Paul Thorn - In the spirit of swampy songwriters like Joe South and Tony Joe White, Paul Thorn has toured and collaborated with Sting, Paul Carrack, Joe Diffie, Tanya Tucker, Ronnie Milsap and Carole King. From Tupelo, MS, Thorn was a skydiver and a successful prize fighter - and one of the few who can claim to have knocked down Roberto Duran in the ring. The son of an evangelist preacher - which afforded him is first experience onstage - Thorn is a compelling songwriter and storyteller. Thorn’s break came when he was “discovered” by record honcho Miles Copeland in the late ‘90s. Soon, he was opening for acts like Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Sting, John Hiatt, Robert Cray, Marianne Faithfull and John Prine. His music is infused with the soul of the Mississippi heartland: blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock n’ roll. Thorn’s current release is titled “A Long Way From Tupelo,” with “Pimps and Preachers” due in 2010.

Band of Heathens - Comprised of singers/songwriters/guitar-pickers Colin Brooks, Gordy Quist and Ed Jurdi, bassist Seth Whitney and drummer John Chipman, Band of Heathens mixes soul, folk and country in the tradition of the Band, Little Feat and Townes Van Zandt. In 2007, the band took home “Best New Band” honors at the Austin Music Awards and the resulting CD “Live at Antone's” documented that set. The group’s 2008 self-titled release was produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard and hit No. 1 on the Americana Music Association Radio chart, spent two months at No. 1 on the Euro-Americana Radio chart and wound up at No. 8 on the AMA’s Top 100 Albums of 2008 list. That album also earned the band an Americana Music Association Honors & Awards nomination for 2009 New Emerging Artist of the Year. BoH’s current release is titled “One Foot in the Ether.”

Peter Bradley Adams - Formerly one half of the duo Eastmountainsouth which was signed by the Band’s Robbie Robertson to DreamWorks Records in 2002, Adams co-produced Eastmountainsouth’s debut album with Mitchell Froom. The duo toured extensively opening for Lucinda Williams, Tracy Chapman and performed its final show at the Hollywood Bowl opening for Lyle Lovett and Shelby Lynn. Since then, Adams has released three solo records: "Gather Up", "Leavetaking", and his most recent, "Traces," in October, 2009. Adams’ music has appeared in 40-plus films and television shows including “The Mentalist,” “One Tree Hill,” “Brothers and Sisters” and the film “Everybody’s Fine” starring Robert De Niro. In 2008, “The Wall Street Journal” named Adams one of the “21st-century writers whose songs are worth exploring.”

Kelley Ryan - The former front woman for L.A.’s pop-rocking astroPuppies, singer/songwriter Kelley Ryan has struck out on her own with “Twisted,” her first solo release. Ryan has achieved considerable success as a songwriter with songs featured in the films “The Trojan War” and “Colin Fitz,” the NBC-TV movie “Friends Till The End” and the soap opera “Another World.” Ryan also sang backup on Lionel Richie's multi-platinum 1986 hit "Dancing On The Ceiling." After four astroPuppies releases, Ryan enlisted renown producer/bassist Don Dixon, his wife, singer/songwriter Marti Jones, percussionist Jim Brock and legendary string arranger Van Dyke Parks to help create a song cycle of tunes written from the female perspective. Dixon, Jones and Brock will be joining Ryan for her “Mountain Stage” slot.

The Fox Hunt - Led by singer/songwriters John R. Miller and Matt Kline, along with Matthew Metz and Ben Townsend, this Martinsburg, WV-based group assimilates influences that begin with early 20th Century string band music and incorporate their own personal upbringing. Their third CD, “Long Way to Go,” was released on February 20, 2010 and the group will tour Ireland in June, 2010.

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For more information contact Adam Harris 304 556 4989

Scheduled for NPR distribution in May 21, 2010