Song of the Week Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

A Poetic Family Tradition And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Jeanette Wilson’s family poems about African American life in southwest Virginia are connecting the past to the present in a preview of this week’s Inside Appalachia. And, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes from pioneering alt-rock sextet, Wilco.

On this West Virginia Morning, Jeanette Wilson’s family poems about African American life in southwest Virginia are connecting the past to the present. Folkways reporter Connie Kitts brings us a preview of this week’s Inside Appalachia show.

Also, Emily Rice reports that the majority of West Virginia’s children in foster care are actually teenagers and many of them are placed in group homes instead of foster homes.

And, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes from pioneering alt-rock sextet, Wilco. We listen to the title track from their latest, 12th studio album, “Cruel Country,” where they lean back into their roots for what the band itself labels as a “country album,” with their innovation and influences all on display.

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 Concord University and Shepherd University.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Briana Heaney, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills is our host.

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

Caring For Moms With Dementia And Our Song Of The Week This West Virginia Morning

situation himself.

For his ongoing series Getting Into Their Reality: Caring For Aging Parents, he spoke with Chris Schneider, the director of communications for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, about how to celebrate Mother’s Day when mom has dementia.

On this West Virginia Morning, Mother’s Day is not always a happy day for everyone — like when mom has dementia and is forgetting the family she raised. News Director Eric Douglas is facing this very situation himself.

Also, a National Science Foundation-funded project will help West Virginia University expand neuroscience education throughout the state and a new software app aims to help sixth and seventh graders in southern West Virginia with their homework and access to academic resources.

Our Song of the Week comes from Calexico. Their performance of “Cumbia de Donde,” from their album Edge of the Sun, is a bilingual masterpiece that puts an original spin on mariachi music. The Tex-Mex indie rockers made their fourth appearance on Mountain Stage this week.

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 Concord University and Shepherd University.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Curtis Tate, Chris Schulz, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, Randy Yohe and Shepherd Snyder.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills and Chuck Anziulewicz are our hosts.

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

Discussing Being Appalachian And Our Song Of The Week This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, we travel two years back in time to 2021, when Inside Appalachia asked the question, “What is Appalachia?” Recently, the show received email responses from students in a writing class taught by Debra Nickles at Ohio University Chillicothe. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams spoke with Nickles and her class about the assignment, which sparked a conversation about regional identity.

On this West Virginia Morning, we travel two years back in time to 2021, when Inside Appalachia asked the question, “What is Appalachia?” Recently, the show received email responses from students in a writing class taught by Debra Nickles at Ohio University Chillicothe. Inside Appalachia host Mason Adams spoke with Nickles and her class about the assignment, which sparked a conversation about regional identity.

Also, Kroger has settled with West Virginia for $68 million in the latest of the state’s opioid lawsuits against major pharmaceutical chains, campaign finances are beginning to flow as candidates for 2024 state office announce their intentions, state officials are raising awareness around motorcycle safety and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin says he thinks his attempts to change energy permitting will happen this year.

Our Song of the Week comes from Catherine Russell who made her sixth Mountain Stage appearance recently at the Keith-Albee Theater in Huntington. Russell has performed with David Bowie as part of his last touring band, and she’s been singing with Steely Dan since the mid-1990s.

We hear Russell’s performance of “Sticks and Stones,” which comes from her most recent album Send for Me, released in 2022.

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 Concord University and Shepherd University.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Curtis Tate, Chris Schulz, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, Randy Yohe and Shepherd Snyder.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills and Chuck Anziulewicz are our hosts.

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

'Take Me Home, Country Roads': Russell Moore Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week

One of the most awarded groups in bluegrass history sings one of the Mountain State’s most beloved anthems on this week’s encore episode originally recorded in February of 2020.

While some presume that John Denver’s iconic song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been performed on Mountain Stage many times over the years, it has only made a scant few appearances in our playlists. Here’s the highly decorated bluegrass group Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, who closed out their set by honoring an audience request for the classic tune.

Christopher Paul Stelling, Dom Flemons, Russell Moore, Peter Mulvey, and The Small Glories gather for a final song on this week’s episode. Tune in starting Friday, Feb. 12th on 270+ NPR Music stations across the country.

You can hear the entire set from Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out as Kathy Mattea guest hosts this week’s encore episode. We also hear from Peter Mulvey, Dom Flemons, Christopher Paul Stelling, and The Small Glories. Find a station where you can listen here, and be sure to sign up for the Mountain Stage newsletter so you never miss a note.

1 of 5 — Kathy Mattea

Kathy Mattea guest hosts this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage.

2 of 5 — Dom Flemons

American Songster Dom Flemons joins this week’s radio lineup.

Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage

3 of 5 — Peter Mulvey

We can always count on Peter Mulvey to share a story and a song.

4 of 5 — The Small Glories

Canadian folk duo, The Small Glories made their Mountain Stage debut in Feb. of 2020.

5 of 5 — Christopher Paul Stelling

Asheville based Christopher Paul Stelling shares his forceful guitar picking on this week’s encore episode.

Listen: Cave Twins Have the Mountain Stage Song of the Week

This week’s broadcast comes from November 2019, when we recorded in Charleston, W.Va. with Ohio based duo Cave Twins. Featuring David Mayfield on mandolin and Abby Rose on guitar, the pair sing beautiful harmony on a heartfelt dose of encouragement for our Song of the Week, “Keep on Singing.”

Though it was recorded a little over a year ago, the song is a nice anthem for starting a new year.

"Then life gets tough, and you've had enough And it brings it to your knees Open up a window and let the blues fly out on the wings of a melody- Keep on Singing"

Cave Twins

The song appears on the duo’s debut recording Best Friends for Now. Last month Cave Twins released a new single, “Mighty Mountain Monster,” as well as a holiday tune to support a main streets program in their home state of Ohio. You can hear the songs and support Cave Twins on BandCamp.

1 of 5 — Chely Wright, 2019

Chely Wright performing on Mountain Stage, 2019

2 of 5 — Michaela Anne, 2019

Michaela Anne, performing on Mountain Stage in 2019

3 of 5 — The Claudettes

The Claudettes take a bow on Mountain Stage, 2019

4 of 5 — Andrew Combs, 2019

Andrew Combs performing on Mountain Stage in 2019

5 of 5 — Finale Song 11-3-2019

Artists gather for the finale song. Hear the show starting Jan. 8

Tune in to this week’s broadcast for the entire set from Cave Twins, plus live performances by country music star Chely Wright, breakout Americana singer and songwriter Michaela Anne, contemplative folk singer and writer Andrew Combs, and genre-blurring, piano-driven power-houses The Claudettes, on this week’s episode of Mountain Stage starting Friday, January 8.

Click here for the list of stations that carry Mountain Stage, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the latest.

Listen: The Mountain Goats Have The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week

Indie-rock band The Mountain Goats visited us after their sixteenth studio album, Goths was released.

1 of 4 — Joe Henry 2017

Joe Henry, performing on Mountain Stage in 2017

2 of 4 — Nellie McKay on Mountain Stage, 2017

Nellie McKay performing on Mountain Stage in 2017

3 of 4 — John K. Samson on Mountain Stage in 2017

John K. Samson on Mountain Stage 2017

Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage

4 of 4 — Finale song from this week's encore broadcast starting Dec. 4

John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats in 2017.

Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage

On this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage, we go back to when The Mountain Goats helped us celebrate our 34^th anniversary in 2017. Our Song of the Week, “The Grey King and The Silver Flame Attunement,” from Goths, contains the unforgettable refrain of “I’m hardcore, but I’m not that hardcore.”

The Mountain Goats released album 19, Getting Into Knives, in October of 2020 on Merge Records.

Arts & Culture

WATCH LIVE AT 7 PM: 37th Anniversary Celebration Of Mountain Stage Featuring Darrell Scott, Kathy Mattea, Todd Burge

Adam Harris

This week’s encore episode also features performances by Joe Henry, Nellie McKay and John K. Samson. Tune in this weekend via 270 NPR stations and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more announcements.