Oxfordian Oxonian folk / pop group Stornoway headline Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  Following up their 2010 debut Beachcomber’s Windowsill, the academically-minded quartet (led by an ornithologist) released Tales from Terra Firma earlier this month.  Field Report continue to tour in support of last year’s self-titled debut.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show can be found here.  Watch Stornoway’s video for “Knock Me On the Head” below.

Several local musicians come together at The Blockley tonight for a concert benefiting Lentil Fest.  Tommy Conwell, Pete Donnelly, Ben Arnold and Travel Lanes will perform sets in support of Lentil the French bulldog, who was born with a cleft palate.  All proceeds will be donated to a variety of charities including the French Bulldog Rescue Network and the Children’s Craniofacial Association.  Tickets and information can be found here.  Below, watch Pete Donnelly’s video for “Can’t Talk At All.”

West Philadelphia Orchestra brings their monthly Balkan dance party back to Underground Arts tonight.  As a collective of Philadelphia musicians, WPO blends traditional Eastern European influences withe modern jazz and classical sensibilities.  Tickets and more information for tonight’s 21+ show with Johnny Showcase and the Lefty Lucy Cabaret can be found here or on the Facebook event page here.  Watch West Philadelphia Orchestra perform “Burkan Cocek” below.

Ross Bellenoit heads out to Puck Live with Auctioneer tonight.  Bellenoit is a local musician with a long list of collaborative partners, including Birdie Busch, Ben Arnold and Sun Airway.  His most recent solo record was 2012′s Home Songs, Volume 3, the third part of an EP trilogy released over the course of last year.  The multi-instrumentalist will be joined by Philly’s Auctioneer, the experiemental pop project of Craig Hendrix that began in 2011. Auctioneer participated in Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through series last year, recording the sonic mosaic “Our Future Faces.”  Check out the full episode here, and watch Ross Bellenoit’s video for “Besides” below.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show in Doylestown can be found here.

Philadelphia’s Leather play Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  The hardcore quartet have been slowly spilling details for their upcoming album, hinting at twenty minutes of music and artwork by a local photographer.  What we also know is that the record is going to be a heavy-hitting punch of rock, based on the tracks uploaded to the band’s YouTube account.  Stream “Zek” from 2011 below.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Antwon and Heathen Reign can be found here.

Noise rockers Dope Body have a free show at The Depot in York, PA tonight.  The Baltimore outfit are touring behind 2012′s Natural History LP, an effort that showed growth from the Drag City signees and somehow managed to walk a line between headbanging thrash rock and colorful bursts of angular (and at times dance-able) math rock.  Tonight they share the stage with Roomrunner and Peals at the 21+ up show – more information can be found here.  Below, stream “Twice the Life” from Natural History.

Phoenixville indie blues rock band Riley Road return to World Cafe Live at The Queen tonight.  After taking first place at the Beta Hi Fi Emerging Music Festival in Philadelphia this past summer, the local trio has continued to work on their already-impressive, classic rock-influenced foundation that was started when the band members met at Phoenixville’s Rock and Roll After School program.  Tonight Riley Road will be joined by Wilmington Beta Hi Fi winners and local favorites The Districts.  Tickets and information can be found here.  Stream Riley Road’s new single “Better Man” below.

XPN welcomes Tommy Conwell to The Blockley tonight.  Conwell was a focal point of the 80s rock scene in Philadelphia when he fronted The Young Rumblers.  The leather-clad heartthrobs reunited this past holiday season for their third annual post-Thanksgiving concert, but not before Conwell stopped in for a Key Studio Session where he recorded an acoustic set including Young Rumblers’ hit “I’m Not Your Man.”  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Jeffrey Gaines can be found here.  Below, watch the original video for “I’m Not Your Man” and stream / download the acoustic Key Studio Session version (along with three other tracks) here.

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

Tommy Conwell (center) and the Young Rumblers, circa late 80s

• I'm Homeby Tommy Conwell, from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Philly rock stalwart Tommy Conwell played a reunion show with his 80s band The Young Rumblers on Black Friday at the Electric Factory, and recorded a stripped-down set at WXPN that we featured in last week’s Key Studio Session. Check out his entire performance here, and download the Joe Jackson-esque jam “Everything They Say is True” below.

• Everything They Say is Trueby Tommy Conwell from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Rootsy five-piece Band of Horses is on tour with Jason Lytle, formerly of Grandaddy, and the two bands teamed up to cover Townes Van Zandt’s “Don’t You Take It Too Bad,” which you can download an mp3 of below. Their tour stops at the Electric Factory on December 14th, tickets and more information can be found here.

Singer-songwriter Erin McKeown is gearing up for a new 2013 release, a full-length called MANIFESTRA, and last week announced a Philly appearance January 20 at Johnny Brenda’s. She also premiered her poppy new single, “The Jailer,” which you can download below.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Sade’s 1992 album Love Deluxe, North Carolina indie rock duo The Rosebuds covered the album – which they cite as hugely influential. Download the entire thing for free below.

Left to right: Helen Leicht, John Belushi and Ed Sciaky

Holiday Radio Past: Ed Sciaky sends holiday on WIOQ cheer circa 1984 [link]

Philly rocker Tommy Conwell performs acoustic for The Key Studio Sessions [link]

Digging the deep roots of St. James and the Apostles, who play The Fire tonight [link]

Need a soundtrack to your Thanksgiving dinner table? Try our Spotify playlist [link]

Central Pennsylvania’s music scene mourns the loss of its biggest advocate, Jersey Mike [link]

Watch rare video of Patti Smith on the Mike Douglas Show when it was based in Philly [link]

Is that Denison Witmer playing a spandex-clad workout instructor? [link]

Pissed Jeans rage on with a new track, “Bathroom Laughter” [link]

Ring in the holidays with XPN2‘s Jingle Jams, now through New Year’s! [link]

Yeasayer discovered light, and color. And took it on tour. [link]

• Everything They Say is Trueby Tommy Conwell, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 21, 2012Download

• I'm Homeby Tommy Conwell, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 21, 2012Download

• Goin' Back To Phillyby Tommy Conwell, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 21, 2012Download

• I'm Not Your Manby Tommy Conwell, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 21, 2012Download

The Left Banke has been called one of the originators of baroque pop music. They had their first major hit with “Walk Away Renee” in 1966, only a year after they had been playing together. Their vocal harmonies, classical arrangements, and use of various instruments account for their worthy performances. Check them out tonight at World Cafe Live downstairs at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 plus processing fees.

Tommy Conwell, better known for his days as the frontman of the Philadelphia band, Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers, plays tonight at Haddon Lake Park. This concert is free for all ages and starts at 7:30 p.m. Get directions and more information here.

Finally, country rock legend and singer/songwriter Willie Nelson is playing at the TD Bank Arts Center in Sewell, New Jersey. He will be joined by his son Patrick and other members of the family. They played at our annual Non-Comm earlier this May, you can listen to that performance here. (via the XPN media player). Tickets to tonight’s performance range from $29-59; the show takes off at 7:30 p.m.

It’s not too late to get your tickets to this year’s festival, which starts this Friday at 5:30. Ticket information is here.