The Mountain Stage Podcast is the complete recording of the entire live show. It features songs that were cut from the radio broadcast, and it is the only place you can hear the full finale song. New episodes become available about 10 days after the premiere broadcast date. We have Spring and Fall seasons of new broadcasts, so if you heard a recent show but don’t see it at the top of the feed, just scroll back a few weeks or use the search function to find a specific artist.
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We tell stories from the fault lines that separate Americans. Peabody Award-winning public radio producer Trey Kay listens to people on both sides of the divide.
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Telling West Virginia's Story
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Some politicians and coal operators call themselves friends of coal, but one journalist says they don’t seem to be friends of coal miners. Also, what not to do if you get poison ivy. And, pepperoni rolls were a staple in the coal mines. But public schools might be why they caught on. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. …
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Us & Them: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion — Its History And The Efforts To Erase It
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52:00For decades, polls have shown most Americans believe equal opportunity in the workplace is beneficial and laws like the 1964 Civil Rights Act worked to achieve that goal. More recently, the effort has included voluntary diversity, equity and inclusion programs - known as DEI. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at changing social and …
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1,052 - MC Taylor Goldsmith Show, Kat Edmonson, Ken Pomeroy, Jonny Fritz, and Scott Mulvahill
2:12:07
2:12:07
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2:12:07This episode was recorded on March 9, 2025 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes The MC Taylor Goldsmith Show (featuring Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger), Kat Edmonson, Ken Pomeroy, Jonny Fritz, and Scott Mulvahill. https://bit.ly/4iftS6O…
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We head to the woods for a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. And the woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from pawpaws and jewelry from coyote teeth. We also visit the Alleghany Highlands, where mountain maple syrup traditions are changing with the times. You'll hear these stories and more this week, In…
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1,051- Larkin Poe, Victoria Canal, Raye Zaragoza, Ron Pope, and Christian Lopez
2:19:19
2:19:19
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2:19:19This episode was recorded on February 16th, 2025 at the Canady Creative Arts Centerat West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. The lineup includes Larkin Poe, Victoria Canal, Raye Zaragoza, Ron Pope, and Christian Lopez. https://bit.ly/3RWmKBeBy West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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A new book looks into the toxic legacy of a huge industrial disaster in Tennessee. Also, rock climbing gear wears out. But it can still live on as art. And, an Eastern Kentucky pharmacist serves vegan food for the holidays. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. In This Episode: A Coal Ash Spill And A Labor Justice Fight C…
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1,050- The Headhunters, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, David Berkeley, Buffalo Rose, and Crys Matthews
2:14:14
2:14:14
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2:14:14This episode was recorded on February 2nd, 2025 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes The Headhunters, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, David Berkeley, Buffalo Rose, and Crys Matthews. https://bit.ly/42AWjHvBy West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. Also, climbers have also been working to make West Virginia's New River Gorge more inclusive. And, a master craftsman, who makes one of a kind whitewater paddles, remembers some advice. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside…
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Us & Them: Daniel Johnston — The Troubled Life And Artistic Genius Of West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame Inductee
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36:20Us & Them: Daniel Johnston — The Troubled Life And Artistic Genius Of West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame InducteeBy Trey Kay and WVPB
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1,049 - Oliver Wood, Stephen Wilson Jr., Dar Williams, TopHouse, and Cloud Cult
2:23:54
2:23:54
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2:23:54This episode was recorded on January 26th, 2025 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Oliver Wood, Stephen Wilson Jr., Dar Williams, TopHouse, and Cloud Cult. https://bit.ly/4hTzT8LBy West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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Aaron Dowdy of alternative country band Fust took an outside path to becoming a songwriter. Also, egg prices are up. Some folks are talking about raising backyard chickens. And, Helvetia, West Virginia’s old world Fasnacht festival continues to grow, in part because of an online video game. Organizers are OK with it. You'll hear these stories and m…
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Us & Them: Substance Use Disorder — Can You Recover Without A Place To Call Home?
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52:00Reality is more challenging now for people who live at the intersection between substance use disorder, homelessness and the criminal justice system. New laws across the nation echo aspects of the 2024 Safer Kentucky Act, which enhance penalties for violent crimes, drug crimes, shoplifting and carjacking, as well as a ban on public camping. On this…
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1,048 - Kip Moore, Joy Clark, Brad Tursi, Andrew Marlin Stringband, and Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns with guest host David Mayfield
2:22:08
2:22:08
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2:22:08This episode was recorded on December 8, 2024 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes SKip Moore, Joy Clark, Brad Tursi, Andrew Marlin Stringband, and Matt Mullins & The Bringdowns with guest host David Mayfield. bit.ly/4iwypCoBy West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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During a pandemic, where do you give birth? Also, we’ll have the story of a family that cultivated an heirloom tomato in West Virginia. It took a lot of work. And, a musical tradition brought people together — even when they couldn’t gather in person. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. In This Episode: Become A Dad In …
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1,047 - Stephen Kellogg, Jill Sobule, Mindy Smith, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, and The David Mayfield Parade
2:30:05
2:30:05
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2:30:05This episode was recorded on December 1st, 2024 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Stephen Kellogg, Jill Sobule, Mindy Smith, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, and The David Mayfield Parade, with guest host Conor Knighton. http://bit.ly/3FLIixDBy West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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It’s been five years since the COVID-19 lockdowns. An album made during that time is getting a re-release on vinyl. Also, a Kentucky tattoo artist practices traditional tattooing and traditional music. He says they’re not too different. And, what keeps people so fascinated with cryptids? You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalach…
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Us & Them: We The People [But Not So Much] Women
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32:18
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32:18Many Americans assume the U.S. Constitution guarantees men and women equal rights. But the authors of the Constitution did not consider women as part of ‘We the people.’ In fact, the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment provides far fewer protections for gender as a protected category than it does for race, religion or national origin. In …
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A beloved West Virginia hotdog restaurant closed in 2018. An annual tribute sale gives people a chance to relive its glory days. Also, a West Virginia town can trace its beginnings to the first place its founders lived — a giant stump. And, a few people still farm the way folks did before tractors — with horses. You'll hear these stories and more t…
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In the 1930s, hundreds of mostly Black workers died digging the Hawks Nest Tunnel. A photographer brings their stories to life. Also, when Jerry Machen began making art from old carpets in Tennessee, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed. And, a new exhibit shares the cultures of Indigenous people who call Appalachia home. You’ll hear these stories and m…
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Us & Them: Black West Virginians With Substance Use Disorder Face unique Challenges
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52:00The Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal spending is targeting a broad range of departments and agencies including the low-income health care program Medicaid. Republican lawmakers want work requirements in place for eligibility. But the scope of Medicaid programs goes beyond direct health care. Many people rely on Medicaid for treatment o…
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This week, we talk with East Tennessee’s Amythyst Kiah. Her new album contemplates the cosmos. Also, hair salons are important gathering places where Black women can find community. And West Virginia poet Torli Bush uses story to tackle tough subjects. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. In This Episode: Amythyst Kiah’s…
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This week, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. Also, an Asheville musician’s latest guitar album is a call to arms. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece. You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia. In …
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Us & Them: Housing Options Are Few & Far Between In Appalachia
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38:20Home ownership in America is one of the most common ways to build wealth for future generations. But in Appalachia, West Virginia presents the complexities and nuances of that reality. The Mountain State has the nation’s highest homeownership rate but the second lowest personal income rate. And there’s another reality at work. Much of that housing …
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This week, we visit a summer camp that’s part of the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan. Also, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. And, the author of an upcoming graphic novel about pipeline fighters has a message for people outside the region. Y…
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This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. Corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a bite out of mobile home parks. They’re raising rents and letting repairs slide. And, as the Mountain Valle…
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This week, Inside Appalachia speaks with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. The labor struggle culminated in the largest armed uprising since the Civil War. Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can't spell. Froemel’s stories are drawn from small town life. An…
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There’s a fresh slate of legislative agendas in the new year and some include efforts to chip away at reproductive rights and access to abortion, even in states that have recently passed constitutional abortion rights ballot measures. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at what’s ahead after a record number of initiatives passed in No…
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This week, a West Virginia baker draws on her Finnish heritage to make a different kind of cinnamon roll. Also, for nearly a century, some of Appalachia’s best wood carvers have trained at a North Carolina folk school. Newcomers are still welcomed in to come learn the craft. And, a conversation with Kentucky poet Willie Carver Jr. You'll hear these…
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This week, a talented, young folk singer looks for the balance between making music and making a living. Also, after six generations, keeping the family farm going can be rough. We hear the story of the Wakefield family in Pennsylvania, which has farmed for six generations. And the Hellbender Salamander is the largest amphibian in North America, bu…
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With the start of 2025, legislators in some states are determined to pass even tighter abortion restrictions. In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, more than 40 states have passed abortion bans - some with very limited exceptions. Abortion rights advocates are equally determined to expand access to reproductive c…
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This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust belt and even the Northeast. The Appalachian Regional Commission defined the boundaries for Appalachia in 1965 with the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission, a part of Lyndon B. Johns…
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This week, a look back at some of the stories that shaped the show in 2024, like the story of an abandoned Fairmont Brine site in Marion County, West Virginia. It was a common hangout spot, but there’s a hidden danger. Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food. Like disenfranchised neighborhoods in East Knoxville, Tennes…
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