West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage returns to Morgantown Sunday, March 26, with featured musical guests Tina Dico, Buckwheat Zydeco, Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats, Saving Jane and Jesse Harris.
The show, a presentation of WVU Arts and Entertainment, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of West Virginia University’s Creative Arts Center .
General admission tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, all Ticketmaster outlets, on the Web at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 292-0220 and 293-SHOW. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.
Tina Dico
Danish singer/songwriter Tina Dico has been writing and playing music since age 10. But, it wasn’t until she enrolled in the Danish Royal College of Music that she started taking music seriously, assembling a band and landing her first hit single,Your Waste of Time.
After signing different record companies, she grew bored with their less-than-speedy operating pace and decided to create her own company. Finest Gramophone was born. Dico released her first album,Far,at age 23. Her second album,Notes,won a Grammy forBest Songwriterand the Danish Music Critics Award forBest Composer.Last year, she released her third album,In the Red,in Denmark , where it shot to the top of the charts.
Music has always been a very big and mysterious part of my life,says Dico,It’s definitely my way to feel alive.
Buckwheat Zydeco
As the reigning king of zydeco, a unique form of regional music, Stanley Dural Jr., better known as Buckwheat Zydeco, must constantly juggles three potentially conflicting concepts: purity, tradition and popularity. His list of achievements includes four Grammy nominations and performances at President Clinton’s inaugural and the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics.
His songs have been featured in many major motion pictures and TV shows, includingThe Water BoyandNorthern Exposure.He has performed with Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett and John Hiatt. Last year, Buckwheat Zydeco releasedJackpot!,his first studio album since 1997’sTrouble.
Lee Rocker
The critics call Lee Rocker’s musicimpressiveandcatchywithdriving original songs, frantic romps, finger-snapping swing and brooding slow blues.With the musical muscle from his road-tested band, his albumRacin’The Devilis his most diverse yet and a roots music fan’s dream come true.
In 1979, Rocker’s former band, The Stray Cats, single-handedly revived rockabilly music in the United States . The group’s first American album,Built for Speed,became a huge hit and held the No. 2 spot on the Billboard chart for 26 weeks.
Rocker’s solo career took off with the release of 1994’sBig Blueand 1995’sAtomic Boogie Hour.Four more releases followed, and he has toured relentlessly, becoming one of the premiere Americana roots artists in the United States and Europe .
In 2002, he toured with former Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore and in 2003, The Stray Cats reunited for an 18-city tour of Europe . From garage rock and deeply textured roots anthems to the rockabilly sounds Rocker helped reinvent,Racin’the Devilis as timeless and unique as the music he fell in love with as a child.
Saving Jane
Saving Jane’s lead vocalist and primary songwriter Marti Dodson forged her musical path while still in high school, playing clarinet in the marching band. That love of music spilled over into college, where she picked up the guitar and was introduced to some like-minded individuals.
That’s how Saving Jane was born. Dodson quickly shaped the six-member band’spop that rocksmusical direction. On Dec. 17, the band’s debut single,Girl Next Door,entered the Pop 100 chart.
We have a lot of female fans because of that song,says Dodson.So many people seem to feel it so deeply. I didn’t anticipate it being what it has become. I was just writing a story about me.
Jesse Harris
Jesse Harris is a singer/songwriter from New York City . His latest album,Mineral,which features drummer Kenny Wollesen and keyboardist Larry Goldings, will be released this year.
Harris made his first records as part of the duo Once Blue and has since released five albums with his group, The Fardinandos. As a guitarist, he has played on a wide range of albums, including the newI’m Wide Awake, It’s Morningby Bright Eyes and the forthcoming debut by Tristan Prettyman,Twentythree.
In 2003, he won a Grammy award forSong of the Yearfor Norah Jones’rendition ofDon’t Know Why.His songs have been recorded by many artists, including Medeleine Peyroux, Lizz Wright and Pat Metheny. The Boston Herald calls his songssimple sweet melodies that grab hold of the listener.
For more information, call 293-SHOW or visit Arts&Entertainment online atwww.events.wvu.edu.