Music

Country singer Connie Smith makes her second appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live in Bristol, Tenn./Va., in partnership with the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance.

After 15 years as the singer of Death Cab for Cutie, Benjamin Gibbard has finally released his first solo album, titled Former Lives. The record moves beyond the indie-pop confines of Gibbard's band, touching on Latin music, alt-country and '70s power pop. It largely consists of songs written in the last eight years that never fit the themes of past Death Cab records.

Bob Mould has spent the last couple years exploring his past. He published his autobiography, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody, last year. More recently, he revisited the complete recordings of his '90s band Sugar for the purpose of reissuing them. All that looking back gave Mould the idea that the time was right for a return to the earlier sounds of his legendary '80s band Hüsker Dü, which blurred the lines separating punk, rock and pop.

Ben Sollee is not only an unconventional cellist, but also an unconventional human being. Recently, he took his cello, walked up the long steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the mall in D.C. (along with the Mason Jar Music film crew) and began to perform. It's not legal to do that, but like I said, Ben Sollee — the guy who bikes his cello across the country — is not a follower. The following video captures the moments in the shadow of Lincoln amid a throng of tourists.

From Ben Sollee:

The three seasons of Treme have all found their way to Mardi Gras; appropriately, the day is always depicted with all the spectacle, vice and musical mayhem you might expect. Josh Jackson of WBGO returns to break down the many musical scenes in this year's go-round.

Patrick Jarenwattananon: So many flashes of live music this episode. Let's start at the beginning. Did you recognize the band where Lieut. Colson and his fellow officer are talking, and there are (clothed) women on poles in the French Quarter?

Scott Yoder and Brendhan Bowers formed The Pharmacy in 2002, envisioning it as a garage-punk band before also embracing dance-pop and psychedelic rock. In 2007, classically trained pianist Stefan Rubicz joined the group, which has since maintained a steady schedule, earning positive reviews and touring with Vivian Girls, Matt+Kim and Japanther.

Wanda Jackson makes her second appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live in the border town of Bristol, Tenn./Va., in partnership with the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. Enjoying yet another career renaissance on the heels of her Jack White-produced album The Party Ain't Over, Jackson returned to the studio earlier this year alongside Justin Townes Earle.