family comes from McDowell County. His first book, The Moonshine Messiah, is a mystery set in the coalfields of West Virginia. Bill Lynch spoke to Johnson about his book and the long road to getting published.
On this West Virginia Morning, Russell Johnson is an attorney in North Carolina, but he was originally from Charleston and his family comes from McDowell County.
His first book, The Moonshine Messiah, is a mystery set in the coalfields of West Virginia. Bill Lynch spoke to Johnson about his book and the long road to getting published.
Also, in this show, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes to us from one of Americana’s top artists, Grammy award-winning musician Jason Isbell. We listen to his performance of “Strawberry Woman,” which appears on his 2023 album Weathervanes.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director and our producer this week. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
In the midst of a historical lockdown with people spending a hazy daze of unprecedented hours in their house, what a time to dive back into a set of music written about home’s comforts and complexities. Who better to pull back the complicated shades of home than a seasoned veteran of the road, like Jason Isbell.
It was October 23, 2011 when Green Hill, Alabama native Isbell stopped by Mountain Stage with his well-oiled alt-country machine, The 400 Unit, to take the audience on a trip down South. This kinetic four-song set of material comes from Isbell’s third solo album, Here We Rest; an album whose themes revolve around the idea of home.
Mountain Stage founder and host Larry Groce gave a welcoming nod to the road warrior, who had played the Grand Ole Opry by 16 and spent his 20s rocking, writing and living furiously with The Drive-By Truckers from 2001-2007. “This album is a wonderful, wonderful CD,” Groce said, “Here We Rest,” is an early motto of the state of Alabama. When you hear the songs, you will know why it is named that way.”
Held in equally high regard as a guitarist and as a songwriter, Isbell made his first appearance on Mountain Stage in 2010. He marched into this 2011 set with his trusted comrades- bassist Jimbo Hart, drummer Chad Gamble, former Son Volt keyboardist Derry DeBorja- who make up the 400 Unit. The name was derived from a psychiatric ward of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Alabama, near Isbell’s hometown on the border of Alabama and Tennessee.
With a train shuffling snare, jangling guitars and swirling organ, Isbell and the 400 Unit warm up in style walking a soldier home in “Tour of Duty”- written about an Iraq War soldier stepping off the train and straight into the cobwebs of civilian life – trying to devour the missed goodness of home, while bottling up emotional demons to hide his fears.
“I promise not to bore you with my stories/I promise not to scare you with my tears/I never would exaggerate the glory/I'll seem so satisfied here.”
The band pours a flurry of hurt into his now classic “Go It Alone,” about the wake of his first divorce and being left with himself in a quiet house of regret.
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, seen here performing on Mountain Stage in Charleston, W.Va. in October 2011.
Isbell and the 400 Unit saved the best for last, closing with what have become two of his most recognized songs from Here We Rest: “Alabama Pines,” which would go on to win the 2012 Americana Music Association’s Song of the Year, and the crowd-pleasing set-closing jam of “Codeine.”
In “Alabama Pines” Isbell captures that illusive feeling of truly feeling at home with yourself. And while we may all feel a bit unanchored in our current state, we are not in this alone. Take a deep fresh breath in these evergreens. We still have these songs to transport us musically back home, “through those Alabama Pines.”
Isbell, who has gone on to win four Grammy Awards, has a new album, Reunions, produced by Dave Cobb and featuring such guests as David Crosby, and his wife Amanda Shires.
Set List: Tour of Duty Go It Alone Alabama Pines Codeine
Our Listeners’ Choice episodes of Mountain Stage continue this week with a classic show from 2011 featuring Dawes, Jason Isbell & 400 Unit, Blitzen Trapper, James McMurtry and Matthew Sweet.
In October 2011 California quartet Dawes were touring in support of their acclaimed album Nothing is Wrong. Our Song of the Week is a performance of the final track on that album, a creative and emotional high watermark for the band, “A Little Bit of Everything.”
In March the band released “I Will Run,” a previously unreleased song from the recording sessions for their 2018 album Passwords. All proceeds will benefit the North Shore Animal League America and the MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund.
Credit Brian Blauser/ Mountain Stage
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James McMurtry, performing on Mountain Stage in October, 2011. Catch an encore broadcast of this show starting May 15 on Mountain Stage affiliate stations.
Hear the entire set from Dawes, plus performances by Jason Isbell & 400 Unit, James McMurtry, Matthew Sweet and Blitzen Trapper, on this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage. We hope you can find comfort in the sound of the applause that we hear in these classic episodes.
Be sure to follow Mountain Stage on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’re not sure when we’ll be back to producing new episodes, but you can sign up for our email newsletter to be among the first to hear about it when we do.
The 2016 Americana Music Awards nominations are in! We’re proud to see so many of Mountain Stage’s guests on the list. Click on the artist’s name to hear their recent performance on Mountain Stage.
Missed hearing these talented folks on Mountain Stage? Make sure to subscribe (and rate/review) the Mountain Stage podcast on iTunes and sign-up for our email newsletter for future show announcements! You might just hear/see the next big artist before they start grabbin’ Americana Awards.
Good luck to all the nominees! And if you haven’t already, go out and hear some live music wherever you are just as soon as you can.
The 2016 Grammy Awards Nominations are in! We’re proud to see so many of Mountain Stage’s guests on the list. Click on the artist’s name to hear their recent performances on Mountain Stage.
Congratulations to the performers who performed this past year on the show, including Chris Stapleton (for Album of the Year, Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song and Best Country Album), Lee Ann Womack (Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song), The Fairfield Four (Best Roots Gospel Album), The Milk Carton Kids (Best American Roots Performance), The Mavericks (Best American Roots Song, Best Americana Album), The Steeldrivers (Best Bluegrass Album) and Rhiannon Giddens (Best Folk Album).
Missed hearing these talented folks on Mountain Stage? Make sure to subscribe (and rate/review) the Mountain Stage podcast on iTunes and sign-up for our email newsletter for future show announcements! You might just hear/see the next big artist before they start grabbin’ Grammys.
Good luck to all the nominees! And if you haven’t already, go out and see some live music wherever you are just as soon as you can.
Mountain Stage is all you need when it comes to music discovery. Actually the hipster in us wants to shout, “We had Jason Isbell and The Milk Carton Kids on the show before they were cool!” but why shout when you can just listen to these archived sets on “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 31 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners.
Tune in Saturday February 21 and Sunday February 22 for country-infused folk and rock-a-cana on this week’s “Mountain Stage After Midnight.”
First up is a October 2011 show featuring folk rock group Dawes, Georgia power-popper Matthew Sweet, experimental country-folk group Blitzen Trapper, Americana legend James McMurtry and North Alabama rock outfit Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit.
Credit Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
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The Milk Carton Kids made their Mountain Stage debut in 2011. They’ll make their second appearance this April in Charleston, WV.
Next up is another October 2011 show featuring sets from avant-jazz group The Travis Chandler Three-O, indie folk duo Milk Carton Kids (who are coming back to the Mountain Stage this spring), Appalachian crooner Sarah Siskind, American blues and roots group The Nighthawks and indie folk singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche.
