Listen: Brett Dennen on NPR's Mountain Stage

Beloved singer-songwriter Brett Dennen returns to this week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage, but this time with his full touring band. Here he performs the single “Cassidy,” from his new album Por Favor

You’ll also hear sets by alt-rock trailblazers Cracker, along with Liz Vice, Elephant Revival, and Lords of Liechtenstein.

Like what you hear? Download the entire show right now on the Mountain Stage podcast (just look for Ep. 870). While you’re at it, make sure to subscribe, leave us a rating/review and send us a tweet with your favorite song: we’re @mountainstage

Mountain Stage's Favorite Performances of 2016

2016 was a big year for NPR Music and West Virginia Public Broadcasting‘s Mountain Stage. We celebrated 33 years of live performance radio, commemorated the 25th anniversary of R.E.M.’s legendary set, and listened to the voices of two new guest hosts

And across seven venues in four states, we recorded over 120 live sets that showcased the best and brightest musicians in the world today. Along the way, we video streamed eight of our shows through VuHaus and made some new #gotowv friends along the way (with posters and glass records in tow!).  Of course, none of this would have happened without your support.

Before we embark on another musical year around the sun, Larry Groce and the Mountain Stage crew have picked out 33 performances that deserve another listen and another round of applause. From A to Z, these are our favorite Mountain Stage performances of 2016. (Hint: click the Episode # for their Mountain Stage podcast episode, where available.)

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Aoife O’Donovan – In the Magic Hour (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on October 30, 2016 – Episode #883)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Aoife O’Donovan on Mountain Stage

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Billy Bragg & Joe Henry – Gentle On My Mind (Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, PA on September 25, 2016 with WYEP & Pittsburgh Cultural Trust – Episode #879)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Mountain Stage
Billy Bragg & Joe Henry on Mountain Stage
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Billy Bragg & Joe Henry – "Gentle on My Mind" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Bottle Rockets – Dog (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on March 20, 2016 – Episode #866)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Bottle Rockets on Mountain Stage
2016-04-29_bottle_rockets-dog.mp3
Bottle Rockets – "Dog" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Brett Dennen – Cassidy (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 8, 2016 – Episode #870)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Brett Dennen on Mountain Stage
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Brett Dennen – "Cassidy" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Cheryl Wheeler – Estate Sale (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on July 24, 2016 – Episode #874)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Cheryl Wheeler on Mountain Stage
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Cheryl Wheeler – "Estate Sale" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Chris Smither – Leave the Light On (Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, PA on September 25, 2016 with WYEP & Pittsburgh Cultural Trust – Episode #879)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Chris Smither on Mountain Stage
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Chris Smither – "Leave the Light On" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Darrell Scott – Desperados Waiting for a Train (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 22, 2016 – Episode #871)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Darrell Scott on Mountain Stage
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Darrell Scott – "Desperados Waiting for a Train" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Foy Vance – Ziggy Looked Me In The Eye (Clay Center in Charleston, WV on October 16, 2016 – Episode #881)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Foy Vance on Mountain Stage
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Foy Vance – "Ziggy Looked Me In The Eye" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Hayes Carll – Sake of the Song (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 22, 2016 – Episode #871)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Hayes Carll on Mountain Stage
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Hayes Carll – "Sake of the Song" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Indigo Girls – Shame on You (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on September 18, 2016 – Episode #878)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Indigo Girls on Mountain Stage
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Indigo Girls – "Shame on You" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Iron & Wine – We Two are Moon (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on December 4, 2016 – Episode #885)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Iron & Wine on Mountain Stage
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Iron & Wine – "We Too are Moon" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester – Down the Road (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on July 24, 2016 – Episode #874)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester on Mountain Stage
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Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester – "Down the Road" – Live from Mountain Stage

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John Paul White – Once and Future Queen (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on November 20, 2016 – Episode #884)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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John Paul White on Mountain Stage
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John Paul White – "Once and Future Queen" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Judy Collins with Ari Hest – I Choose Love (West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on April 17, 2016 – Episode #868)

Credit Brian Blauser/MountainStage
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Judy Collins with Ari Hest on Mountain Stage
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Judy Collins with Ari Hest – "I Choose Love" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Lake Street Dive – Call Off Your Dogs (Clay Center in Charleston, WV on June 5, 2016 – Episode #872)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Lake Street Dive on Mountain Stage
mtnstage160909_lake_street_dive-call_off_your_dogs.mp3
Lake Street Dive – "Call Off Your Dogs" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Lucius – I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on June 26, 2016 – Episode #873)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Lucius on Mountain Stage
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Lucius – "I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Margaret Glaspy – Emotions and Math (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on June 26, 2016 – Episode #873)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Margaret Glaspy on Mountain Stage
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Margaret Glaspy – "Emotions and Math" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Mike Cooley – Made Up English Oceans (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on March 20, 2016 – Episode #866)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Mike Cooley on Mountain Stage
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Mike Cooley – "English Oceans" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Ona – Sleep, Rinse, Repeat (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on February 21, 2016 – Episode #864)

Credit Brian Blauser/MountainStage
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Ona on Mountain Stage
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Ona – "Sleep, Rinse, Repeat" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Overcoats – Smaller Than My Mother (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on February 21, 2016 – Episode #864)

Credit Brian Blauser/MountainStage
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Overcoats on Mountain Stage
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Overcoats – "Smaller Than My Mother" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Rhiannon Giddens – At the Purchaser’s Option (Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV on August 13, 2016 – Episode #876)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Rhiannon Giddens on Mountain Stage
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Rhiannon Giddens – "At the Purchaser's Option" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Robbie Fulks – Aunt Peg’s Old Man (University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY on April 3, 2016, with WUKY – Episode #867)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Robbie Fulks on Mountain Stage
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Robbie Fulks – "Aunt Peg's Old Man" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Robert Ellis – California (Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, PA on September 25, 2016 with WYEP & Pittsburgh Cultural Trust – Episode #879)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Robert Ellis on Mountain Stage
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Robert Ellis – "California" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Sarah Jarosz – House of Mercy (University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY on April 3, 2016 with WUKY – Episode #867)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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Sarah Jarosz on Mountain Stage
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Sarah Jarosz – "House of Mercy" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Steve Poltz – Folksinger (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 1, 2016 – Episode #869)

Credit Brian Blauser/MountainStage
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Steve Poltz on Mountain Stage
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Steve Poltz – "Folksinger" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche – Bleeker Street (Clay Center in Charleston, WV on June 5, 2016 – Episode #872)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche on Mountain Stage
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Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche – "Bleeker Street" – Live from Mountain Stage

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The Wood Brothers – Never and Always (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on May 1, 2016 – Episode #869)

Credit Brian Blauser/MountainStage
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The Wood Brothers on Mountain Stage
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The Wood Brothers – "Never and Always" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Tift Merritt – Heartache is an Uphill Climb (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on December 4, 2016 – Episode #885)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Tift Merritt on Mountain Stage
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Tift Merritt – "Heartache is an Uphill Climb" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Todd Burge – Time to Waste Time (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on December 4, 2016 – Episode #885)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Todd Burge on Mountain Stage
2016-12-06_todd_burge-time_to_waste_time.mp3
Todd Burge – "Time to Waste Time" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Todd Snider – Stuck on the Corner (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on October 23, 2016 – Episode #882)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Todd Snider on Mountain Stage
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Todd Snider – "Stuck on the Corner" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Wilco – Space Oddity (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on February 14, 2016 – Episode #863)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Wilco on Mountain Stage
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Wilco – "Space Oddity" – Live from Mountain Stage

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William Matheny – Living Half to Death (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on June 26, 2016 – Episode #873)

Credit Josh Saul/Mountain Stage
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William Matheny on Mountain Stage
2016-09-16_william_matheny-living_half_to_death.mp3
William Matheny – "Living Half to Death" – Live from Mountain Stage

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Wynonna & the Big Noise – These Are The Things That I Lean On (Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV on September 18, 2016 – Episode #878)

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Wynonna & the Big Noise on Mountain Stage
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Wynonna & the Big Noise – "These Are The Things That I Lean On" – Live from Mountain Stage

WATCH Sunday at 7pm: Mountain Stage feat. Brett Dennen, Elephant Revival, Cracker and more

This Sunday, May 8, point your browser to MountainStage.org at 7pm EST to watch a LIVE recording of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce via VuHaus.

Sunday’s SOLD OUT show at Charleston’s Culture Center Theater marks Mountain Stage’s 870th episode and features performances by California troubadour Brett Dennen, Colorado indie folkers Elephant Revival, alternative rock band Cracker, Portland soul singer Liz Vice and New York City folk brothers The Lords of Liechtenstein. 

Our radio listeners will hear this episode on over 160 NPR stations via NPR Music starting June 3.

For those of you watching along online, make sure to share your listening/watching experience with us! Use #MountainStage and #gotowv.

Tag Mountain Stage on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook. Find VuHaus on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook.

Watch more Mountain Stage performances (including recent sets and songs from Drive-By Truckers’ Mike Cooley, Ra Ra Riot, Davina & the Vagabonds, Ona and more) on VuHaus.

Mountain Stage News: May Live Show Announced

Mountain Stage w/ Larry Groce has announced three live shows for May in Charleston. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day of show, available today on MountainStage.org, by phone at 877-987-6487, locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston and also at the upcoming live shows.

On Sunday, May 1, Mountain Stage will record episode #869 at the Culture Center Theater on the State Capitol Grounds, 1900 Kanawaha Blvd., Charleston. The show (which will be heard on over 150 NPR Stations nationwide later this year) will include the return of folk trio The Wood Brothers, whose latest release Paradise was recorded at The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye studio in Nashville. Check out their recent performance with Dobro master Jerry Douglas (whose West Virginia and Mountain Stage roots run deep), and make sure to sign-up for our email newsletter to find out who will join The Wood Brothers on this May 1 show.

On Sunday, May 8, Mountain Stage will return to its home at the Culture Center Theater to record episode #870. The show will include California troubadour Brett Dennen, who returns to the Mountain Stage for the fifth time with a new record (and perhaps a new bottle of Dennen Wines) in tow. Check out his last performance on the Mountain Stage below.

Joining him on May 8 is Portland soul singer Liz Vice, whose music has been described by one NPR Music contributor as having “a satisfying sound that pulls from Motown roots and offers a hopeful message.” Who will join Liz on this May 8 show? Follow and find out on social media.

And on Sunday, May 22, Mountain Stage will record episode #871 at the Culture Center Theater with wry-witted Texas songwriter Hayes Carll, whose recent work with Mountain Stage alum Lee Ann Womack has led to a 2016 Grammy nominee for Best Country Song. We’ll announce more acts for this show in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, check out his recent performance on KUTX.

Stay up to date on Mountain Stage show news and ticket deals by following us on FacebookTwitterInstagram & Tumblr and signing up for our e-mail newsletter. And if you’re looking for a new soundtrack between now and then, subscribe to the Mountain Stage podcast on iTunes.

Mountain Stage After Midnight: Booker T. Jones, Lake Street Dive & Brett Dennen

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Soul’n’roll rocker Booker T. Jones, indie pop darlings Lake Street Dive and folk singer-songwriter Brett Dennen walk onto a stage… If that story doesn’t ring a bell, you’re in for a treat on this week’s Mountain Stage After Midnight.

Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Mountain Stage After Midnight takes the best episodes from the show’s 32 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners.

Set your alarms for late Saturday August 8 and Sunday August 9 for some killer sets on Mountain Stage After Midnight.

We’ll hear a November 2011 show at WVU’s Creative Arts Center featuring Booker T Jones, Lake Street Dive, Jill Sobule, The Spring Standards and Kenny White.

We’ll also hear a May 2006 show featuring the musical talents of Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings with Sara Watkins, Glen Phillips, Eric Lindell, Pieta Brown and Brett Dennen.

Want to hear more from Mounain Stage? Check out our live show schedule and be a part of our next recording! Listen to our 24-7 stream of archived shows (that you can’t hear anywhere else). You can also tell us your favorite Mountain Stage memories on social media (find and follow us @mountainstage on FacebookTwitterTumblr and Instagram). And if you want Larry and the Mountain Stage crew to bring the party to you, contact your local public radio station and request the show be recorded in your neck of the woods.

Mountain Stage After Midnight: Brett Dennen, Eric Bibb, Nellie McKay

Saturday is West Virginia Day! In our opinion, the best way to celebrate the Mountain State of West Virginia is with some music from…. well… you know… Mountain Stage.

Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Mountain Stage After Midnight takes the best episodes from the show’s 31 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners.

Tune in this Saturday June 21 and Sunday June 22 for some archived music goodness on Mountain Stage After Midnight.

First up is a November 2009 show featuring Sister Hazel, Madison Violet, Vagabond Opera, Brett Dennen and Eric Bibb.

Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Nellie McKay on Mountain Stage in 2009.

We’ll also hear another 2009 show Nellie McKay, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, AA Bondy, Zee Avi and Marshall Crenshaw.

Want more Mountain Stage? Follow us on FacebookTwitterTumblr and Instagram. Check out our 24/7 Mountain Stage stream. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter for show announcements and ticket deals. Come see what live performance radio looks like at one of our live shows. And if Mountain Stage isn’t available wherever you are, contact your public radio station and let them know what they’re missing out on!

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