Setting the Stage - West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Transcription
Setting the Stage - West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Setting the Stage Mountain Stage® from NPR Live Performance - April 22 Wednesday, April 22 at the Charleston Civic Center - Little Theater Show begins at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $12.50, at the door $18. Call 800-745-3000, order online or visit Taylor Books in Charleston. Vic Chestnutt Neko Case Sonos Greg Brown Crooked Fingers April 15, 2009 Behind the Scenes Neko Case - Over more than a decade, singer/songwriter Neko Case has refined her dark, roots-tinged sound to become one of the most popular members of neo-country scene. Born in Alexandria, VA, and raised in Tacoma, WA, Case left home at age 15. She moved to Vancouver to attend art school and became immersed in the city’s punk scene. In 1997, Case released her first solo debut, “The Virginian,” co-founded the old-timey side project the Corn Sisters and began a long-running affiliation with the popular New Pornographers. It was 2002’s dark “Blacklisted” that made a number of critic’s “best of” lists and landed her a tour opening for Nick Cave. In 2006, “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” continued introducing her music to a wider audience. “Live from Austin, TX” followed a year later. Released in 2009, “Middle Cyclone” was partially recorded in a barn at her farm in Vermont. SunMoonStarJewel Greg Brown - The prolific, Iowa-born singer/songwriter has become one of the elder statesmen of the new folk scene. Brown got his start when he won a contest to play an opening set for singer/songwriter Eric Andersen. After running a hootenanny at Gerde’s Folk City in NYC, and appearing regularly on “Prairie Home Companion,” Brown founded the successful Red House Records label. He’s recorded his songs, which are, by turns, dark, humorous and sad, with folks like Bill Morrissey and Beausoliel’s Michael Doucet. In 2002, “Going Driftless: Tribute to Greg Brown,” featured artists Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iris Dement, Ani DiFranco and Shawn Colvin, interpreting their favorite Brown songs. All proceeds from the record went to the Breast Cancer Fund. Vic Chesnutt - If Georgia singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt started his career as a quirky, ever endearing misanthrope - brought on in part by an accident that left him paralyzed - he’s evolved into one of “rock’s” most unique and articulate songsmiths. Championed by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe (who produced his first two records), a 1996, “Sweet Relief Two,” paid tribute to Chesnutt’s unique songs, with versions performed by Madonna, Hootie & the Blowfish, Smashing Pumpkins and R.E.M. “Ghetto Bells,” released in 2005, featured guest spots by guitarist Bill Frisell and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Van Dyke Parks. In 2007, he issued “North Star Deserter,” produced by film-maker Jem Cohen. He followed with “Dark Developments,” a collaborative record with Athens, GA indie-rock luminaries Elf Power. This live performance is will broadcast on West Virginia Public Radio and NPR in June. (Scheduled guests, ticket prices and dates may change without notice.) April 15, 2009 Behind the Scenes, continued from page 2 Crooked Fingers – This band is the solo project of former Archers of Loaf front-man Eric Bachmann, a onetime saxophone major at Appalachian State University. Bachmann co-founded AoL in Chapel Hill, NC, in late 1991. The band was a timely entrant into the noise pop genre and issued a number of acclaimed releases. After AoL disbanded in 1998, Bachmann founded Crooked Fingers and released a number of CDs in the early 2000’s. In 2005, he penned “Dignity and Shame,” a conceptual piece based on the life of legendary bullfighter Manolete and his lover, Spanish actress Lope Sino. He released “Forfeit/ Fortune” in 2008. Sonos - This young, a cappella sextet from Southern California reinvents a 21st Century songbook with bold reinterpretations of songs by indie artists including Rufus Wainwright, Fleet Foxes, Imogen Heap, Lewis Taylor and Bjork. Among the songs is a trip-hop version of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” and a cover of Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.” A live CD recorded at KCRW will mark the group’s debut. The disc features a guest appearance from the platinumselling Sara Bareilles on a version of her exquisite song “Gravity.” On page 2 (top to bottom) -- Neko Case, Greg Brown On page 3 -- Vic Chesnutt, Crooked Fingers, Sonos Photo Credits: Onless otherwise noted all photos are from the artists’ Web sites or press kits. A note from the Editor “Setting the Stage” is a newsletter for Mountain Stage® fans and is intended for informational purposes only. West Virginia Public Broadcasting provides links to artist Web sites as provided by the artists, many of whom use MySpace, Facebook and similarly nonsecure sites which may include cookies, pop-ups, viral marketing, etc. Please be aware of this possibility when choosing to go to any of the links provided. Thank you, Shawn Patterson, “Setting the Stage” editor April 15, 2009 Thank you sponsors! Thanks to these companies and organizations for their financial support of Mountain Stage®: More Live Shows Check the Mountain Stage® Web site for locations and ticket information. May 3 at 7 pm Cultural Center Theater National Sponsors: Chesapeake Energy Additional support provided by: Charleston Marriott Town Center National Public Radio, NPR Local support provided by: The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation State of West Virginia Mrs. Groovy’s Kitchen Pat McGee Hoots & Hellmouth Colin Linden Tim Easton Meg Hutchinson May 10 at 7 pm Cultural Center Theater Martin Sexton Ruthie Foster Yarn Rocco DeLuca and the Burden Meaghan Smith June 7 at 7 pm Chuck Mathena Center - Princeton, WV Steve Earle Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver King Wilkie Sara Watkins Lovell Sisters June 19 at 8 pm The Clay Center FestivALL Charleston Kick-Off Special Mountain Stage®. is heard on West Virginia Public Radio Sundays at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Visit www.mountainstage.org for the broadcast schedule, play lists and the list of stations that broadcast Mountain Stage®. Listen for the “Mountain Stage® Song of the Week” each Friday during West Virginia Morning on West Virginia Public Radio between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. The featured song is from the next scheduled broadcast of Mountain Stage®. You can also hear it or Buddy Guy download it from the Web site; or subscribe to the Shemekia Copeland Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials RSS feed. Duke Robillard Mountain Stage® is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR April 15, 2009