Elvis Costello, Blondie Headline 2019 XPoNential Festival Lineup Packed With Philadelphia Flavor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – While the eighth-annual Made in America lineup carries star-studded appeal, it's far from the only festival to look forward to this summer for Philadelphia music fans in the region. The 2019 XPoNential Festival returns for a 25th year and the lineup is strong.
Elvis Costello and Blondie join Hozier and Japanese Breakfast as the headliners of the three-day music festival, put on by WXPN and Live Nation, in Camden, New Jersey, from July 26-28.
Costello and Blondie will play BB&T Pavilion on July 27, the second day of the festival. Hozier, Japanese Breakfast and Killiam Shakespeare headline Day 1. There are no headliners for Sunday – just shows at Wiggins Park.
The full lineup was released Tuesday with the Friday lineup dropping last week.
While Elvis Costello and Blondie – both '80's music icons and are co-headlining a tour this summer – and Hozier carry mainstream name recognition, the XPoNential Festival largely features indie bands, the type of music you'll hear on WXPN.
This year's lineup is no different, and it features some solid Philadelphia-area bands on the bill too.
Here are some non-headlining sets you'll want to catch – note, set times have not been finalized.
Friday
Rayland Baxter: Baxter played the festival back in 2015 and is coming off the release of his third record, "Wide Awake."
Dawes: The Los Angeles indie rock band is a veteran of the XPN Fest. This year will be their fourth. They released "Passwords," their sixth album in 2018.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram: If you enjoy the blues (who doesn't?), Kingfish is someone you'll want to catch. The Clarksdale, Mississippi, native will release his debut album on May 17 and he's featured on the Season 2 soundtrack of Netflix's "Luke Cage."
Saturday
Low Cut Connie: One of the most fun live bands Philly currently has to offer. Front man Adam Weiner plays a mean piano and knows how to put on a show. Just a real solid rock 'n' roll band. Their 2018 album, "Dirty Pictures (Part 2)," was a better record than "Dirty Pictures (Part 1)."
Caroline Rose: The New Yorker has three studio albums but her 2018 record "Loner" was one of the top indie records of 2018.
Sunday
Dave Hause and the Mermaid: This will be Philly-turned-SoCal punk Dave Hause's fifth XPN Fest. Hause has a new record dropping on April 12 called "Kick," an album that tackles the current political culture and mental illness he wrote with his brother and band-mate Tim Hause.
If the album is anything like the two singles – "The Ditch" and "Saboteurs," a jam that feels a lot like a Tom Petty song – it should be another excellent release from Hause. His band, The Mermaid, play Boot & Saddle on Wednesday and Thursday.
Lucy Dacus: The singer-songwriter from Richmond, Virginia, released two of the best records in 2018 – one solo, one with Boygenius, a super group consisting of Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. Dacus' record, "Historians," is 47 minutes of potent songwriting.
RFA: The four-piece garage rock band who went to St. Joe's Prep exploded onto the Philly scene last year with their self-named debut record "RFA." The entire album is ear candy, but "Suzie Lee" is just a monster of a rock song. They're a bit reminiscent of The Strokes.
Three-day passes and tickets for July 26 are currently available to buy. Tickets for July 27 go on sale Saturday and July 28, in June.