With a cool breeze on a hot Philadelphia afternoon, the seven member Toy Soldiers took the Marina Stage to open the 2010 XPoNential Music Festival. Festival goers last year, the band looked and sounded excited to be playing.

They kicked the event off on an upbeat note with “Blood Moon,” and followed quickly with the blues rich “Throw Me Down.” Utilizing saxophone and washboard, as well as soulful back-and-forth harmonies, the band made use of all seven of their members. The harmonies got richer, with six out of the seven members singing, and most of them being the featured singer on at least one song.

At no moment did the band stand still during the set. Songs often became quiet, but quickly built into a peak of euphoria that showed the band bursting with energy.

Toy Soldiers closed how they opened, with an upbeat and fast-paced track. “Hard Times” let the band reach their peak volume, without losing any of the quality they had displayed up until then. Toy Soldiers’ fun and playful folk set the bar high for the rest of the weekend, and there’s no doubt the other artists are up to the challange.

TJ Gunther
Ithaca College Intern

Set List:
1. Blood Moon
2. Throw Me Down
3. Be Right Here
4. Red Dress
5. Loaded on Sunday
6. We All Know
7. When I Tripped Into You
8. Hard Times