Emily Drinker, Talie, KooF, and Ben Arnold will play a Live And Local concert on WXPN’s Instagram

XPN’s weekly Thursday evening Live and Local Instagram concert series continues on July 23rd with performances three regional artists: introspective singer-songwriters Emily Drinker and Talie, impressionistic trumpeter KooF, and and longtime local rocker Ben Arnold.

After debuting in 2017 with her Run The Race EP, Emily Drinker began making waves in the Philly community, pulling together a live band that played an impressive set at Philadelphia Folk Fest last year, and bridging the worlds of introspective folk and emotive pop. Her latest single, “Starting to Feel,” was released earlier this year.

Talie is a singer-songwriter based in West Philly who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She finds inspiration in her homeland’s musical tradition, blending Haitian folk music with American soul influences. Her debut, Solèy Midi, is a breathtaking set of originals and traditional Haitian folk songs, was released late last year.

Versatile trumpet player, photographer, filmmaker, and Key contributor KooF is best known for his horn playing in West Philadelphia Orchestra, Wookiedelphia, and other brass ensembles, as well as collaborations with artists like Moor Mother and Grandchildren. Since the pandemic hit, KooF has been releasing weekly Live and Raw EPs that use loops to build immersive improvs.

A songwriter, vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and teacher, Ben Arnold has been a fixture in the Philly community since making his debut in the mid-90s with Almost Speechless, and has released eight solo LPs since, in addition to various collaborations. His band U.S. Rails was on tour in Europe when the pandemic hit (listen to him talk about it with Dan Reed) and he’s gearing up to play a benefit on Wednesday for the Philadelphia Musicians’ Union.

The show takes place Thursday, July 23rd, at 6 p.m. ET on the station’s Instagram Live, at @wxpnfm. Listen to music from each of the performers below.