Homegrown Live! serves up folk and Americana with a rock ‘n’ roll cherry on top

Wednesday night at The Lounge at World Stage Wednesday night was a corker of an evening, as we hosted another Homegrown Live! show with three standout local acts: Max Davey, Birdie Busch, and Dylan Zangwill.

Davey and her band kicked the night off with her brand of rootsy Americana. The energy in her performances is electric, with her vocal range and phrasing giving a bit of Natalie Maines from The Chicks. That feeling is bolstered by her partner Steve Novoa, who in nearly every song shreds on four-string banjo. Davey’s songs aren’t just fun musically, her lyrics a full of wit and joy even when they touch on sensitive subjects, from singing about missing an ex’s dog more than the ex to the misadventures of her late brother David. Couching heartbreak in upbeat indie folk tunes is clearly one of her strongest skills.

Davey’s songwriting and vocal prowess can likely make any topic listenable and dance worthy, even more so when she’s got the support of her band behind her.

Busch took the stage with a full seven-piece band, which included Philly’s own Brittany Ann Tranbaugh on backing vocals, who’s playing an album release show Aug. 27 at Johnny Brenda’s.

Guitar in hand, Busch started off with the lead track from her latest album, Night Blooming, titled “Reasons Seasons,” which she described as a “wake up thinking about everything kind of song.” She threw it back to 2007 for her second song, “Huff Singers (North Philly),” which feature some slick harmonica riffs that got nice pops from the weeknight crowd. She told the audience a fan emailed her asking for lyrics to another new song, “Our Own Cure,” saying they couldn’t find them on good. Busch was tickled knowing her words somehow skirted Eye of Sauron-like search engines. Busch also sang her tribute to SEPTA buses from her new album, “XO XH,” which refers to the former XH bus line being renamed Route 81.

At just 14, Zangwill found himself on national TV, appearing on America’s Got Talent, then American Idol the following year. But he’s a Philly artist at heart.

The Exton native, now 19, brought some classic rock and roll to the venue to close out the night. Zangwill spent the first portion of his set at a keyboard, but that didn’t keep him from being animated. His passion for old time rock is evoked in his voice, but it’s also painted across his face as he belts out his lyrics. His nine-song set included tracks produced by Low Cut Connie’s Adam Weiner, “World On Fire” and “Running The Hell Out.” Weiner’s influence on the young rocker is evident in live settings, maybe even more so than on the records. He played an unreleased track, dubbed “Love” on his setlist, and told the crowd the song is about love and Philadelphia. For his final three songs, Zangwill grabbed a guitar and by the end of the penultimate song his guitar broke a string, but he persisted without a care like a true showman before closing with the aforementioned “Running The Hell Out.”