Ten time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin gave a stellar performance at this afternoon’s Free at Noon concert. McFerrin just released his 22nd studio album spirityouall last month. Check out the photo gallery above, the set list below and listen here (via the WXPN media player). Also check out McFerrin’s performance with Philadelphia legends The Roots on Wednesday’s episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Set List:
Everytime
Fix Me Jesus
I Shall Be Released
Joshua
Woe
25:15
Whole World / Chicago
Rest/Yes, Indeed

In advance of her forthcoming For Loud City Song LP, Julia Holter has shared a new video for lead single “World.”  The video is a beautiful pairing of sped-up montage footage showing Holter walking through her hometown of Los Angeles and the hushed, barely-there musings of the musician.  Visually, it’s like an experimental film that was discovered with missing pieces.  It feels like a narrative, but parts of the story aren’t there and it never resolves, leaving the viewer feeling unsettled.  That feeling becomes even more unsettling when Holter leaves us with the question “How can I escape you?”.  For Loud City Song will be released through Domino Records on August 19th.  Julia Holter will be in town on July 11th with Jessica Pratt at World Cafe Live upstairs; tickets and information can be found here.  Watch the new video for “World” below.

Sharply-dressed gospel-funk ensemble The Relatives wrapped up this year’s Non-COMM with a Friday night set of sweet harmonies on the World Cafe Live stage. Hailing from Texas and performing together since 1970, the group just released its first album of original material in 30 years, The Electric World. Check out photos from their performance above, and see more of Joe Del Tufo’s coverage of Non-COMM here. Listen to David Dye’s World Cafe interview with The Relatives here.

Singer and songwriter José James and his his impressive backing band brought smooth, jazzy and eclectic sounds to Non-COMM last weekend. James released his album No Beginning, No End on Blue Note Records in January and worked through an assortment of songs from it during his set, as well as a winning cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” (the second cover of it we heard during the Non-COMM weekend). Check out a gallery of photos from his set above, and see more of Joe Del Tufo’s Non-COMM coverage here.

Boston bluegrass five-piece Della Mae got Non-COMM attendees warmed up for three days of music with a lively set during the convention’s opening cocktail hour on Wednesday. Their new album, The World Oft Can Be, is out next Tuesday on Rounder Records. Check out photos from their set in the gallery above. For more of Joe Del Tufo’s Non-COMM photos, go here.

Gospel-rock legend Mavis Staples played a powerful set accompanied only by a guitarist for the downstairs Non-COMM crowd at World Cafe Live. Her performance touched on Staples Singers staples such as “The Weight” and “I’ll Take You There” along with selections from her new Jeff Tweedy-produced LP One True Vine. Check out photos from the performance and see the setlist below.

Setlist
I Like The Things About Me
Celestial Shore
The Weight
You Are Not Alone
Do it Again
One True Vine
I’ll Take You There

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

Pete Yorn and J.D. King developed their new project The Olms out of a shared love of 60s psych pop (The Byrds, The Beatles) and extended periods of studio collaboration, and brought the live band that resulted to the Non-COMM stage on Saturday. Their self-titled album is out on June 4th; check out the setlist below and listen to their set in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Setlist
On The Line
What Can I Do
Another Dream
She Said NO
Someone Else’s Girl
Rise and Shine
Love Is All Around
Bottle Of Wine
Wanna Feel It
Twice as Nice

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

High-energy Nashville outfit Kopecky Family Band showed just a little bit of the arty, celebratory vibe they’ll bring to this summer’s XPoNential Music Festival when they played Non-COMM on Saturday. The feisty and fun troupe reissued their LP Kids Raising Kids last Tuesday on ATO Records; check out their setlist below and listen to the performance in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Setlist
The Glow
My Way
Are You Listening
Change
HOpe
Heartbeat
Angry Eyes

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

Philly pop-rock five-piece Free Energy took the stage at maybe not the most opportune moment during Non-COMM. The Lone Bellow had just wrapped up a tremendous set upstairs, and much of the industry crowd was still smoozing with that band; others had skipped the festival entirely to catch their flight home. So to put it politely, there was plenty of room to dance in World Cafe Live’s downstairs when they opened their set with “Electric Fever.” But true to the slogan on his t-shirt, attitude was everything to frontman Paul Sprangers, and he rocked the crowd of about 75 like it was an arena of 7,500. The band’s trademark boisterous performance raged out into the hall and up the stairs, beckoning Non-COMMers inside. And as the band played on, the room filled up nicely. Listen to the audio from the set here (via the WXPN media player).

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

Exciting experimental British singer and songwriter Laura Mvula graced the World Cafe Live stage and delivered a haunting performance on Saturday night of Non-COMM. Her LP Sing to the Moon was released in March, and you can listen to her set in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

Awash in moving acoustic arrangements and stunning harmonies, The Lone Bellow captivated the crowd at the 2013 Non-COMMvention. They sang selections from their self-released self-titled debut and packed what appeared to be the entire attendance of Non-COMM into World Cafe Live’s upstairs stage, raising the room’s collective temperature to a fever pitch. Listen to the band’s set in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Photo by Joe Del Tufo | JoeDelTufo.com

Without a doubt the loudest band to take the upstairs cafe stage in all of Non-COMM, Nashville rock barn-burners Wild Features played a raucous set of Americana-infused rock, something between the Allmans and Led Zeppelin. Their self-titled debut LP comes out in August. Check out their setlist from Non-COMM below, and listen to their performance in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Setlist
Hardwind
Backwoods Company
Got it Wrong
Left My Woman
The nCeiling

Setlist
California
Miss Magdalene
Things We Lost In the Fire
Southern Sky
What Jail is Like (Afghan Whigs cover)

Setlist
Shivers
Devil
Lip Boy
Do Me Right
Rockability
They Told Me
Addicted
Party Kids

Setlist
Make It Known
On Blue Mountain
Shuggie
We Are the 21st Centrury Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Teenage Alien Blues

Setlist
The Rumors are True
Vivian, Won’t You Take Me In?
Yes, Maria, Yes
Will You Be Sleeping?
A Dog In This Fight
The Persimmon Tree
Born With A Broken Heart
Harder Before It Gets Easier

Setlist
Inheritance
Quill
Castles
Switzerland
Take all the Time
Dark Aml
Distance

Tom Jones live from WXPN’s Non COMMvention at World Cafe Live from WXPN FM on Vimeo.

Setlist
Tower of Song – originally by Leonard Cohen
(I Want To) Come Home – originally by Paul McCartney
Hit Or Miss – originally by Odetta
Dimming of the Day – originally by Richard Thompson
Soul of a Man – originally by Blind Willie Johnson
Burning Hell – originally by John Lee Hooker
Just Dropped In – originally by Mickey Newbury
If I Give My Soul – originally by Billy Joe Shaver
Traveling Shoes – originally by Ethan Johns
Run On – traditional, inspired by Elvis Presley
Didn’t It Rain – traditional, inspired by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Setlist
It’s Too Late
Love Like This
Happy Home
Another Girl
Keep You

Setlist
Bright Light
Eureka Springs
White Sands
Miracle Temple Holiness
Lament

Setlist
Hunchback
Wakin’ On A Pretty Day
Peeping Tomboy
Baby’s Arms
Goldtone

Setlist
Who Feelin’ It
L’Elephant
Downtown Rockers
Kissin’ Antonio
Won’t Give You Up
On & On
Genius of Love
Wordy Rappinghood

Out on tour in support of their 2013 LP Bankrupt!, international pop-rock sensations Phoenix stopped by Non-COMM last night for a 45-minute set that pulled from almost all of their five studio albums (2004′s Alphabetical being the only one not touched on). With their trademark light show and high-tech visuals absent, the band showed that they transcend flash, throwing as much energy into this intimate performance for about 500 Non-COMM attendees as they have at arena shows in the past. Check out photos from their performance in the gallery above and see the setlist (and a video of “1901″) after the jump.

Setlist
Entertainment
Lasso
Lisztomania
Long Distance Call
The Real Thing
Too Young
Girlfriend
Trying to Be Cool
Drakkar Noir
Chloroform
Armistice
1901
Rome

Nashville by-way-of Athens, Georgia songwriter Gabriel Kelley played a set of his folk-influenced acoustic Americana to the Non-COMMvention crowd last night. His debut LP, It Don’t Come Easy, was released last summer. Check out a photo gallery from Kelley’s set above, see the setlist below and listen to his performance in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player).

Setlist
Only Thing to Do
Se Ya Comin’
Make It Easy On Me
Faith
Holding Me Down

Continuing to tour in support of her latest Sugaring Season LP, Beth Orton returns to Philadelphia for a show at World Cafe Live on August 6th.  The British folk songstress returned to the studio after a six year break following the release of Comfort of Strangers to record Sugaring Season, working with Tucker Martine and collaborating with M. Ward and Tom Rowlands (Chemical Brothers).  Tickets and information for the all-ages show can be found here.  Watch Orton’s Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music below and listen back to her November 2012 appearance on World Cafe here.

If there is an entry point into the multitudes of lovelorn folk poetry that is Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, “Bird Balloons” – the most rocking track off of its debut album Ripely Pine - might not seem to be it at first. But lead singer Aly Spaltro strummed forth this Afghan Whigs-esque tale to open Lady Lamb’s tight, intimate 10-song set on Sunday night at World Café Live Upstairs to a crowd of 50 reverential listeners. They hung on her every syllable about lions, vultures and Eros. High points abounded, including her solo banjo-plucked “Regarding Ascending the Stairs” and the finale, “Crane Your Neck,” with the refrain of “You’ve gotta be starving; you’ve gotta be starving for it.” Starving at first, perhaps, but by the end of the show, the crowd was thoroughly sated.

TJ Kong And The Atomic Bomb

Frank Cervantes Band comes to World Cafe Live tonight to play “The Only Light” Charity Show, where proceeds will be used to by instruments for struggling music programs in the Philadelphia school district.. The indie artist released a new three-song EP, The Only Light, back in April. Cervantes is also a part of the duo The City Music Project. Tickets and information for the all ages show with Post Departure, Sarah Kane, and Andrew Charles can be found here. Below, watch the music video for Cervantes’ “Keep the Line Drawn” off of his album Forgotten Summer.