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The Week’s Best Free MP3s, incl. Khari Mateen, Plow United, Diplo

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Local musician / producer Khari Mateen tossed in a cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” to celebrate the season.  Mateen gives the Porgy & Bess aria a funky make-over with staccato string parts and chunky beats.  Fun fact – the lyrics to “Summertime” were written by DuBose Heyward, a relative of local singer-songwriter Heyward Howkins.  Stream and download the cover below.

Two Folkadelphia Sessions this week – first up, an endearing acoustic performance by Laura Stevenson, followed by a rocking & rolling set from Brooklyn’s Plates of Cake.  The spectrum of music represented by these two sessions is Folkadelphia’s mission in action, i.e. presenting a braod definition of what it means to be “folk music.”  Stream and download two tracks below and dig in to the rest here.

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The Week So Far: 10 must-read stories on The Key (incl. David Wax Museum, Pill Friends, At Fest)

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This week’s show announcements include The Last Bison and David Wax Museum at World Cafe Live, Hop Along and The Sidekicks at The First Unitarian Church, Man Man at Union Transfer [link, link and link]

Stream and download Laura Stevenson‘s Folkadelphia Session [link]

You gotta hear “Find a Way” by Elastic Bond this week [link]

Get a free download of Wild Ones‘ bubbly “Curse Over Me” from their debut LP [link]

Local dream-poppers Lockets share b-side “Girl” from their upcoming single release [link]

Steady Hands release new video, free download for “I Swear Like a Sailor” [link]

Get inside the studio with Jesse Baker Band in the video for “We’re Gonna Make It” [link]

Stream two new tracks from Pill Friends‘ new LP Blessed Suffering [link]

The Trocadero will screen the world premiere of Philadelphia Folk Festival documentary At Fest on 8/7 [link]

Explore Alex Savoth’s new direction with The New Black [link]

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Folkadelphia Session: Laura Stevenson

When we invited Laura Stevenson to record a session with us, we had already heard her latest, greatest, and third album, Wheel. What impressed us was not just the obvious musical growth from her previous two releases, but also the sincere emotional wallop that Wheel packs with each listen. In terms of cohesiveness, 2011′s Sit Resist is Elmer’s, Wheel is superglue, but cohesion does not have to mean two-dimensional. For these set of songs, we find Stevenson and her band (formerly the Cans) creating a dynamic backdrop for the singer’s equally active voice. The songs really do run the gamut from contemporary folk-rock to brash pop-punk, from achingly quiet bedroom confessionals to anthemic hooks and choruses. Each track offers something freshly imaginative and genuinely sincere – you can tell Stevenson is throwing restraint to the wind. It’s funny to note that her last record is titled Sit, Resist, a very passive pair of verbs, while Wheel evokes movement and motion. Stevenson is going forward as an artist and a person – these songs are her breadcrumbs on the path.

For her Folkadelphia Session, recorded on April 19th, Stevenson entered the studio by her lonesome, leaving her Can band for a brief rest before heading over to Milkboy Philly for the first show of their tour. Solo and stripped-down, she draws out the seriously stirring sentiments of her songs.

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Download “Tomorrow is Yesterday” from Field Mouse (playing MilkBoy Philly on 4/19)

FMouseBrooklyn dream pop duo Field Mouse premiered a new song on locally based music blog YVYNYL a couple of months ago.  “Tomorrow is Yesterday” is an upbeat, power pop spin on breezy shoegaze and is expected to be included on an upcoming full-length.  Fitting in well with Small Plates Records‘ tightly curated roster of indie electro / dream pop, Field Mouse released (and subsequently sold out of) their debut 7″ on the label and followed up the effort with a second 7″ on Lefse Records, which included a cover of the Twin Peaks’ theme on the B-side.  Field Mouse kick off a U.S. tour at MilkBoy Philly on Friday with Laura Stevenson; tickets and information can be found here.  Stream “Tomorrow is Yesterday” below and get a name-your-own-price download of the single on Field Mouse’s Bandcamp here.