At the dusty crossroads of indie rock and classic country, Mandy Valentine stands tall. The Philly six-piece band taps into the bootstomp energy and layered vocal harmonies of honky tonk favorites Wanda Jackson and Kitty Wells, as well as the artists that carried their torch into more recent times: Those Darlins, Shannon and the Clams, and more.
It’s a perfect package for songs that circle strongly around love and desire. On record and onstage, Mandy Valentine is feisty, sometimes a bit unhinged, and always full of feeling, wrapped up in pristine playing that we see on full display in this week’s Key Studio Session. Initially the solo project of singer-songwriter and guitarist Missy Pidgeon (formerly of basement show rockers Blushed), the band launched as a live force in 2022 with a cast of star Philly players. On drums, Mattie Chaya Kimberly Klauser; on guitar, Sam Perduta; on bass, Jay Johnson; and backing Pidgeon on soaring vocal harmonies, Abbey Heier and Delaney Keefe.
Their retro aesthetic melded with their modern DIY sensibilities and charisma makes for a band that is both timeless and very much of the now, and there couldn’t be a better home for them than Philly’s recurring cosmic country showcase Baby’s First Rodeo, which returns to the Ortlieb’s stage this Saturday, April 13th. Get tickets and more information on that show at the XPN Concert Calendar, and watch Mandy Valentine perform a four-song set in WXPN studios below.