Multi-platinum selling and seven-time Grammy nominee Joan Osborne and Louisiana soul performer Tommy Malone will join Grammy winning bluesman Keb’ Mo’ and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center on Sunday, April 13 as part of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s popular radio show “Mountain Stage.” Show time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, ticketmaster.com and by phone at 304-293-SHOW and 800-745-3000.

Considered one of the great voices of her generation, Mountain Stage returnee Joan Osborne is a multi-platinum selling recording artist and seven-time Grammy nominee. Her debut album, “Relish,” wove together strands of American roots music, poetic lyrics and impassioned vocals, and produced the international hit “(What if God Was) One of Us.” Osborne has released several albums, toured extensively as both a solo artist and as a member of The Grateful Dead. She has appeared in the Grammy Award-winning documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” and shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Luciano Pavarotti, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris and Patti Smith to name just a few. Osborne has produced two albums for Americana stalwarts the Holmes Brothers and co-produced her most recent critically acclaimed release, “Bring it on Home,” which was nominated in the category of Best Blues Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.

Tommy Malone has had a musical love affair with fans for over 30 years. As front man of the legendary Americana act The Subdudes, he has carved his way as a gifted singer, player and songwriter with a distinctive musical voice. Tommy’s self-assured exterior masks a writer who mines heartache and elation, the surreal and the everyday, and who crafts these experiences into instantly memorable tunes. He is an artist who exudes a laid-back, down-to-earth, instantly familiar style that epitomizes Americana Rock Music. In Tommy’s solo band, as lead guitarist and singer, he punctuates soulful, heart-felt vocals with playing that is at turns joyful, incendiary and melancholic. A musician’s musician, he has recorded with Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin and Anders Osborne, and has had hit other projects with including Tiny Town and the Continental Drifters. His songs have been recorded by Joe Cocker, The Radiators, Tab Benoit and many others.

As previously announced, the April 13th installment of Mountain Stage will also include performances by Keb’ Mo’ and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Keb’ Mo’ is a tour de force in the blues genre. The guitarist and singer-songwriter has won three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Blues album (along with multiple additional nominations). He was showcased as a key figure in Martin Scorsese’s PBS series “The Blues” and has dominated the Billboard Blues chart since his career began. Mo’ has been described as “a living link to the seminal Delta blues that travelled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America.” His music is influenced by folk, rock, jazz and pop. At 21, he was part of an R&B band that opened for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jefferson Starship, and Loggins & Messina. In 1980, however, Mo’ found his roots as a solo artist, beginning his journey as a legend in the blues genre. His latest album, “The Reflection,” continues to mix genres. It’s not a strict blues album: In sound and spirit, it’s closer to the work of African–American “folk soul” singer/songwriters like Bill Withers, Bobby Womack, and Terry Callier. “The Reflection” brings together all of this singular artist’s diverse influences—pre–disco R&B, American folk and gospel, rock, blues, and more— in a sound that is truly and uniquely his own.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band will also appear on “Mountain Stage.” An appetite for musicological adventure, a commitment to honor tradition while not being constrained by it, and a healthy sense of humor have brought the world-traveling Dirty Dozen Brass Band to this remarkable juncture in an already storied career. The group effortlessly flows between jazz, funk and soul all while incorporating the flavor of New Orleans. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the band is releasing “Twenty Dozen,” its first studio release in six years. It’s an upbeat effort that seamlessly blends R&B, jazz, funk, Afro-Latino grooves, some Caribbean flavor, and even a Rihanna cover. Trumpet player Gregory Davis says the group employs a tried-and true New Orleans-centric analogy: “It ends up being like a pot of gumbo – you drop in a little okra, drop in a little shrimp, you drop in some crabs. Before you know it, you’ve mixed in all these different ingredients and you’ve got a beautiful soup. That was our approach to music early on and it still is today.” Staying true to the group’s roots, the album even features a medley of New Orleans staples, including a particularly high-spirited rendering of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The New York Times says the band “conveys a sense of communal jubilation.” Don’t miss out on the party when they bring a slice of New Orleans to WVU.

Showtime is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, April 13 at the WVU Creative Arts Center. General admission tickets are $18 in advance, $25 the day of show. WVU students save $5 at the campus box offices with their WVU ID (one discount per valid ID). Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, or by calling 304-293-SHOW and 800-745-3000.

This event is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and is presented by WVU Arts & Entertainment. For additional event information, call 304-293-SHOW, or visit events.wvu.edu. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/wvuevents and follow us on Twitter at @wvuevents for the most up-to-date show information.

-WVU-

dr/3/19/14

CONTACT: David Ryan, Arts & Entertainment
304-293-8222, David.Ryan@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.