Summary: Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s historic 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, a very special episode. Ozark Highlands Radio partners with Oxford American Magazine to bring Chapel Hill, North Carolina based rising contemporary folk and Americana superstars “Mandolin Orange,” recorded live at South on Main in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. Also, an interview with Oxford American Literary Project executive director Ryan Harris. Mandolin Orange are joined in this performance by Eli West on guitar & banjo, Josh Oliver on electric guitar, Clint Mulligan on Bass, and Joe Westerlund on drums. “The Oxford American is a nonprofit organization with a mission to explore the complexity and vitality of the American South through excellent writing, visual art, and events programming. Our quarterly print magazine was founded in 1992, and, in addition to winning four National Magazine Awards, has helped launch the writing careers of such noted authors as Jesmyn Ward and John Jeremiah Sullivan, while publishing beloved writers like Charles Portis, Nikky Finney, Peter Guralnick, and many others. “Our concert series at South on Main in Little Rock is an extension of the magazine, creating meaningful opportunities for the community to experience the most culturally significant artists in our region. “The OA has a longstanding history of curating great music. Our Winter 2018 issue is dedicated to the music of North Carolina. It is our twentieth installment of the series, which the Houston Chronicle calls "the single best music-related magazine of any given year." Each music issue comes with a sought-after CD, curated by the editors to showcase the region's hugely varied musical legacy.” More information about Oxford American programming, the magazine, and their mission can be found at https://www.oxfordamerican.org “Mandolin Orange is an Americana/folk duo based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.The group was formed in 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and consists of the group's songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar). Mandolin Orange has produced five albums of Marlin's original works of American roots music. In the last three years, the group has toured throughout the U.S and Europe, including appearances at Austin City Limits, South-by-Southwest, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Pickathon, and Merlefest. They signed to Yep Roc Records in 2013 and have produced four albums under their umbrella, This Side of Jordan, Such Jubilee, Blindfaller and Tides of a Teardrop.” Learn more about Mandolin Orange at - http://www.mandolinorange.com/#home-section In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator and country music legacy Mark Jones offers a 1981 archival recording of Ozark originals Pat & Bob Momich performing the traditional tune “Soldier’s Joy,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.
