WXPN’s Homegrown Live! concert series returned in April of this year with a sold out free concert showcasing an eclectic bill of Philly musicians. Mixing veterans as well as new faces, and a mix of genres too, indie rocker Toby Leaman of Dr. Dog gigged alongside the vibrant eclectic hip-hop psych-rock hybrid of Cadre Noir, as well as the longtime Philly player we’re featuring this week.
Eliza Hardy Jones has been making music regionally and nationally for over two decades. Her band Buried Beds fused chamber pop and art rock in the local scene of the aughties; these days, she’s also known as a touring multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with The War On Drugs, Grace Potter, Iron & Wine and more. In the thick of it all, she makes time to make her own music.
Last year, Jones released her second solo album, Pickpocket, a stunning set of songs dealing with grief, change, and acceptance. But due to her touring commitments, she was never able to play the record live, save for a WXPN instudio set that appeared on The Key Studio Sessions and World Cafe. For Homegrown Live, Jones plays highlights from the record on acoustic guitar and keys, backed in breathtaking fashion by a four-piece choir: Todd Starlin of Silver Ages, Brandon Beaver of Buried Beds, Eliza Becker, Dito Van Reigersberg of Pig Iron Theater, Eliza Becker of Squawk Brothers.
Jones also digs into her solo debut Because Become, shouts out heroes like quilter and author Rosie Lee Tompkins, and filmmaker and anthropologist Maya Deren, and closes the night with a powerful song from her Buried Beds days called “Consolation.”
Watch the performance above. Pickpocket is available now at Eliza Hardy Jones’ website, where you can keep up with her music and activities; she’s currently on the road with The War On Drugs.