Music

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra will perform a holiday favorite, Sounds of the Season, at select venues around the state.

On July 28, communities all over southeast Kentucky were hit with unprecedented flooding. People lost homes, cars, family photos. Many musicians lost instruments, and that meant they couldn’t participate in cultural traditions that define their lives. But through the generosity of community members, some musicians have been able to reconnect with their music practice, finding comfort and even joy.

Folkways reporter Zack Harold interviews musician, songwriter, painter and former preacher Abe Partridge about his podcast “Alabama Astronaut,” which chronicles the world of Appalachian snake handling churches and the unique genre of music found within their walls.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we talk to podcaster Abe Partridge about a uniquely Appalachian art — the religious music heard in snake handling churches. We also travel to southern West Virginia and talk real estate. The Itmann Coal Company Store building is up for sale, and the owner’s looking for a buyer who appreciates its history. And, it’s hunting season. We visit with women who tan deer hides — using animal brains.

For many Black communities throughout the country, music is an essential component of end-of-life rituals. When a loved one dies, families often call upon a skilled singer to perform at a funeral as a way to offer comfort and healing. In Charleston, West Virginia 41-year-old Michelle Dyess is one of the go-to singers that people request when it’s time to plan a funeral.

This college football season, West Virginia University’s marching band is recognizing 50 years since women entered their ranks.

Now in its 21st year, the Heritage Music Blues Festival continues to bring the genre’s biggest artists, as well as up and comers, to the banks of the Ohio River. Reporter Chris Schulz recently sat down with festival organizer Bruce Wheeler to discuss the event.

On this West Virginia Morning, trains have been a large part of the American story since the first steam trains rolled down the tracks – and with them came song and ballads.

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian old-time music brings together numerous cultures, including African Americans and Native Americans. Yet those musicians have often been denied and overlooked. One man is working to make old-time music more available to Black musicians, but he got into it in an unusual way.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia features stories about a West Virginia black metal band that plays songs about local history. We’ll also hear how folks are helping make skiing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing more accessible to people in West Virginia. And while labor struggles in Appalachia historically included coal miners, we’ll hear how other workers in other industries have attempted to unionize in the past year.