Mountain Stage brings Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Vienna Teng, Joe Crookston, William Matheny and more to the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
Under the leadership of Grammy Award-winning country and bluegrass star Kathy Mattea since 2021, Mountain Stage continues to bring surefire energy and music discovery to parts known and unknown. Each live performance, including the Jan. 18 show, is recorded for NPR Music and played on 300 radio stations across the country.
Drawing on the wide-ranging influences of his five-decade career, the Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble’s new album “Groove in the Face of Adversity” channels the soul of the Motor City through a blend of steamy jazz, juke-joint blues and loose-limbed funk—a sound both timeless and deeply personal. In concert, Don and the band will feature music from “Groove in the Face of Adversity” alongside a live rendition of The Grateful Dead’s “Blues for Allah,” honoring the album’s 50th anniversary.
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble features top-tier jazz musicians from Don’s hometown, including longtime collaborator Dave McMurray on saxophone, and Eminem’s Oscar-winning collaborator, keyboardist Luis Resto. Additional members include trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canaday, percussionist Mahindi Masai, guitarist Wayne Gerard and vocalist Steffanie Christi’an.
“There’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe,” said Was. “There’s a rawness, a lack of pretension and an unmistakable underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire city.”
Vienna Teng is a pianist and songwriter who describes her sound as “chamber folk” or “indie pop.” Her first national credit was on NPR’s “Weekend Edition” in 2003, followed by an appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” She has opened for Joan Baez, Brandi Carlile and Marc Cohn, and co-headlined a tour with Duncan Sheik. Her five studio albums include “Walking Hour,” “Warm Strangers,” “Dreaming Through the Noise,” “Inland Territory” and “Aims.” She starred as Mama Sid in “The Fourth Messenger,” a musical loosely inspired by the Buddha legend.
“I’d like the experience of my music to be like a good dinner party,” Teng says on her website. “Comfort food with a few experiments thrown in, where conversation stretches ’til 2 in the morning and books get pulled off the shelf to take home.”
Joe Crookston is an award-winning folk artist, songwriter and guitarist. His album “Able Baker Charlie & Dog” was awarded “Album of the Year” by Folk Alliance International in 2009, and two of his songs (“Blue Tattoo” and “Brooklyn in July”) have been adapted into feature films available on Amazon Prime. He has toured with Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins, Shawn Colvin and The Decemberists.
“I’m learning to trust my voice as a songwriter. Be who I am. Trust the stories and follow no trends,” Crookston says on his website. “More and more, I find that when I tell my true story, it has wider breadth, deeper impact and resonates more clearly. I see my job as an artist to have the confidence to sing, play and perform from this deep/true place inside of myself despite what is hip and cool at the moment.”
William Matheny is a singer/songwriter from Mannington, West Virginia, who resides in Morgantown when he’s not touring. He considers himself “a fellow traveler to the Americana movement” but prefers the wide umbrella of rock-‘n-roll to describe his music.
Matheny has opened for The Wallflowers, Lucero and American Aquarium. He performs as a solo artist, as well as a member of The Paranoid Style and as a bassist for John R. Miller. His albums include “Moon Over Kenova,” “Strange Constellations” and “That Grand, Old Feeling.”
Matheny is no stranger to Mountain Stage, and he’s excited to be part of its Jan. 18 Morgantown show.
Tickets can be purchased online at go.wvu.edu/mountain-stage, by phone at 304-293-SHOW or in person at the box office located in the main lobby of the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.