Ben Folds, Natalie Merchant, Josh Ritter, and more to play live at WXPN this week

The annual gathering of music business insiders and programmers from noncommercial radio stations, Non-Comm is back in town.

Officially known as the Non-Commvention — or Non-Comm for short — the event is being hosted by University of Pennsylvania station WXPN-FM (88.5) in West Philadelphia this week.

What that means music-wise is that from Tuesday through Friday — day and night, upstairs and downstairs — over two dozen acts will be playing the World Cafe Live, with bands showcasing their stuff for representatives from stations like XPN that follow the rock-based adult alternative format and play a wide range of music, beyonds the hits.

The artists range from fresh faces to veteran acts looking to reintroduce themselves and promote new music. All performances will be broadcast on WXPN and live-streamed on xpn.org and NPR Live Sessions.

The 1970s funk-soul band War, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their The World Is a Ghetto album with a remix EP, will be performing. As will piano man Ben Folds, who will be teasing his new album What Matters Most, due in June.

Former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant will be playing from her new album Keep Your Courage. Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band, whose new album Spectral Lines came out last week, will play before returning to the Keswick Theatre on May 18.

Philadelphia acts on the Non-Comm program include Low Cut Connie, who have just announced their new album Art Dealers, due Sept. 8; and Catbite, the ska band fronted by Brittany Luna, just back from a tour of Australia. They also play Underground Arts on July 2.

The Non-Comm programming will include three “Free at Noon” doubleheaders open to the public. Wednesday pairs New York duo Purr, who take inspiration from abstract impressionist painter Barnett Newman, with Black Opry Revue, the group of Black Americana songwriters who were in residency at XPN in March.

Fort Worth, Texas, soul man Abraham Alexander and singer Nanna from Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men are playing on Thursday. Alt-rock family band Bailen and country songwriter Rodney Crowell whose The Chicago Sessions, which was produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, play Friday.

Other acts worth looking out for: Mesquite, Texas, singer-songwriter Hannah Jadagu, whose debut album Aperture comes out ths month on Sub Pop. Then there is Nebraska country singer Melissa Carper, whose captivating Daddy’s Country Gold harkens back to Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. Don’t miss San Diego soul trio Thee Sacred Souls.

Arlo Parks, winner of Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize in 2021, will offer a preview of her new My Soft Machine, due May 26. Also of note: both The Heavy and The Heavy Heavy are on the bill.

Bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, who were scheduled to play Tuesday, have canceled due to singer Chris Thile’s issues with his voice. They have been replaced by Providence, R.I., rock band Deer Tick.

Non-Comm isn’t only about live music, though. It gathers music business insiders to schmooze and hobnob in workshops about issues facing the industry. Panels discussions will include topics like “The Evolving Role of On-Air hosts” and “Winning With Inclusive Programming.”

Also, WXPN afternoon drive host and Non-Comm founder Dan Reed will interview Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney in a “Non-Commversation” on Thursday afternoon that is only open to conference attendees.

Passes to attend the entire conference are $265. Admission for music performances is $165 and open to WXPN members. If the shows don’t sell out, they’ll be available for the general public. The music schedule is at https://xpn.org/non-comm-schedule-2023.

The complete conference schedule can be found at thetop22.com.