Root Down in the Shadow

Less than a week away, the XPoNential Festival looms large on the summer music horizon.  The schedule has been released and it's time to start plotting out your must see bands, meeting with friends, and where to put your chairs each day! Luckily for us, some of the festival performers have put in their two cents on which bands are worthy of your attention.  Israel Nash Sunday 1:40pm - JerseyArts.com Marina Stage Band Most Excited to Share the Festival Stage with : Courtney Barnett: ( Sunday 3:55pm - River Stage) "Courtney's done so much lately. I’ve been a fan for a little bit, as we keep crossing paths on the circuit, SXSW etc. To keep seeing Courtney, on the lineup, at all these festivals is awesome! Somehow I haven’t been able to catch her set yet, so this will be the first time to see her live. Her new album ( Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit ) is great. Courtney Barnett is such a great poet, while doi

American Diamond Recordings , Philadelphia's newest collective had a really big weekend.  The newly minted label, home of Ron Gallo / Toy Soldiers / The Lawsuits / TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb / Levee Drivers had major appearances across the North-East.  The Lawsuits opened the River stage on Sunday at the 2014 XPoNential Music Festival Presented by Subaru while on Thursday night; Toy Soldiers played the Newport Folk Festival kick-off party!  The Levee Drivers and TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb are never ones to steer away from the fun, so they popped-up at XPNfest as well.   In the very brief cross-over between River stage and JerseyArts.com Marina stage, The American Diamond bands took up shop on the concourse playing songs between sets.   First, Levee Drivers, joined by TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb members TJ Kong & Josh Machiz, took the lead for a song playing "Bound By That Ride" immediately after the Lawsuits XPNfest set.  After the J. Roddy Wal