West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s live radio show “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” returns to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center stage on Sunday, Jan. 17. Showtime is set for 7 p.m. The lineup includes Blitzen Trapper, Ruby Amanfu, Wild Child, Birds of Chicago and Emilie & Ogden. Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-745-3000 and 304-293-SHOW (7469).

For more than 30 years, “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” has been home to live music on public radio. The two-hour radio show, recorded before a live audience, is produced in West Virginia and distributed by National Public Radio weekly on more than 150 stations across America and around the world via NPR Music and mountainstage.org.

The Jan. 17 show at the Creative Arts Center promises an evening of unforgettable music. The Oregon-based band Blitzen Trapper has been recording and performing for 15 years. During this time, the group has crafted one of the more compelling and varied catalogs in contemporary rock and roll. Their eighth studio album, “All Across This Land,” is a top-down, tightly defined piece of classic rock and roll, full of big riffs, bigger hooks and instantly relatable lyrics.

“This record,” says Eric Earley, lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, “best represents what Blitzen Trapper is as a live act.” He goes on to explain, “People who just hear the music somewhere, they tend to think of us as this, like, indie-folk act. But people who come to the shows know that we’re actually a hard rock band. And who knows? Maybe all that some people really want from us is folk music. But what we like to do is play rock music.”

Singer/songwriter Ruby Amanfu’s career has been full of twists and turns. Many will recognize her from her popular duo with Sam Brooker. The two began performing together in 1999, combining elements of folk, country-pop and R&B. Sam & Ruby’s self-recorded, self-titled EP included the song “Heaven’s My Home,” which was featured in the 2008 film “The Secret Life of Bees.” Contemporary music fans will remember Amanfu from the 2013 Grammy Awards duet she sang with Jack White, “Love Interruption.”

Texas-born Wild Child has a reputation for spirited live shows. The band includes Kelsey Wilson on violin and vocals, Alexander Beggins on ukulele and vocals, Evan Magers on keyboards, Sadie Wolf on cello, Chris D’Annunzio on bass, Drew Brunetti on drums and Matt Bradshaw on trumpet. Together, they generate complex and enthusiastically catchy indie pop that incorporates international folk influences. The band’s third album, “Fools,” takes sad stories and transforms them into a lively love letter to the power of music and the art of living with yourself.

Birds of Chicago is a collective centered on Allison Russell (of the acclaimed Canadian roots group Po’ Girl) and JT Nero (of JT and the Clouds). Russell and Nero draw heavily on the gospel tradition, making music that feels like a new, secular gospel of sorts –- rock and roll psalms. Their latest album, “Real Midnight” was produced by Grammy-winner Joe Henry and features music that alternates between moody rock swagger and the ghostliest of soundscapes.

Emilie Kahn of Emilie & Ogden –- Ogden is her harp –- will bring her feathery, agile brand of indie folk to the Mountain Stage. Kahn, whose stark remake of Taylor Swift’s “Style” went viral on YouTube this past summer, hails from Montreal, Canada. According to For Folk’s Sake, Emilie & Ogden’s debut album ”’10,000’ revels in its compelling deliverance of truth, swaths of lush harmonies and instrumentation clashing elegantly against the unapologetic fury that Kahn so liberally applies.”

Tickets for “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” range from $23 to $35, depending on location. WVU Student tickets are $10 at the campus box offices (limit: one discounted ticket per valid WVU Student ID). Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-745-3000 and 304-293-SHOW (7469).

This event is part of the University Toyota University Arts Series produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. For additional information, call 304-293-SHOW (7469), or visit events.wvu.edu. Stay connected with the latest event updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @wvuevents.

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

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.