WXPN Features JD McPherson as the XPN Artist To Watch for May

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Created on Tuesday, 01 May 2012 12:00

PHILADELPHIA, PA - WXPN, the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A music and non-commercial radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, names JD McPherson as its May Artist To Watch. WXPN Music Director and Host Dan Reed presented the first of the month's on-air segments today, May 1, in the 4 p.m. hour.

Hailing from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, this former art teacher traveled to Chicago to record his first studio album, Signs and Signfiers which came out on Rounder Records last month. JD McPherson was named as an "artist you should know" in 2011 by NPR, and they could not be more right. Bringing in a raw, bluesy, vintage rock sound that is nearly impossible to come by in today's music, JD McPherson and his band put in an amazing amount of emotion and skill into every track on their debut album. Signs and Signifiers was recorded at Hi-Style Studio in producer/bassist/studio owner Jimmy Sutton's home and is completely analog, lending to the raw, emotional style of each track. The album was an XPN featured album of the week in April, and JD is booked to play for the station's XPoNential Music Festival in July.

"Honestly, what's not to like about JD McPherson?  The teacher turned rocker dials up a sound reminiscent of rock and roll's early days on Signs and Signfiers, his first album," says Mike Vasilikos, Assistant Music Director and On-Air Host at WXPN. "His style and attitude are both representative of those times, but noticeably his influences run the gamut from rockabilly to soul, from punk to hip-hop.  It's that combination of appreciation and living in present that makes "Signs & Signifiers" an absolute gem."

For more on the XPN Artists To Watch series and this month's featured artist click here.

Since 2003, the XPN Artists To Watch series has been a reflection of WXPN's commitment to nurturing fresh, new talent and exposing listeners to the best new music. Each month, the XPN Artists To Watch series spotlights a different up-and-coming performer who has produced an album or body of work that demonstrates outstanding vision, creativity and songwriting ability. Month-long on-air promotion is combined with online features to help audiences discover each artist.

ABOUT WXPN

WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces the alternative rock service, XPN2 as its secondary radio channel in HD. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM and the world via online streaming at XPN.org.