Monday, October 13, 2008

Music You Should Know: The Sleeping World

Earlier this year my radio station, WXPN, began a concerted effort to reach out to the local music community here in Central PA. Helen Leicht, host of Philly Local, has a real passion for local music, and since we extended our signal reach to Central PA, it made sense to put our feelers out and find some of the best music the region had to offer. We partnered with Fly Magazine to encourage artists to submit their music, and the response was great. About 70 artists sent their CDs to the station, and at the same time, I immersed myself in the local music scene. Most of what I found was from Lancaster, a city that has an extremely vibrant arts and culture scene.



Two weeks ago we had our first XPN Local Showcase in the region, featuring three bands at the Chameleon Club. We recorded the showcase and tonight you'll get a chance to hear some of that evening. If you missed it, here's your chance. But if you were there, you know what a great night it was with lots of energy in the room. The Sleeping World, fronted by my friend Jessica Smucker, will be featured on the program between 9 -10pm (ET) tonight on WXPN (88.5 in Philly, or 88.7/99.7 in Central PA...or listen online at http://www.xpn.org/).



The Sleeping World also recently released their debut EP which I would encourage you to check out/purchase. This is an artfully produced selection of songs, from full-on rockers to more introspective tunes. Smucker openly explores the depths of her inner-being, as we get to hear her wrestle with matters of faith and love.



If you're anything like me, you love discovering new music. So tune in tonight to XPN to hear this live set from Lancaster's The Sleeping World. You can thank me later.

1 comment:

Painting the Roses Red said...

I attended the XPN showcase two weeks ago and I have to say that the line up was fantastic!
XPN really sheds light on the world of music on a large scale(nationally and internationally). And now very proudly, locally in Central PA! Great work!
Keep up the blogging!