Looking for more? Visit WXPN’s Soundcloud page to download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 1 through Vol. 5.

Emo-inspired South Jersey four-piece By Surprise are making a rare concert appearance tonight at The Barbary, in advance of the January 15 release of their second LP, Criteria. The all-ages show begins at 5 p.m., more information is available here. Below, listen to the title track from their new album.

Lead MC of the Legendary Roots Crew, Black Thought, is playing a solo set tonight at The Blockley in University City. This gives some hope that his long in-the-works solo LP, The Talented Mr. Trotter, might see the light of day. Or it could just be an excuse for him to jam out with a stellar lineup of his friends and contemporaries, including Reef The Lost Cauze (who released the great Reef The Lost Cauze Is Dead on Christmas). The 21+ show begins at 8 p.m., more information can be found here. Below, watch vintage footage of Black Thought freestyling with ?uestlove from the 2000 documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme.

XPN Welcomes quirky / funky singer-songwriter Mike Doughty to The Tin Angel for two shows tonight. The one-time Soul Coughing frontman released his latest solo effort, The Flip Is Another Honey, back in November. The 7:30 show is sold out; tickets still remain for the 10:00 show, more information can be found here. Below, watch Doughty performing “Na Na Nothing” on KEXP.

Philly party-rap duo Moosh & Twist headline the First Unitarian Church tonight. Their latest mixtape, Back To the Basement, is due out in January. For more information on the show, check our concert calendar here; for more on what Moosh and Twist have been up to, read our interview here.

Joey Sweeney | Photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez

Brand-new Philly band Family Vacation released their first EP last weekend.  The self-titled, five-track record includes the seasonally apropos song “Winter’s Wind,” which you can stream and download below (go here to download the full EP).  Family Vacation will play an all-ages release party at The Fire on December 1st with Keepers and The Reflexes; go here for more information.

Hotly-tipped U.K. singer Ellie Goulding released “Bittersweet” earlier this week as a free download on Good Music All Day.  The new song, which will be included on the soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2, was produced by Skrillex.  Goulding comes to Philadelphia on January 25th; more information can be found here.

York, PA’s Kingsfoil stopped by last weekend and recorded a great Key Studio Session.  The band performed four songs off of their latest record A Beating Heart Is a Bleeding Heart, including the single “American Veins” (stream and download it below) and a solo-piano take of “Giving.”  Check out the full session here.  Kingsfoil recently wrapped up a U.S. tour (the first with newly-added Frankie Muniz on drums) and play their final show of the year at The Chameleon Club in Lancaster on December 29.  Information is available here.

• American Veinsby Kingsfoil from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Thursday’s My Morning Download featured the duo of Adam Green and Binki Shapiro.  Green (of The Moldy Peaches) and Shapiro (of Little Joy) teamed up to record a self-titled album, expected out in January.  Get a taste of the album’s sixties-style pop duets with “Here I Am” below; you can download the track in exchange for your email address.  “Here I Am” is also featured on a preview EP called Fall, out now on iTunes.

An earnest pop-rock band from York, Pa., Kingsfoil just self-released their second full-length album, A Beating Heart Is A Bleeding Heart, and went around the U.S. on a fall tour. It was their first time on the road with new drummer Frankie Muniz, and by the time the band rolled into WXPN for a Key Studio Session on the eve of Hurricane Sandy, they were tight, locked-in and impressive. The full band – which also features guitarist / keyboardist Tristan Martin, bassist Tim Warren and singer-guitarist Jordan Davis – rocked out three snappy songs from the record that easily called to mind fellow pop-minded bands like Keane, fun. and The Fray. Wrapping the set, Davis turned in a moving solo performance of the piano ballad “Giving.” Download the set below, and look for the band to play its last gig of 2012 at The Chameleon Club in Lancaster on December 29.

• Grapevine Valentineby Kingsfoil, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 14, 2012Download

• American Veinsby Kingsfoil, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 14, 2012Download

• What Your Mother Taught Youby Kingsfoil, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 14, 2012Download

• Givingby Kingsfoil, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 14, 2012Download

York County indie pop group Kingsfoil is playing at World Cafe Live tonight. Kingsfoil became a band to watch after the 2007 release of their EP, Bear In The Attic. Their second full-length album, A Beating Heart Is A Bleeding Heart came out in September after adding Frankie Muniz to the crew on drums. The all ages show starts at 8 pm; tickets are available here. Below, check out the video for “What Your Mother Taught You” from A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart.

XPN Welcomes Loudon Wainwright III to the Landis Theater tonight. Wainwright, who was featured on the Grammy Award-winning Boardwalk Empire soundtrack, released his latest album Older Than My Old Man Now in April. The show tonight begins at 7 pm; tickets are available here. Hear “All In a Family” from Older Than My Old Man Now below.

The Black Landlord Halloween Extravaganza is happening tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. Black Landlord performed for us during a Key Studio Session last October after the release of their latest EP, What You Mean To We. The psychedelic rock trio St. James & The Apostles will also be performing with Black Landlord tonight. The Extravaganza kicks off at 7:30; tickets for the 21+ event are available here. Listen to St. James & The Apostles’ track “Kiss & Tell” below.

Metal group The Deftones will be playing tonight at the Electric Factory. Their sixth album, Koi No Yokan, drops on November 3rd. The show tonight begins at 8; tickets for the all-ages performance  can be found here. Below, check out the lyric video for latest single from Koi No Yokan, “Tempest.”

Field Report entranced the audience at this year’s XPoNential Music Festival and recently released their self-titled debut full-length.  Frontman Christopher Porterfield visited Folkadelphia in early 2011 when he was performing under the moniker Conrad Plymouth, and while in the studio Porterfield, along with keybordist Nick Berg and Strand of Oaks’ Tim Showalter, recorded a beautiful version of “Fergus Falls.”  Download the track here and stream it below.

This week, The Key’s Unlocked series highlighted the 1980s rock band Informed Sources.  They have a new album called Fun Under the Sun and you can download “Imagined Fears” for free below.

• Imagined Fearsby Informed Sources from Fun Under the SunDownload

Tuesday’s My Morning Download featured country rocker Dwight Yoakam.  The musician and actor is back with a new album called 3 Pears, his first new album in seven years.  You can download and stream “Long Way to Go” below.

• Long Way To Goby Dwight Yoakam from 3 PearsDownload

York, P.A. favorites Kingsfoil stopped by the XPN studios on Monday for a live broadcast on The Leicht Lunch with Helen Leicht.  The quartet, complete with recent addition Frankie Muniz on drums, played a couple of tracks off of their latest album A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart.  You can download the song “American Veins” below.  

• American Veinsby Kingsfoil, recorded Live on the Leicht Lunch, September 24, 2012Download

York, Pa. rock four-piece Kingsfoil releases its latest album, A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart, tomorrow on Holiday Heart Records, and has a few other big things in the works as well. On Thursday morning, they’re appearing on VH1′s Big Morning Buzz Live – the band’s first nationally-televised appearance with new drummer Frankie Muniz – and on Saturday they play a hometown release show in celebration of the new album at Lancaster’s Chameleon Club. They’ve also got a date lined up at World Cafe Live upstairs on October 28. Download their acoustic performances of two new songs below, along with an archive of the band’s entire interview with Helen Leicht.

• American Veinsby Kingsfoil, recorded Live on the Leicht Lunch, September 24, 2012Download

• What Your Mother Taught Youby Kingsfoil, recorded Live on the Leicht Lunch, September 24, 2012Download

• Entire Sessionby Kingsfoil, recorded Live on the Leicht Lunch, September 24, 2012Download

The 12 Days of XPN Philly Local Christmas Sampler

Find Vienna – “Christmas Is For Our Hearts”
Gillian Grassie – “When the Night Gets Long”
Summer Fiction – “Christmas Eve for Two”
Matt Santry – “The Xmas Song”
Atomic Square – “Christmas Time is here”
Scot Sax and Suzie Brown – “Coming Your Way”
Angel Band – “I Want A Present”
JD Malone & the Experts – “Best Day Of The Year”
Kingsfoil – “The Valley, A Christmas Song”
John Flynn – “Christmas Balls”
Ben Smith – “I Got A New Tattoo For Christmas”
Ali Hoffman – “Evergreen”

• The Valley, A Christmas TimeInsert caption hereDownload

For more photos by Eric Ashleigh, visit eashleigh.com.

Dana Alexandra

Central PA-based acts Kingsfoil and Dana Alexandra are set to play a Free At Noon concert next Friday. Dana Alexandra, of York, is a singer-songwriter who just released an album, Wash Your Mouth Out. Recently, Helen Leicht sat down with Alexandra for an interview; she also recorded two of her new songs live. You can listen to the interview and performances here. Kingsfoil, also of York, PA, draws on Coldplay and Ben Folds as influences and continues to build a local fan base. Reserve a space here when tickets become available; registration for tomorrow’s Free At Noon concert featuring Deer Tick is still open.

Kingsfoil just kicked off the third and final day of the XPoNtential music festival in style. Hailing from Central PA, Kingsfoil plays a brand of rock and roll in the same vein as Coldplay and The Fray. With plenty of catchy, hummable tunes, Kingsfoil set the tone for what is sure to be a fun-filled day. —Max Ufberg

You can listen to the audio of the full performance here; videos can be found here.

Set List
Albatross
Soldmate
Give It Up Now
Lions Den
Dust of the Cities
Demons

Visit Kingsfoils’ band page at the XPoNential Music Festival website for complete coverage.

This evening: The showcase at Freedom Hall at the Lancaster Convention Center with Kingsfoil (8:30PM), Adam Taylor (9PM) and River City Extension at 10PM. Alt-country rockers Slimfit perform at 11PM at the Chamelon Club. (Reminder that Kingsfoil are also playing this summer’s WXPN XPoNential Music Festival on July 22, 23 and 24!)

Saturday highlights include: Johnny Action Figure at the Lizard Lounge at 9PM; Dana Alexandra at Annie Bailey’s (10:45PM), and The Mint at the Chameleon Club at 12:30AM.

For the complete list of venues and musicians who are performing click here. For complete registration information click here. Below, check out videos from Slimfit and Kingsfoil.

Tickets to the XPoNential Music Festival are available now for members only, and start at less than $12 a day (for a three-day pass purchased in advance). Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 16th. Go to XPN.org’s support page (or call 1-800-565-WXPN) to become a member; if you pledge $24 per month, you’ll receive a pair of weekend passes, two festival t-shirts, and an XPN membership that gets you free beverages and artist meet-and-greets all weekend long.

Central PA’s Kingsfoil are one of Helen Leicht’s recent musical discoveries on the local scene. Fronted by the charismatic Jordan Davis, the four-piece released its latest album, On Our Own Together, in June.

Kingsfoil began as a duo in the early ’00s; Davis and guitarist/vocalist Tristan Martin released The Almond Tree EP in 2005. Joe Cipollini was later added on drums and in 2007 Tim Warren joined the group on bass. The songs from On Our Own Together are incredibly polished and catchy bring to mind the musical likes of Coldplay and The Fray.

Enjoy this free song compliments of the band. And check them out during their next local performance on Sept. 3 at World Cafe Live.

• Give It Up Nowfrom On Our Own Together by KingsfoilDownload