Mountain Keeper's Music Festival

On Saturday, July 5th and Sunday, July 6th, the annual Mountain Keepers Music Festival will be held at Kayford Mountain's Stanley Heirs Park . This free concert is the premier music festival that celebrates environmental justice in southern West Virginia. The two day event will feature local and regional musicians playing a variety of bluegrass, gospel, country and old time music, as well as children's games, a pot-luck meal and silent auction.

The purpose of the concert, according to local citizen activist Larry Gibson, is to show support for "human rights, health and water rights, and basically everything that we have." Larry Gibson, whose family has lived on the same land for over 230 years, has been working to protect his health, his heritage, and his community from the ravages of Mountain Top Removal. The concert will be for remembrance of the homes and jobs lost, while also celebrating communities' efforts to resist MTR and promote sustainable jobs for a better future.

The festival will feature many emerging artists who celebrate their homes and heritage. Elizabeth LaPrelle (www.old97wrecords.com/ elizabeth-laprelle/about.htm ) will be singing with her mother, Sandy LaPrelle, on the fiddle. Jim Savarino (www.jimsavarino.com), who has played at festivals from Iowa to Texas, will be performing Appalachain roots contemporary folk songs. Keith, Joan and Jake Pitzer (http://www.pitzermusic.com/) bring together traditional and contemporary styles with down to earth lyrics. The Lone Tones, (http://www.thelonetones.com/home.html) a popular Knoxville, Tennessee band, have garnered regional and national attention for their unique style, literate songwriting, inspiring live shows.

Stanley Heirs Park is located near Dawes, WV, which is about 35 minutes south of Charleston off of Interstate 64.

There will be free camping available Saturday night. Please bring camping supplies, water, and snacks if you plan on staying. Attendees are encouraged to bring a covered dish.

For more information about the concert: www.myspace.com/mtkeepersfest

For more information on the effects of mountaintop removal, please visit www.crmw.net, www.ohvec.org, or www.seac.org.

This is a drug and alcohol free event. This is a free concert, but donations are welcome and appreciated.

This event is sponsored by the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch.

MTR Awareness Festival

The MTR Awareness Festival was held in Athens, OH at the Ohio University Campus on the weekend of September 28th & 29th. It was organized by the Sierra Student Coalition.

Saturday was a beautiful day and the event was held outside.

The Aurora Lights' table.

Old time fiddle.

Julian Martin explained the destruction of MTR.

Old time ballads.

Elisa Young explained the necessity of alternative energy and the devastation of coal fired power plants.

Mike Morningstar played some good dancin' songs.

Jen Osha sang and spoke about the issues surrounding MTR.

Aurora Lights would like to thank the Appalachian Community Fund for the financial support to get us from Morgantown, WV to Athens, OH to record and participate in this event. We would also like to thank Becky, Cory, and all of the members of the Sierra Student Coalition at Ohio University. You guys did an awesome job putting this together!!!!

photos and text by Sam

Call for Musicians!!!!!!

This is a call for musicians!!!!!!!!!

Jen Osha and Sam McCreery are putting out a CD and are looking for songs about the Coal River Valley and the effects of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining. The final product will have roughly 12-15 songs and 5-7 interviews as well as an interactive map. This is the first part of larger cultural mapping project based around the Coal River Mountain area in Boone and Raleigh Counties in southern West Virginia. This project will spread awareness of MTR and show people that there is a rich culture in this area.

We are looking for songs that are place based around the Coal River Mountain area. We would like to connect the songs directly to the map.

Some song topics we are looking for:

-overloaded coal trucks

-community empowerment

-streams and rivers being affected

-King Coal politics

-Ed Wiley’s walk from Charleston, WV to Washington D.C.

-Ed Wiley’s month in New York City

-Stover Cemetery

-Wildlife impact

-connecting MTR to other environmental/social struggles

We are also looking for suggestions for the CD’s title.

Tell your friends!!!

We would like all song submissions with a copy of the lyrics in by December 30^th. You can send them to:

Sam McCreery

200 Cherry St

Morgantown, WV

26501

E-mail any questions or concerns to sam.mccreery@gmail.com