Photo by Shervin Lainez

Liz Longley performs at Burlap and Bean tonight. Although now living in Nashville, Tennessee, the singer/songwriter is a Philadelphia native and will be coming home to play some of her songs in anticipation of her upcoming album entitled Liz Longley, and her new single “This Is Not The End” released on April 16th available through iTunes. She has also been The Local Pick Of The Day back in October 2010 with her song “Free”. Longley will be touring steadily through April, May, and June throughout the US. Tickets and information for the all-ages show with Seth Glier can be found here. Below, watch an acoustic session with Liz Longley playing her new single “This Is Not The End” from her upcoming album Liz Longley.

Kyle Swartzwelder writes low-key country tunes that simmer with an intensity just beneath the surface. His newest record Canadian Pacific is a pleasure to listen to straight through and, as it ends, you feel like you’ve gained something meaningful for having spent the time. This does not speak to how Swartzwelder and his band – who hail from Delaware and Pennsylvania – perform in a live setting, but from minute one of setting up, you could tell these guys were a well-oiled machine. We ended up recording seven songs (usually we record three or four), including one in which the band worked out parts to during the session. Yeah, they’re good. We love recording sessions like this because it allows us to focus on making the best recordings that we can. Here’s the result, a few of the tracks now available for your streaming and download pleasure!

Catch Kyle at Burlap and Bean Coffee in Newtown Square, PA as he runs production and other duties at the venue/café. He also performs there on Friday, May 3^rd opening for Malcolm Holcombe which begs the question- who will do sound?!

Light Heat, the latest project of Quentin Stoltzfus, sounds the way its name suggests. The track “And the Birds,” which streams on the Light Heat website, is warm and delicately ornamented with piano notes.  “The Mirror” has been described by Spin as a “simmering slow-burner.”  A few months ago, we posted Light Heat’s “Elevation” recording for Bands in the Backyard and it was clear, even then, that Stolzfus’ new project was something to keep an eye on.  A Light Heat album isn’t due out until June, but tonight Light Heat will perform at Johnny Brenda’s, offering a few more gorgeous songs than what’s currently available for streaming.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show are available here.  Below, listen to Light Heat’s “The Mirror.”

Pat Martino is a remarkable jazz artist, but his story is even more remarkable.  Martino began to play music at age 15, and by the 60’s, he had established himself as a talented jazz musician.  In 1980, tragedy struck.  An aneurysm followed by corrective brain surgery left him devoid of significant memories—including his ability to play music.  Martino did not accept his condition though, and after years of practice and dedication, Pat Martino was playing again by the end of the decade.  Of course, “playing again” hardly begins to describe Martino’s ability.  The local jazz hero performs tonight at the Sellersville Theater.  Tickets and information for the all ages show are available here.  Below, watch Martino perform “Welcome to a Prayer.”

Hallelujah the Hills has been a staple of the Boston pop rock scene since 2005. The group has released three albums, most recently No One Knows What Happens Next. The album came out last year after a Kickstarter campaign raised enough money to back the band’s effort. Hallelujah the Hills followed the album up with a single on Valentine’s day, and an announcement of a spring 2013 album. In the midst of so much recording and releasing, the band is also on tour. The six men of Hallelujah the Hills will be at Kennett Flash tonight. Tickets and information for the all ages show are available here. Below, stream their single, “The Three Minute Mark.”

Everyone Everywhere have returned home for an album release show at The Barbary tonight.  Their eponymous record came out last summer but the Philly emo outfit promptly hit the road for Europe.  The new effort sees the four-piece shifting its gaze from the small-time concerns of 2010′s (also) self-titled debut to the larger-than-life philosophical queries of tracks like “Wild Life’ and “Big Hat” on 2012′s.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Glocca Morra, Slingshot Dakota and Band Name can be found here.  Below, watch Everyone Everywhere’s video for “Queen Mary II” and revisit their Key Studio Session from this week here.

Mississippi’s The Weeks will play MilkBoy Philly tonight.  Led by twin brothers Cyle and Cain Barnes, The Weeks sing autobiographical songs about life in the Delta against a backdrop of influences ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Wilco to At the Drive In.  2012′s Gutter Gaunt Gangster EP has a refreshingly punk take on Southern rock, a blend of genres not unusual for the band – since their formation in 2006, The Weeks skittered the lines of folk before settling in with the Nashville punk scene.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Shark Tape and Junior Astronomers can be found here.  Below, watch The Week’s video for “The House We Grew Up In.”

Roots rocker JD Malone performs at Burlap and Bean tonight.  The Vermont native relocated to Phoenixville and became active in the Philadelphia music scene, recording with producer and musician Pete Donnelly and winning a Philadelphia Songwriters Association contest.  Most recently, Malone and his band The Experts released 2011′s Avalon, engineered by famed Butcher Bros. producer Phil Nicolo. Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Leo DiSanto can be found here.  Watch JD Malone perform “For You and I” below.

XPN welcomes Lee Fields & The Expressions to World Cafe Live tonight.  The soul phenomenon got his start just over 40 years ago with his debut in 1969 and hasn’t let up since.  Fields released a new record in 2012, Faithless Man, on Brooklyn’s Truth & Soul Records and continues to inspire a new generation of R&B artists with his James Brown-esque funk and suave stage presence.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with DJ Shawn Ryan can be found here.  Watch a video of Fields performing “Faithful Man” for Yours Truly below.

Photo by Hillary Harris

Plainly stated and in my humble opinion, Sera Cahoone, formerly a member of Carissa’s Wierd and Band of Horses, released one of the most compelling albums of last year. The collection of songs that make up Deer Creek Canyon, her long-awaited third solo effort after 2008′s acclaimed Only as the Day is Long, are a perfect distillation of the Northwest Pacific in sound, feel, and aesthetic. The country-tinged Americana songs are influenced, tempered, and affected by the geography and atmosphere of her home state Washington.

Before her stop at Newtown Square, PA’s Burlap & Bean on Friday, February 1st, Cahoone will be appearing for an in-store performance on Monday, January 28th at 7 PM at Main Street Music, located in Manayunk. Below, you can download the title track to Deer Creek Canyon.

• Deer Creek Canyonby Sera Cahoone from Deer Creek CanyonDownload

Photo by Doug Seymour

Jason Myles Goss is the kind of musician that I want to keep tabs on. His songs — well, you just relate to them — the honesty, the compassion, the work he’s put into them and into his craft, into his artistry. It’s simply good, like chicken soup is good, like the morning light is good. I’ll keep tabs on him because he’s a litmus test for what should remain constant in music against the fizzling fads and temporary trends. He’s a storyteller, a songwriter, and a creator; these are occupations that don’t go out of style and they don’t fade away. After the age of sheen, of slick, of fabrication, what will be left standing is the realness of the salt of life. What will be left standing is Jason Myles Goss, just being who he is, writing what he knows, and sharing his thoughts and melodies with us.

Jason Myles Goss was kind enough to stop into the WXPN Studios on January 6th, 2013 the morning after his show in Newtown Square, PA at Burlap & Bean Coffee. He recently released the album Radio Dial. Enjoy the results of the visit in this latest Folkadelphia Session.

Local lo-fi surf rockers Sunset Recorder are playing at Kung Fu Necktie tonight. You can listen below to the band’s poppy four-track album, Tuning Into The Universe, or downloaded for free on their Bandcamp page. Go here for details and tickets for tonight’s 21+ show.

XPN Welcomes celebrated folk singer Ray LaMontagne to the Tower tonight. LaMontagne’s raw, whiskey-drowned vocals and earnest lyrics gave way to his Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for 2010′s God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise. Go here for details about tonight’s all-ages performance, which starts at 8. Below, watch LaMontagne’s Live At Abbey Road studio sessions of “Trouble” and “Jolene” from his 2004 album Trouble.

Touring in support of their fifth album Negotiations, which dropped in September, The Helio Sequence will be playing at Underground Arts tonight. The Portland duo has been performing together since the ’90s but didn’t gain fame until the breakaway success of 2009′s Keep Your Eyes Ahead. Tickets and details for tonight’s 21+ show can be found here; doors open at 8. Below, watch the new video for “Hall of Mirrors” from Negotiations.

Brooklyn / Philadelphia acoustic pair The Feverfew will be performing with Psalmships at Burlap and Bean in Newton Square tonight. The Feverfew’s honest lyrics have earned them comparisons to fellow indie folk musicians Cat Power and Patti Smith. Some of the songs from The Feverfew’s 2011 album, Lost Song Orphanage, can be downloaded for free on their Bandcamp page here. Tickets for tonight’s show can be found here; doors open at 7:30. Below, check out the video for “Goodbye Blue Monday” from 2004′s Apparitions.

Acoustic guitar virtuoso Daniel Bachman – who recently moved from Philadelphia back to his native Fredericksburg, Virginia – returns to town tonight for an appearance at Little Berlin with Chris Forsyth and Birds of Maya. Admission to the all-ages show is a $5 to $7 suggested donation at the door; more information is available here. Read Elliot Sharp’s interview with Bachman here, and download his recent Be Nice to your Kids session below.

For a badass early Halloween show, Arrah and the Ferns will be performing the Black Sabbath classic Paranoid in its entirety for the Very PARANOID Halloween showcase at The Fire. Will the countrified indie band be metal-ing it up for the night, or will the metal be made twangy? All questions shall be answered beginning at 9. Also on the bill are Adam and Dave’s Bloodline as The Misfits. More information on the 21+ show can be found here. Below, to go with the seasonal vibe, watch a video of the Ferns playing “Pumpkin” in Kutztown last year.

Speaking of twang, upstate New York folksinger Jess Klein released her eighth album Behind a Veil earlier this year, and the record travels further down country roads compared to her earlier work, chronicling a year of personal struggles using a decidedly Texan sonic palette. She plays Burlap and Bean Coffeehouse in Newtown Square tonight at 8 p.m. with JD Malone; admission to the all-ages show is $12, more information can be found here. Below, watch Klein perform the song “Riverview” from Behind a Veil.

Folk singer Antje Duvekot plays at Burlap and Bean tonight fresh off the September release of her third studio album New Siberia. Duvekot says New Siberia is a deeply personal reflection of her growth as a person, coming a long way from her sophomore album, The Near Demise of the High-Wire Dancer, voted top album of 2009 by listeners of the Boston radio station WUMB 91.9. The show tonight begins at 8 o’clock and tickets can be reserved here. Watch the video for “New Siberia” below.

America’s favorite bitter ex-girlfriend Alanis Morisette reveals a new dimension of happiness in marriage and motherhood in her latest record, Havoc and Bright Lights, which was released in August. In promotion of Havoc and Bright Lights, the Canadian singer/songwriter continues her tour tonight at the Electric Factory. The all-ages show tonight starts at 8:30; further details and tickets can be found here. Check out the video for “Guardian” below.

Baltimore indie folk group The Great American Canyon Band will be playing with Philly’s Mock Suns and Oldermost tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. The Great American Canyon Band’s June EP was followed up by the September release of a new track, “Young Lady,” which you can download for free below. Philly’s own quirky alt rock Mock Suns released their debut album, Here Nor There, in April. Below, watch the video from their first single off Here Nor There, “The Dark.” The 21+ show tonight begins at 9; details can be found here.