Morgantown – West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s famed radio show “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” returns to the WVU Creative Arts Center Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Colin Hay and Piers Faccini will perform. Showtime is set for 7 p.m and tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, and online at Ticketmaster.com.

 

Songwriter and vocalist Colin Hay is familiar to millions as the frontman of the ‘80s pop sensation Men at Work. As the main songwriter for the band, Hay is responsible for penning some of the quirkiest pop hits of the era – including “Who Can It Be Now?” – making Men at Work an MTV (in its younger days) favorite. Over the past 16 years, Hay has reinvented himself as a solo artist, regularly selling out theaters across the U.S. and introducing himself to a new generation of fans.

 

“I started off playing acoustic; it’s my natural game, if you will,” says Hay. “It’s the point I started from and may well be the point I end with. It’s always what I return to.”

 

Hay has 11 critically-acclaimed solo albums to his credit, including the highly successful “Man at Work” and the most recent “Next Year People.” The latter is full of quizzical, curious and cynical yet open-hearted songs with catchy melodic hooks that underscore deeply insightful lyrics.

 

Piers Faccini is a world music master, a soulful and expressive singer/songwriter whose music fuses folk, acoustic blues and West African textures. Faccini’s latest studio album, “I Dreamed an Island,” is a celebration of cultural diversity.

 

“Appalled by the increasingly sectarian and divisive politics spreading across the world, ‘I Dreamed an Island’ was inspired by a unique moment in Mediterranean and European history when 12th century Sicily was a haven of tolerance and co-habitation between Christians, Muslims and Jews,” Faccini told popmatters.com. “Making this album was a way for me to converse with my ancestry and to build a bridge between past and present.”

 

“Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” is a two-hour radio show produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and aired weekly on some 150 NPR stations across America. Singer/songwriter Larry Groce serves as the show’s host, artistic director and co-producer. Additional artists will be announced closer to the performance.

 

Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 304-293-SHOW (7469) or 800-745-3000. Tickets start at $26. WVU student tickets are $10. WVU Students must present a valid WVU ID at the campus box offices or enter their unique offer code at ticketmaster.com. Discounted tickets are limited to one per valid WVU ID.

 

This event is part of the University Toyota University Arts Series produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. Stay connected with the latest event updates through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @wvuevents.