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December 31, 2012 - London folk rockers Mumford and Sons made a splash on the indie music scene with their 2009 debut album Say No More. The album combines the raspy crooning vocals of lead singer Marcus Mumford with lush harmonies and thoughtful lyrics in songs that range from soft and soothing to rocking, toe-tapping tunes.
Hear a Live Friday Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live
Well known as ambassadors of reggae, Third World is a Jamaican outfit that came together in the 1970s and has since become something of an institution. They've had 35 years of experience. Despite several line-up changes over the years, their sound has remained just as fresh and inspiring over the decades. Incorporating Jamaican folk music as well as pop, R&B, rap, soul, and classical music influences, Third World has changed the face of reggae.
Hitting it big in the late '70s with singles such as the reggae-fusion release "Now That We Found Love", Third World has collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder and shared the stage with The Jackson 5 and Bob Marley and the Wailers. Dedicated to the spread of 'peace, love, and unity', Third World has released 22 albums and garnered numerous awards such as the 1986 United Nations Peace Medal, the 1992 and 1996 Jamaica Music Industry awards for Best Show Band, and ten Grammy nominations. Third World's latest release, 2005's "Black Gold & Green," refers to the colors of the Jamaican flag. Its thirteen tracks are upbeat and inspired, featuring a Bruce Cockburn cover and plenty of pop-infused new material.
Don't miss this week's Free at Noon performance, featuring one of the best-known reggae acts out there. Famed for their striking and expert performances, Third World are sure to give a great show.
This legendary Jamaican Reggae band has been performing for nearly 40 years and plays The Trocadero in Philly, Saturday, April 28!
Website: thirdworldband.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/thirdworldreggaeband Facebook: facebook.com/thirdworldband
Recent Release: PATRIOTS
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Label: THIRD WORLD MUSIC GROUP distributed by VP RECORDS
Hometown: Jamaica
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
The legendary country singer-songwriter and actor continues to fuse multiple genres in his music with 3 Pears, his first album in five years. Released last month, the record is full of surprises, jumping from Motown and soul to light pop and no-frills rock and roll. 
The Divine Fits are an indie rock group comprised of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, and New Bomb Turks’ Sam Brown. A few years ago, Daniel attended a Handsome Furs concert; he and Boeckner have remained friends ever since. 
Debo Band is an eleven member group from Boston that has a sound deeply influenced by the traditional music played in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the late 60’s and early 70’s. This groovy harmony, referred to as Addis swing, came about in the cultural freedom of that period before a military coupe put an end to the era. 
It has been six years since Beth Orton released an album. In 1993, Orton had a chance meeting with Grammy winning producer William Orbit. 
The David Wax Museum fuses traditional Mexican and American folk music into what the band refers to as “Mexo-Americana,” a style that is lively and unique. Museum’s breakthrough came during a performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival after which they were dubbed the breakout act of the festival. 
Singer-songwriter Iris DeMent was born the youngest child of a large, Pentecostal family in rural Arkansas. She later moved to southern California and grew up listening to traditional country and gospel music that largely influenced her folk-country sound. 
Our 
San Antonio-based group Hacienda is a family band, comprised of brothers Abraham, Jaime, and Rene Villanueva and their cousin Dante Schwebel. The Tex-Mex rockers had just started the band and recorded their first demo when they had an encounter that would change the course of their musical career. 
Following the success of their last record, the 2010 Grammy nominated album, Infinite Arms, alternative country rockers Band of Horses released their fourth studio album, Mirage Rock, on September 18. The record was produced by famed English musician/engineer/producer Glyn Johns, 
Sidi Touré is a Songhai blues singer/songwriter who hails from northern Mali. Although Touré had a privileged upbringing growing up in a royal family in Mali, he still knows a thing or two about the blues that has influenced his music. 
Yale dropout and prolific indie songwriter Dave Longstreth is back with a new CD, Swing Lo Magellan, released July 10.
Dirty Projectors had a breakthrough in 2009 with the album Bitte Orca, and released a much-anticpated new album in July on Domino Records. 
We travel to Cuba today with the first of four shows about the music scene in Havana as part of World Cafe's Sense of Place Havana. 
In this installment of the Latin Roots series, Raul Pacheco from the Grammy award-winning Latin band Ozomatli talks with WXPN’s David Dye about how politics influence music. Pacheco knows a lot about this topic, as Ozomatli have been a politically-driven band from their inception.
Iconic folk-rock songstress Melissa Etheridge grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. Etheridge has been making music since she first picked up a guitar at eight years-old and played in country groups throughout her teens in her home state of Kansas. Winner of two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female and an Academy Award for her song “I Need to Wake Up” from the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. 
Sometimes known as the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Antibalas is exactly that: a large group of talented musicians playing rhythmic Afrobeat in perfect synchronous harmony. The New York-based band has come a long way from its Harlem roots but has never forgotten them. 
Influential singer/songwriter Paul Simon’s 1986 Grammy award-winning album Graceland is one of the few records from that decade that made history. Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live
Listen to this week's Live Friday Free At Noon and other Live Shows in the
Concert Archive
Philadelphia's own Cheers Elephant is a folk-rock four-piece. Dubbing themselves as the dudes with the best indie rock haircuts, Derek Krzywicki (guitar, lead vocals), Travelin' Mat (bass, vocals), Jordan del Rosario (lead guitar, vocals), and Roberto Kingston (percussion) know how to best blend playful humor, pure rocking energy, and some really great three-part harmonies. Since coming together in 2007, they've toured across the US, sharing the stage with the likes of Chubby Checker, The Go! Team, and DMC. Cheers Elephant has a thing for British pop and good ole American rock 'n' roll , which comes through in their '60s-flavored psychedelia, especially on stage. The chemistry between these four friends and bandmates is almost palpable, and they always draw the audience into their rollicking fun with singalongs and plenty of special effects.
Now on their third album, Cheers Elephant are revealing a maturer yet just-as-energetic sound. Like Wind Blows Fire is scheduled for release on April 24, and it promises to be a good one! Playing a show in honor of the release at World Cafe on March 2nd, Cheers Elephant certainly didn't skimp on the visual effects or mischievious melodies. Like Wind Blows Fire is focused and clean, and hasn't lost any of the zest of previous Cheers Elephant releases. The band is playing Kung Fu Necktie on Front Street with The Spinto Band on May 29.
Watch the new video for Cheers Elephant’s "Doin’ It, Right" on TheKey.xpn.org.
WXPN’s Record Store Day 2012 Weekend Tour with Cheers Elephant
Cheers Elephant will be celebrating the release of their new album, Like Wind Blows Fire over the weekend of April 20-21. In honor of Record Store Day, XPN is celebrating the locally-owned independent record stores in our area. Main Street Music, Siren Records and Repo Records will be here with special offers on Friday, April 20, 2012. For more information on XPN's Record Store Day activities on April 21, click here.Website: cheerselephant.com/home
Myspace: myspace.com/cheerselephant
Facebook: facebook.com/cheerselephant
Recent Release: Like Wind Blows Fire
Release Date: March 2, 2012 (Local), April 24th, 2012 (National)
Label: Cheers Elephant
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage at World Cafe Live
Profile: Bass Player for Guns N' Roses and the legendary Replacements, Tommy Stinson's latest album is called "One Man Mutiny." He'll be here for an XPN Free At Noon on Friday, March 9!
Tommy Stinson is perhaps best known as the spiky-haired, charismatic bassist for hard rock outfit Guns N'Roses, but he's also now on top of a budding solo career. But Stinson is no spring chicken--he's been playing bass since the tender young age of 11, and not too much later, he was on stage with his brother in punk legend outfit The Replacements. Given his natural guitar talent, sophisticated song writing skills, and endless drive, it's little wonder he's been called "the hardest working man in rock'n'roll these days" by the press. He's currently playing bass for both GNR and Soul Asylum, and he also recently released his latest solo offering.
"One Man Mutiny" is certainly bluesy, perhaps partially influenced by one of Stinson's other groups, alt-rock outfit Bash & Pop. Also containing not-so-little hints of country, such as the pedal steel in a couple of the later tracks, "One Man Mutiny" is still based on solid rock'n'roll, gritty and visceral. Singing of relationships and liquor, Stinson is backed by the resonating vocals of his fiance, Emily Roberts. The album turns out to be a good showcase for the talent and the many influences of an iconic rocker. Also, Stinson is donating a portion of the proceeds from "One Man Mutiny" towards struggling Haiti schools--this is great music for a great cause.
Don't miss Tommy Stinson this weekend, stopping in at the World Cafe for a Live Friday performance. It's the Free at Noon, and there's no better way to start the weekend!
Website: tommystinson.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/tommystinsonofficial
Facebook: facebook.com/tommystinson
Recent Release: One Man Mutiny
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Label: Done To Death Music
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage at World Cafe Live
From Monteal, the band Islands are on tour in support of their new album A Sleep & A Forgetting. They play two shows at the First Unitarian Church here in Philly on Friday, February 24 and will be here that day for an XPN Free At Noon show.
Islands is an indie rock outfit hailing from Canada, and featured on World Cafe with their second album in 2008. Now on their fourth release, this dynamic foursome are back at XPN, performing a Free at Noon and showcasing the diverse influences of their latest, "A Sleep & A Forgetting".
Islands was born from the ashes of lo-fi band The Unicorns in 2005, and their first release had them touring with Metric and establishing a reputation for diverse art rock with depth. Since then, Islands has released three more studio albums, toured internationally, and gone through a few lineup changes. Now on a fourth full length, the members of Islands have created the most personal collection of songs yet. Frontman Nicholas Thorburn began writing "A Sleep & A Forgetting" one year ago on February 14, and now the album is being released exactly one year later. Infused with Island's special brand of dark yet catchy pop, "A Sleep & A Forgetting" has hints of introspective folk influences, layers of glimmering instrumentals, and Thorburn'slyrical take on soul. The result is astonishing--more honest and open than previous Islands' releases, yet a confessional offering with bounce.
Don't miss this Free at Noon with Islands--given a reputation for infectious and touching performances, this is going to one great way to start the weekend.
Website: islandsareforever.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/islands
Facebook: facebook.com/islandsareforever
Recent Release: A Sleep & A Forgetting
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Label: Anti
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage at World Cafe Live
Boundary-pushing blues rocker Joe Louis Walker has done it again. Walker has 50 years of music and more than 20 albums under his belt, but he continues to churn out powerful, gritty, heavy blues rock. Walker's musical influences course through his songs. He grew up listening to blues greats, including T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Pete Johnson. At age 8, Joe Louis Walker picked up his first guitar and began to imitate their work. By sixteen, Walker was the house guitarist of San Francisco's The Matrix and was opening shows for the next generation of blues rock heroes-- Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk and Lightnin' Hopkins, to name a few. Joe Louis Walker manages to channel the sound of each of his heroes, yet maintain a distinct sound.
Walker's latest release, Hellfire is aptly named. It is a fierce album. Underlying musically diverse tracks that range from gospel to 70's rock is Walker's guitar playing, specifically, his guitar solos. This album showcases Walker's famous ability to shred, and his playing on Hellfire has garnered comparisons to Hendrix himself. Walker doesn't simply tear it up, though. He expertly incorporates his intense, racing solos into spiritual songs, crashing rock jams and blues waltzes.
Joe Louis Walker will be performing from Hellfire at the next XPN Free At Noon on February 17th and he has a two-night stint at Warmdaddy's in Philly on February 17th and 18th. Don't miss a chance to see this legendary blues musician live!
Website: joelouiswalker.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/joelouiswalker
Facebook: facebook.com/joelouiswalker
Recent Release: Hellfire
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Label: Alligator
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live
One of the first Shaking Through artists and current XPN Artist To Watch, Sharon Van Etten has a new album called Tramp. She's in town to play a sold out show on Friday at Johhny Brenda's, and will be here for an XPN Free At Noon, this Friday, February 10, 2012!
Sharon Van Etten made her debut in 2009 as a raspy-voiced sweetheart of the folk rock scene. Her first album, "Because I Was In Love" was acoustic, with simple melodies made chilling by Van Etten's lyrics and inflections. She was quickly picked to sing with several contemporary acts, and was featured on The Antler's album "Hospice" and The National's track "Think You Can Wait" for the Win Win soundtrack. Her second album, "Epic," lived up to its name. "Epic" featured more instrumentation, bigger sound, and after its 2010 release, its final track, "Love More", was covered by iconic artists David Bowie and The National.
Sharon Van Etten's third album, Tramp, literally rocks. On Tramp, Van Etten's voice is still her strongest instrument, but she's not afraid to employ a half dozen others, including an electric guitar that she shreds. For a recent performance on The Jimmy Fallon Show, Van Etten expanded her touring band to include four other musicians, bringing her on-stage guitarist count up to three, including herself. She's also joined by a bassist and a drummer. Her sound is heavier than it's ever been, but it works. On "Tramp", Van Etten's music brings the same power as her intense, raspy vocals.
Sharon Van Etten's new album comes out February 7th and she will be performing from Tramp on XPN's Live Friday Free At Noon. RSVP, and head to World Cafe Live at noon on February 10 to catch her show. It's a performance you won't want to miss!
Website: sharonvanetten.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/sharonvanetten
Facebook: facebook.com/SharonVanEttenMusic
Recent Release: Tramp
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Label: Jagjaguwar
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live
For over ten years, Pete Donnelly has made pop music in Philadelphia. He's plays in several bands, including The Figgs and NRBQ, and has produced and played for acts such as G. Love and Special Sauce and Amos Lee. Now, after 10 years as a critical figure in the Philadelphia music scene, he's released a solo album.
When You Come Home, was released in December and met praise as high as "the perfect end to 2011." With poppy hooks and crisp vocals, it's immediately a sing-a-long album. On this album, packed with love songs and ballads, Donnelly proves that he can write music from his heart that gets trapped in your head. "The Only One" is easily one of the brightest tracks on the album, perhaps outshined only by "Can't Talk At All." Both songs demonstrate Donnelly's command and creativity. Each has a distinctly jazz feel, while also showcasing upbeat alternative rock riffs.
Donnelly has big plans for the next couple months. He'll be doing a six-show residency at Milkboy Philadelphia January 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. In addition to that, he'll be playing the Live Friday Free At Noon show at World Cafe Live this Friday, February 3, at noon. Judging by Donnelly's album, the show is sure to be a dance party.
Recent Release: When You Come Home
Release Date: December, 2011
Label: self-released
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Facebook: facebook.com/PeteDonnellySounds
Website: petedonnellymusic.com
Myspace: myspace.com/petedonnelly
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live
Dr. Dog's new album Be The Void will be out February 7, and the band plays two nights at the Electric Factory on March 24-25. They'll be here for an XPN Free At Noon Friday, January 27!
Filtering classic rock and pop hooks through a lo-fi slacker aesthetic, Philadelphia's Dr. Dog has a style that's both timeless and immediate. We're all big fans at XPN, and they've been featured on World Cafe, and at the XPoNential Music Festival. This Friday, they'll play our Live Friday Free At Noon show at World Cafe Live for a highly anticipated performance.
Website: drdogmusic.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/drdog
Facebook: facebook.com/Drdog
Recent Release: Be The Void
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Label: Anti-Records
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.
