Have you ever wondered what makes a new song into a good song? Or why West Virginia music sounds so different from the rest? Then join West Virginia Public Broadcasting for a #WhyListen: First Listen Music Party on Sunday, August 28 from 4 to 6 p.m at Town Run Brewing Company in Shepherdstown.

“Virginia may be for lovers, but West Virginia is most certainly for music lovers,” says West Virginia Public Broadcasting music host and #WhyListen event coordinator Joni Deutsch. “After successful music listening parties in Charleston, Huntington, and Fayetteville, we’re so excited to bring this #WhyListen event to Shepherdstown and help folks discover their next favorite tune.”

The August 28 #WhyListen event will include a first listen of music from West Virginia and beyond, including the premiere of new music from regional acts Tim Browning, Carolyn Malachi, Bishops, The 29ers, and Christian Lopez Band. Guests will enjoy Town Run Brewing’s local brews and food for the night as they “talk tunes” with Mountain Stage host and artistic director Larry Groce, West Virginia Public Broadcasting host Joni Deutsch, and Rozwell Kid frontman (and Martinsburg native) Jordan Hudkins.

The event marks West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s sixth project with NPR Generation Listen, an initiative to bring young, intellectually curious minds into the public broadcasting community. This event also marks the station’s first collaboration with Town Run Brewing and MiBurg, a media collective that seeks to cultivate community in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

“We pounced on the chance to help bring #WhyListen to the Eastern Panhandle,” says MiBurg team leader April King. “The future of West Virginia depends on retaining younger people, and we support any initiative that attracts and engages audiences by promoting West Virginia’s unique culture.”

The August 28 #WhyListen event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. For more information on the event and to reserve a seat, visit whylistenwv.splashthat.com.