Mountain Aid – Andrew McKnight and Beyond Borders

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Executive Producer Rich Reardin interviews Andrew McKnight and Beyond Borders at the Shakori Hills Festival grounds for MOUNTAIN AID. The MOUNTAIN AID festival June 19 and 20th, 2009 was held this year to raise money to move an elementary school in Marsh Fork, West Virginia, which is in peril of pollution, and worse, a dam break at the Shumate dam slurry pond. Slurry is the leftover waste from cleaning coal after removing it by blasting in a process called Mountain Top Removal (MTR). There is a grass roots movement to stop this process which is destroying forever the flora and fauna of the mountains in Appalachia, and polluting the water and air. Rich and Andrew discuss how music is plays an important role in bringing focus to issues that affect us all. From the idea of a protest song, to the simple expression of the beauty of the mountains, Andrew suggests that music brings people together, and allows expression in an artistic way about these issues.

The Avett Brothers Segment 1

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SONG: Tear Down the House

In Search of a Song executive producer Rich Reardin interviews The Avett Brothers at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival on November 22nd, 2008.  Sitting in David Grisman’s dressing room backstage, this is a great interview, and topped off with 3 songs played live, and spontaneously in the interview.  The Avett Brothers from Concord, North Carolina, have played and written music together “forever” according to them.  It was a pure pleasure to sit back and listen to them play.

The Avett Brothers Segment 2

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At the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival

SONGS: St. Joesephs – Belladonna

Del McCoury Interview Segment 1

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Jason Wilber interviews Del McCoury at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado.  This was an amazing weekend, as Jason was playing with John Prine on the last day, and executive producer Rich Reardin joined Jason backstage for the entire 4 day festival.  Rich and his friend Bryan camped out at 10,000 feet on the mountains surrounding Telluride, coming down daily for interviews with the various musicians.  Planet Blugrass really supported the interviews, and it was an amazing experience, as ISOAS was able to interview Del, Peter Rowan, Casey Driessen, Tim O’Brien, and more… As a matter of fact, I’ll write more about the whole experience from my perspective on the next blog. For now, this is an incredibly intimate interview with Del McCoury… who started with Bill Monroe, and continues to be one of the most respected, and loved musicians in the world of American music.

Del McCoury Interview Segment 2

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