Palmyra | Artist To Watch – July 2025

WXPN’s next Artist to Watch is a lively new band that blends folk and modern rock, and is no stranger to our stages: Palmyra. The Shenandoah Valley four-piece will be spotlighted for July of 2025.

XPN’s Bruce Warren calls Palmyra one of the most exciting new musical discoveries from the 2024 Newport Folk Festival. This was not their first appearance at Newport, however. Two years prior to playing the festival, at Newport ’22, they were invited by Illiterate Light to play their curated bike-powered stage, and the excitement for the band began to simmer based on their live performance.

Signed to the John Prine-founded label Oh Boy Records, Palmyra play a musical mix that draws on Americana influences with more contemporary songwriting that reflects the band’s indie and emo leanings; you’ll hear a bit of Mumford & Sons, a bit of Bright Eyes, and some Greensky Bluegrass in their unique sound. This year, XPN audiences have been introduced to the band with their performances at Free at Noon, Non-COMM and on NPR’s World Cafe, experiencing their jubilant and joyful shows.

Palmyra’s second LP, Restless, was released in March, and the band’s tour schedule has them playing two local house concerts in the month of August; one at Little Hollywood in Farmingdale, New Jersey on August 21, and one in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on August 22nd. More information at the band’s website; watch Palmyra play “Palm Readers” at NON-COMM below.