Growing up in Illinois and now living in St. Louis, Pokey LaFarge allows his Midwest roots to dig deep into the lyrics and sound of his music. Offering an auditory time warp back to the glory days of swing jazz while simultaneously revamping and re-imagining the genre into a modern style of his own, LaFarge says "nobody looks or sounds like me."
Back in West Virginia to make his third appearance on Mountain Stage, LaFarge references a couple of West Virginia's musical icons, the influential country music radio program the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree, and the highly regarded eccentric fiddler Edden Hammons.
In years past, he's worked with Jack White at Third Man Records and Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, along with a number of other talented producers. In his latest album, Manic Revelations, Pokey brings to life the melodies and feelings he's been carrying in his head throughout a tumultuous year outside his hometown. He's turned them into portraits of himself and the things he finds a passion in.
Watch a performance of "Hard Times Come And Go."
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