CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Going to a live "Mountain Stage" show is an overwhelming musical experience -- in a good way. With five different musical acts in often as many different styles, there's a lot to absorb.

Wednesday's show at the Civic Center Little Theater was true to form. Each of the acts was new to me, and each was almost completely unlike the others. There was something for everyone to enjoy.

The night opened with the a capella singing group Sonos. With their voices alone (and a little help from processing effects), they create unique versions of popular songs, including songs by Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright. They each had great voices individually, but sounded best when their voices blended together. The beatboxing vocal percussion effects by Ben McLain added to their songs and were a lot of fun.

Two singer-songwriters on the show both drew on a powerful combination of humor and earnest feeling, but performed in very different styles. They got the audience laughing, only to catch us with a suddenly powerful message.

Vic Chesnutt, the first of these singers, has an amazing voice. He also has a wicked sense of humor. In one song based on a dream of talking to his grandmother, he went from jokes about dentures to the moving closing lines, "You are the light of my life and the beat of my heart."

He performed two songs with backing by the Mountain Stage band, and then played sparse accompaniment on the guitar for the rest of his set. His voice was one of the highlights of the evening.

Greg Brown looked and sounded just as comfortable as if he was on the back porch of a farmhouse. Over some rough-hewn guitar playing, he idealistically sang of ending factory farming and bringing back lost love. His funnier songs like "Fat Boy Blues" were blunt to the point of almost being embarrassing and evoked peals of laughter.

The band Crooked Fingers, who performed between Chesnutt and Hunt, also had two sides to their music. The trio started with piano, acoustic guitar and bass for a pair of dreamy, atmospheric songs. Then front man Erich Bachmann picked up an electric guitar and the pianist switched over to drums, for some folksy yet driving songs with a bright sound that brought Richard Thompson to mind. Their final song was the most hard-rocking part of the evening.

Headliner Neko Case had a lot to follow with all these performers. She was accompanied by an acoustic guitarist who alternated between six- and twelve-string guitar. She was also joined by a backup vocalist, who on one song played an adorable solo on a music box.

Case has a good voice and her songs were pretty, but she didn't really engage the audience. She seemed to be treating the performance more as a recording session than a live performance.

Her final song was a redo of "The Pharaohs." She had sung it earlier in her set, but she was unhappy with the tempo she had taken. It was letdown for the finish.

Not to be overlooked were performances by the "Mountain Stage" band, especially Julie Adams' rendition of Jackson Browne's "These Days," and Bob Thompson playing a Bill Evans tune.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Going to a live "Mountain Stage" show is an overwhelming musical experience -- in a good way. With five different musical acts in often as many different styles, there's a lot to absorb.

Wednesday's show at the Civic Center Little Theater was true to form. Each of the acts was new to me, and each was almost completely unlike the others. There was something for everyone to enjoy.

The night opened with the a capella singing group Sonos. With their voices alone (and a little help from processing effects), they create unique versions of popular songs, including songs by Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright. They each had great voices individually, but sounded best when their voices blended together. The beatboxing vocal percussion effects by Ben McLain added to their songs and were a lot of fun.

Two singer-songwriters on the show both drew on a powerful combination of humor and earnest feeling, but performed in very different styles. They got the audience laughing, only to catch us with a suddenly powerful message.

Vic Chesnutt, the first of these singers, has an amazing voice. He also has a wicked sense of humor. In one song based on a dream of talking to his grandmother, he went from jokes about dentures to the moving closing lines, "You are the light of my life and the beat of my heart."

He performed two songs with backing by the Mountain Stage band, and then played sparse accompaniment on the guitar for the rest of his set. His voice was one of the highlights of the evening.

Greg Brown looked and sounded just as comfortable as if he was on the back porch of a farmhouse. Over some rough-hewn guitar playing, he idealistically sang of ending factory farming and bringing back lost love. His funnier songs like "Fat Boy Blues" were blunt to the point of almost being embarrassing and evoked peals of laughter.

The band Crooked Fingers, who performed between Chesnutt and Hunt, also had two sides to their music. The trio started with piano, acoustic guitar and bass for a pair of dreamy, atmospheric songs. Then front man Erich Bachmann picked up an electric guitar and the pianist switched over to drums, for some folksy yet driving songs with a bright sound that brought Richard Thompson to mind. Their final song was the most hard-rocking part of the evening.

Headliner Neko Case had a lot to follow with all these performers. She was accompanied by an acoustic guitarist who alternated between six- and twelve-string guitar. She was also joined by a backup vocalist, who on one song played an adorable solo on a music box.

Case has a good voice and her songs were pretty, but she didn't really engage the audience. She seemed to be treating the performance more as a recording session than a live performance.

Her final song was a redo of "The Pharaohs." She had sung it earlier in her set, but she was unhappy with the tempo she had taken. It was letdown for the finish.

Not to be overlooked were performances by the "Mountain Stage" band, especially Julie Adams' rendition of Jackson Browne's "These Days," and Bob Thompson playing a Bill Evans tune.