Classically-influenced eclectic pop maestro Kishi Bashi locally sourced a quartet of Appalachia-based string players for his performance on Mountain Stage, which you can hear on this week’s encore broadcast with guest-host Joni Deutsch.
Our Song of the Week comes from their set, the tune “Can’t Let Go, Juno,” from Kishi Bashi’s 2016 album Sonderlust.
You can hear the entire performance from Kishi Bashi, as well as sets by Southern soul masters the Marcus King Band, reigning king of the honky-tonk heroes Tyler Childers, indie-rocker Tristen and singer-songwriter Caroline Spence, when special guest-host, and recent Gracie recipient, Joni Deutsch navigates another week of live performance radio. Click here for the playlist.
Listen for this week’s show on 240 NPR stations and look for the show in our archives. A new Fall season of Mountain Stage starts September 7 and we’ll be refreshing your podcast feed soon after that!
Sunday’s show at Charleston’s Culture Center Theater marks Mountain Stage’s 899th episode and features performances by Marcus King Band, Tyler Childers, Tristen, Kishi Bashi with strings and Caroline Spence.
This episode marks the return of special guest host (and West Virginia Public Broadcasting music producer) Joni Deutsch, becoming the first person to guest host a second time. Deutsch’s first opportunity came during last year’s FestivALL Charleston, when she guest-hosted with Lucius, Rachel Yamagata, Margaret Glaspy, William Matheny and Adia Victoria. Hear that episode in our archives.
Our radio listeners will hear this Sunday’s episode on over 200 NPR stations via NPR Music starting September 15.
For those of you watching along online, make sure to share your listening/watching experience with us! Use #MountainStage and #gotowv.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting and Mountain Stage’s Joni Deutsch has been named to The State Journal‘s Generation Next: 40 Under 40 for 2017. The 25-year-old was chosen for her passion in promoting the West Virginia music scene through her weekly radio program A Change of Tune, her statewide #WhyListen event series through NPR Generation Listen and her critically-acclaimed30 Days of #WVmusic series.
Joni Deutsch receives the Generation Next: 40 Under 40 award.
For the past 12 years, The State Journal‘s Generation Next: 40 Under 40 has recognized outstanding young professionals who work and volunteer to make West Virginia a better place. As the newspaper puts it, “As West Virginia continues to stare down hard times, it will be the innovations and energy from Generation Next that carries the state to prosperity.”
Joni Deutsch was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, and graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in public relations and advertising. After learning the radio ropes at WLUR 91.5 FM in Lexington, Virginia, Joni returned to the Mountain State and joined the West Virginia Public Broadcasting family as the creator and host of the weekly indie/alternative music program A Change of Tune.
In June 2015, Joni became assistant producer for NPR Music’s live performance radio program Mountain Stage and host of its #MS2Go podcast. One year later, she became the program’s youngest (not to mention first female) guest host, a position she will return to later this June as part of a special FestivALL edition of Mountain Stage.
Over the year, Joni Deutsch’s work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition & Weekend Edition, NPR Music’s Heavy Rotation, Poynter, Inside Appalachia, WERA FM’s FemChord and Clutch MOV, among others.In 2015, the Charleston Gazette-Mail named Joni one of the people “making Charleston [West Virginia] even better.” In 2016, she was named an Emerging Voice Scholar by the Alliance for Women in Media.
For more information on the Generation Next: 40 Under 40 recognition and the full list of recipients, click here.
Mountain Stage will record episode number 899 on Sunday, June 25 as part of FestivALL Charleston. Tickets on sale now on mountainstage.ticketfly.com, by phone at 877.987.6487, or locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
On Sunday, June 25 Mountain Stage returns to the Culture Center Theater on the state capitol grounds to record the radio program’s 899th episode. The show’s Assistant Producer Joni Deutsch will return to the host’s microphone, becoming the first person to guest host a second time, filling in for the co-founder and artistic director Larry Groce. Deutsch’s first opportunity came during last year’s FestivALL Charleston when she guest-hosted with Lucius, Rachel Yamagata, Margaret Glaspy, William Matheny and Adia Victoria. Hear that episode in our archives.
Credit Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage
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Joni Deutsch on stage in June 2016- hosting Mountain Stage for the first time.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to step up to the Mountain Stage microphone,” says Deutsch, “Last year we kept my guest hosting a surprise up until show time. This time around, I’m happy to be able to say loudly, and proudly, ‘I’ll be guest hosting Mountain Stage for the second time on June 25.’ ”
As part of a new initiative, tickets will be available for seven days exclusively to Mountain Stage Members, who make a sustaining gift to Mountain Stage via this new membership form:
Mountain Stage Members will be given exclusive ticket pre-sale access, plus monthly newsletters, playlists, behind the scenes updates from the Mountain Stage staff, as well as periodic discounts and other special offers.
Advance tickets for the show are $30 and will be placed on sale to the public on Friday, March 31 at 10a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at mountainstage.ticketfly.com, by phone at 877.987.6487, or locally at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol Street in downtown Charleston.
Scheduled to appear on June 25 is the Marcus King Band, led by up and coming guitarist, singer and songwriter Marcus King. The band made a big impact with the release of their 2015 album “Soul Insight.” Raised in Greenville, South Carolina, King was brought up on the blues, playing shows as a pre-teen sideman with his father—bluesman Marvin King—before striking out on his own.
Their latest release, “The Marcus King Band,” was written on the road and recorded during a series of live takes at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, CT. The album captures the energy of the band’s blazing live show, as well as the talent of a rising young songwriter reaching well beyond his years. Joining the band on the new album are a number of mentors and collaborators, including Derek Trucks (who plays guitar on “Self-Hatred”).
No guest plays a bigger role than Warren Haynes, though. A longtime champion of King’s songwriting and guitar prowess, Haynes produced every track on “The Marcus King Band” (and contributed his trademark slide guitar on “Virginia”), expertly capturing the group’s live sound for a cohesive collection reflecting the band’s expansive explorations.
Joining the Marcus King Band is “Nashville’s best-kept secret” singer-songwriter Tristen, who gained notice as an artist with “pop hooks and pure inspiration” through her 2011 folk-oriented record Charlatans at the Garden Gate and was later recast as “a synth-pop siren” with her 2013 record CAVES. Tristen has a reputation for having a “preternatural sense of melody, energetic live shows and emotive vocals” and bringing along Nashville’s hottest musicians as her backing band. Both of her albums were named the best local album by the Nashville Scene and placed in American Songwriter’s top 50 albums of their respective years.
Credit Courtesy of the artist
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Tristen will make her Mountain Stage debut on June 25 as part of FestivALL.
Tristen spent 2015 as a backing singer and keyboard player in Jenny Lewis’s band and released her first book of poetry, Saturnine, in 2016 which features a foreword by rock and roll poet Ezra Furman. Tristen’s new record Sneaker Waves is due out in 2017.
Mountain Stage is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR Music. This episode will be scheduled for nationally distribution later this year to 211 affiliate stations across the country.
Every month, NPR asks 10 public-radio music curators to share the songs they’re loving right now.
This early-winter mix doesn’t disappoint. West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Joni Deutsch (host of A Change of Tune and producer/guest host of NPR’s Mountain Stage) shared her favorite song with NPR’s Weekend Edition.
Joni's Pick: Fil Bo Riva, 'Like Eye Did' from If You're Right, It's Alright Fil Bo Riva is not your typical 24-year-old singer-songwriter. Born in Rome and schooled by monks in Dublin, Riva began his career in music relatively recently as a busker in Berlin. He's got a raw, soulful voice that easily draws comparisons to Benjamin Clementine, George Ezra or Tom Waits. "Like Eye Did," the first song from Riva's debut EP, If You're Right, It's Alright, is an explosive track written in response to a relationship gone sour. Within seconds, you can hear Riva's soul tearing its way out through his voice as he recounts the story of that unrequited love, a guttural lament fueled by the sort of rejection and introspection we've all experienced. And when the chorus picks up, you begin to hear almost-comical bubble pops in the background, as if love's fragile, idyllic dream is sure to pop without notice, without resolve. Between his captivating voice and dynamic production, Riva is sure to keep us coming back for more.
This weekend, Mountain Stage listeners will hear a new voice on the show as we welcome a very special guest host: Joni Deutsch.
The show, which was recorded June 26 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia, will feature live performances by dreamy indie poppers Lucius, acclaimed singer-songwriter Rachel Yamagata, New York-based rocker Margaret Glaspy, gothic blues artist Adia Victoria and West Virginia rock-and-roller William Matheny.
Find a station in your area here or tune in to West Virginia Public Broadcasting (the home of Mountain Stage) this Saturday, September 17 at 8 p.m. and again Friday, September 23 at 8 p.m.
“I was honored that Larry asked me to step in and guest host the show,” Joni Deutsch said. "Were it not for the support of Mountain Stage listeners over the last 32 years, our live performance program wouldn’t be here. I’m grateful to be a part of this team and for the continued support of our public radio audience.”
While it’s her first time hosting the program, Joni has worked with Mountain Stage for the past three years and currently acts as assistant producer for the program, announcing the opening and closing credits of the show, contributing to radio specials, and hosting the monthly Mountain Stage 2 Go podcast. If you’ve ever attended a live show, Joni is the first person you see on stage as she welcomes the audience before the recording begins.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio listeners may also know Joni Deutsch as the host of her own indie/alternative music program A Change of Tune, heard every Saturday night at 10 p.m., as well as the coordinator for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s NPR Generation Listen events.
In over 870 episodes, Joni Deutsch is now the second person other than Larry Groce to host Mountain Stage after Tim O’Brien hosted in May of 2014.
"We're all very excited that Joni will be a guest host of Mountain Stage," said Larry Groce. "Her warm, welcoming and informed style is truly in the spirit of the show, and we know you'll enjoy her fresh presentation of 'Live Performance Music from the Mountain State'."
Stay tuned to Mountain Stage on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Tumblr) for the latest news, including the announcement of our next guest host.
For more live performances from Mountain Stage, catch up on our podcast, browse segments at NPR Music and watch performances on VuHaus.
