As outdoor summer activities come to an end, the 2023 XPoNential Music Festival will serve as the explosion end to New Jersey’s waterfront events. The multi-day entertainment extravaganza celebrates its 30th anniversary, head organizer WXPN FM, with the help of presenting sponsor Subaru has curated a cannon of featured performers.
Across the three days, Old Crow Medicine, Tegan and Sara, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers are set to headline. But there are over a dozen independent acts on the weekend’s lineup including Margo Price, Bailen, and Allison Russell. Continue below to see our top indie picks to check out while at the festival.
The 2023 XPoNential Music Festival is set to take place between Friday, September 22, and Sunday, September 24, at Wiggins Waterfront Park in Camden, New Jersey. To purchase tickets, click here.
Friday, September 22, 2023
Margo Price (Loma Vista Recordings)
Margo Price seemed like something of a throwback when she delivered her debut, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, in 2016. Picking up where Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Emmylou Harris left off, Price also recalled singer/songwriters from the dawn of the 1970s: she had an eye for idiosyncratic details and a knack for narratives, qualities that kept her brand of traditionalism from seeming like nostalgia. After Midwest Farmer’s Daughter established her as a powerful figure within Americana, she quickly extended her musical reach on 2017’s All American Made, moving further in a rock direction with That’s How Rumors Get Started, a 2020 album produced by Sturgill Simpson. By the time she released Strays in early 2023, it was clear that Price was as much a rock artist as she was country, and her fusion of the two styles was fresh and unpredictable. – Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Say She She (Colemine Records)
Say She She, the soulful female-led trio, stand rock solid on their disco-delic duty with their boundary-breaking sophomore album Silver (due September 29 from Colemine/Karma Chief Records). The strong voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair, Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, and Nya Gazelle Brown (79.5) front the band. Following the NYC siren song, the trio was pulled from their respective cities — Piya from London, Nya from DC, and Sabrina from NYC — to Manhattan’s downtown dance floors, through the Lower East Side floorboards, and up to the rooftops of Harlem, where their friendship was formed on one momentous, kismet evening.
Silver was written and recorded live to tape at Killion Sound studio in North Hollywood in early 2023 and produced by Sergio Rios (Orgone, Neal Francis, Alicia Keys). While these analog recording techniques help root Say She She’s sound in a bedrock of tonal warmth that only tape can achieve, it is also their process of cutting the track at the moment and capturing the magic of communal creativity that has critics reeling. Musical inspirations include Rotary Connection, Asha Puthli, Liquid Liquid, Grace Jones, and Tom Tom Club.
Described as “a glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritual elevation” (MOJO) and “infused with the wonky post-disco spirit of early 80s NYC” (The Guardian), the band consistently tops the radio charts of tastemaker station KCRW and BBC’s Radio 6 Music. Sold-out shows from London to Los Angeles are a testament to a rapidly growing fan base. Say She She has toured with the likes of Thee Sacred Souls, and has already played iconic festivals like Glastonbury, Central Park Summerstage, and more.
Ultimately, Silver oozes with quirk and adventure and embraces the multifaceted nature of what it means to be a modern femme. Say She She fully embraces their role as beauticians, actively reminding people of the inherent beauty in the world. They skillfully employ double entendres and humor to encourage open dialogue and fearlessly address important matters that demand attention.
Nik Greeley & The Operators (Self-signed)
Nik Greeley is known for being arguably the best frontman & performer in Philadelphia, and just in the last few years, has established himself as one of the most entertaining & hard working musicians in the area, often being compared to the likes of James Brown, Joe Cocker, and Jim Morrison. Greeley released his solo debut EP Town Gypsy in Spring 2015 and has performed live sessions & received airplay on radio stations such as Radio 104.5, 88.5 WXPN, 93.3 WMMR, 93.7 WSTW, and 95.9 WRAT. Greeley is also a member & singer in the Philly funk band, Swift Technique, where he shares lead vocal duties with his woman counterpart, Chelsea ViaCava. Members of ST also perform in The Operators, including Greg Rosen and Ian Gray.
The Operators is a collective of some of the finest musicians in Philly and who all happen to be friends, too. It includes producer/drummer Joe Baldacci, bassist Kenny Shumski, and members of prog-fusion juggernauts Out of The Beardspace, Zach LoPresti (Lead Guitar) & Sam Gutman (Keyboards) along with Gnarbot guitarist Zack Smith (Guitar). The Operators’ horn section is Jason O’Mara on saxophone, Nick Lombardelli on trombone, and Matt Salazar on trumpet.
Greeley has had the pleasure of opening for respected artists such as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Gene Ween (Ween) Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Shuggie Otis, Bernie Worrell (P-Funk, Talking Heads) Fishbone, Moon Hooch, Rebirth Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Rusted Root and many more.
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Bailen (Fantasy Records)
A sibling trio from New York, BAILEN blends folk-rock and more streamlined pop influences with strong three-part vocal harmonies. Their first album, 2019’s Thrilled to Be Here, reached the Top 20 of Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart. The more heavily produced follow-up, 2023’s Tired Hearts, still balanced harmony-rich folk and sleeker pop stylings.
In late 2014, Daniel moved to London to star in What’s It All About? Bacharach Reimagined on the West End. His sister and brother soon joined him in the city, and BAILEN played over 30 shows in a span of two months, despite Daniel performing eight shows a week in the jukebox musical. When all three of them returned to New York City in 2015, they took up a residency at Rockwood Music Hall and started playing shows full-time. In 2017, they opened for the Lone Bellow and toured in support of Joseph, later joining Amos Lee on tour in 2018. BAILEN made their national TV debut on CBS This Morning in March 2019. Their full-length debut, Thrilled To Be Here, was produced by Grammy winner John Congleton (the Decemberists, St. Vincent) and arrived on Fantasy Records that April. Single “I Was Wrong” reached the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay Top 20, and the album went as high as number 17 on the Heatseekers chart.
When the trio eventually headed back to the studio with a new batch of songs, it was with another Grammy nominee, producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Kevin Morby), who helped sharpen their pop attack while honoring still-conspicuous folk inspirations. Featuring more-stylized production compared to their debut’s mostly live-in-the-studio approach, Tired Hearts appeared on Fantasy Records in May of 2023. – Biography by Marcy Donelson
Wilder Woods (Dualtone Music Group)
Under the name Wilder Woods, Needtobreathe frontman Bear Rinehart crafts soulful pop with an introspective folk tone and some R&B flair. The South Carolina-based singer/songwriter debuted his solo project with an eponymous 2019 album, followed in 2023 by similarly toned Fever/Sky.
Along with his brother Bo, Bear helped Needtobreathe’s soaring faith-influenced pop/rock sound find widespread success with albums like 2014’s Rivers in the Wasteland, and 2016’s Hard Love, each of which reached number two on Billboard’s Top 200. In 2018, with a group of songs that reflected his journey as a father and husband, Rinehart began working with producer Gabe Simon (Kopecky) to record his first solo project. Combining the names of his two sons, Wilder and Woods, he issued two singles in April 2019. Credited simply to Wilder Woods and offering no obvious indication of the singer’s identity, “Someday Soon” and “Sure Ain’t” drew plenty of attention and speculation. By the time those songs and a third single, “Supply & Demand,” were collated into a brief EP, fans knew that Rinehart was their man. Released later that August, the singer thoughtfully described his self-titled debut full-length as an “open letter to his children.”
The year after its release, Rinehart resumed his main gig with Needtobreathe, who released a pair of albums in 2020 and 2021. He also kept writing solo material and moved over at the Dualtone label for Wilder Woods’ sophomore set. Released in April 2023, Fever/Sky continued to mine Stax-era soul along with thoughtful roots rock. – Biography by Timothy Monger
Celisse (Self-signed)
Celisse has been making strides for over a decade, but recently, she has taken the music world by storm. If you ask her where she is from, you’ll get a few different answers. Born in Oakland, she spent a meaningful portion of her life in New York City on Broadway and television, which helped shape her artistic vision.
In the past few years, Celisse’s momentum has carried her into numerous ventures. She has collaborated with Alicia Keys, contributing guitar and additional production to her track “Billions (Unlocked).” Her touring in 2022 included support spots for Lucius and Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge, and as part of Joni Mitchell’s historic “Joni Jams” performance at Newport Folk Festival, among various festival appearances. Her soulful voice and captivating stage presence led to her inclusion on NIVA’s Live List as a favorite up-and-coming touring artist in 2023, with festivals this year including Boston Calling, Bonnaroo, and more.
In addition to the fireworks of her live performance, audiences may have caught Celisse on television appearing alongside Lucius on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or the season premiere of Austin City Limits Live with Brandi Carlile. Most recently, Joni Mitchell once again invited Celisse to collaborate, this time in celebration of Joni’s Gershwin Prize Honor, where the two played a stirring performance of “Summertime.”
With her debut album forthcoming, Celisse is preparing to give full exposure of herself. The thesis has been written… now we get to the good stuff.
Julia Pratt (Self-signed)
Julia Pratt is a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, currently based in Los Angeles. Julia started singing as a teenager after a childhood playing multiple instruments, including cello and saxophone.
After playing jazz saxophone, she decided that she wanted to start singing the standards that she had been playing. While trying to emulate the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, Julia also wanted to create songs that could become future standards. However, she always kept in mind that Ella and Billie didn’t sing jazz, they sang songs that touched people across boundaries of race, class, and gender. Julia wants to carry on this tradition.
Julia has performed twice at the legendary Blues Alley in Washington, D.C., and has performed live at multiple venues in Philadelphia and Atlanta. In 2018, Julia released the song “All The Girls Are Crazy.” Julia garnered over 350K Spotify streams without promotion. “All The Girls Are Crazy” was featured in the movie, Where’s Rose, in 2022.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band (Thirty Tigers)
With his deep, expressive voice, keen wit, and deft poetic sense, Josh Ritter has earned a reputation as one of the most reliable and incisive singer/songwriters in folk and Americana music. Emerging in 1999 with his eponymous debut album, Ritter hit his stride in 2007 with the release of The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, which introduced elements of rock, country, and blues into the mix. What followed was a string of acclaimed outings like Beast in Its Tracks (2013), Gathering (2017), and Fever Breaks (2019) that continued to push boundaries, further bolstering Ritter’s legacy as a songsmith. After a 2020 rarities EP, he returned in 2023 with Spectral Lines, his 11th album. – Biography by Mark Deming
Allison Russell (Fantasy Records)
A compelling singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with strong ties to the folk community, Allison Russell is a Canadian artist who first made her name in the 2000s as a member of the eclectic Canadian roots group Po’ Girl before forming the duo Birds of Chicago in 2012 with her husband and creative partner JT Nero. Taking inspiration from a wide array of sources, Russell’s songs have threaded through jazz, country, folk, Celtic, klezmer, and blues to become a distinctive amalgam of her own making. Not unlike fellow Renaissance woman and Our Native Daughters bandmate Rhiannon Giddens, her musical versatility has made her difficult to pigeonhole while also helping to establish her as a linchpin of roots music in general. In 2021, after two decades of musical exploration, Russell made her solo debut with the Juno Award-winning Outside Child. Her solo follow-up, the joyful The Returner, arrived two years later.
Russell was approached by Rhiannon Giddens to join the banjo-driven folk group Our Native Daughters, which showcased Black female musicians and focused on issues of race and the history of slavery. They made their debut on the Smithsonian Folkways label in 2019. By this point, Russell had developed a group of songs that boldly and poignantly told the story of her own personal history, particularly in regard to her abuse as a child. Recording in Nashville with producer Dan Knobler, she and a group of collaborators knocked out the sessions for Outside Child in just four sessions. The album was released to critical acclaim in May 2021 by the Fantasy label and won several Canadian Folk Music Awards and the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. For her next solo release, Russell took a different tack. Less overtly autobiographical and more groove-based, 2023’s The Returner was a passionate and joyful album that focused on the pleasures of the here and now. Co-producing alongside Knobler and Dim Star, it was recorded in Los Angeles over a six-day period. – Biography by Timothy Monger
Leyla McCalla (ANTI-)
Haitian-American singer, songwriter, arranger, cellist, and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla combines folk, jazz, and classical elements with the Louisiana musical traditions of her adopted New Orleans home. A member of the string band Carolina Chocolate Drops from 2011 to 2013, she appeared on the Grammy Award-winning group’s fourth studio album, Leaving Eden. She issued her debut solo effort, Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, in 2014, followed by a string of innovative releases, including 2022’s multidisciplinary music, dance, and theater work Breaking the Thermometer. In addition to her solo work, McCalla is a member of the folk and roots music supergroup Our Native Daughters. – Biography by Steve Leggett
Sunny War (New West Records)
Sunny War enlivens traditional folk and blues by freshening her musical attack and writing lyrics that reflect 21st-century concerns. Her first album, Worthless, arrived in 2014, and she continued to gain attention over the next few years as she built up a cult following that crested with the release of 2018’s With the Sun. After a series of independent releases, War moved to New West for the 2023 album Anarchist Gospel. Produced by Andrija Tokic, the album melded subtle atmospheric touches with songs exploring Ward’s inner struggles with self-destruction and order. – Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
