD and MPR on September 18, 2015 – Episode #8 53)

2015-10-30_john_mark_nelson-dream_last_night.mp3

John Mark Nelson – "Dream Last Night" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Josh Ritter (December 6, 2015 – Episode #860)

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Kentucky Headhunters (August 30, 2015 – Episode #851)

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Kinky Friedman (November 8, 2015 – Episode #858)

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Kristin Andreassen (West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on January 18, 2015 – Episode #835)

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Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys (December 6, 2015 – Episode #860)

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Mac McAnally (West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on January 18, 2015 – Episode #835)

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Malcolm Holcombe (February 8, 2015 – Episode #837)

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Martha Scanlan (North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN with WTIP, KUMD and MPR on September 17, 2015 – Episode #852)

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The Milk Carton Kids (West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on April 12, 2015 – Episode #843)

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Nellie McKay (Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA with WETS on August 16, 2015 – Episode #850)

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Pokey LaFarge (May 5, 2015 – Episode #844)

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Ray Wylie Hubbard (February 8, 2015 – Episode #837)

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Sam Gleaves (Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV on August 8, 2015 – Episode #849)

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Tift Merritt (North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN with WTIP, KUMD and MPR on September 17, 2015 – Episode #852)

2015-10-23_tift_merritt-bramble_rose.mp3

Tift Merritt – "Bramble Rose" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Turnpike Troubadours (November 1, 2015 – Episode #857)

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Tyler Childers (July 26, 2015 – Episode #848)

Public radio hosts from across the country came together this past month to pick their favorite songs of 2015. The result? An NPR Music Best Songs of 2015 playlist, of course! Here’s a recap of that list and the music you heard this past year on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Mountain Stage host and artistic director Larry Groce was one of the 50 public radio music hosts selected for NPR Music’s year-end list. His favorite song of 2015 came from Darlingside, an indie folk group who performed on Mountain Stage this past fall and appeared on our own Inside Appalachia podcast. This is what Larry had to say about their music:

Darlingside, "God Of Loss" The instrumentals are just as meticulous as the harmonies, the harmonies just as haunting as the lyrics, and the lyrics a testament to the Boston quartet's success to come.

Mountain Stage assistant producer and “A Change of Tune” host Joni Deutsch had this to say about the emerging electro-R&B act who left an impression on her:

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "Can't Keep Checking My Phone" From its Tarantino spaghetti western start to its groovy "Purple Rain" end, this single by the Portland-by-way-of-New Zealand band is a cinematic treat for our ears.

The NPR Music list includes other familiar faces, like singer-songwriter Sam Gleaves, whose song about an openly gay, West Virginia coal miner led to an interview with Roxy Todd for Inside Appalachia and Us & Them, as well as a guest appearance on Mountain Stage.

Morgantown native Dave Bello also chatted with “A Change of Tune” about his band The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and their 2015 single “1/10/2014” long before it became an NPR Music pick, as did Beach House drummer and West Virginia native Graham Hill, The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Rhiannon Giddens and Canadian crooner Andy Shauf.

And our locally-produced music programs Eclectopia, Lost Highways and Sidetracks spun more than a few NPR Music favorites from Jason Isbell, Courtney Barnett, Laura Marling, Hiatus Kaiyote, The McCrary Sisters, Turnpike Troubadours and more.

Listen to the complete list of NPR Music’s Best Songs of 2015 here and subscribe to West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s podcasts (including Mountain Stage, Inside Appalachia, Us & Them and more) here.

Want to keep emerging music and thoughtful stories alive on West Virginia airwaves? Make a contribution in any amount here.

Tag: Best of 2015

Mountain Stage's Favorite Performances of 2015

West Virginia Music, Mountain Stage Staff Featured on NPR Music's Best of 2015 List