Mountain Stage

Tim Easton returns for his second appearance on Mountain Stage to perform songs from Porcupine, his hard-driving fifth CD.

Originally from Charlottesville, Va. and now living in Rhode Island, singer-songwriter Pat McGee provides a glimpse of his newly launched solo effort in this Mountain Stage performance.

The six members of Sonos perform vocal arrangements of contemporary pop songs with beat-box backing. Their Mountain Stage set includes "I Want You Back," a Motown hit in 1969 for the Jackson 5.

Paralyzed at age 18, Chesnutt began playing his intricate, emotional songs around Athens, Ga. In his seventh appearance on Mountain Stage, Chesnutt reveals an unrecorded song, "Granny," inspired by a dream.

Songwriter and guitarist Eric Bachmann started out in college radio and has been crafting his sound ever since. Now, with Crooked Fingers, he performs songs from the band's fifth CD, Forfeit/Fortune.

Iowa-raised singer-songwriter Greg Brown takes center stage with a set reflecting a career that dates back to 1974. We also hear a piano solo by Mountain Stage pianist Bob Thompson.

First inspired by country and later by punk music, Neko Case has combined her passions and cultivated a signature sound that fuses contemporary rock, pop and country elements.

The Nashville band got its name at the suggestion of Lou Reed. Led by singer and guitarist Matt Campbell, the group brings its highly electrified, ragged sound to the program in songs from its debut EP, Veracruz.

In recent years, the songwriter has consistently changed her approach to recording. She's tackled Great American Songbook material and gospel music from an agnostic perspective; her new project combines '60s and '70s pop with her own symphonic arrangements.

Brothers Ed and Matt Anderson and drummer Tim Kramp are at the core of the Bloomington, Ill., band. Backyard Tire Fire performs songs from its breakthrough release, The Places We Lived, and previews material from an upcoming album.

A mainstay of the Boston folk movement of the '60s, Rush is one of the performers for whom the term "singer-songwriter" was originally coined. He performs some of his greatest hits, and a choice cover, live on the program.

The country-rock band from Austin combines elements of southwestern country, Cajun dance, Appalachian fiddle and West Coast guitar with a collective love for surrealist art and literature.

The singer-songwriter hiked the Appalachian Trail and traveled around the world before trying his hand at music. His new album, 'Til Spring, draws upon a Jon Fante novel and a record by jazz pianist Bill Evans.

Toronto alt-rocker Tom Wilson has enjoyed success as a solo artist, as well as with bands like Junkhouse and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. But for his latest musical incarnation, he delves into a genre he calls "acid folk."