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Welcome to The Back Porch page! Norm and Al will try to keep you up to date here on top acoustic/Americana albums and other major acoustic music happenings around the WVPE listening area. We hope you'll stop back often!
PLAYLIST INFORMATION - You can go to this link - http://lists.psu.edu/archives/folkdj-l.html - to see our Back Porch playlists. Just click on the week in question and look through the postings to find our playlist which will contain artist's name, song title and album title.
REQUEST LINE! - Call 574-674-8895 during The Back Porch to make a request.
Note: We are often asked where the albums you hear on The Back Porch can be purchased. Except for the very biggest name artists, most of the talent you hear on The Back Porch only sell their CD's at their performances and through their web sites on the Internet. If you wish to purchase any of the albums listed below, do a search on Google or a similar search engine - entering the artist's name is usually enough to take you to a link to their web site. This method often works by entering an album title, and sometimes even a song title or a line of lyric from a song, as well. Another good place to check is at http://www.cdbaby.com/.
Top Albums of the Year
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2012
| Artist |
Album Title | | Bankesters, The | Looking Forward |
| Bill & Kate Isles | Still Beneath The Stars And Moon |
| Bob Amos | Borrowed Time |
| Boxcar Lilies, The | Heartwood |
| Cahalen Morrison & Eli West | Our Lady Of The Tall Trees |
| Dana & Susan Robinson | American Hornpipe |
| Dave Gunning | No More Pennies |
| Davey O. | Testing For Rust |
| David Hawkins | Hello Mr. Death & Other Love Songs |
| Detour | A Better Place |
| Disappear Fear | Get Your Phil:10 Songs Of Phil Ochs |
| Donna Adler | Stories To Keep |
| Honey Dewdrops, The | Silver Lining |
| Jim Faddis | One More Ride |
| John Lowell | I Am Going To The West |
| John Wort Hannam | Brambles And Thorns |
| Katie Dahl | Leaky Boats And Paper Birds |
| Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys | Release Your Shrouds |
| Mark Houser & Bluegrass Drive | Uneven Road |
| Neptune's Car | Letters From The Road |
| Old Man Luedecke | Tender Is The Night |
| Sandy Cash | Voices From The Other Side |
| Special Consensus | Scratch Gravel Road |
| Steel Wheels, The | Lay Down Lay Low |
| Stray Birds, The | Borderland |
2011
| Artist |
Album Title | | Abbie Gardner | Hope |
| Adrienne Frailey | Definitely |
| Alison Krauss & Union Station | Paper Airplane |
| Annie Lou | Annie Lou |
| Bearfoot | American Story |
| Brother Sun | Brother Sun |
| Carolann Solebello | Threshhold |
| Carrie Newcomer | Before & After |
| Chris Thile & Michael Daves | Sleep With One Eye Open |
| Chuck Brodsky | Subtotal Eclipse |
| Coyote Grace | Ear To The Ground |
| Evie Ladin | Float Downstream |
| Gillian Welch | The Harrow & The Harvest |
| Joel Mabus | American Anonymous |
| Kasey Chambers | Little Bird |
| Kate MacLeod & Kat Eggleston | Lost and Found |
| Laurie Lewis | Skippin' and Flyin' |
| Molasses Creek | More Better |
| Patti Casey | The Heart Of A Waiting Boy |
| Rachel Harrington | Celilo Falls |
| Red Molly | Light In The Sky |
| Red Tail Ring | Mountain Shout |
| Spuyten Duyvil | New Amsterdam |
| The Black Lillies | 100 Miles Of Wreckage |
| The Hillbenders | Down To My Last Dollar |
| The Once | The Once |
| The Steel Wheels | Live At Goose Creek |
| The Wailin' Jennys | Bright Morning Star |
| Tom Corbett | Tonight I Ride |
| Will White | Rise Above |
2010
| Artist |
Album Title | | 3 Penny Acre | Highway 71 |
| Andrew & Noah Norstrand | All The Good Summers |
| Carpenter & May | Carpenter & May |
| Chris Kokesh | October Valentine |
| Claire Lynch | Whatcha Gonna Do |
| Corn Fed Girls | Papercuts |
| Darrell Scott | A Crooked Road |
| David J. Simon | Once Is Enough |
| Doug Spears | Welcome Home |
| Forest Sun | Harlequin Goodnight |
| Franz Family | The Tale You'll Never Hear |
| Grada | Natural Angle |
| Jack Williams | The High Road Home |
| Judy Berg | Gallerys |
| Kruger Brothers | Forever And A Day |
| Madison Violet | No Fool For Trying |
| Nathan Blake Lynn | Who Said The World's Fair |
| Neptune's Car | Strawberry Moon |
| Pat Wictor | Living Ever-Lovin'LIVE |
| Red Molly | James |
| Ruth & Max Bloomquist | Turn Back A Page |
| Sarah McQuaid | When Two Lovers Meet |
| Shannon Wurst | What's More Honest Than a Song? |
| Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin | It All Comes Back To Love |
| The Chapmans | Grown Up (A REvisionist History) |
| The Honey Dew Drops | These Old Roots |
| The Once | The Once |
| The Special Consensus | 35 |
| The Steel Wheels | Red Wing |
| Yvette Landry | Should Have Known |
2009
| Artist |
Album Title | | 3 Penny Acre | 3 Penny Acre |
| Adrienne Frailey | Goodnight To The Stars (Local Artist!) |
| Alan Rhody | Boxcars Of Memories |
| Alecia Nugent | Hillbilly Goddess |
| Annie & Rod Capps | My Blue Garden |
| Bill & Kate Isles | Matching Baggage |
| Bop Ensemble | Between Trains |
| Catie Curtis | Hello Stranger |
| Chris Pandolfi | Looking Glass |
| Dailey & Vincent | Brothers From Different Mothers |
| Dana & Susan Robinson | Big Mystery |
| Diana Jones | Better Times Will Come |
| Donna Ulisse | Walk This Mountain Down |
| Emmitt Nershi Band | New Country Blues |
| Jaime Michaels | Crooked |
| James Hill & Anne Davison | True Love Don't Weep |
| James Keelaghan | House Of Cards |
| Jimmy Garrett | I Am A Stranger |
| Joe Jencks | Links In A Chain |
| Joel Mabus | No Worries Now |
| Jonathan Byrd & Diana Jones | Radio Soul |
| Jory Nash | New Blue Day |
| Kat Eggleston | Speak |
| Kate MacLeod | Blooming |
| Kennedy's Kitchen | The Hotting Fire (Local Artists!) |
| Laurie McClain | Ascend |
| Lovell Sisters | Time To Grow |
| Matt & Shannon Heaton | Lover's Well |
| Pat Wictor | Sunset Waltz |
| Red Molly | Love And Other Tragedies |
| Resophonics | Last Long Winter |
| Rick Skaggs | Solo: Songs My Dad Loved |
| Riely O'Connor & Molly B. Moon | Who Knows When (Local Artists!) |
| Sam Bush | Circles Around Me |
| Sara Watkins | Sara Watkins |
| Sarah Jarosz | Song Up In Her Head |
| Sons Of The Never | Wrong On A Good Day...I Am |
| Special Consensus | Signs |
| Tim O'Brien | Chameleon |
| Tommy Byrd & Kathy Street | Love Broke The Fall |
2008
| Artist |
Album Title | | Amy Gallatin & Roger Williams | Something 'Bout You |
| Ben Bedford | Lincoln's Man |
| Blue Highway | Through The Window Of A Train |
| Carrie Newcomer | The Geography Of Light |
| Charlie Haden | Rambling Boy |
| Cherryholmes | Don't Believe |
| Chris Stuart & Backcountry | Crooked Man |
| Cosy Sheridan | Eros |
| Donal Hinely | Blue State Boy |
| Gibson Brothers | The Iron & Diamonds |
| Goldmine Pickers | The Lonesome Gone (Local Artists!) |
| Helena Nash & Greg Greer | Painting A Moving Train |
| Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent | Dailey & Vincent |
| Jenee Halstead | The River Grace |
| Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson | Rattlin' Bones |
| Kathy Mattea | Coal |
| Kevin Lockhart & Bill Bosler | Waterbound (Local Artists!) |
| Leela & Ellie Grace | Where The Waters Run |
| Lucy Kaplansky | Over The Hills |
| Mickeys | The Walk Along |
| Pines | The Sparrows In The Bell |
| Refugees | The Unbound |
| Rhonda Vincent | Good Thing Going |
| Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder | Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 and 1947 |
| Robin & Linda Williams | Buena Vista |
| Still On The Hill - Ozark | A Celebration Of Song |
| The Belleville Outfit | Wanderin' |
| Tom Paxton | Comedians & Angels |
| Trent Wagler & Jay Lapp | Adrienna Valentine (Local Artists!) |
| Valerie Smith & Becky Buller | Here's A Little Song. |
2007
| Artist |
Album Title | | Adrienne Young | Room To Grow |
| Alison Krauss | A Hundred Miles Or More |
| Arlon Bennett | Summer's Voice |
| Cherryholmes II | Black & White |
| Claire Lynch | Crowd Favorites |
| Corinne West | Second Sight |
| Craig Carothers | Solo |
| Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver | More Behind The Picture Than The Wall |
| Duane Rutter | Waiting Room |
| Eliza Gilkyson | Your Town Tonight |
| Emily Singleton | Spirit On The Prowl |
| Eric Uglum | Christian Ward & Austin Ward The Old Road To Jerusalem |
| Jack Williams | Laughing In The Face Of The Blues |
| Joel Mabus | The Banjo Monologues |
| Kennedy's Kitchen | A Pocketful Of Lint (Local Artists!) |
| Kenny & Amanda Smith Band | Tell Someone |
| Kieran Kane Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplan | Kane , Welch, Kaplan |
| Louis Ledford | Adios King |
| Mark Johnson & Emory Lester | Acoustic Rising |
| Peter Rowan & Tony Rice | Quartet |
| Red Molly | Never Been To Vegas LIVE |
| Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby | Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby |
| Robin & Linda Williams | Radio Songs |
| Rod & Annie Capps | In This Town |
| Steve Chizmadia | It Is What It Is |
| The Gougers | A Long Day For The Weathervane |
| The Greencards | Viridian |
| The Spinney Brothers | If I Were Your Brother |
| Uncle Earl ,Waterloo | Tennessee |
| Venitia Sekema | Hell On High Heels (Local Artist!) |
2006
| Artist |
Album Title | | Alecia Nugent | A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane |
| Bill Isles | The Shores Of My Hometown |
| Chuck Brodsky | Tulips For Breakfast |
| Corinne West | Bound For The Living |
| Dan Menzone | Menzone Drive |
| Darryl Purpose & Julie Beaver | Live At Coalesce |
| Dave Potts | 12.99 |
| Diana Jones | My Remembrance Of You |
| Jan Smith | 29 Dances |
| Janet Beazley | 5 South |
| Jeff & Vida | The Simplest Plans |
| John Gorka | Writing In The Margins |
| Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands | The Golden West |
| Mark Dvorak | Every Step Of The Way |
| Michael Cleveland | Let 'Er Go Boys! |
| Pat Wictor | Heaven Is So High |
| Rhonda Vincent | All American Bluegrass Girl |
| Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder | Instrumentals |
| Ruth Bloomquist | One Day Ain't Enough |
| Sarah Harmer | I'm A Mountain |
| The Gibson Brothers | Red Letter Day |
| The Hunger Mountain Boys | Blue Ribbon Waltz |
| The Laws | Live At The Camp St. Cafe |
| The Lonesome Sisters | The Lonesome Sisters |
| The Lonesome Sisters w/Riley Baugus | Going Home Shoes |
| The Milroys | The Milroys |
| The Wailin' Jennys | Firecracker |
| Tracy Grammer | Flower Of Avalon |
| Truckstop Souvenir | Leave Nothing Behind |
| Two High String Band | Moonshine Boogie |
2005
| Artist |
Album Title | | Adrienne Young & Little Sadie | The Art Of Virtue |
| Anna Wolfe | My Treasure |
| Becky Schlegel | Drifter Like Me |
| Blue Highway | Marbletown |
| David Francey | The Waking Hour |
| Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver | You Gotta Dig A Little Deeper |
| Hit & Run Bluegrass | Without Maps And Carts |
| Jackstraw | Live At The White Eagle |
| Jed Marum | Miles From Home |
| John Prine | Fair And Square |
| Kate Campbell Kate Campbell | Blues And Lamentations |
| Malcolm Holcombe | I Never Heard You Knockin' |
| Mando Saenz | Watertown |
| Mountainheart | Force Of Nature |
| Nanci Griffith | Hearts In Mind |
| Nickel Creek | Why Should The Fire Die? |
| Redbird (Kris Delmhorst Jeffery Foucault & Peter Mulvey) | Redbird |
| Ricky Skaggs | Brand New Strings |
| The Bills | Let 'Em Run |
| The Biscuit Burners | A Mountain Apart |
| The Foghorn Stringband | Weiser Sunrise |
| The Grascals | The Grascals |
| The Greencards | Weather And Water |
| The Peasall Sisters | Home To You |
| Tim O'Brien | Fiddler's Green |
| Uncle Earl | She Waits For The Night |
| Uncle John & Cousin Greg | Indiana Line (Local Artists!) |
| Venitia Sekema | Lucky Numbers (Local Artist!) |
| Wyatt Law | Jurassic Law |
2004
| Artist |
Album Title | | Allison Krauss & Union Station | Lonely Runs Both Ways |
| Chris Stuart | Saints And Strangers |
| Dallas Jones | Wherever You Roam |
| Dyad | Who's Been Here While I've Been Gone? |
| Harvey Reid & Joyce Andersen | Kindling The Fire |
| Hit & Run Bluegrass | Beauty Fades |
| Jeffrey Foucault | Stripping Cane |
| Joel Mabus | Golden Willow Tree |
| Karen Mal & Laurie McClain | Live At The Main Street Cafe |
| Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch | You Can't Save Everybody |
| Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum | Guest House |
| Leah Larson | Long Journey |
| Leela & Ellie Grace | Leela & Ellie Grace |
| Peter Rowan & Tony Rice | You Were There For Me |
| Robin & Linda Williams | Deeper Waters |
| Slaid Cleaves | Wishbones |
| Steppin' In It | Last Winter In The Copper Country |
| The Cantrells | The Heart Wants What It Wants |
| The Gibson Brothers | Long Way Back Home |
| The Laws | Another Road |
| The Mammals | Evolver |
| The Wailin' Jennys | 40 Days |
| Timm Grimm | Names |
| Tom Paxton Anne Hills & Bob Gibson | Best Of Friends |
| Uncle Earl | Going To The Western Slope |
2003
| Artist |
Album Title | | Allison Krauss & Union Station | Live |
| Amy Fradon | Small Town News |
| Carrie Newcomer | The Gathering Of Spirits |
| Doc Watson | Trouble In Mind: Country Blues Collection 1964-1998 |
| Earl Scruggs Doc Watson & Ricky Skaggs | The Three Pickers |
| Eddie & Martha Adcock | Twograss |
| Emily Singleton | Life In The Moment |
| Front Range | Front Range Live |
| Harvey Reid | The Autoharp Album |
| Janne Henshaw | Drifter's Prayer |
| Johnathan Byrd | The Waitress |
| Joyce Andersen | Right Where I Stand |
| Kennedy's Kitchen | Kennedy's Kitchen (Local Artists!) |
| Laurie McClain | The Trumpet Vine: Tribute To Kate Wolf |
| Lynn Morris Band | Shape Of A Tear |
| Mad Agnes | Magic Hour |
| Maria Dunn | From Where I Stand |
| Missy Raines & Jim Hurst | Two |
| Mustard's Retreat | A Resolution Of Something |
| Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem | Gambling Eden |
| Rhonda Vincent | One Step Ahead |
| The Gibson Brothers | Bona Fide |
| Tim O'Brien | Traveler |
| Tony Rice | The Bluegrass Guitar Collection |
| Vollie McKenzie | This Train |
*Some albums in each of the above lists may have been released a year or two prior to the year shown. We sometimes don't receive CD's until a year or two later if we are not on the artists' or labels' mailing list. Instead, we pick them up at music conferences or from other sources. We include them in the year shown because that's when we received them - and if the album is exceptionally good, we still want you to know about it. You wouldn't want to miss out because we got the album a few months late, would you? Well, we wouldn't want you to miss out, either!