Moving Mountains:

New CD Speaks the Truth about MTR

Not being much of a traveler these days, I was a bit daunted to consider driving to Silver Spring, Md., for the CD release concert for Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise Up Against Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining.

But I had committed myself to do it, and it was for a good cause: Ending mountaintop removal.

	The awesome CD cover art by Winter Ross.

I was disappointed to learn that fellow performer Elaine Purkey had seriously injured her back and wouldn’t be able to perform. I met Elaine in Fayette County, where I live, at a meeting about the causes of the 2001 flooding. I was impressed both with her dedication to environmental issues and with the fact that she was a bona fide regional recording artist.

Elaine’s cut on the CD, "Keepers of the Mountains," which she wrote and sings a cappella, has all the raw impact of at least 10 engines coming down the tracks. Kind of an Appalachian Janis Joplin.  Hazel Dickens on steroids.  It don’t get no real-er than Elaine. Seriously, her love of and dedication to these hills and mountains shines through her singing and writing, as is the case for all of the singers on this indeed moving CD.

As I arrived at the concert venue, I was greeted by David Eisner, founder of the Institute for Musical Traditions. He put on the concert and did a fantastic job on the sound board. I had never heard acoustic-electric guitars sound so natural.  He later told me this was because most of the time rock musicians are doing the sound. (Sorry rockers, but you really need to re-attune your ears to acoustic guitar work.)  Coming up the stairs, I could hear the fantastic guitar phrasings of Keith Pitzer on his acoustic electric, doing a sound check.  I began to realize then that the quality of the musicianship on this CD wasn’t accidental. It was something to aspire to.

Jen Osha, who conceived of and produced the CD project, introduced me and I led off with a poem and three songs. Next came Cherylann Hawk, then Keith and Joan Pitzer. Jen, in one of the high points of the night, performed a devastatingly beautiful version of Elaine’s "Keepers of the Mountains."

Falling Mountain Records founder Michael Delalla and the label’s recording artist/songwriter, Andrew McKnight also performed. Andrew utilizes a distinct vocal style and compelling delivery in the performance of his superbly crafted composition "Company Town," which is the lead track on the CD.

It’s obvious from all of the original material performed at the concert and on the CD that the destruction of our mountains has deeply affected these artists and led them to sound a warning – a cry of protest and outrage – through their music, properly placing music in a supporting role to the truly urgent issue of environmental preservation.

This music provides a call to action!  A call to at least wake up and realize what the hell’s happening before it happens to you!

I began to see the potential for this CD, and others to follow, to alert people to the true cost of these types of destructive mining practices – the cost to the land and the people.

As Jen told me at the concert, she started with an idea that, much to her amazement, just "took off," and keeps growing…keeps moving...minds and hearts – and, hopefully, the machinery of destructive mining practices out of our lives and our mountains.

Get the CD, Help Out OVEC

On June 18, Public Radio’s "Music from the Mountains" host Joe Dobbs interviewed singer/songwriter Andrew McKnight, who has a great cut on the CD Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise Up Against Mountaintop Removal.

Andrew said the Moving Mountains CD is flying off the shelves. That’s great, because music really moves and motivates people and a large portion of the proceeds from the sales go to help groups like OVEC and Coal River Mountain Watch in our efforts to end mountain massacre.

The CD is fantastic. Thanks so much to idea-originator and culminator Jen Osha, Falling Mountain Music, OVEC board member and sound engineer Jeff Bosley, artist Winter Ross and all the incredible musicians who donated their talent to make this CD a reality.