Dr. John, Ani DiFranco, The Hold Steady, and Newton Faulkner perform live from the NON-COMMvention in Philadelphia. NON-COMM is an annual convention of non-commercial radio programmers and music directors, as well as other music-industry professionals.
Dr. John's funky takes on jazz standards, his original blues, and his unstoppable stage persona (deer antlers and robes figure prominently) have made him a legend well beyond his hometown of New Orleans. Now in his 60s, the good doctor is still making music and keeping Hurricane Katrina in the public's eye. The title track off his new album, City That Care Forgot, features an artist with whom he'll share a stage at NON-COMM: Ani DiFranco.
The Hold Steady might just be the best bar band in America. With its riff-heavy mixture of classic rock and Craig Finn's lyrically dense storytelling, the group crafts detailed musical universes that have already made it a critical darling and fan favorite. The forthcoming Stay Positive, The Hold Steady's new album, is its fourth in five years. The record finds the band sampling a broader range of sounds, including a mandolin and a harpsichord, but rock is still its metier. The songs have been kicking around in the minds of the musicians for a while: The Hold Steady played the title track during its 2007 tour with Art Brut.
Buffalo, N.Y., native Ani DiFranco has toured the nation and the world since 1990, playing an energetic brand of folk music and reeling off lyrics that sometimes resemble funky stream-of-consciousness exercises. A new mother, the feminist icon is working with a new band and lots of guests on a new studio album.
English singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner specializes in folk-tinged pop music. On his debut album, Hand Built by Robots, Faulkner covers bands as varied as Rusted Root and Massive Attack, using his trademark percussive style on acoustic guitar.
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