It was a beautiful weekend for music and good vibrations at the Wiggins Park Marina for this year’s XPoNential Music Fest presented by University of Pennsylvania radio station 88.5 WXPN on September 17, 18, and 19, 2021.

Two stages were set to host dozens of bands over the weekend, the River Stage and the Marina Stage. The River Stage catered to larger acts, bands more prone to dancing, situated at the bottom of a large natural amphitheater. Nestled right next to the Marina, just over a small hill, was the Marina Stage. This special stage was reserved especially for singer/songwriters and Nashville acts on their first leg of a tour since 2019.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

On Saturday, September 18th, the second day of the festival, the first act we caught was Philly locals, Stella Ruze, on the River Stage. Established in 2014 by Brendan Johnson and Katie O’Donnell, the band has recently expanded to include two drummers, a trumpet player, a saxophonist, a keyboardist, and 3 and 4 part vocal harmonies. Stella Ruze’s sound is reminiscent of Paul Simon and the crowd responded well to them being that they were the first act of the afternoon. I saw a few familiar faces up on stage with Stella Ruze including Rob Tait on percussion and Gabe Preston on trumpet. Their set was fun and danceable and fans stuck around to talk to the band afterward.

photo credit: Liv Foltiny

Over on the Marina Stage, we caught a group called Great Time. Their sound is along the lines of what I would call Neo/New Wave. The lead singer played synths in front of what was essentially a funk trio who also had synths attached to their instruments. In a neon jumpsuit, the lead singer could have managed on her own. The trio could have played a mean funk set on their own, as well. But, as a band, the combination is artfully executed. The sound was synth-heavy but ultimately danceable. They employed two laptops, one on the drums and one with the lead singer. She also played saxophone and flute throughout the set. 

After the band, Great Time, we headed back to the River Stage for Paul Beaubrun and his band from Haiti. At first blush, there was a strong flavor of Fela Kuti. This young quartet slickly transitioned between rock and roll, reggae, blues, Caribbean, cumbia, salsa, and more.

Beaubrun rocked the lead guitar effortlessly. They led a vocal jam heavily laden with percussion that ended in a sing-a-long and passionately screamed directions to ‘Go Low!’, ‘Jump!’, and ‘Scream!’. The highlight of their set was a very cool, very reggae version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers.

Nashville singer/songwriter, Michaela Anne, and her quintet crooned to audiences from the Marina Stage. This was her second show back prior to the pandemic. She employed spacey intros and synth strings to begin a few of her songs. Strong three-part harmonies and an authentic pop-country sound were eerily reminiscent of Stevie-Nicks-era Fleetwood Mac.

Her songs were heartfelt and employed clever turns of phrases in her lyrics. I especially enjoyed this lyric: “I’m not the fire, I’m just the smoke…”

I caught up with Philadelphian bassist, Charlie Muench, (an old classmate of mine from West Chester University’s bass studio where we both studied under Peter Paulsen), and he told us that the rest of the band came up from Nashville while he joined them for shows in PA, NJ, and NYC. This group is going places, I’m a fan.

The funky Cimafunk delivers an unforgettable set at the  XPoNential Music Festival on Saturday. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

The 29-year-old Cuban vocalist known as Cimafunk was warmed up and ready to rock when we returned to the River Stage. This band is all business, and their business is funk. Two female singers who also doubled on trombone and saxophone, respectively, backed up a lead singer who resembled a young, Cuban James Brown. The rhythm section included a drum kit, congas, hand percussion, bass, and electric guitar. At moments, they reminded me of an Afro-Cuban Fishbone, or funkadelic or both, combined with the Fania All-Stars.

The lead singer had all the moves and charisma of a master like Héctor Lavoe or James Brown. I must also mention that the backup singer playing hand percussion was integral to the band’s sound. The claves and the güiro were the stars of the show in this group full of soon-to-be- superstars. I must also mention heavy usage of the Stravinsky orchestra-hit sample featured in most hip-hop songs produced between 1981 through 1993.

On the Marina Stage, Adia Victoria, from South Carolina, emphatically informed the crowd that she “Drove up to play the blues for you.” Her voice was instantly breathy and bluesy, but her mic technique was lacking and it made for an uneven vocal performance. However, her band was tight and she and they got extra points for wearing matching black and red western-themed outfits with boots and hats and all. If you walked away from the stage a bit, you could hear the Tedeschi Trucks Band warming up in the BB&T Pavilion.

South Carolina blues artist Adia Victoria performs on the Marina Stage. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

Strand of Oaks, a straight-up rock and roll outfit, was next on the River Stage. The band was tight. Three-part harmonies, electric guitars, a three-piece Ludwig drum kit, and absolutely spot-on stage presence made their performance spectacular. The lead guitar solos were amazing. Towards the end of their set, they were stretching out into Pink Floyd territory.

Next up, on the Marina Stage, the crowd was starting to boil over in anticipation of the arrival and performance of one Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

Suddenly, though he was not yet on stage, Kingfish‘s guitar began to scream. He appears from off-stage just ripping up a solo over that groove. From there the temperature only went up. Of course, there were ups and downs, highs and lows, throughout the set. But Kingfish absolutely held the audience in the palm of his hand throughout. He got out into the middle and then just rocked for five minutes or so before heading back down the

Legendary guitarist and blues artist, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and bring the blues to Philly. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

hill to get back on stage. The crowd was absolutely foaming at the mouth at this point. He ended the set by starting a very loud and fast solo over the tune, “Hey Joe,” and then dropped his guitar down onto the stage with a huge band and giant static and feedback while he walked off and hopped onto a golf cart. Absolutely legend.

Capping off the afternoon on the River Stage was the singer/songwriter, Ani DiFranco. Her trio consisted of a drummer/percussionist, a keyboardist/bassist, and herself on vocals, plus an array of really cool, old guitars for various tunings. She joked with the crowd initially, saying “I like this set-up. You all have the light in your eyes this time. Now you can see how it feels…” She launched into a set of mostly new songs mixed with classics. She is the master of the use of dissonance in her songs and from song to song in her sets. She can hit a chord that will make your shoulders tighten and then resolve it in such a way as to make you actually relax a bit. She’ll go from a taught, confessional song and then follow it with a tune that makes you smile again. She’s a master performer and another who always has the crowd right there in her palm.

Vocalist Greg Ormont gets weird at XPoNential Music Fest on Saturday, September 18. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

Later at the BB&T Pavilion, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and the Tedeschi Trucks Band rocked out for four solid hours. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong were lively, danceable, and generally provided a fun atmosphere for the crowd to dance their butts off on the lawn. Their setlist included just five incredibly stretched-out songs including: “Penguins,” “Somethin’ For Ya,” “Fun In Funk,” “Horizon,” and “Lightning.” 

The Tedeschi Trucks Band, conversely, while rocking out completely, was less lively on stage. With a setlist that included covers of The Wood Brothers’ “Smoke Ring Halo,” as well as “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin,'” by the Allman Brothers Band, and “Bell-Bottom Blues” by Derek and the Dominoes. Tedeschi Trucks kept up its reputation for being the next generation of enlightened southern rock.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

The next day it was even more sunny and bright than the day before and the crowd was just as excited. I had been surviving on lemonade and chicken empanadas for most of the weekend. Between sets, you could hear the brass band, Snacktime, up at the top of the hill playing cleverly arranged pop tunes, including Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” and “Waterfalls” by TLC. Unfortunately, one of the headliners, Dawes, had to cancel their set due to positive COVID-19 tests. Cimafunk was added to the bill and Shovels and Rope was moved up to close out the festival. 

Sunday’s festivities began on the Marina Stage with songwriter/vocalist, Anna Shoemaker, joined by an accompanist on acoustic guitar. Her tunes were a bit emo, a bit folk-punk. She and her accompanist were sharing beers throughout the set. She seemed both nervous and relaxed and having fun at the same time. She spoke with the audience like they were her family sitting out in the crowd. Off-hand comments and asides punctuated a set of introspective, existential songs with titles like “It’s Depression” and “Laugh Until I Die.” Her voice reminds me of another amazing Philly vocalist named Ali Wadsworth.

Chris Day delivers some serious guitar. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

Over on the River Stage, things were heating up. The sun was beating down on an ever-increasingly expectant crowd of rabid Tommy Conwell fans. This classic rock group referenced their own songs as they introduced them. For their third song, Tommy announced, “This is the first song off our first album.” For their fourth song, “We did this on Letterman back in 1989!”… and so on. He was adamant that “the eighties are coming back!’ many times throughout the set. I’ll give it to him, Tommy Conwell still rocks out. His band is awesome. 

Singer/songwriter, Sierra Ferrel, sweetly sang songs of struggle and love and everything else in-between from her perch on the Marina Stage. Here we had another group of Nashville professionals pretending to be a live band, but really doing exactly what they did in the studio. However, Ferrel‘s look (complete with denim jumper, nose ring, and facial tattoo), was just the beginning of my interest in this songstress. Before going on stage, while I was chatting with the sound technician and local musician, Jim Tauscher (IATSE, Local 8), I saw her rocking a leather fringe mask over her regular mask. This lady is cool as hell. But what really had me swooning was her amazing voice. Her songs are fun and her band was tight. She also had a fiddler and a bassist. They were short one other member due to a positive COVID-19 test. 

Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Devon Gillfillian, will knock your socks off, then help you put them back on, and tie your shoes for you. He came dressed to the nines in psychedelic businesswear ready to croon to the crowd awaiting him in front of the River Stage. He did just that. His first tune was sexy and slow and had stops that lasted just a bit too long, but also just long enough. This man is a soul singer who loves chatting with his audience. He has two cats, named Felicia and Barry White. His band had killer backing vocals, especially during a rousing version of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” with the addition of the members of Snacktime bolstering the horn section. He was seen chatting up fans and posing for pictures throughout the festival after his set.

Devin Gillfillian rocks out on the guitar at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Fest. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

Back over at the Marina Stage, singer/songwriter, Jade Bird, was warming up. She played solo, just her and an acoustic guitar. She informed the crowd that thought they’d notice her English accent, even though she had recently moved to Texas. She had a backing vocalist to flesh out vocal harmonies over sweet and personal songs. This Brit has got a firm hold on an Americana sound and style. It was nice to hear someone from across the pond as opposed to the many Nashvillian folks we’d had through the weekend. 

Next up on the River Stage was Cimafunk for a second set, but not before Snacktime could get up and play a quick version of P-Funk’s “Do That Stuff.” Cimafunk came out guns-blazing for their second set of sexy, Spanish-speaking funk. That famous Stravinsky orchestra-hit sample came out early in the set and stuck around. They also made heavier use of 80s synth sounds. Cimafunk is everything you want in a party band. Funk, Latin, Caribbean, hip-hop, rock, reggae, everything! Who wouldn’t want another set from Cimafunk?

Nicole Atkins smiles at fans after performing live. (photo credit: Liv Foltiny)

Nicole Atkins is a rare bird. She’s a Nashville pro who’s ready to rock out. Her set was at once tight and loose like a good Rolling Stones concert. I spotted Philly locals Meaghan Kyle, Ryan Williams, and Imani Roach supplying backing vocals at stage-left. Her band was a rock and roll quintet with her as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Their blend of pop-rock and bluesy rock and roll hit the spot after a set of super-dancey funk. Her voice soared above the crowd at the Marina Stage, as she switched from a Fender Jazzmaster (a model I own, coincidentally) to a Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster. I particularly liked a tune called “Garbage of Eden.” They closed with an epic righteous cover of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is And What Should Never Be,” proving that she and her group is on top of their game right now.

Shovels and Rope, a duo featuring Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst from South Carolina, set up on the River Stage to close the festival. They resemble the White Stripes with Trent on guitar and Hearst on drums. But each had more to offer than what you could see immediately. They both employed synths attached to the guitar or the keyboard the Hearst played with her right hand while keeping a beat with her right on the snare and her foot the bass drum. Eventually, they settled in and Hearst riffed on the band’s name: “Shovels and Rope:” it’s all you need to dig a hole for yourself and to get back out again.” They had released an album years ago with that title and decided to keep it for the band’s name later on when they started touring. They wowed the crowd, as well as me and Liv. I’m a fan. Get yourself some Shovels and Rope.

With that, the weekend of sun and music had ended. Crowds filtered out to their cars and trains and Ubers to go back across the bridge to Philly or back out into the wilds of New Jersey. Tito’s Vodka packed up their merch tent. Police stood around trying to look useful. Performers and audience members, alike, wiped the sweat from their brow, packed up their cooler and lawn chair, and went home to face another week.

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LiveConnections Big Hurrah, taking place October 6^th at The World Cafe, will recognize veteran radio host and WXPN mainstay, Helen Leicht, with the Connector Award, commemorating her 40-year career built around supporting Philadelphia’s local music community.

Leicht is one of the Philadelphia music community’s true mavericks.  She is credited with helping create numerous WXPN institutions including Free at Noon, Artist to Watch, Leicht Lunch, XPoNential Music Festival, and music blog The Key.  More than anything else, her career has been dedicated toward championing local musicians: “When they get recognition—and they get support—they can support causes they’re passionate about, they can support local artists they’re passionate about, and they can pay it forward.”

With her soothing, raspy voice, Leicht was born to be a radio broadcaster.  The quick phone chat I had with her recently almost felt like I was having a conversation on her show.  What I wanted to know more than anything else: how she got her start.

Leicht’s career stems back to 1976—where she got her start on WIOQ Album Oriented Radio (AOR), introducing Philadelphia to the likes to Tom Petty, The Cars, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, and Elvis Costello.  That same year she began hosting her nationally syndicated program Sunday Breakfast with The Beatles.

But in 1990 Leicht changed trajectory when she joined WXPN.  She was encouraged by then programming director Mike Morrison to play whatever she wanted—something that wasn’t common in the radio world at the time.  She immediately chose to dedicate her air time to local artists—placing ads in the newspaper encouraging artists to mail in their demo tapes.  Over the years she’s introduced audiences to the likes of Amos Lee, Jim Boggia, Ben Arnold, John Flynn, Good Old War, Mutlu, Lauren Hart, Andrew Lipke, Melody Gardot, Matt Duke, Sharon Little Kuf Knotz.

In 2003 Leicht, along with Bruce Warren, she began presenting their Artist to Watch. This has been an invaluable vehicle for launching the careers of many local musicians. In 2005 she started the concert series Free At Noon which has featured David Gray, Adele, Hall & Oates, Damien Rice, The Smithereens, Citizen Cope, Arlo Guthrie, Richard Thompson, Buddy Guy, Sean Lennon, Rosanne Cash, and Calexico. And in the spirit of paying it forward, Leicht helped establish WXPN’s Musicians on Call Program, which has provided over 80,000 patients from surrounding area hospitals with performances by local musicians since 2004.

As an aspiring writer and freelance music journalist, my life perpetually revolves around discovering new music, and XPN’s eclectic range of programming is one of the more robust resources for getting truly engrossed in Philadelphia’s music scene.  Often times, you don’t even realize you’re listening to local artists because it meshes so well with the other material. That’s what is so great about listening WXPN: they play the most exciting music from artists performing right in your back yard.  To put it simply in the words of Helen: “These are artists you’re going to hear about.”

If you’re a frequent listener to WXPN you’ve no doubt heard it a hundred times: WXPN is a member-supported radio station.  Their eclectic array of programming is made possible by enthusiastic listeners, that take the extra step to give back to the community—Philadelphia’s music community is one of the most vibrant in the country, and it all starts with supporting the artists from the bottom up.

To say the least, Helen Leicht’s merits make her an ideal recipient of the connector Award, and her passion and contributions will continue to reverberate throughout the community for years to come.

On the third and final day of the XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru, things wrapped up without any outspoken artists, power outages or freak rainstorms. There was however, an eclectic lineup that ranged from country to afro-pop and everything in between. Whether it was the hard rocking local boys in The Districts or the living legend Mavis Staples, Sunday was the perfect way to wrap up another wonderful festival weekend put on by WXPN.

When we arrived, we rushed over to the River Stage just in time to catch The Districts getting ready to perform. After taking a few pictures side stage with program director Bruce Warren, they made their way onstage to rip an afternoon set that showed that they are more than comfortable on stages that large.

Two of the day’s best performances were found at the Marine Stage. After driving all the way from North Dakota just to be rained out the day before, David Wax Museum were not going to leave empty handed. They managed to get squeezed into a busy lineup and made their stay more than welcomed. Following them up and closing out the stage for the weekend were another Philly act, Low Cut Connie. Their energetic and intense mix of piano driven rock made for not only one of the top acts of day, but of the entire weekend.

In between the two was a woman needed no introduction, Mavis Staples, gracing the River Stage. Song after soulful song, her incredible voice filled the park grounds. With a ferry horn blowing midway through her set, she invited everyone to take a ride on it back to Philadelphia with her afterwards.

Rounding out the night on the River Stage and at Wiggins Park was Femi Kuti and his band the Positive Force. With a band that included a three-piece horn section, a number of dancers and one very adorable daughter, Kuti had the crowd dancing away as the sun began to set. We unfortunately had to leave early to catch the beginning of all of the action at BB&T Pavilion, but every song we couldn’t catch along the way.

The finish out the festival, WXPN backed a back-to-back-to-back trio of acts like no other. The beginning of the end started with the recently formed supergroup of Neko Case, k.d. Lang and Laura Veirs, aptly named case/lang/veirs. The group debuted earlier this year at WXPN’s NomCom event so it was only fitting that they come back around again.

To wrap up their co-headlining tour, Old Crow Medicine Show and Brandi Carlile decided to make the XPoNential Festival the culminating end. Song after song, including a couple assisted by Carlile, Old Crow Medicine Show had almost the entire lawn section dancing along in what could best be described as the country version of a mosh pit. When it came to her own performance, Carlile won the crowd over early with a cover of “Born To Run”. Her high energy set echoed throughout the amphitheater with roars and cheers after every tune.

Despite incredibly high temperatures and a few curveballs thrown at them, WXPN proved time and time again throughout the weekend just exactly why they are one of the leaders in our local scene. The XPoNential Festival brought in crowds of all kinds for a weekend long celebration of great music, just like they have year after year. With another one in the books, here’s looking ahead to next year!

The weekend leading up to the Democratic National Convention takeover in Philadelphia, local stalwarts of the music scene here brought their annual three-day celebration across the river in Camden. The XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru brought an eclectic mix of artists across the Delaware River, to Wiggins Park and the BB&T Pavilion. With temperatures soaring each day to right around the 100 degrees mark, concertgoers for day after day of music, food, fun, beers and sweltering heat.

After battling traffic commutes and a quick ferry ride over, we made it to Wiggins Park just in time for the now infamous Father John Misty set. What a way to start the festival! There isn’t too much to say that hasn’t already been said. The “performance” wound up being a recurring joke throughout the weekend. After the subsequent remarks following his performance, it’s safe to say that might have been Father John Misty’s last event promoted by WXPN.

We caught a handful of other artists while hopping between the River and Marina Stages before making our way over to BB&T Pavilion. The Suffers helped people get down as the sun began to set, all with an introduction from their longtime friend and the Eagles now defensive end Connor Barwin. The duo of Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle made their debut earlier this year at WXPN’s NomComm and the station brought them back to close out Night One at Wiggins Park.

Walking over to BB&T Pavilion, we caught the final minutes of Tommy Stinson’s set before Kurt Vile took to the stage. The hometown hero played a short set made up material mostly from his last two albums, along with reaching back to Smoke Ring For My Halo for “Jesus Freak”. Guitars buzzing and hair flowing, Vile’s short but sweet set got the crowd ready for the marathon performance from Ryan Adams that was coming up.

“No lectures tonight, let’s have some fun,” Ryan Adams announced as he and his band came out on stage, taking a shot at Father John Misty. With 16 songs and just about two hours later, Adams practically tore the roof off BB&T Pavilion. The career spanning night covered hits like “Shakedown on 9th Street” and “Cold Roses”. Missing completely were any songs from the 1989 cover album released last year. One thing that was definitely not missing was the stage banter. In typically Ryan Adams form, the night was equally filled with stories and jokes. These ranged from smoking weed at his shows to WXPN’s own David Dye. The culminating piece was “Frank Star”, a song completed improvised on the spot.

With day one in the books we made our way back across the river to catch up on rest before venturing back the next day. Father John Misty and Ryan Adams alone made for quite the kick off, let alone all of the other great acts we caught in between. The weekend was full of surprises and Friday night served as the first of many shining examples.

photo by Eman El Saied

I recently had the opportunity to interview Zoë Allaire Reynolds from the band Kississippi. Reynolds painted a picture of her upbringing that resulted in a talented woman with healing powers. Although Reynolds deals with ongoing personal struggles, she explains how she manages to find the good within the cloudy storm which she feels is her life.

Reynolds describes the childhood that shaped her music career, saying, “My mom used to play Cat Power’s Moon Pix on repeat and my dad got me into Liz Phair’s self-titled album. I wanted to be a tough, but soft lady rock star. When my sister got a guitar for her birthday, I was so jealous because I knew she would beat me to it. I begged my mom for a guitar and she convinced me to be a bassist instead. So for my 10th birthday I went to buck out my first bass at Guitar Center.”

Kississippi released their first full album in 2015 titled We Have No Future, We’re All Doomed as a tribute to one of Reynolds’ friends who passed away. Reynolds explains why these words mean so much to her now. “I was hanging out with a close friend from high school a few years ago and we decided to look through our yearbook. He was a really funny guy and an amazing illustrator so I gave him freedom to do whatever he wanted with it. He wrote “we have no future, we’re all doomed” in big bold letters across our class photo. Those words kind of summed up the point I was at in my life. At the time, I was realizing that I chose the wrong college major and I didn’t know what to do with my life. I was at a pretty rough point mentally and didn’t feel like I could do anything else with my life. I had a constant sense of impending doom.”

These lines turned out to be a perfect sum up of both Reynolds personal struggle, and the ways in which her deceased friend will always be with her. “Those words definitely still stick with me. I am always, always afraid of my future. I don’t necessarily look towards it and think it will be horrible. I am kind of terrified of things turning out different, things not working out, things changing.”

Yet, Reynolds does eventually turn to the positive when she says, “One of my biggest dreams growing up was to have my music on vinyl and I plan to continue doing that. My friend can’t be here physically, but I hold him in my heart, so he will grow with me through this”

Music has saved Reynolds, and continues to be a comfort to her. She has created music that has helped heal both her and her fans. She talks about how therapeutic songwriting is for her, “Writing is a way for me to turn the bad parts of my life into something beautiful. One of the most therapeutic things about this is knowing that people trust me with their stories and knowing that these songs have helped people get through hard times. It’s kind of a cycle! I know I’m not alone because I put my music out there for people like me and it’s comforting for both sides.”

Kississippis songs are therapeutic because they are both raw and honest. Yet, Reynolds says that she doesn’t listen to her own music that much. “I very rarely listen to my own music unless its newly recorded. It’s probably because of how frequently we play it. But when I get mixes back I listen to them and show them to everyone for weeks after because I’m proud of them!”

A great example of songwriters healing qualities is Reynolds’ relationship with her favorite song off the album, “Greyhound”. “It’s the first song I ever released where I really talked about blaming myself for things that people have done to hurt me. It kind of pushed me to stop letting myself feel that way. I’m still guilty of it, but that song helped me open up about a lot of really unfortunate things that were happening to me, things that happened to me in the past that were really hurting every aspect of my life at the time. I am growing and learning how to voice my feelings more and more every day and “Greyhound” pointed me in the right direction.”

Kississippi is definitely heading in the right direction. The band will be performing at this year’s XPoNential Festival and opening up the show on Saturday, July 23rd.

“I went to XPoNential quite a few times while I was growing up,” says Reynolds. “I thought music festivals were the coolest thing in the world. My dad was and still is a regular WXPN listener, so a lot of what I play sounds the way it does because of the station. I’m just excited to be a part of something so big and so cool. Nothing’s cooler than doing something and thinking, ‘wow, younger me me would be so proud and current me is proud and I’m going to be proud in the future.’”

photos by Cara Robbins

Even before setting out on tour as the touring drummer for psych-rock outfit, Foxygen, Diane Coffee frontman Shaun Fleming had an interest and passion for music. From around his late middle school days to early high school, Fleming had been writing music. Then in high school he started playing and performing.

“When I was in between tours with Foxygen, I wrote My Friend Fish in about two weeks, just kind of demoing, and that got into the hands of Western Vinyl. Then Diane Coffee was born,” Fleming explains.

At the end of 2012, Fleming left his native California, and set out for a move to New York City. My Friend Fish was inspired by Fleming’s move to New York City and also during a time where he had been severely ill with the flu.

“[My Friend Fish] definitely has a darker mood. I had never moved to a big city and didn’t really know anyone. Atmospherically, it was a little darker, and I had gotten very sick. When I write my songs, they always start out with mood, melody, and then lyrically, second,” Fleming reveals.

Ironically, the sophomore release, Everybody’s a Good Dog was also inspired a move, but perhaps less intimidating – from New York City to Bloomington, Indiana. With Good Dog, however, the overall mood of the record is completely different than Fish.

“I moved to Bloomington and I was at a very happy place at that point. I knew I was writing a Diane Coffee record. I had a lot more time to think about it and had three months off to write this record. The mood of Everybody’s a Good Dog is happier, a lot more reflective, and much deeper,” he explains.

Upon listening to either of Fleming’s record under the Diane Coffee moniker, one can clearly hear an eclectic blend of various influences from ‘60s and ‘70s pop, rock, funk, R&B, and a plethora of other genres. The melting pot of such influences really creates a unique sound that’s incomparable.

With that said, Fleming never had a clear, calculated goal to create a throwback record or necessarily tried to celebrate that era of music. “I grew up listening to that type of music in high school and that influenced me,” he explains.

From that type of music, those types of melodies and song structures were what would pop into his head. Fleming admits ‘60s and ‘70s influences of artists like legends Sam Cooke and Diana Ross, to artists like The Beatles and David Bowie, and many classic rock standards.

What you don’t hear in Diane Coffee material is the country music his father listened to: “Dad was really into country music like ‘80s and 90s David Wilcox, Hank Williams, to Conway Twitty,” he says. He reflected upon when he really started getting into to music was right around “late middle school and early high school” right around when Napster came out.

What you’re going to see at a Diane Coffee show is similar to eclectic, unique artists like the Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Kendrick Lamar, and Sufjan Stevens, just to name a few. Fleming takes great influence from artists that have a lot of production. His writing style and stage presence is “all over the place” he says, but really “can’t help but write in an eclectic manner”, since he listens to such a wide array of genres and artists.

The Diane Coffee project has been “on tour” so to speak, doing one festival a weekend with four dates or so within driving distance of home. “It’s been a tug-o-war to really feel like we’re on tour and on the road. This time of year is strange, but the shows have been great and a lot of fun.”

Fleming and the rest of the Diane Coffee outfit will be stopping by Camden, New Jersey for WXPN’s XPoNential Festival on July 24th. “I’m really excited to be doing this. We just implemented a new stage show, but we haven’t done it in a festival setting yet. I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out in a festival setting, throw it out there, and see how it goes. I always change up the stage shows a lot. Sometimes it feels like you’re flying by the seat of your pants because we don’t always have a lot of time to plan it out,” Fleming says.

So if you’re attending the festival be sure to stay for their set. You can expect a lot of love, peace, and happiness.

“The one thing I always want to have at my shows is a general overall feeling of happiness, acceptance, and being able to really let go. Sometimes it’s harder depending on the area and it takes a lot of work if the room’s small. People have a hard time moving and getting out of their own head,” Fleming realizes. “We try to create and let go. My favorite part about going to a show is being cast into like a dream-like state, a non-reality, and be in the moment.”

Diane Coffee will be visiting Central Pennsylvania with a stop at Chameleon Club’s Lizard Lounge on July 10th before heading to the XPoNential Festival.

Photos by Daniel Topete

Trying to find a place in the world is a difficult task for anyone. While luck has its part in deciding where we’ll end up, finding that place springs from the will of the person trying to discover it. For Portland-based musician Esmé Patterson, that journey of self-discovery and renewal has taken her from zones of comfort to more uncharted territory, something reflective of her latest album We Were Wild. In previewing some of the artists performing at the upcoming XPoNential Music Festival, I had the opportunity to speak to Patterson on her latest and greatest as well as the ongoing tour that will make its way to the festival in late July.

We Were Wild makes its mark as the third album in her burgeoning solo career since parting ways with folk outfit, Paper Bird. “It’s about the fact that we’re all born free and wild and we all sort of domesticate ourselves as we domesticate our world,” she begins, referencing the album’s title against the track of the same name. “Love can help us break free from that,” she continues. “That’s the message of the record as well; we’re all born free and throughout our lives we encounter snags and boundaries and we often tie ourselves up into a knot. Love can help us free ourselves.”

It’s no great surprise then that the album ties in the intricacies of love, whether it be bliss or heartbreak, into songs simple in meaning but complex in structure. “It was a product of the Americana-tinged music that I have my first roots in as a professional musician,”  Patterson says, recalling her time in Paper Bird. “Then there’s definitely some branches on that tree which are the rock and roll and more psychedelic, high-energy, and chaotic music that I’ve been making more recently.”

True to her words, We Were Wild is distinctive as a record that reinvents itself from one track to the next. Those Americana-tinged tracks present themselves fully in “Wantin Ain’t Gettin” and “Yours and Mine” which both tie together common threads throughout her earlier work. But few tracks from the album are as outwardly upbeat and motivational as the anthemic “Find It”, which itself has an inspiring origin story to match its sunny disposition. “I did a project where me and three friends, all in different parts of the country, decided to try and write twenty songs in a day,” she says. “I wrote eighteen songs in twelve hours and that was one of them.”

The track itself breaks from her usual fare, incorporating lively electric guitar and percussion with Patterson’s own high-spirited and nuanced vocals. The lyrics themselves are simple, asking the listener, and tellingly herself, to go out and find the things you need to make yourself happy or better yet, content. “When I was writing that I was thinking about a friend of mine that was starting to make a big change in his life” she says, directly echoing the sentiments expressed in the track. “I was trying to egg him and and be like ‘yeah, you’re clearly unhappy, go and do what you want to do.’ As is often the case it’s so much easier to feel like you know what other people should do rather than do what you should do yourself. After writing the song I realized that it was a song for me too. I was subconsciously trying to urge myself to go and follow my own path and to trust my heart.”

Given that urge, it’s hard not to get caught up in the addictive optimism that makes part of the brew We Were Wild was steeped in during its creation. “I am an optimist in general, I’m obnoxiously optimistic for the most part,” Patterson admits with a laugh while discussing some of the inspiration layered into the album’s production. “When I encounter pain or conflict or struggle I try to find a way to learn from it and a way to grow and find a way to transform that pain into something I can use. A lot of the record came out from trying to process some sort of pain and transform it into love, transform it into hope, transform it into something that I could use to help move forward.”

Her ongoing tour, which began last Saturday in Denver, Colorado, can almost be seen as another aspect of that transformation. “It’s a different element unlike before in Paper Birds when I could just walk on the stage,” she says before once again rekindling that optimism. “It’s my name, it’s all my songs, my band, I’m the point guard. It’s a tremendous amount of work but it’s all rewarding and nurturing and I feel like I can finally be completely proud of it because it is completely mine. That’s a really good feeling.”

On We Were Wild the work has more than paid off, giving Patterson the agency to write, record, and perform on her own terms as well as giving form to her ongoing transformation through the cathartic process of songwriting. “It’s a difficult process to be brutally honest with yourself,” she admits. “It’s definitely not a cakewalk but the work is worthwhile and that’s a huge part of being an artist I believe. Self reflection and placing yourself within the world and trying to build some meaning somehow.”

Patterson will make her way to XPoNential Music Festival in Camden on Saturday, July 23rd. Meanwhile check out her recently released video for her single “No River” below.

photo by Robert Carter of R. Carter Photography

Meet RoseMary Fiki. She is both a singer (with a powerfully compelling voice) and business woman. I recently had the chance to ask her some questions about her budding career, plans for the future, and her many ambitions.

To truly understand this fascinating woman, I asked her what musicians have inspired her. “My love for music began at home with my parents playing traditional Nigerian music like King Sunny Ade, Shina Peters, and Fela Kuti alongside acts like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. I would also have to say that Madonna, Lauryn Hill, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are huge influences.”

Fiki is inspired by a wide variety of musicians, which is evident in her music. Her music has been given many labels such as rock, hip-hop, rap, afro-pop, and afro-punk. She has never worked within the confines of a specific genre, but did say, “I’m putting my energy into merging my love for pop and Nigerian music into my latest project.”

With this being said, Fiki will always have a rocker side. When performing, her songs seem to escape from her chest roaring with energy and attitude. Her voice oozes with emotion and soul as each song seems to take over her body, and captivate her audience. When can you see her live? Fiki mentions a few upcoming performances that she is personally excited for, including the upcoming XPoNential Music Festival.

“I’m a big fan of WXPN. Last year, I was fortunate to play The Key Sessions over at World Café Live and it was an awesome experience because it was our first time being on the radio. Since day one, the team at WXPN have been really supportive of my music and I’m truly grateful for this.” Although Fiki hasn’t attended the festival before, her performance is one you don’t want to miss.

Fiki is more than just a pretty face with an equally impressive voice, she is also the brains behind the operation and an intelligent business woman. “As a musician, having business sensibilities is definitely a plus. Owning and running a business makes you very aware of how everything operates behind the scenes. Booking your own shows, negotiating contracts, networking and building relationships provides hands on training on how the music industry works. I think this experience is important to have in your back pocket.”

Her newest release is her sophomore album The Great Unknown. According to Fiki, it’s “an indie-ethereal rock, soul album that touches on love, chasing your dreams and embracing the unfamiliar future. The title track, “The Great Unknown,” focuses on the fact that while things may not be clearly defined; you just have to fearlessly press forward.”

Fiki ’s life may seem glamorous from the outside, but she explains that “being a DIY musician and executive can definitely present its challenges. In addition to fronting my own band and being a co-owner of a small business, I still maintain a 9 to 5 job. My business partners also do the same. Everything that went into recording, mixing, and mastering The Great Unknown was funded entirely by our 9 to 5 paychecks. We’re all grinding behind the scenes, working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I know musicians can relate to this hustle.”

Fiki has exciting plans for the future. She is currently writing and recording new music which blends pop and Nigerian music (she says it’s a 180 from what she’s done in the past). “Once the new music is released, I plan to put together an East Coast tour to support the EP. Also, there’s so much talent in Philly. One of my goals for 2016 is to start curating and producing my own concert series featuring up and coming indie acts. Last but certainly not least, I need to ditch my 9 to 5…being a millennial and having to be cooped up in a office desk job is not a good look!”

Along with Fiki ’s many ambitions, she is also very interested in fashion. She is frequently seen rocking bold new looks, and she even has some of her own ideas. “I love fashion and one day I definitely want to start my own clothing line. The collection, that doesn’t exist yet, would mix punk with Ankara fabrics.

Fiki is both a talented and intelligent woman. She is a hard worker who puts 110% into whatever she sets her mind to- whether it’s her “normal person” 9-5 job, her work as a musician, or business owner. The Great Unknown is bursting at the seams, and her new music is bound to be an eruption of sparkles and flames that you don’t want to miss.

Ater a year-long absence, modern rock pianist Marco Benevento is returning to Philadelphia in force, to perform three shows in 36 hours.  The run kicks off at World Cafe on Friday Dec 12, with a ‘Free At Noon’ show broadcast live from the stage, RSVP at xpn.org, or tune in at xpn.org or 88.5 FM.  Benevento then hits Fishtown, to play at Johnny Brenda’s Friday and Saturday nights.  When asked about coming to town, Benevento exclaims, “I FREAKIN LOVE PHILLY! We had so many great shows at The Blockley (RIP) over the last three years, I’m excited to come back around! The people in Philly fire me up.”  Indeed, his appearances at The Blockley are the stuff of local legends- following two opening bands in February 2012, he jammed for 3 1/2 hours, the concert wrapped at 3:45 AM.

Benevento is touring in support of his new record Swift, which he released in September, after working out the material across the US throughout 2014.  After writing instrumental music exclusively for many years, his previous release, Tigerface, included two songs with vocals by Kalmia Traver (Rumblebucket).  On Swift, Benevento is singing his lyrics for the first time.

“I haven’t really sung much since high school.  It’s a new instrument so I’m learning a lot right now.  I’ve been on the road and singing a bunch over the last year.  I feel comfortable singing, and haven’t run into any issues on the road.  I feel like in this weird way when you sing you are slowly healing yourself, because your message and your vibrations are affecting both yourself and the audience and those sound waves, the vibrations, and your positivity can heal your soul.”

Another difference between Swift and everything that’s come before regards personnel.  Benevento’s records typically include a wide array of musicians on various instruments, but Swift features only Dave Dreiwitz (Ween) on bass, and Andy Borger (Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco) on drums.  “Dave and Andy are the tightest rhythm section in the biz, if you ask me. They play the songs and hold it down. We have a blast traveling and playing together. I feel like we are hitting a sweet spot.  But of course that could change at any moment, you never know when our drummer might go back to smoking crystal meth.”

I’ve never seen him hit the pipe, but can attest to the “smoking” part- check out Borger’s work on Tom Waits’ masterpiece, Mule Variations.  After spending 10 years in Ween, Dreiwitz has performed recently with The Gene Ween Band, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Bustle In Your Hedgerow, and The Complete Last Waltz.  Both will accompany Benevento in Philadelphia.

The fourth star of the show is the piano itself.  After years of performing on digital keyboard, or whatever piano or organ was at the venue, Benevento restored a 1920’s vintage 61 key upright Wurlitzer, originally designed to be played on railroad cars.  It’s big enough to deliver a real, acoustic sound, yet small enough for roadies to load into a van and travel.  He then “hot-rodded” it with guitar and piano pickups, and a chain of various distortion pedals, guitar effects, and amps.  By pounding pedals and nudging knobs, and triggering beats and riffs on a looper, Benevento sculpts his sound into a “rock piano meets modern electronic experimental” performance that’s as entertaining to watch, as it is fascinating to hear.

Brooklyn-based duo Hank & Cupcakes bring their power pop to open Friday’s show at Johnny Brenda’s.  And be sure to catch Philly’s own Out of the Beardspace opening Saturday- front man Kevin Savo has a unique voice and captivating stage presence, their sound might bring to mind King Crimson or Smashing Pumpkins.

It’s been a big week for Shark Tape, the post-college rock trio that has been circling success for the past few years. Bassist and vocalist Stephen Lorek, guitarist Niles Weiss, and drummer Dylan Mulcahy played a sold-out Free at Noon session at World Cafe Live just days before their first LP, Marathon, finally burst into the world. Lorek sounded simultaneously excited and exhausted on the phone the night before the release.

“It has been a big week,” Lorek agrees with a sigh. “Radio and in-store performances, and here we are just in front of our first LP. Who knows what the hell’s gonna happen?”

One thing that’s sure to happen is a kick-ass album release show at MilkBoy Saturday night. This show promises to be the culmination of a years-long process that began when XPN first spun “Eyes on You” in 2012. While working with producers Jeff Zeigler (War on Drugs) and Phil Nicolo, Marathon slowly took shape. But as is often the case, the songs that stuck were the ones that sparked organically during recording.

“The [songs] that come out of nowhere tend to stick with you,” Lorek explains, “and the ones that you labor over get tossed to the curb at the end. That’s what this record was; we threw out everything we worked on.”

Opening track “Bronco” was one of those songs that happened completely in the rehearsal space. “We just plugged our instruments in, and it hit us like a lightning bolt,” Lorek describes. “All the lyrics, all the parts, were written right there on the spot.”

This organic creativity comes through nicely on Marathon, with most of the tracks taken live and only a few things doubled up here or there. Classic rock influences rub shoulders with more diverse styles throughout the album. Title track “Marathon” hearkens back to stadium-fillers like Cheap Trick, while “River Runs Deep” evokes 80s synth-pop a la The Cure.

While things seem poised to break big for Shark Tape, Lorek is taking nothing for granted. “I’m kind of a spiritual person, in that I do buy into the idea that you can manifest your own destiny,” he confesses. “We did a whole lot of work in the dark for a long time, but I found the more I focused on the music, the writing, the performance, that’s when the recognition comes. I think if you focus on the quality of the art, the rest falls into place.”

That philosophy seems to be working so far for Shark Tape, so let’s hope this independent release leads to bigger and better things for the band. At the least, we’ll have one hell of a party Saturday night.