From the press release:
Today, NPR Music and West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s live performance radio show Mountain Stage released their new compilation Live On Mountain Stage: Outlaws and Outliers. Available everywhere through Oh Boy Records, the album features a collection of live performances from various artists captured during Mountain Stage tapings over the past four decades, including Margo Price, John Prine, Birds of Chicago featuring Allison Russell, Sierra Ferrell, Jason Isbell, and Molly Tuttle among many others.
“Our only purpose has been to showcase their incredible talent. We’ve heard a lot in forty years and these songs are just a few of the treasures from our archives that we want to share with the world. When we got the chance to work with Oh Boy Records on this project, we jumped at it. John Prine is an American music icon who set the bar for performing songwriters like the ones in this collection. There’s a lot of fun here but there’s also a lot of insight as to what life is all about.”
– Larry Groce, Founder of Mountain Stage.
The Mountain Stage has been one of American Roots music most iconic stages for four decades. It comes from West Virginia Public Broadcasting and it is widely distributed by NPR. Now John Prine label called Oh Boy Records has released a compilation of live recordings from the Mountain Stage that spans for decades!
So, let’s just begin at the first song here. I am not a David Bowie fan. However, I do agree with people like Shooter Jennings whom even paid him an homage by naming Black Country Rock after him, that he IS INDEED a legendary performer and a major cog in the machine! I certainly cannot argue with you there.
I am however, a HUGE Wilco fan and I did enjoy their version of this song from the self titles second David Bowie album. I think it greatly inspired people like Daniel Donato, who is doing the Cosmic Country thing. I enjoyed this cover song here!
Right now I am listening to Watchouse singing the next song called “The Wolves”. This one is from their album called “Tides Of A Teardrop”. The beginning has one hell of a cool mandolin solo in E, however it’s not long enough…I like this band. A LOT….under both names. See, they used to be Mandolin Orange.
Molly Tutle’s “You Didn’t Call My Name” is from her album “Rise”. I have indeed heard her play this one many times, she is amazing onstage. Right now she is one of the top traveling Bluegrass bands on the circuit. One of the big things I was waiting for ( and I’m sure 75 percent of you all were too ) was the never before released song “Going Home” from Tyler Childers.
I’m not one of the many who knew Tyler Childers back from years ago, when he was doing small shows, but I found about him during the first Old Soul Radio Show anniversary show. Remember that when they recorded it in his living room, and that’s when I first heard “White House Road”. My first live encounter with him was the final show that Fifth On The Floor played..
“Joy” was from my favorite Lucinda Williams album called Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I’m not the type that cannot put aside politics in music (especially ones that are well known for it) and for the ones I do not agree with I still fully support. I’m not saying I agree or disagree with her, but she is an icon, and I love her music. This album is a masterpiece.
I’m not really into Eric Church music at all, however I do have a lot of respect for him as a businessman or a person. He books some of the BEST “Underground” bands and artists. Now, many people out there may try to argue that it is his talent buyers doing it, not him. But this is one of the reasons I believe he does have some charge of it. He has personally taken bands like The Drive By Truckers on tour with him, which turned a whole new generation of fans onto their music.
I remember many years ago when Margo Price played Muddy Roots ( back then it was Margo Price and the Price Tags). This was a few years before she released her first album called “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter” which I regard as her best, but I do remember her playing her contribution to this album called “Hurti’n On The Bottle”.
“One More Dollar” is a Gillian Welch song from her 1996 Revival album that she contributes to the album with David Rawlings. Now, the song “Red Winged Blackbird” came from the 2008 HIGHLY OVERLOOKED album by Kathy Mattea called “Coal”. It was an entire album of cover songs, but they were all produced by Marty Stuart in such a splendid fashion it made it a masterpiece.
Also contributing were The Indigo Girls, John Prine and Steve Earle performed “You Know The Rest” from his 1997 banger El Corazon. Man, I really and truly love those early Steve Earle albums. One of the biggest rising names in music today is Sierra Ferrell, who is appearing on all sorts of compilations now. She contributes the song “I’d Do It Again” which she plays often live.
Love me some Rhiannon Giddens, who played “Black Is The Color” from her 2015 “Tomorrow Is My Turn” album, and Allison Krauss….I love her too. James McMurtry and Jason Isbell are on this one as well as Sam Baker.
