ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Longstanding Mountain Stage alums Justin Townes Earle and Loudon Wainwright III are releasing new records this week, so it only seems right to open up the Mountain Stage archives to reminisce over their past performances with the help of “Mountain Stage After Midnight.” Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Radio, “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. Each week we’ll hand-pick two of our favorite episodes and they’ll alternate order each night.
We’ve got some great performances from 2010 and 2013, so stop on by West Virginia Public Radio this Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7 on “Mountain Stage After Midnight.”
First you’ll hear an August 2010 performance from the birthplace of country music (aka Bristol, Tennessee). At the show was singer-songerwriter Bob Livingston, acclaimed string-performers Laura Boosinger & Josh Goforth, traditional Irish musician John Doyle, hard rock’n singer Justin Townes Earle (who’s releasing “Single Mothers” this week), musical storyteller David Holt, and legendary Appalachian artist Doc Watson. See the playlist.
Next a March 2013 performance from good ol’ #CWV featuring harmony-driven band The Sea The Sea (featuring the daughter of Mountain Stage house band leader Ron Sowell), Americana group The Overmountain Men, folk anarchist Paleface, Grammy-winning pop singer (and “Dawson’s Creek” theme crooner) Paula Cole, and the ever-fascinating Loudon Wainwright III (who’s new record, “Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet),” is coming out this week). See the playlist.
There’s more where that came from! For more Mountain Stage news, make sure to follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fo more music, make sure to subscribe to The Mountain Stage Podcast to hear why Mountain Stage remains the home of live music on public radio
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
This week's broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. On this episode, host Kathy Mattea welcomes GRAMMY-winning Australian rock star Colin Hay, Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, legendary folk and country artist Ramblin' Jack Elliott, San Francisco rocker Chuck Prophet and his band The Make Out Quartet, and folk duo The Lucky Valentines.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.