WXPN Fest Lineup Announced, Producing (Up To) A Whopping Eight Acts You (Might) Care About
Before we go any further, let us be clear: We love going to WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival, and you should, too. Camden’s Wiggins Park is a lovely little slice of sunshine in the summer weather, and there are more good vibes in this one little chunk of New Jersey than the rest of the entire state, past, present or future. But oy vey, the booking on this thing. For the last handful of years, the XPoNential fest has reflected less of what the station actually plays and more of what the station thankfully used to play, but doesn’t anymore. Because Helen Leight be damned, WXPN is actually decent most days, until they play one of the station’s trademark “dealbreaker” tunes like “That’s My Daughter In The Water” or whatever the hell it is. (And we know of what we speak: Here in the office, we float between XPN, HYY and Stern daily — with the occasional heavy dose of WMGK. Believe it or not, they all kind of cancel each other out.) Anway, here are the highlights: Beth Orton, Alejandro Escovedo, Chuck Prophet, Amos Lee, Dean & Britta, Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, Cheers Elephant and O’Death. Yes, the highlights. We had a sneaking suspicion that this year’s lineup might have been a little better, given the colossal failure of the Vineland Fest to get its shit together, to say nothing of Fairmount Lollapalooza. But it is what it is: If you want the XPoNential Music Festival to be better, DONATE MORE MONEY TO WXPN. Maybe then, they could afford your dream lineup of Jarvis Cocker/Lily Allen/White Stripes/Wilco etc. Full lineup and press release after the jump.
WXPN Announces Lineup for the XPoNential Music Festival Happening July 10-13 on Camden Waterfront
Free Concert Opening Night for WXPN Members and Camden County Residents
Featuring The Blind Boys of AlabamaPHILADELPHIA, Pa. (April 28, 2008) — WXPN (http://www.xpn.org), the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A (Album Adult Alternative) music and a noncommercial radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, today announced the 2008 lineup for the XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru. The 4-day event will be held on July 10, 11, 12, and 13. The annual summer festival will be held at Camden County’s Wiggins Park, located on the Camden Waterfront that features a panoramic view of Philadelphia.
This year’s lineup provides a mixture of national, local, heritage and up and coming artists.
Artists scheduled to perform are as follows:
THURSDAY (River Stage)
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Salvador Santana Band
Jim Boggia
…and more!FRIDAY (River Stage and JerseyArts.com Marina Stage)
Beth Orton
Alejandro Escovedo
Dar Williams
Chuck Prophet
The Refugees
Jim Bianco
Kuf Knotz & The Hustle
The Redwalls
…and more!SATURDAY (River Stage and JerseyArts.com Marina Stage)
Amos Lee
Dean & Britta
Jim Lauderdale
Nicole Atkins
Angel Band
Jesse Ruben
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
Fooling April
Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer
Cheers Elephant
…and more!SUNDAY (River Stage and JerseyArts.com Marina Stage)
Shelby Lynne
Matt Nathanson
Back Door Slam
John Gorka
Susan Werner
The Loved Ones
Dave Barnes
O’Death
The Mint
Madi Diaz
…and more!
…and more!SATURDAY and SUNDAY (Kids Corner Garden Stage hosted by Kathy O’Connell)
SATURDAY
Miss Amy
Two Of A Kind
Bill Harley
John Hadfield
Steve Pullara & His Cool Beans Band
Skip DenenbergSUNDAY
John Hadfield
Audra Rox
Ernie & Neal
Bubboon’s Tunes
John FlynnThis festival, now in its fourth year at Wiggins Park, has drawn increasingly larger and enthusiastic crowds since it began in 1994. Last year’s attendance topped 18,000 for the four-day event and the station expects that even more will attend this year. This venue was selected by WXPN for its spectacular waterfront views, natural amphitheatre for great sound, easy access for public transportation, lush open green spaces, and array of local attractions, such as Adventure Aquarium and the Camden Children’s Garden, which serves as the Kids Corner venue. WXPN will again offer a variety of family-friendly activities and host an incredible lineup of up-and-coming and heritage musical acts at an affordable ticket price.
Gates open at 5pm on Thursday July 10; 4pm Friday on July 11; and noon on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13. Kids Corner will offer family friendly music and exhibits, amusement rides, themed gardens and an interactive nature show by Jane Kirkland Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm.
Tickets are available now as a thank-you gift for pledges from new and renewing WXPN Members.
Tickets will be available to the general public starting May 22nd at XPN.org and at select retailers. Advanced tickets to Thursday night’s performances are free for XPN members and Camden County residents courtesy of the Camden County Board of Freeholders when obtained by June 30. Tickets will be $15 after June 30 based on availability.
Early Bird prices for daily tickets will be available from May 22nd- June 30th. Early Bird prices for daily passes are $12 for WXPN Members and $20 for non-members. Early Bird prices for 4-Day Passes are $30 for WXPN Members and $40 for non-members. As of July 1st, WXPN Members will pay $17 for daily passes and $40 for the 4-Day Pass; non-members will pay $25 for daily passes and $60 for the 4-Day Pass. A child ticket (ages 2-12) is available for daily admission for $5.
CAMDEN COUNTY’S WIGGINS PARK is located on the Camden Waterfront, between the Adventure Aquarium and the Susquehanna Bank Center. The Park also features a 50-slip marina, and a promenade along the Delaware River with breathtaking views of the river and Philadelphia skyline
ABOUT WXPN
WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces the alternative rock service, Y-Rock On XPN (yrockonxpn.org) as its secondary radio channel in HD. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM, and the world via online streaming at XPN.org and XPoNentialMusic.org.
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April 28th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
That woman, Helen Lecht, has the absolute worst taste in music. I remember when she listed her favorite all-time albums, and her list was filled with Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd over and over again…
April 28th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
last i checked yes, genesis, and pink floyd were pretty legendary - but this was all long before it was “cool” to not be able to play or sing.
Not disagreeing with you on the picks but Zolof the Rock N Roll Destroyer and Cheers Elephant are your “must see’s”? Both were awful the last time I saw em. You gotta be kiddin me.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
They couldn’t even pull the Lara and Joe Show for the Kids’ stage?
April 28th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I checked again: they still suck.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
…and more!
April 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
They couldn’t even pull the Lara and Joe Show for the Kids’ stage?
speaking strictly about the stage I produce, each year I book artists that are central to Kids Corner programming - those most connected to the ’sound’ of my show. This year is no different. Hope y’all stop by the Garden and say hi! :)
April 28th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Timo - i’d love to hear your list of great acts for comedic relief. If Modest Mouse or Franz Ferdinand are on there you suck at life.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I’m game:
Elvis Presley
James Brown
Jerry Lee Lewis
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Buck Owens
the Beatles
the Rolling Stones
The Kinks
the Stooges
the Sex Pistols
the Clash
Bob Marley and the Wailers
John Coltrane
Mile Davis
Herbie Hancock
Public Enemy
N.W.A.
Eric B and Rakim
the Smiths
the Pixies
I don’t particulary like Franz Ferdinand, but I’ll take them any day of the week over Emerson Lake and Palmer.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
O’Death is a really good band.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:14 am
those are some nice picks. other than the jazz (which are all great, but obviously xpn is never going to play that in prime-time) what is your beef with helen and yes/genesis? I take it you are not a progressive guy/gal. I’m not really either…but I respect the musicality of it all.
May 31st, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Cheers Elephant was AWFUL? When was the last time you saw them pianopop9?
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
hey pianopop…if you want a better lineup, maybe you should go out and attempt to discover some new music that people would want to listen to, or that would live up to your expectations. and if you can find me 5 bands that are worth paying to see, then you get the gold star my friend. I’ve seen over 500 bands in the last year in Philadelphia, and Cheers Elephant is probably at the top of my list. Good music is hard to come by these days. and so is money I guess. Good luck finding a festival where you like every single band. I’m looking forward to Exponential. There’s a lot of names I don’t know that I’m willing to check out. Maybe you should catch the open-mindedness bug that’s going around….good luck to you.
CHEERS!