November 2011 On The Radio

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On The Radio

S c y th i a n

November 4, 2011Tim O’Brien, Kathy Mattea, Great Lake Swimmers, Cathie Ryan, Jon Vezner, Sally Barris

November 11, 2011 Ben Sollee, Paul Brady, Vandaveer, Joseph Arthur, Scythian

November 18, 2011The Jayhawks, John Doyle & Karan Casey,Hot Tuna Electric, Ha Ha Tonka, Southeast Engine

November 25, 2011(Rebroadcast from January 7, 2011)Black Dub, Delta Spirit, Anais Mitchell,Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Horse Feathers

So u th e a st E n g i n e

Ben Sollee

November 2011

For the latest information about these artists, visit their websites by clicking on their names.

November 4, 2011Stage Notes

Kathy Mattea

November 2011 On The Radio

Stage NotesNovember 11, 2011

For the latest information about these artists, visit their websites

by clicking on their names.

Paul Brady - One of the U.K.’s most enduring musicians, he has won numerous awards and was a featured guest on tours with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. He has also collaborated with John Prine, Bela Fleck, Raitt and Richard Thomp-son. In 2010, he released his 14th solo album, “Hooba Dooba” to popular and critical acclaim. That same year, he performed at Belfast’s Waterfront Theatre with the Ulster Orchestra as part of the 2010 Belfast Festival.

Ben Sollee - Kentucky native Ben Sollee developed his distinctive cello tech-nique and soulful voice through his work with avant-garde bluesman Otis Taylor and Abigail Washburn’s East-meets-West folk of The Sparrow Quartet (which featured banjo-master Béla Fleck). He also was a member of the trio Appalachian Voices which included My Morning Jacket’s Yim Yames and sing-er/songwriter Daniel Martin Moore. Solee’s current release, “Inclusions,” seeks to intertwine his music with art and life. Collaborating with local visual artist Phillip March Jones, the cover art for “Inclusions” brings a visual reference to the allegory of the album.

Joseph Arthur - Akron, OH, singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-’90s and signed to his Real World label. His first solo release since 2006’s “Nuclear Daydream,” “The Graduation Ceremony” has been described as a “dynamic swirl of noise that somehow appears magically around him” and a “lush, poetic, squalling, spiritual, and strange - just like life.” Vanity Fair hailed him as “one of our most emotionally revealing and talented singer-songwriters.”

Vandaveer - The solo project of alt-folk singer/songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger, Vandaveer’s brand of Americana is haunting and filled with uni-versal stories. Having toured continually since the release of his 2007 debut - which drew comparisons to Dylan, Donovan, Tom Waits and Nick Drake - Van-daveer has shared stages with the likes of Bon Iver, Alejandro Escovedo, Vashti Bunyan and Joe Pug. The Kentucky native now living in D.C. also is the bassist for D.C. group These United States. His current release is “Dig Down Deep.”

Scythian - (sith-ee-yin) belts out a high-energy, adrenaline-peddling, interac-tive brand of music with one goal in mind; to get people on their feet and dancing. These classically trained musicians are natural showmen who seam-lessly blend kicked-up Celtic, folk and world music, and deliver it with a punk-rock sensibility. In a single song, they transport an audience across the globe with the alluring and dramatic strains of gypsy fiddles, the bounce of a Celtic reel, and then cross back over the border to pick up a klezmer hook and some good old-fashioned bluegrass licks.

Today’s program was recorded in Grand Marais, MN, in partnership with the North House Folk School’s 10th annual Unplugged concert event.

Tim  O’Brien - Wheeling, WV, native Tim O’Brien came to prominence with the Colorado-based bluegrass band Hot Rize, and its tongue-in-cheek country-Western alter ego, Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. Since Hot Rize disbanded, O’Brien has released nearly 20 CDs. Following 2008’s “Chameleon,” O’Brien released “Chicken & Egg” in 2010 which featured longtime friends and bandmates including Mike Bub and Stuart Duncan. 

Cathie Ryan - For more than seven years, Detroit native Cathie Ryan provided the lead voice for the renowned women’s ensemble Cherish the Ladies. With four solo releases and inclusions on more than 40 compilations, she has since firmly established herself as a solo artist. Her songs have been recorded by Irish vocalists including Frances Black and Mary Black.

Great Lake Swimmers - Thanks in part to fans including Robert Plant and cyclist Lance Armstrong, Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers are amassing some impressive credentials. In 2007, the band’s profile received a boost when “Your Rocky Spine,” the lead track from “Ongiara” was featured on the soundtrack of Showtime’s “Weeds.” In 2009, “Lost Channels,” topped the chart and held down the No. 1 spot on on iTunes’ Singer/Songwriter chart and Amazon’s MP3 downloads chart. In 2010, the band issued “The Legion Sessions,” featuring live versions of several tunes from “Lost Channels.”

Jon Vezner - A Minneapolis native, singer/songwriter Jon Vezner moved to Nasvhille in 1986. Since then, he has scored numerous hits with artists ranging from Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Faith Hill to Nancy Griffith, Diamond Rio and Clay Walker. However, no one has covered more of his songs than his wife Kathy Mattea. Those songs include “Time Passes By,” “Who’s Gonna Know,” “All Roads to the River,” “The Innocent Years,” “Ashes in the Wind” and “Where’ve You Been” which won “Song of the Year” in 1989 and a Grammy in 1990.

Kathy Mattea -- Even more impressive than her substantial cache of awards, Grammys and gold records, West Virginia native Kathy Mattea has made her mark in Nashville as a leader rather than a follower. Shaken by the 2006 Sago Mine disaster, Mattea - whose family worked in the mines -- release, “Coal” in 2008. It includes songs written by West Virginians Billy Edd Wheeler and Hazel Dickens that focus on the hardships of life in the coalfields.

Sally Barris - Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sally Barris has had her songs recorded by country singers ranging from Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood and Lee Ann Womack to American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler. Her release “Restless Soul,” seamlessly merges Celtic and country and has been compared to the work of Alison Krauss.

Karan Casey

November 2011

November 18, 2011

On The Radio

Stage Notes

For the latest information about these artists, visit their websites by clicking on their names.

November 2011 On The Radio

Stage NotesNovember 25, 2011

For the latest information about these artists, visit their websites

by clicking on their names.

Black Dub featuring Daniel Lanois, Trixie Whitley, Daryl Johnson and Brian Blade - The instantly identifiable sound of Daniel Lanois’ rootsy, atmospheric production has defined releases by Bob Dylan, U2, Brian Eno, Willie Nelson, the Neville Brothers and Neil Young. His latest project - a soul-based sound framed in Jamaican dub - teams him with drummer extraordinaire Brian Blade and singer Trixie Whitley. Blade has played with everyone from Herbie Han-cock and Chick Corea to Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Norah Jones. Whitley, the daughter of the late singer/songwriter Chris Whitley has performed with Meshell Ndegeocello, Chocolate Genius, Robert Plant and Vernon Reid.

Delta Spirit - Formed in 2004 by two alumni of the San Diego band Noise Ratchet - bassist Jon Jameson and drummer Brandon Young - Delta Spirit marked a change of direction for the members who had previously been signed to Rick Rubin’s American label. The group’s “History from Below” is an attractive showcase of twangy, soulful rock balladry,” according to Billboard.

Anaïs Mitchell - Vermont native Anaïs Mitchell began writing songs when she was 17. She issued her first recording, “The Song They Sang When Rome Fell,” in 2002. In 2006 Mitchell debuted her “folk opera” “Hadestown” based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and set in a futurist poverty-stricken America. Subsequently, an album titled “Hadestown was released in 2010.

Danielle Ate the Sandwich - Described as “cripplingly enchanting,” singer/songwriter Danielle Ate the Sandwich is among the new breed of artists who

have found their path to success through social media outlets. With more than 3.5 million views and 25,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, word about her beautiful voice and unique songwriting spread like wildfire. Her third release, “Two Bedroom Apartment,” quickly rose to No. 5 on iTunes’ singer/songwriter chart.

Horse Feathers - A chamber folk band from Portland, Horse Feathers centers around singer/songwriter Justin Ringle and a rotating cast of supporting musicians, including multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick. The band’s current release is the haunting and eautiful “Thistled Spring.”

The Jayhawks - Based on the brilliant harmony and expert songwriting of Gary Louris and Mark Olson, The Jayhawks emerged out of their Minneapolis scene into the forefront of the alt-country boom of the 1990s. Their break-through album, 1991’s “Hollywood Town Hall” and its follow-up “Tomorrow the Green Grass,” were recently re-mastered and reissued in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of their release. After enjoying success as solo artists, Louris and Olson have reconvened with the original Jayhawks line-up and released “Mockingbird Time,” their first album of new material in 15 years, in Septem-ber.

Hot Tuna - Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Jorma Kaukonen formed Hot Tuna with Jack Casady in the 1960s as a side project of San Francisco’s Jefferson Airplane. The group’s first studio album in 20 years, “Steady as She Goes,” was recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock, New York, with producer Larry Campbell and released in April 2011. The album captures the energy of Hot Tuna’s live performances with Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, Skoota Warner on drums as well as Campbell joining them on guitar, fiddle, organ and vocals.

Karan Casey & John Doyle - Two of the founding members of the Irish Folk group Solas, Casey and Doyle teamed up for “Exiles Return” in 2010. The album features Casey’s enchanting voice and Doyle’s tasteful instrumental skills on charming renditions of traditional Irish songs. The album exceeds the already high expectations of their previous works.

Ha Ha Tonka – Formed in Springfield, MO. This indie-rock quartet signed to Bloodshot Records in 2007 after a string of successful, self-released albums under the name Amsterband. Their latest release “Death of a Decade” was referred to by AllMusic as being “smart, ambitious, literate and fun at the same time.” The group was recently featured on an Ozark episode of the Travel Channel’s “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.”

Southeast Engine - Mixing Appalachian heritage and indie-rock sensibility, Southeast Engine’s fifth CD “Canary” tells a fictional story of a mountain-re-gion family amidst the Great Depression. Founded in 1999 by Ohio University students Adam Remnant and Leo DeLuca, the group signed to North Carolina based Misra Records in 2007 and found its broadest audience with their 2009 effort “From the Forest to the Sea.” Recently featured on NPR’s “World Café: Next” series, the group recently finished a month-long tour of the East Coast and Canada with These United States.

Black Dub

On Today’s ProgramHour 1Horse Feathers -- Working Poor;

Cascades; Thistled Spring; Starving Robins

Anaïs Mitchell -- Wedding Song; Why We Build the Wall; Our Lady of the Underground; Flowers (Eurydice’s Song); How Long?

Danielle Ate The Sandwich -- Bribes; 17 and 53; We Are Hot Dogs

Hour 2Delta Spirit -- Brunswick Blues; White

Table; St. Francis; Scarecrow

Black Dub -- Nomad; Surely You Were Meant To Be Mine; Agave; Ring the Alarm; Silverado

Larry Groce & Company -- Sinner You Better Get Ready

November 2011 On The Radio

Credits:The photos in this newsletter are from the artists media kits or by Brian Blauser of B&B Studios based in Athens, Ohio, and are used with permission.

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Click on the photo above to watch an interview with Canadian roots rock supergroup Blackie and the Rodeo Kings with host Larry Groce Backstage at Mountain Stage.

About Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - One of Canada’s leading roots rock acts, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings is a collaboration between three well-respected blues, folk and rock musicians: Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson. In 2011, The Rodeo Kings released its seventh release, “Kings and Queens,” in which each of the 14 tracks feature duet vocals from a differ-ent female artist, including Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Cassandra Wilson, and Patti Scialfa.

Backstage at Mountain Stage

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings