Nellie McKay On Mountain Stage
Set List
- "Bluebird"
- "Dispossessed"
- "Coosada Blues"
- "One's On The Way"
- "Adios"
- "The Portal"
- "Bodega"
The vivacious and multi-talented Nellie McKay makes her fifth visit to Mountain Stage to sing songs from her new album, Home Sweet Mobile Home. Known for her unlikely and unexpected blend of influences, McKay's music routinely evokes everything from Cole Porter and Doris Day to Randy Newman and hip hop — sometimes all in the a single song.
McKay utilizes the Mountain Stage band with a vocal chorus that includes bandleader Ron Sowell, Julie Adams, guitarist Ryan Kennedy and pianist Bob Thompson on backing vocals. Michael Lipton plays electric guitar with bassist Steve Hill, drummer Ammed Solomon and special guest Doug Payne on sax.
You hear touches of McKay's early career flirtations with stand-up comedy during her interaction with the sold-out crowd, and humor permeates her choice in material as well (Shel Silverstein's "One's on the Way"). "Adios" and "The Portal" showcase McKay's own skills as a lyricist.
The Mountain Stage band's Bob Thompson (whose backing vocals are prominent in the closer "Bodega") closes this segment with his interpretation of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You."
This segment originally aired on June 13th, 2011.
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