James McMurtry, Sammy Rae and The Friends, and more on Mountain Stage

1900 Kanawha Blvd E,Charleston , WV WV 25301

26 June, 2022

Description

James McMurtry, Sammy Rae and The Friends, and more on Mountain Stage Hosted by Kathy Mattea ALL AGES James McMurtry, Sammy Rae and The Friends Be a part of the live audience as Mountain Stage records a fresh episode for NPR Music! We ask that audience members remain masked throughout the performance regardless of vaccination status, in order to lessen the risk of unknowingly spreading the virus.  Those who are unvaccinated are at the greatest risk of serious illness if they contract the virus. If you are not yet vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to assess the potential health risks of attending an indoor live Mountain Stage. We invite you to come back when the time is right or catch the livestream. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to [email protected].  Ticket Information 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 live stream. Watch the livestream! 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 26,  at 7 PM ET at mountainstage.org. Click the ‘Buy Tickets’ button below to join us from anywhere! James McMurtry AUSTIN, Texas — In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, due August 20 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.” The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work. Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more). “I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.” His lauded storytelling — check out songs such as “Operation Never Mind” and “Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call” on The Horse and the Hounds— consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he’s lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he’s working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don’t think anybody writes better lyrics.” McMurtry’s albums Just Us Kids (2008) and Childish Things (2005) back the claim, each scoring endless critical praise. The former earned McMurtry his highest Billboard 200 chart position in two decades (since eclipsed by Complicated Game) and notched Americana Music Award nominations. Childish Things spent six full weeks topping the Americana Music Radio chart in 2005 and 2006, and won the Americana Music Association’s Album of the Year, with “We Can’t Make It Here” named the organization’s Song of the Year. Other accolades include a 1996 Grammy nomination for Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body and an American Indie Award for Best Americana Album for It Had to Happen (1997). McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances, reflected in the release of two live discs: the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records, and 2009’s Live in Europe, which captured the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, Live in Europe features special guests Ian McLagan (Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). (Video of the performance is available on the included DVD.) Sammy Rae and The Friends In short, Sammy Rae & The Friends are the 8 faces of our community, ‘The Friends’. The members are full-time and uniquely talented in several studies of music. From world to jazz to funk, folk and rock, we’ve got all the bases covered. We are an 8 piece band consisting of a rhythm section, a horn section, and background singers + dancers. On a grander scale, The Friends is the community of followers, artists and creatives who help us in the creation of these songs and this world. Our mixing engineer, band photographer, graphic designer, budget manager, and everyone who hangs around our shows supporting our vision. Our shows are safe spaces for you to do your thing; Raise your voice, wear your funky clothes, and dance how you like. We don’t have fans, we have Friends. James McMurtry, Sammy Rae and The Friends For more than 30 years, 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 more than 240 stations across America, and around the world via NPR Music and www.mountainstage.org. Recorded in front of a live audience, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars from genres across the board.