It was nice to see Cheers Elephant bring their lively, animated, energetic selves to today’s WXPN Free At Noon concert. Cheers Elephant’s pop rock style is far too infectious and sounded so good. Cheers Elephant closed their set with a cover of The Band’s “The Weight” as a tribute to Levon Helm. Great show, guys!
Chris Kasper played to a sold out crowd at World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) for ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ CD Release Show and it was incredible. The live version of these songs sounded so unbelievably good that I could not imagine anyone walking away from that show Friday night disappointed. On stage along with Chris Kasper (vocals, guitar) was Andy Keenan (guitar, banjo), Phil D’Agostino (bass), Kevin Killen (drums), and Jaron Olevsky (keys). Kiley Ryan and Adrien Reju also joined in on backing vocals for a few songs. I definitely have some great memories from this amazing show.
Earlier in the evening there was a set by Adrien Reju. Reju had the honor of opening the show and she played a lovely set accompanied by Jaron Olevsky on keys. Reju played several new songs and I hope that there is a new album in the works. To put it plain and simple – Adrien Reju is a great songwriter with a wonderful voice. It was nice to see Olevsky on keys again (he’s a part of Reju’s band from time to time) because his playing is impressive. Adrien Reju’s set was followed by a set by Vandaveer. I apologize for not really paying much attention to Vandaveer’s music. At that point in the show my mind was too occupied with thoughts of “when is Chris Kasper going to play?”
Upcoming Shows:
11/12/11 – Chris Kasper at Rockwood Music Hall (NYC)
11/19/11 – Vandaveer at Rams Head Tavern (Annapolis, MD)
11/19/11 – Vandaveer at The Red Place (Washington, DC)
WXPN welcomes Chris Kasper CD Release Show
with Vandaveer & Adrien Reju
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-222-1400
Friday, November 4, 2011 | Doors 6:30pm | Show 8pm | Downstairs Live
As fans of Chris Kasper’s music we’ll definitely be there. Hope to see you there too.
I’ve been listening to Hezekiah Jones – “Borrowed Heart” since its release last month by Weathervane Music as a new Shaking Through episode. I first heard “Borrowed Heart” played on WXPN (88.5FM) and thought the song was irresistible. So, I downloaded the song and play it on repeat often.
“Borrowed Heart” is an absolutely beautiful song. It’s the voices of Raphael Cutrufello, Kiley Ryan, and Andrew Lipke that are individually powerful and undeniably breathtaking. The music on this track is stunning and that buzzing lap steel (provided by Brad Hinton) is mesmerizing. Excellent contributions by all the Jones’ involved in this song for giving it such a full and complete sound. “Borrowed Heart” is a welcomed haunting and a great listening experience.
It’s said that “Borrowed Heart” syncs exactly with a scene from Bride of Frankenstein (a 1935 classic). Wow, that really speaks to how creative and truly an artist Raphael Cutrufello is. Brilliant!
Shaking Through: Hezekiah Jones from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.
Hezekiah Jones: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace
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Ross Bellenoit
Track list: |
Eight Track Mind is the debut album by Ross Bellenoit, a name that has been associated with many great artists (Amos Lee, Birdie Busch, John Francis, and The Sweetback Sisters – just to name a few) is finally taking his turn as a solo artist; testing his singer/songwriter skills. Eight Track Mind has a pop body, a rock and roll mind, and a folk soul which delivers a clever, and genuine effort by Bellenoit.
“Now Is The Time” has the most beautifully haunting backing vocals like a spirit calling from the other side. “Human Nature” might be familiar to some because of its WXPN airplay. “Speak Clear” starts out small and contained but soon breaks free with a near arena rock appeal. Wendy Gaynor contributes excellent vocals on “Don’t Tell Me”. And “you have a face unfit for your tongue ‘cause all that you’ve said isn’t all that you’ve done” are some notable lyrics heard on that track. Oh my, the pedal/lap steel (actually maybe it’s just an electric guitar with impeccable control) – anyways, it adds the most amazing layer to that track (and several others on this album) with so much feeling. “This Time Around” is the fun song of the album and features Suzie Brown, Birdie Busch, Zach Djanikian, Wendy Gaynor, Craig Hendrix, Chris Kasper, Andrew Lipke, Jaron Olevsky, Allison Polans and Adrien Reju on vocals providing an impervious wall of sound. Nate Gonzalez’s accordion playing on “Borderline” is impressive and joyous.
All in all, I think Eight Track Mind is a great debut album from Ross Bellenoit and proves him to be a gifted singer/songwriter, solo artist. I hope that this is only the beginning. Nice work by Jaron Olevsky (recording, bass guitar), Freddie Berman (drums) and everyone involved in this album. By the way, I’m definitely feeling the overall production quality on the album – it’s crisp.
[LISTEN] “Human Nature” by Ross Bellenoit from the album Eight Track Mind
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Ross Bellenoit: website | Facebook | Myspace
In celebration of Mason Porter’s scheduled performance at the Philadelphia Folk Festival they are releasing a limited edition (only 50 copies available) album, ‘Story of the Rifle’. The new album was recorded live in studio and is a mix of traditional folk and cover songs. You can catch Mason Porter’s performance Saturday August 21st at 1:15pm on the WXPN stage. While you’re at the festival you can pick up a copy of ‘Story of the Rifle’ at the merchandise tent starting Friday (while supplies last).
I was very excited to download “Creole Belle”, and “Wayfaring Stranger” from ‘Story of the Rifle’ available on the Mason Porter website (www.masonporter.com). Listening to these tracks reminds me how much I enjoy that Mason Porter sound – it’s wonderful!
[LISTEN] Mason Porter – “Creole Belle”
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Also, be on the lookout for some of our other favorite Philly artists that will be gracing a Philadelphia Folk Festival (Aug 20, Aug 21, and Aug 22 at Old Pool Farm near Schwenksville, PA) stage this weekend: The Spinning Leaves, Marc Silver & The Stonethrowers, Johnny Miles, Ben Arnold, and Cheers Elephant.
This year WXPN’s annual summer music festival, 2010 XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru, takes place Friday, July 16th to Sunday, July 18th at Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront. The XPoNential festival is in its 17th year and its 6th year being held at Wiggins Park. The festival will feature artists: Alejandro Escovedo, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Nicole Atkins, The Felice Brothers, The Walkmen, Dawes, Dr. Dog, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros along with Philly artists and One Fan at a Time favorites: Ben Arnold, Dutch (featuring Liz Fullerton), Birdie Busch, The Great Unknown – and many more. Plus enjoy family friendly music and exhibits available in the Kids Corner Garden.
Gates open at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 16; and noon on Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18. The Kids Corner Area will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
I had so much fun last year at the 2009 XPoNential Music Festival that I will definitely return this year. Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront in the summertime is a very beautiful place and a very short commute from Philadelphia, PA. I loved going back and forth between the Camden County River Stage and the Jersey.com Marina Stage trying to see all the acts. Best of all WXPN really does a great job of selecting a diverse group of established and new artists that really represent the eclectic and unique genres/styles that you can hear on the radio station on any given day.
3 Days | 3 Stages | 40+ Acts
Tickets & Details: xpn.org/festival
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