West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage returns to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center stage this Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. The Drive-By Truckers, The Barr Brothers, Mary Gauthier, Allison Moorer and Carlos Nu�ez are scheduled to perform.

Acclaimed alt-country rockers the Drive-By Truckers boast a mix of Southern pride, learned lyrics and a muscled three-guitar attack. Led by frontman Patterson Hood, the band celebrates the South while refusing to paint over its spotty past. History, folklore, politics and character studies all share equal space in the Truckers’ catalog. The Truckers are probably best known for their album, “The Southern Rock Opera,” which explored Hood’s fascination with ‘70s Southern rock (specifically Lynyrd Skynyrd) while tackling the cultural contradictions of the region. The band’s latest release “English Oceans,” is an elegantly balanced and deeply engaged effort with all but one song written by Hood and co-founding member Mike Cooley.

The Barr Brothers’ sound is built around the evocative vocals and songwriting of Brad Barr and the sturdy and studious drumming of his brother Andrew. The Montreal-based Americana/folk-rock quartet was formed in 2006 when the siblings relocated to Montreal and added classically trained harpist Sarah Page and multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial, and began operating under the Barr Brothers moniker. The quartet’s debut album received positive reviews which helped land the group some television work, including an appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The band’s sophomore release, “Sleeping Operator,” has been nominated for a Juno Award for Album of the Year.

Alt-country singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier exploded onto the scene in 1999 following her self-released sophomore effort, “Drag Queens in Limousines.” The album had critics comparing her self-described “country noir” to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, John Prine, and, not surprisingly, Lucinda Williams. Her latest album, “Trouble and Love” reflects a total human experience. “Love, loss, and a life transformed,” Gauthier sums up. “It’s not a random collection of songs. This record is a story.”

Allison Moorer was born into a musical family and raised in the small southern Alabama town of Frankville. Fans will remember her song, “A Soft Place to Fall,” a track she had co-written with Gwil Owen, from the soundtrack of the film “The Horse Whisperer.” The song garnered rave reviews, as well as an appearance in the film itself for Moorer, and set the stage for the singer’s 1998 debut album, “Alabama Song.” Moorer’s latest album “Down to Believing” is due out later this month –- her ninth. Along the way, she’s earned nominations for an Academy Award and a Grammy.

“If it’s possible to become a pop star playing traditional music on bagpipes and recorder, N��ez could be the man,” says the Los Angeles Times. Carlos N��ez is the world’s most famous player of the gaita, the bagpipes of Galicia, Spain’s northwest, Atlantic Ocean-abutting region rich in vibrant, uniquely expressive Celtic traditional music. He has recorded with The Chieftains, Sinead O’Connor, Cuba’s Vieja Trova Santiguera and Ry Cooder—just to name a few.

General Admission tickets for Sunday’s Mountain Stage concert are $18 in advance and $25 on the day of the show. Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, and online at ticketmaster.com

Mountain Stage is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. All performances at the WVU Creative Arts Center are presented by WVU Arts & Entertainment. Stay connected with the latest event updates through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @wvuevents.

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CONTACT: Kristie Stewart-Gale, Arts & Entertainment
304-293-8221, kristie.stewart-gale@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.