Nine new acts added to XPoNential Music Fest lineup
Five new local bands among the additions to the three day Camden music fest.
Nine acts have been added to the bill at the Xponential Music Festival, which is happening in Camden at the BB&T Pavilion and Wiggins Park from July 28-30.
The newbies are all playing at the cozier, outdoor Wiggins Park portion. The most novel name is Offa Rex, the new band comprised of Portland, Oregon prog-folkies The Decemberists (who headlined The Fillmore in Fishtown last month) and Olivia Chaney, the British singer whose ancient-sounding acoustic musical predilections dovetail nicely with those of Colin Meloy. And yes, since the Decemberists' leader is involved, the name is super nerdy: it refers to an 8th century king of Middle England. The band has a new album of trad English-Irish-Scottish folk songs called The Queen Of Hearts due in July.
Other new national acts added to the bill: Foxygen, the wildly inconsistent, sometimes brilliant California duo of Jonathan Rado and Sam France, Alynda Segarra's New Orleans politically minded folk-rock band Hurray For The Riff Raff and excellent Montclair, N.J. roots rock outfit Pinegrove.
Five local acts have also joined an already impressive local lineup up. They are: French-Philadelphian songwriting duo The Dove & The Wolf, country harmony trio No Good Sister, party band Swift Technique, expert jangle pop band Hurry and hip-hop band Hardwork Movement. Philly acts Strand Of Oaks, Amos Lee, Dave Hause & the Mermaid and Hop Along are already on the show, as is Wilmington's David Bromberg Quintet.
The BB&T portion will be headlined by Wilco (with Conor Oberst and Hop Along) on Friday night and Spoon, plus Amos Lee & Friends featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with the Suffers and Chicano Batman on Saturday. The full lineup is here.