Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'mountains'

Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For March 11

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:28:00 EST

Author Jeannette Walls shares the story of her unusual upbringing, living like a nomad with her bohemian family as they moved among Southwest desert towns and camped in the mountains, in The Glass Castle.

Seabear: Iceland's Orderly Orchestra

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:47:00 EST

"Lion Face Boy" is the first single from Seabear's sophomore album, We Built a Fire, and it's a perfect display of the band's knack for constructing mountains of instrumentation on a simple idea. The track opens with understated vocals and drums, but eventually bursts into a swarm of piano, horns and guitar.

Yucca Mountain As Metaphor in About A Mountain

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

When writer John D'Agata moved his mother to the suburbs of Las Vegas, he began looking at the history of the governmentâ��s plan to store nuclear waste deep in Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The resulting boo—-- About a Mountai—-- is a reporter's notebook that reads like poetry.

Jack Rose: What Could Have Been

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:13:00 EST

Luck in the Valley is a bittersweet posthumous release by the great guitarist, who died in December at age 38. Featuring the old-time music trio Black Twig Pickers as his backing band, "Lick Mountain Ramble" is a collaborative effort that hollers whiskey-soaked goodness down the mountain.

Pakistan Sends First Skier To Winter Olympics

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:16:00 EST

Years ago a Pakistani boy fell in love with skiing. In the foothills of Asia's great mountains, he tied wooden boards to his feet and slid downhill. A survival trainer noticed Muhammad Abbas and other boys. He found skis for the kids. Now that man is coaching Abbas, who at 24 is Pakistan's first competitor in the Winter Olympics.

Luge Death Looms As Olympics Resume

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST

The luge racers are back on the mountain in Whistler, British Columbia, on Saturday, the first full day of the Winter Olympics. The death Friday of a luge competitor looms over the games after officials made several changes to the track. NPR's Howard Berkes has the latest.

U.S. Ski Team: Vonn Plans To Train Thursday

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:15:00 EST

The U.S. Ski Team says Lindsey Vonn is expected to start in an Olympic downhill training run despite her bruised and swollen right shin. The team says Vonn is up on the mountain Thursday morning for course inspection and feels a little pain in her leg but is planning to ski later.

Crash Kills Florida Helicopter Pilots Helping In Haiti

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:38:00 EST

John Ward, 43, of Fort Myers and co-pilot James Jalovec, 53, of Naples were returning from Haiti on Thursday night when their R44 II helicopter crashed into a mountain in the neighboring Dominican Republic.

As Europe Watches, A 'Murder Wall' Awaits

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:25:00 EST

Director Philipp Stolzl takes the viewer to dizzying heights in North Face, an adventure drama inspired by the true story of two German mountaineers who tackled one of the most dangerous climbs in the Swiss Alps.

The McGarrigle Sisters On Mountain Stage

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:32:00 EST

The folk-singer sister act visited Mountain Stage four times. In memory of the late Kate McGarrigle, here are highlights from their appearances on the program, featuring Kate's children Rufus and Martha Wainwright.

Dala On Mountain Stage

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:23:00 EST

Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther met in a music class in high school. Since they began performing together in 2002, they've released three albums as Dala, and were recently invited to perform at the 50th-anniversary Newport Folk Festival. Here, they perform on Mountain Stage.

Langhorne Slim On Mountain Stage

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:59:00 EST

The songwriter and his band wore down the tires on their van from constant touring — and then left for Italy right after this Mountain Stage appearance. Here, Slim performs songs from his latest album, Be Set Free.

Diane Birch On Mountain Stage

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:48:00 EST

The singer-songwriter and pianist's debut album Bible Belt has won her comparisons to Laura Nyro and Karen Carpenter with its Rhodes-drenched, hook-driven songs. She performs with her band.

Suspected Al-Qaida Militant Killed In Yemen

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:55:00 EST

The governor of Shabwa province said Abdullah Mihzar, who was on a government list of wanted al-Qaida figures, was killed in a raid on a house in the remote mountainous province. Security forces arrested four others in the raid.

Dawes On Mountain Stage

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:04:00 EST

North Hills, the debut album from the California band, draws instant comparison to the alt-country sounds associated with Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon. The band traveled across the country to perform tunes from the record.

Mike Doughty On Mountain Stage

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:06:00 EST

Hear a live performance by the former frontman for the jazzy experimental rock band Soul Coughing. Here, Doughty performs with his longtime touring partner, cellist Andrew "Scrap" Livingston.

Encore: Marie Knight, Clarence Brown And Steve Ferguson On Mountain Stage

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:57:00 EST

Mountain Stage continues its tribute to the memory of some of its favorite artists with archival performances from Brown, Ferguson and Knight.

Yonder Mountain String Band: A Dose Of Twang

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST

The band combines traditional bluegrass arrangements with contemporary pop to create a sound that's been dubbed "jamgrass." Its 2009 album The Show topped the U.S. bluegrass charts.

Encore: Kirsty MacColl And John Martyn On Mountain Stage

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST

Mountain Stage continues its tribute to the memory of some of its favorite artists with archival performances from MacColl and Martyn.

Encore: Morphine, Jeff Buckley On Mountain Stage

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST

Mountain Stage continues its tribute to the memory of some of its favorite artists with archival performances from Morphine and Jeff Buckley.

'Bigfoot' Says His Rights Were Trampled

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:34:00 EST

Jonathan Doyle says the First Amendment protects him and his character: Bigfoot. Last fall he dressed up as Bigfoot and surprised hikers at the top of a mountain in a New Hampshire park. Doyle claims it was a bit of performance art. Park Rangers were not amused when Doyle did it again, and they kicked him out of the park. They said he didn't have a permit.

Encore: Odetta And More On Mountain Stage

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:17:00 EST

For its first shows of 2009, Mountain Stage pays tribute to the memory of some notable artists who've appeared on the show. Host and artistic director Larry Groce hand-picked these performances from the show's 26-year history. Artists include Hacienda Brothers, Stephen Bruton, Sean Costello, Dave Van Ronk, John Stewart, Bob Gibson and the late folksinger Odetta.

Encore: Koko Taylor On Mountain Stage

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:40:00 EST

The Queen of the Blues made three appearances on Mountain Stage before passing away in 2009. The recording heard here was made in April 1994, and features Taylor performing three signature tunes with her one-of-a-kind growl.

Al & The Transamericans On Mountain Stage

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:34:00 EST

Al & The Transamericans is a supergroup of sorts, featuring members of Moe, Strangefolk, Okemah and the Gordon Stone Trio. The band, which boasts a roots-rock sound informed by The Band and Neil Young, recently stopped by Mountain Stage to perform songs from its 2003 debut, Analog, and its recent follow-up, This Day and Age.

John Doe, The Sadies Rock The 'Country Club'

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:10:00 EST

The veteran punk rocker John Doe embraced his inner mountain man on Country Club, an album of classic country covers he collaborated on with The Sadies. The Canadian rockers and the former X frontman joined Terry Gross in the Fresh Air studio for an interview and an intimate performance. (Rebroadcast from April 2009.)