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This page: From Mountains to Mainstream
From Mountains to Mainstream
'I don't want to ever tell anybody what they have to play. And we never do.' -- Larry Groce
Though Groce doesn't believe that Mountain Stage has single-handedly "broken" anyone, he does insist that the show has given that all-important early shot to several artists, including Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, the Crash Test Dummies, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, Phish, and Kathy Mattea.
Having performed on plenty of shows himself, Groce has a refreshing philosophy about how to treat artists. "Number one, I don't want to ever tell anybody what they have to play. And we never do. All we do is give people time. We never even ask 'em what they're gonna play. If they don't want to do their hits, I don't care. If they have no hits, obviously, it's not so important here because we're not hit-oriented."
Secondly, he tries allow every artist at least three songs "because everybody has at least three sides to them."
"Number three, I want them to feel like they are the stars of this show -- not me, not [the house] band, not our producer, not whoever else is here -- and that we're doing everything we can to make them look good, and to give them the time they need. If something's gotta be cut, we will cut us."
Rule Number Four: "I want it to be relaxed. This [show] is not the most important thing in the world." Running around screaming doesn't fix any problem, he wisely observes.
The Neville Brothers perform on Mountain Stage.
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And no matter what their stature, all acts get treated alike. An anchor artist might get more time, but not a disproportionate amount. "Our attitude is, 'So you're the least-known person on this show … so what?' We didn't put you on because we thought you were bad."
All artists are lodged at the town's nicest hotel. And they get paid. More than scale.
"The people who listen to our show like music and buy music," Groce says. Their purchases often include Mountain Stage releases; the show has issued 21 CDs on Blue Plate Music. Most of them are "best of" or thematic compilations, but two feature single artists: John Hartford and Bill Monroe.
The discs, and the show, can be picked up on the Internet; visit Mountain Stage's website at http://www.wvpubrad.org/mountainstage/ for station listings. This fall, the show will start Web-streaming live, unedited audio and video of home-based and road shows. To submit music for consideration, send it to Larry Groce, West Virginia Public Radio Network, 600 Capitol St., Charleston, WV 25301.
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