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The Walkmen's sound has been compared to The Strokes, and called "Bob Dylan meets the Velvet Underground" by NPR. Their rock is characterized by its simplicity-- energetic, repetitive guitar hooks, driving drums, and of course, the voice of front man, Hamilton Leithauser, who seems to bellow, howl and croon simultaneously. They've released six albums, including a cover album of Harry Nilsson and John Lennon's "Pussy Cats" in its entirety. The Walkmen return to Philly with the upcoming release of their seventh album approaching to play an XPN Free At Noon at World Cafe Live on Friday, May 4. The Walkmen will tour this summer in support of the album, Heaven including a string of shows with Florence and the Machine.
Joseph Arthur's new album, Graduation Ceremony was just released. He's playing the XPoNential Music Festival in July, and he'll be here for XPN's Free At Noon this Friday, June 17.
Singer-songwriter, Joseph Arthur began singing at the age of 21, although his fondness for music and the guitar began earlier than that. Having grown up in Akron, Ohio, Arthur relocated to Atlanta where he found a thriving music scene. A masterful painter as well, Arthur fuses his two passions, designing his own cover art and sometimes using his paintings as backgrounds for his sets. The now Grammy nominated musician's career began with a slow start but with his talent, his success was always destined to be. Having been compared to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, and Joe Henry and having toured with Tracy Chapman, Ben Harper, and Gomez, Arthur carries on the legacy of great singer-songwriters.
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
XPN Free at Noon at the World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
Called a musical mixologist for his expert blending of differing genres, Citizen Cope (Clarence Greenwood) is the name for both the lead singer and the band he heads. Born in the blues-drenched city of Memphis, the young musician learned to tell stories with music and has continued to do so ever since. Hip-hop beats, quiet piano melodies, a hint of pop, and ever-present blues have served him well in every release. He'll be performing this Friday at World Cafe, bringing his "gritty urban poetry" to the stage for a lunch-break performance.
First catching the eye of the music world in the '90s with his contributions to rap albums, Citizen Cope released his debut in the mid-90's, "Cope Citizen". He's created three more LPs to date, as well as contributing his talents as a DJ, singer/songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist, and producer to numerous projects. His latest album, The Rainwater LP, is due out this March on his own label.
Releasing half of the album to devoted fans in the fall of 2009, Citizen Cope has built anticipation for the second half with its deeply personal feel. As said by the creator, ""When you’re writing a song, you take in everything – the people you’ve met, what you’ve experienced. You take in everything and it makes a story.” The Rainwater LP is filled with stories from the life and musical journey of Citizen Cope, and told well. As quoted in Rolling Stone, he's "a modern day bluesman who paints a plaintive portrait of the human condition".
Be sure to make it to this week's Free at Noon with Citizen Cope as he stops in Philly for his massive album tour. This will be one heck of a bluesy lunch break.
Website: http://www.citizencope.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/citizencope
Recent Release: The Rainwater LP
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Label: Rainwater Recordings, Inc.
Origin: Brooklyn, NY
Due to the construction in the area, free parking is no longer available for XPN Free At Noon shows. Metered parking on 31st street is no longer available, and metered parking on Walnut Street is extremely limited as a result of the closure and reconstruction of the South Street Bridge, and the rerouting of traffic onto Walnut Street.
Public transportation to XPN Free At Noon is recommended. WXPN has made arrangements with the University of Pennsylvania to open UPENN Lot #26 on Walnut Street between the hours of 10:30am and 2pm every Friday. If you must drive, you can park there (Cost is $5.00). Entrance to the Lot 26 is on Walnut Street, just east of 32nd street. Here's a link to Penn's Parking map.
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The Low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
RSVP
XPN Free at Noon at the World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
This Friday's Free At Noon rock out to underground legends
the Meat Puppets. Progenitors of American indie rock, the
Meat Puppets were formed in 1980 by guitarist brothers Curt and Cris
Kirkwood with drummer Derrick Bostrom. Brandishing a hard, fast, and
refreshingly sloppy edge, the trio grabbed attention early on from the
emerging (pre-internet) network of underground music fans, zinesters,
and SST Records. Signed by SST, their 1982 eponymous debut carved a
loud, furious niche in hardcore history. Their second release, Meat
Puppets II, was an unheard of fusion of acid country and straight-
ahead rock but with an intact punk core. The American underground
music scene would never be the same.
With releases such as the smoothed-out Mirage and the heavy Huevos, Meat Puppets built their reputation as experimentalists. The trio's fan base grew to include Kurt Cobain. Their vault to the majors was bolstered by Cobain's invitation to perform a few of the Puppets' songs together in New York. The band acquired short-lived mainstream success and broke up soon after.
In 2006, with diehard fans' enthusiasm, the original line-up reassembled and released a new album, Rise to Your Knees. With the addition of a new drummer, the excellent Ted Marcus, the Meat Puppets are as loud and fast as ever. Their latest, Sewn Together, is tight and does not disappoint. Released in May, Sewn Together is true to the Meat Puppets' legacy - ensuring a undeniably great Free At Noon.
Website: meatpuppets.com
MySpace: myspace.com/themeatpuppets
Recent Release: Sewn Together
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Label: Mega Force Records
Origin: Phoenix, AZ
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
RSVP
XPN Free at Noon at the TLA.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
Long admired for their rollicking jazz-funk fusion grooves and sweaty improv solos, Soulive originated in 90s New England - first as jam band rhythm sections (Moon Boot Lover, Greyboy Allstars, Lettuce), then a brief detour into hip-hop. By 1999, their emphasis shifted to more traditional organ-driven jazz and a core cemented around the trio of the spidery Grant Green-esque guitar lines of Eric Krasno with brothers Alan and Neal Evans leading the way on drums and organ/bass keys/clavinet, respectively. True to their funk forefathers, they have frequently fleshed out their earthy, organic sound with rich horn sections and energetic guest vocalists.
During their first summer as a band, Soulive independently produced Turn It Out, an auspicious debut that sold a respectable 65,000 copies. The response to Turn It Out scored spots on high profile national tours with the Stones, Maceo Parker, Dave Matthews, The Roots, and Common as well as on the festival circuit - Bonnaroo and Monterey Jazz. Utimately, Soulive inked a deal with Blue Note. During their Blue Note years, they amassed fervent devotees through collaborations with legendary James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley, guest vocalists Dave Matthews and Amel Larrieux, rappers Talib Kweli and Black Thought, and remixes with Jurassic 5, DJ Spinna, DJ Krush and the Beatnuts. Departing Blue Note in 2005 for Concord Records and Stax, Soulive crafted new jams with a who's who of jazz, funk and rock - Chaka Khan, Ivan Neville, Corey Glover and Robert Randolph - and experimented with less free-form, more beat-driven songs.
Soulive have returned to form with their latest album Up Here, due out in July. Wowing crowds with meaty instrumentals and a stellar horn section, Soulive will hit the World Cafe Live for XPN's Free at Noon/NPR Live Friday on June 5. Get ready to dance!
Website: royalfamilyrecords.com/artists/soulive
MySpace: myspace.com/soulivemusic
Recent Release: Up Here
Release Date: July 2009
Label: Royal Family Records
Origin: Boston, MA / Vermont
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
SOLD OUT ! | Listen to the Show Live Friday at 12noon
XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
The Derek Trucks Band, or DTB, is an eclectic collection of self-proclaimed jammers, each highly successful in his own right. Headed by Derek Trucks on guitar, the sextet includes Kofi Burbridge (keyboards, flute, and vocals), Todd Smallie (bass and vocals), Yonrico Scott (drums, percussion, and vocals), Mike Mattison (lead vocals), and Count M'Butu (percussion). They have released seven acclaimed albums since 1997, touring with other musicians such as Trucks' wife, Susan Tedeschi.
Derek Trucks is a Grammy-nominated guitar prodigy. His first instrument came from a garage sale for $5 when he was nine, and within a year he was on stage performing. He was the youngest guitarist to make it onto Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He formed the DTB when he was 15, and has been perfecting their diverse and improvisational sound ever since.
The DTB's influences range from blues, soul, jazz, rock, Indian music, Latin music, and other international sounds. Their latest album, Already Free, is no exception. Featuring an emotive cover of Bob Dylan's "Down in the Flood", this collection of twelve songs is warm, soulful, and relaxed.
The DTB is currently touring across the continent with stops in Toronto, Washington D.C., and Florida. They play The Keswick on Friday night, May 29 at 8pm.
Website: derektrucks.com
MySpace: myspace.com/thederektrucksband
Recent Release: Already Free
Release Date: January 13, 2009
Label: Victor Records
Origin: Atlanta, GA
Promising to be a Free At Noon not to miss, this show will bring together two musical greats, the incredible voice of "Australian Idol" Guy Sebastian and the legendary Stax axe man Steve Cropper. Their recent collaboration on Sebastian's platinum The Memphis Album has led to touring together, and the two are coming to World Cafe Live to kick up some soulful R&B.
Guy Sebastian is an Australian singer/songwriter with several top albums and singles under his belt since winning the country's first "Idol" contest in 2003. His joyous and individualistic style has won him over twenty music awards, and his U.S. debut is expected this summer.
Named one of the "Top 100 Guitarists of All Time" by Rolling Stone, Steve Cropper first picked up a guitar at age 14 and began playing with local musicians in his native Tennessee. Legendary for for his work with Booker T & the MGs, The Blues Brothers, and his songwriting, engineering and producing, he has been inducted into the American Hall of Fame four times (Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Songwriters and Musicians). Cropper has been credited with writing some of the most enduring soul music of all time.
Join us this Friday as they perform the music that critics have called creative masterpieces.
Guy Sebastian
Website: guysebastian.com
MySpace: myspace.com/guysebastian
Recent Release: The Memphis Album
Release Date: November 10, 2007
Label: Sony BMG
Origin: Australia
Steve Cropper
Website: playitsteve.com, stevecropper.com
Recent Release: Nudge It Up A Notch
Release Date: July 29, 2008
Label: Stax
Origin: Nashville, TN
This show has SOLD OUT. Listen to the Show Live Friday at 12noon
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
RSVP
XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
After years of writing music for other artists, movies, and TV shows (and good stuff at that - two of those movies garnered Academy Award nominations, and his lineup of artists include Ray Charles and Joe Cocker), Phil Roy knows music. He's been playing the guitar since he was nine, attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music at the age of 17, and headed to Los Angeles to front two bands during the '80s before he left the recording industry to begin exclusively songwriting.
But after years of penning for shows and other musicians, Roy decided to strike out on his own. He packed up his things, moved back to Philadelphia, and released his debut Grouchyfriendly. With their maturity and master musicianship, Roy's storied songs were soon on air and all over the web. Grouchyfriendly won an Independent Album of the Year award, and critics across the board were praising Roy's sincere, smooth style. Roy went back the studio, and since then he has released two more folksy soul albums - both highly acclaimed. The latest of the two, The Great Longing, is inventive and lush, and universal in its sentiments. Including vocalists Amos Lee ("Busy Thinking Bout Today"), Madeleine Peyroux ("Exceptionally Ordinary"), and rising Philly star Melody Gardot ("A Meditation..."), The Great Longing is deeply sincere and breathtaking. As said by Tom Waits, "This is Phil Roy at his Phil noir best. Eccentric, lush and musical. An atmospheric wicked beauty. Uncommonly smooth, yet strange and curious."
Phil Roy will be at the World Cafe this coming Friday, playing from The Great Longing as well as some of his older work - a Free At Noon not to miss. And, he plays Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square, Friday night, May 15, and Appel Farm Music & Arts Center on Sunday, June 7.
Website: philroy.com
MySpace: myspace.com/philroyband
Recent Release: The Great Longing
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Label: Decca Records
Origin: Philadelphia
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
RSVP
XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
After hitting the music scene in 2007 with the release of their standout debut album Fort Nightly, White Rabbits developed a reputation as an energetic six-piece. Touring with a series of breakout indie acts such as The Walkmen and Spoon, White Rabbits captivated audiences around the country with their lively performances and unique lineup (two drummers!), appearing on the World Cafe the same year. NME named them one of the top three performing bands after their winning showcase at SXSW the same year.
Intense rhythms and sweeping, melodic choruses typify their catchy and, at times, sinister sound - a blend of reggae and ska the members describe as "honky-tonk calypso." They seamlessly intertwine tinkling piano riffs and heavy handed guitars, transforming once straight ahead pop hooks into something much more adventurous. Two years since the release of Fort Nightly, White Rabbits continue to dance to their own drummer(s). With the same unflagging momentum they prepare to release their greatly anticipated sophomore album, It's Frightening, produced by former tourmate Britt Daniel, of Spoon.
White Rabbits are playing NYC's Bowery Ballroom on May 21 and will return to Philly to play Johnny Brenda's on Friday, June 5.
Website: whiterabbitsmusic.com
MySpace: myspace.com/whiterabbits
Recent Release: It's Frightening
Release Date: May 19, 2009
Label: TBD Records
Origin: Brooklyn, NY
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
RSVP
XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
Starting out as a typical '90s garage-punk outfit, Fastball went through the normal basement practices and nearby venues in Austin. While building local buzz, they caught the attention of some record execs, and soon they had a deal with Hollywood Records. They changed their initial name from Magneto USA to Fastball (after their favorite porno), released their debut, and began touring the U.S. However, the band was still something of a side-project for all three members. Joey Shuffield, Miles Zuniga, and Tony Scalzo were all working part-time up until the release of their breakthrough album in 1998, All the Pain Money Can Buy.
Suddenly, Fastball was a household name. The catchy single "The Way" was heard on radios all over the country. Teens and adults alike were flocking to stores for cassettes and CDs, and sales reached the million mark at the end of the year. Fastball hit the road for world tours and TV appearances with two Grammy nominations under their belts. Audiences around the globe fell in love with the Fastball's alt-country and '70s balladry.
Since that time, Fastball has been recording, performing, and collaborating with artists including Al Anderson and Bowling for Soup. Each of their subsequent four albums have stayed true to their infectious pop-rock sound. Their latest album is no exception, yet it also shows how much the band has evolved since those late-night garage practices. Little White Lies was produced by Miles Zuniga and C.J. Eiriksson (Blue October, Jack’s Mannequin) and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie). Fastball wowed audiences with some of their new songs from the album at the SXSW Festival this past March, and they have a nation-wide tour scheduled to support the release. After over a decade of shows and music, Fastball are proving that quality guitar rock will never lose its appeal.
Fastball is in town to play the Tin Angel on Thursday night, May 7.
Website: fastballtheband.com
MySpace: myspace.com/fastballtheband
Recent Release: Little White Lies
Release Date: April 14, 2009
Label: MRI/RED Distribution
Origin: Austin, TX
Song Clips: 
Little White Lies | The Way
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.
Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
SOLD OUT>/b> | Listen-->
XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.
Peter Bjorn & John whistled their way into indie hearts just a couple years ago with their unavoidable, catchy single "Young Folks". The Swedish pop band got their start playing together in high school, and became official in 1999 when Peter Morén (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass, keyboards and vocals), and John Eriksson (drums, percussion and vocals) performed their quirky new wave pop aboard a Stockholm boat. The gig was not a very successful one, but the trio were not deterred - as they said, they "just wanted to make good music for [their] own amusement". And with that aim in mind, Peter Bjorn & John have become some of the biggest names in indie pop today.
After two albums, the trio released their third studio album, Writers Block, in 2006. Filled with plenty of whistles, bongos, maracas, and warmth, the album was an instant hit, and the omnipresent single "Young Folks" was being heard on radios across the globe. Since their launch into world fame, the three have played with the likes of Kanye West, toured extensively, and focused on more projects.
After a three-year hiatus from the public eye (apart from an instrumental, download-only release in 2008), Peter Bjorn & John are back with Living Thing. This latest release proves that they do have more than a few infectious pop ditties up their sleeves, but this time around, the songs are a bit more cynical, wonkier, and even cleverer. The trio has lately been travelling the US in support of Living Thing.
Peter Bjorn & John just played the 3-day Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Southern California. And, before heading back to Sweden for the June Hultsfredsfestivalen (The Hultsfred Festival in Pampas, Sweden), Peter Bjorn & John will also play a full show at World Cafe Live on Friday, May 1st.
Website: peterbjornandjohn.com
MySpace: myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn
Recent Release: Living Thing
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Label: Almost Gold (US)
Origin: Sweden
When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!
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Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...
WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!
The Legendary Roots Crew will be on hand in full force (and that’s a lot of people) next Friday the 31st of June when...Read More
With the release of City Rain’s new single “The Optimist” imminent, the duo today premiered a new music video for...Read More
Photo via https://www.facebook.com/drexeluniv/posts/520555071314459 Did you ever date someone to find out they had...Read More
In advance of her forthcoming For Loud City Song LP, Julia Holter has shared a new video for lead single “World.” The...Read More
Japanese Guy perform at PhilaMOCA tonight. The less-talked about side project of a Fleet Foxes member, Japanese Guy is the...Read More
