Philadelphia Folk Festival

Thursday

The Pretenders, Cat Power, Juliette Lewis
@ Electric Factory, 7:30pm, $49.50

The Josh and Pete Band, Agent Moosehead, The Juice and G. Calvin Weston
@ WCL, $14-$15

Friday

Wye Oak, Starlight Mints, JP Inc., Major Leagues
@ North Star, 9pm, $12

Saturday

Passion Pit, The Grates, US Royalty
@ First Unitarian Church, 8pm, SOLD OUT

Danger Danger Gallery 4th Anniversary Show
Make a Rising, Oh! Pears, Br’er, Power Animal, Owl Stations, Sway, Effing, Exercise, L’Ananas, Zevious, Hume, Whales and Cops
@ Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave), 5pm

Luke Brindley, Justin Trawick, Vince (from Army of Me)
@ Tin Angel, 7pm, $10

I haven’t noted too much happening this weekend. Tonight has Mary Timony’s new band Soft Power at Kungfu Necktie with Gildon Works and Rarebirds. What are your music plans?

Friday

Soft Power, Gildon Works, Rarebirds
@ Kungfu Necktie, 7:30pm, $10

Tickets are still available for $25 per day. If you can’t make it, you can stream the entire festival live: listen online here.

More info about the XPoNential Music Fest at xpn.org.

FRIDAY, JULY 24 (gates open at 4 p.m.)

Camden County River Stage

Robert Cray (9:30 pm)
Shemekia Copeland (8:20 pm)
Los Straitjackets (7:10 pm)
Annuals (6:00 pm)
Matt Duke (5:00 pm)

Jersey Arts.com Marina Stage

Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles (9:00 pm)
John Forté (7:50 pm)
Good Old War (6:40 pm)
Farewell Flight (5:30 pm)
Minas (4:30 pm)

SATURDAY, JULY 25 (gates open at noon)

Camden County River Stage

The Hold Steady (9:00 pm)
They Might Be Giants (7:40 pm)
Pete Yorn (6:20 pm)
The Bacon Brothers (5:10 pm)
Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 (4:00 pm)
Yeasayer (2:50 pm)
Sharon Little (1:50 pm)

Jersey Arts.com Marina Stage

Hoots & Hellmouth (8:30 pm)
The Low Anthem (7:10 pm)
John Gorka (5:50 pm)
Katie Herzig (4:40 pm)
Illinois (3:30 pm)
East Hundred (2:20 pm)
The Peace Creeps (1:20 pm)
Tom Hamilton’s American Babies (12:30 pm)

Kids Corner Stage

The Swingset Mamas (12:30 pm)
Drummers with Attitude (2:00 pm)
Jonathan Sprout (2:30 pm)
John Hadfield (3:30 pm)
Steve Pullara & His Cool Beans Band (4:30 pm)
Lunch Money (5:30 pm)

SUNDAY, JULY 26 (gates open at noon)

Camden County River Stage

Guster (8:50 pm)
Peter Bjorn & John (7:35 pm)
Aimee Mann (6:20 pm)
John Wesley Harding & The English UK (5:10 pm)
Steve Forbert & the Windfall Prophets (4:00 pm)
Donna The Buffalo (2:50 pm)
Andrew Lipke (1:50 pm)

Jersey Arts.com Marina Stage

The Revelations featuring Tre’ Williams (8:20 pm)
Assembly of Dust (7:05 pm)
Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams (5:50 pm)
Serena Ryder (4:40 pm)
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby (3:30 pm)
Perkasie (2:20 pm)
Like a Fox (1:20 pm)
Gillian Grassie (12:30 pm)

Kids Corner Stage

Steve Courtney and his Band of Friends (12:30 pm)
Miss Amy (1:30 pm)
Ham And Burger (2:30 pm)
John Hadfield (3:30 pm)
Bubboon’s Tunes (4:30 pm)
Skip Denenberg (5:30 pm)

Thursday

Malajube, Remote Islands, XYZ Affair
@ M Room, $8

Kurt Vile, Tyvek, Coconut Coolouts, Personal and the Pizzas
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $10

Friday

Perkasie, Toy Soldiers
@ WCL, 8pm, $14

Lewis and Clarke, Caroline Weeks, Corridor
@ First Unitarian Church (seated chapel show), 8pm, $10

Photon Band, Robes, The Capitol Years
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $10

Saturday

The New Connection, Panic Years, Exit Clov, The Mint, Post Panda
@ North Star, 9pm, $8

Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dan Friel
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9pm, $10

Paolo Nutini, Erin McCarley, Matt Hires
@ TLA, 9pm, $23

Here is a new track from Kurt Vile’s upcoming Matador debut. ‘Overnite Religion’ is from Childish Prodigy, set for release later this fall. He’ll be in town Thursday evening at Johnny Brenda’s and back for a few shows again in August.

Thursday, August 23
Kurt Vile, Tyvek, Coconut Coolouts, Personal and the Pizzas
@ Johnny Brenda’s, 9p, $10

Kurt Vile on Myspace

Download: Kurt Vile - ‘Overnite Religion’

Roger Martinez, from Philly band Br’er, has recently released his debut solo EP under the moniker The New Heaven and the New Earth. I really get the feeling that this guy is a true musician. Lots of bells and chimes, autharps, strings, and classical-style-fingerpicked guitars fit in aptly with the release’s title All Saints’ Day. It has a bit of an eerie, almost medieval feel at times, though always musical. Track titles include ‘St. Francis,’ and ‘Noah’ (which you can download below), but this certainly isn’t church music as you’ll no doubt find upon listening. Haunting harmonies and melodies, dark lyrics, great musicianship. See it first hand next Tuesday upstairs at World Cafe Live.

The release (on cassette only!) has been released by Philly’s Edible Onion label. You should check out all of their projects. Maybe its because I’m crafty, too, but I always like that every cassette and CD cover is hand made. It’s a nice touch.

More info about All Saints’ Day on Edible Onion.

The New Heaven and The New Earth on Myspace

Tuesday, 21 July
The Vultures, The New Heaven and the New Earth, Adam (from The Easy Tease)
@ WCL Upstairs, 8pm, $7

Download: The New Heaven and The New Earth - ‘Noah’

A lot of great choices, especially Friday night. I’ll have a tough time deciding between the great local lineup over at Danger Danger Gallery, or Anni Rossi (who was quite impressive opening for Camera Obscura) with Micachu upstairs at WCL. I also highly recommend you go check out River City Extension (presented by Bag of Songs) Sunday night at the M Room - you remember the amazing show they put on back in May at Battle of the Blogs.

Friday

Elizabeth and the Catapult
@ XPN Free at Noon

Audrye Sessions, Paper Route
@ Kungfu Necktie, 7pm, $10

Elizabeth and the Catapult, Greg Laswell, Rosi Golan
@ M Room, $10

Micachu, Anni Rossi
@ WCL Upstairs, 8pm, $13

Drink Up Buttercup, The Armchairs, Neighborhood Choir
@ Danger Danger Gallery, 9pm

Sunday

River City Extension, Dinosaur Feathers
@ the M Room, 8pm, $8

Matt Duke has released an EP of acoustic tracks taken from his latest album Kingdom Underground. The EP is appropriately titled Acoustic Kingdom Underground. And you can download the stripped-down title track below. He is on tour through September, no date yet scheduled here in his hometown.

Matt Duke on Myspace

Download: Matt Duke - ‘Kingdom Underground (Acoustic)’

I took a rather long 4th of July weekend, went up to New York City for a while, but I’m back. And the local music calendar was in a horrible state, so I’ve made a lot of headway on it, but it is still a work in progress. Check it out, lots of good shows coming up this week. And expect more regular posts, too. I’m on this.

Chairlift. RSVP at XPN.org. They recommend you bring your dancing shoes and legwarmers for this one.