WATCH LIVE: Mountain Stage Sunday Night- Peter Mulvey with SistaStrings, Kyshona, Jill Sobule and more.

This Sunday we’re all set to return to our home venue, the Culture Center theater in Charleston, WV. In classic Mountain Stage fashion, this show is shaping up to be another unique and eclectic lineup that you won’t want to miss. At this time, we are at 50% capacity and tickets are currently available. You can also watch from wherever you are at MountainStage.org or LiveSessions.NPR.org when the show streams live Sunday night at 7 p.m. EST.

This free stream is provided by the video production department at WV Public Broadcasting and our colleagues at NPR’s LiveSessions. Anyone who would like to watch the stream, and support the show in the process, can purchase a donation-based “Pay What you Wish” Ticket via Eventbrite.” We ask that in-person attendees remain masked throughout the duration of the performance. As always, we sincerely appreciate everyone’s cooperation in keeping each other safe.

Featured on this show are longtime friend and frequent guest indie folk/rock raconteur Peter Mulvey, who will be joined by Milwaukee-based cello and violin duo SistaStrings, who will also perform a set of their own. Stylistically multifaceted singer-songwriter Kyshona will be joined by the Mountain Stage Band, and cellist/vocalist Ben Sollee returns and is bringing along collaborator, modern singer-songwriter and Hurricane, W.Va. native Scott T. Smith. Rounding out the bill and bringing her signature brand of smart and witty folk-pop, Jill Sobule returns for her ninth time as a guest on the show. AHI was scheduled to appear this Sunday but has to postpone. We will be working to reschedule his appearance soon. If you have questions about your tickets, send us an e-mail.

Below is a snapshot of each act as well as a few videos to get you acquainted with these world-class artists. Whether in-person, or via the live stream, we hope you’ll join us this Sunday for another exciting edition of Mountain Stage, live performance radio from the Mountain State of West Virginia.

Peter Mulvey & SistaStrings – Shenendoah

Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur and almost-poet since before he can remember. Raised working-class Catholic on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, he took a semester in Ireland, and immediately began cutting classes to busk on Grafton Street in Dublin and hitchhike through the country, finding whatever gigs he could. Back stateside, he spent a couple years gigging in the Midwest before lighting out for Boston, where he returned to busking (this time in the subway) and coffeehouses. Small shows led to larger shows, which eventually led to regional and then national and international touring. The wheels have not stopped since.

The sound of SistaStrings can’t be described in one word. The Milwaukee based sister duo combines their classical background with R&B with a touch of gospel influence that culminates in a vibey, lush sound. With thick string harmonies between violin and cello and soulful voices, SistaStrings takes you on a journey. Formed in 2014 after the sisters graduated from college, Chauntee (violin) moved back from her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Monique from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the sisters began doing string arrangements for local hip-hop artists and the rest is history. Slowly but surely, SistaStrings built a following and began playing more shows with collaboration being one of their strongest points.

Kyshona – Listen

Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel they have been silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients — the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, and endeavor which led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and songwriting culture. Since then, she has learned how to balance her music career with her passion to heal the hurting. Audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and finding hope in her work.
Ben Sollee & Scott T. Smith – Resting Place

Over the last two decades, Kentuckian Ben Sollee has distinguished himself as multi-faceted creative, blurring the lines between music, tech, and activism. A graduate of the Univeristy of Louisville School of Music, he holds a BFA in cello performance. Since his debut record in 2008, Mr. Sollee has released 6 studio records and nearly 10 EPs garnering praise from the New York Times and NPR. His music has been featured in tv shows such as Weeds and Parenthood. In addition, Sollee has a growing career as a composer for film, tv, and interactive media earning a Emmy Award in 2018 for his score on the ABC special Base Ballet. Beyond music, Mr. Sollee is known for his social and environmental advocacy working with organizations like Oxfam America, The Nature Conservancy, and Canopy KY to protect people and the land. He currently lives in Louisville, KY with his wife and three children.

Scott T. Smith is a musician, storyteller, actor, model, and advocate originally from Hurricane, WV but currently based in Louisville, KY. A passionate advocate for nature and Appalachia, Scott also spends time as a trade worker crafting wood and leather as well as brewing beer.

Jill Sobule – You Better Not Kill in Texas

Jill Sobule made a major splash on the pop scene with her single “I Kissed a Girl” in 1995, drawing both cheers and controversy for addressing the theme of bisexuality in a song that many fans hailed as a pop anthem. Featuring songs that take humorous, satirical jabs at everything from the superficiality of fame to the deadening effects of Prozac, her albums have found a unique niche within the universe of alternative pop-rock. “Few artistic voices are as lucid, inspired, and endowed with grace and humor as Jill Sobule’s,” noted a Billboard critic in 1997. Her willingness to stray from proven pop formulas was noted by Allison Powell in Interview, who noted, “As she passes freely between the borders of rock, jazz cabaret, and bucolic ballad, Sobule is a new breed of pop troubadour.”