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Dispatch first appeared on the indie music scene back in 1996. The band formed while members How Corrigan, Chad Stokes, and Pete Francis were attending Middlebury College in Vermont and, after achieving modest success, called it quits in 2002. After almost a decade-long hiatus, the New England jam band reunited in 2011 for a national tour and put out their first release in eleven years. Now the band is gearing up for the release of their new album, Circles Around the Sun, in stores this week. The band will be promoting the album on a U.S. tour this fall, including a stop at the Tower Theater on Tuesday, October 9 at 8pm.
Band of Horses will burst onto the Free at Noon stage August 17th. The band, which traces its origins to Washington state, has survived a tumultuous history: of the four original members, only frontman singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell remains. Bridwell is supported by Tyler Ramsey (guitar/vocals), Bill Reynolds (bass), Ryan Monroe (keyboard), and Creighton Barret (drums). Renowned as soulful rockers with a touch of country, they have garnered a faithful following and numerous awards.
Sporting big hair and a bigger voice, Belgian songwriter Selah Sue has gotten significant attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Her 2011 eponymous debut album sold over 400,000 copies in Europe and peaked high on many European charts. She has won two European Border Breakers awards. Selah Sue, whose real name is Sanne Putseys, taught herself acoustic guitar at age 15 in her hometown Leefdall. She was offered a record deal at age 17 by Universal but declined, preferring to write her own songs.
Ryan Shaw has a new album out, "Real Love." He plays the Mt. Airy Night Market on August 16th, and will be joining us for a Free At Noon Show on August 10.
Texas songwriter, James McMurtry is back in town for a show this Friday night at the Tin Angel and will be here at 12noon for an XPN Free At Noon!
Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson is the epitome of a modern-day troubadour. With his crooning voice and folksy acoustic tunes he could easily be compared to a stripped-down Bob Dylan. Matsson recently released his third full-length album under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth. The album, There's No Leaving Now, is the follow-up to 2010's The Wild Hunt and, for fans of his previous work, the latest release does not disappoint.
Wanderlust is a band of Philadelphian musicians you may remember from way-back-when in the '90s. The band saw recognition for the track 'I Walked' off of their studio debut Prize, which was recorded in 1995 with RCA. After a long break, in which the band members have moved as far from Philly as California, Wanderlust is back with a new in-studio live album. The record, called Record Time, is available as an online stream for now.
As it turns out, Americans don't have a monopoly on Americana. Not in music, at least. Born in New York City bar from the minds of native Londoner Terry Wolfers and Brit-Swede Petter Ericson Stakee, Alberta Cross took the matter of American roots music into their own hands and -- God Save the Queen -- made something great. Their folky, bluesy, old-school rock sound emulates the firm foundations laid by genre greats such as The Band and Neil Young. From gritty rock n' roll numbers like "ATX" from their last album, 2009's Broken Side of Time, to the slow and sincere "Low Man" from 2007's The Thief & The Heartbreaker, Alberta Cross' proven versatility has garnered them a spot in the hearts of alt-country.
Langhorne Slim was born as Sean Scolnick, hailing from his pseudonym-sake, the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania. A self-professed lover of "early" music -- the roots of the genres -- Slim is well known for a sound that showcases the primitive. A gentle, rollicking mix of folk-Americana, blues, and early rock n' roll wrought with banjos and guitars weave the familiar layers beneath his earnest voice.
"The Germans can't pronounce it," Jukebox the Ghost say of their name, which they admit "is impossible to say." The trio came together while attending George Washington University in D.C. when the drummer and keyboardist responded to a flyer the guitarist had put up in the school's music department. In their own words, "It was musical love at first sight." They initially performed under the name The Sunday Mail, but after a few years the band decided that a new identity was in order. Creating a sound full of fresh-faced indie-pop goodness, Jukebox the Ghost have found themselves often compared to the likes of They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds, with whom they toured in 2009.
San Diego's Greg Laswell released his fifth studio album, Landline, this April on Vanguard. Laswell has been recording as a solo artist since 2003. His
previous project, a band called Shilglen, enjoyed moderate success at the turn of the centruy. After taking a mutually agreed upon break in 2001, the
band decided not to regroup. Laswell's music features an equal balance of electric and acoustic guitar; his songwriting is at times almost bluesy or mournful and at other times his sound takes a more pop direction.
A Member Appreciation Free At Noon Triple-Header
FEATURING - GLEN HANSARD, ARTIST TO WATCH MICHAEL KIWANUKA, AND MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER!
Listen to this week's Live Friday Free At Noon and other Live Shows in the
Concert Archive
Five time Grammy award winner and Princeton, NJ native Mary Chapin Carpenter has been producing country/folk/rock standards for nearly 25 years. She has earned fans and accolades for her ten studio albums and countless live performances. Carpenter grew up on the likes of The Mamas & the Papas and Judy Collins. After graduating from Brown in 1981, Carpenter decided to keep music as a hobby and focus on a career. That changed quickly after a few job interviews, and was signed to a deal with Columbia a short while afterwards.
Having already found success as the vocalist/guitarist for the Irish band The Frames and as half of the folk rock duo The Swell Season, musician Glen Hansard is venturing out as a solo artist. His debut album, Rhythm and Repose, is slated for a June 19th American release on the ANTI record label. The album, Hansard's first since The Swell Season's 2009 Strict Joy, was recorded over the past year and a half in New York City. 
Although Michael Kiwanuka, born to Ugandan parents in North London, first started out in music as a session guitarist, it is his soulful voice and emotional songwriting that have made him one of Britain's up and coming singer-songwriters. His voice and style tap into vibes reminiscent of artists like Bill Withers and Otis Redding, the later whom Kiwanuka credits along with Bob Dylan as inspiring his folk-inflected soul music. After spending time recording guitar for rap and R&B acts and doing some small jam shows, Kiwanuka realized he had much more to express in musically and decided to try his hand at songwriting. When friends fell in love with his demo tapes, Kiwanuka realized he had found his calling.
The Swollen Fox has announced a special 3-year anniversary concert at PhilaMOCA on July 11th with TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb, Swift...Read More
The Chester County-based folk group Tin Bird Choir performed in a stripped down two-piece configuration for this weeks’...Read More
Grammy-winning and critically revered American folk performer Patty Griffin makes a Philadelphia appearance next month, headlining...Read More
This tasty new set tripped down the Daytrotter wire today; backed by a DJ and a handy cache of moody, evocative beats, up-and-coming...Read More
Photo by Joseph Schell Photography https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Schell-Photography/106691849363906 Edward Sharpe and the...Read More
