Kelly Willis, Sierra Green & The Giants, and more on Mountain Stage

Advance tickets: $25
Day of Show $30

All tickets to this show are e-tickets and will be emailed to you upon purchase. Open up the pdf and the QR code on your ticket will be scanned at the door. This event will also be offered as a livestream.

Mountain Stage Member tickets on sale: March 7 at 10am ET
General Sales begin March 14 at 10am ET

Mountain Stage livestreams are free, however, there are some incredible folks out there who’d like to show their support through a donation-based, pay-what-you-want “ticket” for the livestream. This is a donation-based “ticket” to show some love for the program and is not a ticket to the live event.

You’ll be able to catch the show from the comfort of your home (or wherever you wish) Sunday, June 22 – at 7 PM ET at mountainstage.org.

Since 1983, Mountain Stage has been the home of live music on public radio. Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR Music, each two-hour episode of Mountain Stage can be heard every week on over 260 stations across America, and around the world via NPR Music and mountainstage.org.

Recorded in front of a live audience, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country; to indie rock, synth pop, world music, alternative, and beyond.

The program’s original host and co-founder Larry Groce handed over full-time hosting responsibilities to W.Va. native and Grammy winner Kathy Mattea in September of 2021.

Kelly Willis is Back Being Blue, to take a color-coded cue from the title of her seventh album. It’s a shade she wears well, though long?patient fans might just say: You had us at back. They’ll take a new Willis record in whatever hue it comes, now that it’s been 11 years since her last solo release, 2007’s Translated from Love.

The Austin-based singer/songwriter has hardly been MIA in the intervening years, having recorded and toured as part of a duo with Bruce Robison. But she’s setting the duet Mm.Oo. aside for do-it-alone mode, at least as far as the spotlight is concerned. (Robison hovers just outside it this time, as producer.). Hers is a solo voice again, but it’s not necessarily sotto voce: This is an album of songs about lonesomeness that also happens to be a cracklingly good time.

Willis wrote six of the 10 tracks on Back Being Blue by herself, the first time she’s penned that big a portion of one of her albums without outside assists. That doesn’t mean she’s gone into deeply confessional territory for her “Blue” period. Lyrically, “it’s not an extremely personal record,” she says, downright cheerfully. There may be profundity within, but what Willis was really after was a sense of playfulness. “I wanted to make a fun, interesting record that leans on the influences that first inspired me to make music,” she says. “I don’t think of it as even being so much about my vocals as an album about vibe.” Explaining, “The important thing to me was to take these songs and to get them just right musically. And in my mind, I was thinking of where maybe Skeeter Davis meets Rockpile, or Marshall Crenshaw meets the Louvin Brothers.”

Who wouldn’t want to hang out at either of those intersections? Not ignoring the fact that in Willis’ world, as the album title might augur, high times and heartache are inextricably tied, “I guess the songs I write can be more sad than I think they are,” she admits with a laugh. “The lyrics are always sad in country music. I mean, we sometimes wonder why people hire us to do weddings. We’re like, ‘Really? You wanted this? Well, okay!’ But the music, more than ever, I think, is very fun.”

Emerging as a vibrant musical force from the bustling streets of New Orleans, Sierra Green embodies a fusion of timeless soul with an irresistible contemporary allure, evoking the depth and grit of the genre's raw essence. Revered as the "Queen of Frenchmen Street," Sierra's roots delve deep into the rich musical soil of the city's 7th Ward—a historic breeding ground that nurtured legends such as Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, and Allen Toussaint. Sierra's musical destiny is woven into the tapestry of this storied neighborhood, where her voice resonated in the church choir from the tender age of eight.

Sierra's artistic odyssey mirrors the resilience and profound soulfulness of her surroundings. Originating from humble beginnings, she captivated audiences along the iconic Frenchmen Street, eventually securing residencies in New Orleans' most esteemed clubs. Here, she meticulously curated her band, The Giants, handpicking the city’s finest musicians to refine her distinctive sound and command the stage with an undeniable presence.

A transformative moment unfolded in Fall 2023 when Sierra, alongside The Giants, collaborated in the studio with the esteemed David Torkanowsky, a musical luminary synonymous with New Orleans. The outcome was a five-song collection showcasing Sierra's artistry, revitalizing classics like The Meter's "Break in the Road" and infusing her unique essence into David Shaw's "Promised Land." Tracks such as "One Thing" and "He Called Me Baby" resonate with emotional depth and unfiltered passion, marking Sierra's trajectory—a burgeoning artist leaving an indelible imprint on the soul music landscape.

Further expanding her horizons, Sierra journeyed to Nashville, collaborating with producer and guitarist J.D. Simo, celebrated for his work with icons like Beyoncé, Stevie Nicks, and Jack White. These recording sessions promise to elevate her forthcoming debut album, infusing her captivating vocals with sultry guitar, potent horns, and infectious basslines—a nod to the legends of Detroit and Memphis as she forges her own path among contemporary torchbearers.

Sierra stands poised and primed, where each moment behind the microphone holds the promise of an unforgettable evening—an embodiment of soulful melodies and magnetic performances that leave audiences moved, captivated, and inspired. Sierra Green isn't merely crafting music; she’s etching her legacy in the revered annals of musical history.

John Doyle
Name many of the most notable recordings and/or performers in Irish music and it's a fair bet that John Doyle had something to do with them. Liz Carroll; Eileen Ivers; Karan Casey; Solas; Michael Black; Mary Black; the trio of McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle; The Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle); and now Usher's Island (Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Mike McGoldrick, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle) - a vertible who's who of the greatest names in Irish music. These are just a very few of the stellar artists for whom John Doyle's signature guitar sound, singing or songwriting is essential.

From a musical family in Dublin, John’s influences include well known English folk singers Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, and The Watersons; Scottish singers Dick Gaughan and John Martin; and fellow Irishmen Paul Brady and Al O’Donnell as well as his father, Sean Doyle - probably the biggest influence of all. John went on the road as a pro at 16 with the group Chanting House which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, & Donogh Hennessy. John went on to form the highly acclaimed super group, Solas, with Seamus Egan, John Williams, Karan Casey and Winifred Horan which took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm, in no small part due to John’s powerhouse rhythmic guitar style and innovative arrangements. As a member of Solas, John performed to sold out audiences nationally and internationally as well as appearing on many national TV and radio programs: NBC’s The Today Show, various programs for National Public Radio and Public Radio International, A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, E-Town and World Cafe as part of that critically acclaimed group, he also received three NAIRD awards and a Grammy nomination for the band’s self-titled first recording.

After leaving Solas, John has gone on to perform and tour with other greats in the Folk, Celtic and Bluegrass worlds - as music director for folk icon Joan Baez, guitarist for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien (John was included on Tim’s 2006 Grammy-award winning CD, Fiddler’s Green), Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Cathie Ryan, Cherish the Ladies, and many others. He has appeared on soundtracks for the feature film, The Brothers McMullan, Soldier, PBS’s Out of Ireland and also composed the music for the film Uncle Robert’s Footsteps and the play Down the Flats as well as performing on countless recordings as guitarist and/or singer for other notable artists such as Kate Rusby, Linda Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, Mick Moloney, Cathal McConnell, Karan Casey and so many others (check out the discography page for a full list). John is a featured regular for many years in the hugely popular BBC Scotland "Transatlantic Sessions" regularly broadcast in Ireland and at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow having performed there with Americana greats Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Rodney Crowell, Sara Watkins, Kathy Mattea, and many others.

Michael McGoldrick

As a co-founder of best-selling Irish instrumental outfit Lunasa, and current member of Celtic favorites Capercaillie, flautist and piper Michael McGoldrick has played a great part in expanding the audience for British Isles instrumental music with his expert technique and visionary sensibilities. His genius for wedding traditional styles with contemporary textures has made him a welcomed contributor to albums and performances by such acclaimed contemporary roots artists as Kate Rusby, Sharon Shannon, and the Afro-Celt Sound System. Wired is the long-awaited follow-up to his groundbreaking 2000 album Fused, and finds McGoldrick and producer/keyboardist Donald Shaw (Capercaillie, Karan Casey, Karen Matheson) surrounding McGoldrick’s fluid, soulful performances and compositions with a startling variety of rhythmic backdrops. From spacious jazz trappings to surging Indian percussion, electronic loops to bluegrass banjo, Wired brilliantly harnesses the rhythmic momentum of Celtic music while pushing into new sonic realms.

"A treasure-trove of gorgeous tunes, razor-sharp grooves and sublime playing -- if there’s any justice, Wired should be up for next year’s Mercury Prize... Five Stars."- Sunday Herald

Host or Publisher Mountain Stage