Death Cab For Cutie, Hannah Cohen, Kevin Morby, Gail Ann Dorsey, More: NON-COMM 2026 In Review
Gail Ann Dorsey | Photo by Danielle Ciampaglia for WXPN
Another NON-COMMvention here at WXPN is in the books. This year’s festival drew hundreds of public radio music programmers, music industry reps, music media, musicians, and WXPN members and listeners to Walnut Street for industry panels, and a slate of stellar artists who offered up a wide range of genres.
We’ve got a full the festival’s performances below, and some killer photos to go along with the write ups.
FRIDAY, MAY 8
Gail Ann Dorsey was emotional onstage for today’s Free At Noon, returning to her hometown of Philadelphia. Her second song, “It Takes All Kinds To Make A World,” is about tolerance. She dedicated the track to her late mother, who never missed a show she played in Philadelphia up until the time she passed. She also dedicated it to another West Philly musician, Jay Medley, who gave Dorsey her first job ever as a bass player in her teens. She ended her set in tears, the full circle moment felt not only by her but by the fully packed crowd. With an anti-AI sticker on her guitar, Dorsey embraces and wishes for a humanity that we must work to protect.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
The five-piece Hiss Golden Messenger band hit the stage Friday with a cool southern charm and easy music to groove to. To a crowd of public radio workers and aficionados, frontman MC Taylor talked about the band’s symbiotic relationship with him and his music. “The radio waves are where mystery lives on,” he said. The band played songs off their newest record I’m People, which came out on the first of this month.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
THURSDAY, MAY 7
From soul music to latin fusion, day three at NON-COMM was flush with genres, keep up with the week’s trend of eclectic music. We had confessional singer-songwriter tunes from Medium Build after Mon Rovîa delivered his songs of identity and resistance at Free At Noon. In the evening, Alex Amen waxed poetic about moving to the big city, UK outfit Freak Slug delivered hot guitar riffs, and Montana’s Buffalo Traffic Jam got intimate with their signature raspy vocals. Brother Wallace served up dance-worthy soul, Hannah Cohen mesmerized and closed out with disco vibes, and Broken Social Scene dished up jams from their new album Remember the Humans. Austin’s The Animeros and their brand of latin rock brought the evening to an end.
Broken Social Scene might be Canadian, but they sure know their brotherly love. Coming to WXPN with a set inspired by Remember the Humans, dropping May 8, the musical collective finished “Hey Amanda” with a “we made it!” Hannah Georges took over vocals in the iconic “Lover’s Spit,” delivering haunting vocals. Despite battling interference in the second half of the set and a spontaneous redo, the group came together and made night three memorable. As founder, lead vocalist, and guitarist Kevin Drew said: “that was something.”
— Maeve Zeleniak
Hannah Cohen’s airy vocals floated over the crowd. “It’s not supposed to be this hard,” she crooned in moody “Dusty.” “Everything is changing.” She’s right, of course, but Cohen’s music is able to give us some breathing room in spite of it all. Between banter, Cohen featured “Golden Chain,” her latest single, with lyrics all tender vulnerability paired with crystalline vocals. Going all into “Draggin’,” Cohen’s ethereal vibe leaned folksy. She ended her set bathed in sparkling disco ball light as the audience professed their adoration for her.
— Maeve Zeleniak
“It’s taken a long time to get here,” Brother Wallace said on the stage at NON-COMM night three. Starting at age 11, Wallace dreamed of becoming a musician. Years and many detours later, he delivered with strong vocals, a charismatic stage presence, and spirit – not to mention some killer new songs. Wallace’s powerful voice drew in the crowd with tracks like “Who’s That?” and “Let’s Get Together.” We’re t-minus three hours until Brother Wallace’s debut album Electric Love drops, but it’s clear he’s already a star.
— Maeve Zeleniak
Straight off a European tour, The Animeros were just having a fun jam session with the late-night NON-COMM audience. Blending their sound of rock and salsa, the Texas group got people moving on their feet as they played through a setlist that showcased their new music. As the band prepares to release their debut album, they featured their next single “La Camita” after leading off with their most recent single “Mamba Mambo.” To balance out the full set of new music, they ended the night strong with “Chicha De La Posa” from the 2024 self-titled EP The Animeros.
— Ellen Miller
The youthful energy and soft lyrics of UK band Freak Slug played to a packed room as they led into “Sexy Lemon” off the 2025 album I Blow Out Big Candles. Their strong guitar riffs built incredibly throughout the set as they continued through a series of hits from Candles, including “Ya Ready,” “Killer,” and “Spells.”
— Ellen Miller
Montana folk-rock band Buffalo Traffic Jam debuted new songs with their raspy vocals and energetic guitar-riffs Thursday night at NON-COMM. Their new album Pictures of You is set to be released in July and was the main focus of the set. However, after leading off with new song “Too Young To Die,” they went back to one the first songs they ever released and played 2024’s “Forgot Your Roots.” Their folk-jam session style continued on with “Older” from the forthcoming album and finished it all off with the 2025 single “Fool’s Gold.”
— Ellen Miller
With only a few acoustic guitars and country vocals, the 26-year old had the lounge feeling like a listening room. The Texas-native (but now living in New York by way of California) brought a country-life feeling to the big city as he led into “Cabin by the Sea.” Amen continued to channel his inner-John Denver as he debuted songs off his upcoming album Sun of Amen including “California Blues,” “Diamonds,” and “Best We Can.”
— Ellen Miller
Tennessee-based Mon Rovîa kicked off Thursday’s Free At Noon with stories of identity, heartbreak, and grief in the face of a world controlled by greed. He talked briefly about losing his mother in the Liberian Civil War, and being separated from his siblings for a long time. He ended his set with the track “Heavy Foot,” singing, “Do you see the man on the screen / Just a puppet but you never see the strings / Calling it a war not a genocide / Telling us it isn’t what it seems / Man that’s a different kind of greed.” His album Bloodline chronicles the journey he took to discover who he was and how many people had to come before him in order to get here.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
Medium Build cannot stop writing songs about his childhood. “Everyone has one,” he said at Thursday’s Free at Noon. His music looks inward, focusing on heartbreak and what ifs. His confessional, sort of devastating, style of writing is balanced by just how funny he is. Cracking jokes between songs about being in his 30s and writing music for his middle aged fan base, he had the crowd teetering between tears and laughs.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
Day two of NON-COMM 2026 hit hard. The tunes kicked off with New England’s Bebe Stockwell delivering folky singer-songwriter stylings, then multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens got bluegrassy preaching themes of hope at Free At Noon. In the evening, Canada’s indie rockers Weird Nightmare cranked the guitars to 11, then Irish outfit Cardinals broke out the squeezebox to accompany their guitar-driven songs. Fantastic Cat was light hearted and kept things fresh with instrument swapping, too. Blessing Jolie served up R&B and some rap-rock before XPN favorite Kevin Morby took the stage with his new touring band, dishing out tracks from his upcoming album Little Wide Open. Death Cab for Cutie closed the night out, and they did not shy away from their beloved hits and offered up tracks from their upcoming album.
If the NPR Stage was packed before, the room had become absolutely swarmed for the final act of NON-COMM 2026 day two: Death Cab For Cutie. The performance started abruptly with no introduction, and the band filtered into their spots on stage. Now nearly 30 years into their career as a band, Death Cab really knows how to put on a show.
Hailing from Seattle, the group pushed boundaries in the 2000s with their cinematic and progressive take on indie rock. Their sonic palette was heavy yet dreamy, led by electric guitar layered with textured synths. Lead singer Ben Gibbard’s emotions bled into the performance; he bounced around the stage between his bandmates and sang with a poignant, enunciated delivery.
With a new album titled I Built You A Tower on the horizon (June 5 to be exact), Death Cab performed the project’s two singles “Riptides” and “Punching The Flowers,” along with the unreleased tracks “Stone Over Water” and “I Built You A Tower (a).” They dug deeper into the catalog for “The New Year” and “Tourist,” but the crowd gasped when they heard “Soul Meets Body” begin as the band’s final song.
— Atticus Deeney
Anticipation was high as Kevin Morby’s six-piece group took the stage in front of a room filled to the gills with eager ears. His band included violin, keys, shaker, sax, and hand drums, on top of the usual guitar, bass, and drums. Morby is no stranger to NON-COMM or XPN; he actually featured as a Free at Noon performer at the 2016 convention! Now 10 years later, he returned to preview a slew of new tracks off his eighth studio album Little Wide Open, due out May 15.
Sunflowers decorated the drum kit, as well as Morby’s mic stand, adding to the bright, summery mood of the music. He played the lead singles “Die Young” and “Javelin” from the upcoming album; the latter feeling like a future road trip staple, as the chorus mentions. Aside from these tracks, he shared the four unreleased songs: “Natural Disaster,” “100,000,” “Badlands,” and “All Sinners.”
Morby announced that this was the first show this current lineup played together, as his North American tour with the band kicks off Friday in New York City. The set was a joyful display of warm, rockin’ Americana, a style that Morby has been developing for a decade on longtime label Dead Oceans. Closing out the set with some familiar songs, the band played “This Is A Photograph,” and Morby dedicated the last song “City Music” to Philadelphia.
— Atticus Deeney
Blessing Jolie might be a fairly fresh face to XPN members, as her debut album 20nothing just released a few months ago in March via Thirty Tigers. The Texas-born singer/songwriter took the NPR Music Stage with her DJ, beginning with a beautiful acoustic rendition of “Software Developer.” Introduced as one of the best up-and-coming Black female storytellers, she lived up to the acclaim with detailed, lyrical verses that mostly fell in her rich lower register. Jolie’s set contained alternative R&B on “Bad RX” and “20teens,” strings-backed balladry on “Frown Lines,” and ended with an explosive rock-rap banger titled “Regular Shmegular Girl,” complete with screams to send off the show.
— Atticus Deeney
All the way from Cork, Ireland, Cardinals are showcasing their guitar-forward music stateside. Their laid-back vocals allow the guitars and accordion to become the center of attention. The five-piece released their newest record Masquerade in February and are on tour supporting it. Their set included the title track “Masquerade” early on and they ended with “I Like You” which was released as the album’s single to feature the best of their work.
— Ellen Miller
Dressed in matching jumpsuits, Fantastic Cat took the stage with smiles and a whole lot of energy. They just released their album Cat Out of Hell in April and their set featured a few songs from it. However, they got the audience engaged by leading off with 2024 hits “The Hammer and The Nail” and “All My Fault.” As they entered into the new albums portion of the set, the New York band kept things interesting by switching instruments and rotating stage positions in between songs. Before ending with another 2024 favorite, they highlighted the new record with “Donnie Takes The Bus,” “Elevator” and “Don’t Let Go.”
— Ellen Miller
Weird Nightmare is the solo project of Alex Edkins from METZ. The new Canadian indie-rock group got right to work bringing their guitar-heavy sound and new music to the stage. Their new album Hoopla was just released with Sub Pop Records on May 1. Leading off with the first track off the new record “Headful of Rain”, their set was a showcase of the new music. The rest of the set featured the songs off their EP Where I Belong.
— Ellen Miller
Boston-based singer-songwriter Bebe Stockwell eased us into the second day of NON-COMM with two acoustic guitars and her dulcet alto voice. She used her time on stage to play a few new songs, such as “Wild Love” and “Adeline.” “Adeline,” she said, is like her version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Stockwell told the crowd she’s recently in love and leaning into it. After writing songs about finding and keeping love, she’s finally able to write songs about being in love.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
Hailing from North Carolina by way of Ireland, Rhiannon Giddens and her impeccably talented band took the Free at Noon stage to help kick off day two of NON-COMM. Giddens is a multi-instrumentalist, wielding the fiddle, viola, a banjo, and guitar. Throughout her set, she lingered on ideas of home and hope, saying, “these days, we need a little hope.” She takes her North Carolina roots with her in her songwriting, not only referencing the place she grew up in her lyrics, but by playing a modern replica of an 1800s banjo. Giddens puts power to music by linking the past with the present, reminding us that what we’re feeling now has been felt before, and all hope isn’t lost.
— Danielle Ciampaglia
Tuesday, May 5
NON-COMM 2026 is off to a hell of a start. Ryan Bingham opened Monday with twangy, soulful Americana and The Hooters followed with a tightly packed set of anthems, before Friko brought raw, timeless indie rock and Molly Tuttle took the stage with nothing but a sunburst acoustic guitar and fiery chops that left the room floored. Telehealth banged heads on synthesizers. Arlo Parks transformed the room into a nightclub. Stephen Wilson Jr. mixed country and grunge, and XPN favorite Tyler Ballgame closed things out with his smoky, retro-leaning rock and a voice that could go from a scratchy growl to a soaring falsetto without breaking a sweat. Those were just some of the highlights from night one. Check out our full recap below.
Closing out the first night of NON-COMM 2026 was one of the newest acts to take the stage, Tyler Ballgame. The Rhode Island native released his debut album For The First Time, Again in January 2026 via Rough Trade Records, and came out with five others to deliver a stunning performance of smoky, retro rock.
Ballgame’s vocals were the star of the show, capturing the crowd with unprecedented range and timbre. His falsetto soared to nearly operatic measures, and his mid range singing brought out a cool scratchy tone that fit with the vintage sounding slap delay that layered his voice. Tracks such as “For The First Time, Again” and “Sing How I Feel” had more dynamic song structures than normal, occasionally shifting time signatures while still sticking the landing and not losing the listeners. Even the showy way Ballgame moved on stage accentuated the retro aura of his music.
“It all happened in an old fashioned way for us… it’s all about the live show,” Ballgame explained before wrapping up the set. “People at shows say that they’ve heard us on the radio.” The band ended with the frequently-spun “Matter of Taste,” putting a pin in the first night of NON-COMM 2026 with some fun, country-twinged flair.
— Atticus Deeny
Classic Philly pop-rock band The Hooters laid out a tightly packed set of anthemic tunes as the first performers on the NPR Music Stage at NON-COMM. “They said to play the hits!” lead singer Eric Bazilian said, and that they did. The floor audience immediately recognized the intro guitar riff for “One of Us,” and it was nearly impossible not to sing along during the chorus of “Time After Time,” penned by keyboard player Rob Hyman, alongside Cyndi Lauper. The seven-piece group featured many guitars, a double-keyboard synth setup, and one member fully devoted to auxiliary percussion. It was a great reminder of how powerful and moving a full live band can be.
— Atticus Deeny
Last summer, Molly Tuttle and her band rocked the XPoNential Music Festival following the release of her album So Long Little Miss Sunshine. Tonight she appeared solo, equipped only with a sunburst acoustic guitar, and delivered a phenomenal display of talent. The stripped-back setup allowed her to give some personal details about a few of her tracks; she described traveling with her dad playing bluegrass before capping the set with the uptempo “San Joaquin.” Tuttle even slipped in a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “She’s A Rainbow,” which highlighted her fiery guitar skills.
— Atticus Deeny
In stark contrast to the previous performances on the NPR Music Stage, Arlo Parks arrived with a table loaded with electronic gear; no band, no drum set, no acoustic instruments at all. Her acquaintance Sam provided some electric guitar and bass throughout the set, but other than that, the instrumentals were entirely electronic. The singer also operated what appeared to be a small cassette tape machine on certain songs.
Park’s third album Ambiguous Desire — which dropped just over a month ago — seemed to be a pivotal point in her career. The project was heavily influenced by dance music and night club atmosphere, sending Parks away from the acoustic guitar driven alternative pop that outlined her 2021 debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams. NON-COMM was one of the first instances she presented this new sound live to U.S. audiences, as her upcoming tour starts May 26.
The track “2SIDED” proved to be an especially danceable highlight from the set, although Parks’s expressive movement and vocals seeped passion and commitment during the entire performance. The large room was transformed into a night club for 40 minutes, filled with textured drum breaks, dreamy synths, heavy bass, and Park’s trademark airy vocals. “Radio is one of the most important things we have,” she stated at one point. As a former XPN Artist to Watch and NON-COMM performer, it is clear that radio appreciates Parks as well.
— Atticus Deeny
Ryan Bingham sauntered onstage to open NON-COMM 2026, armed with a guitar, harmonica, and a feathered cowboy hat. This guy is the real deal. From soft and soulful “Blue Skies” to the toe-tappin’ head-shakin’ “Relevance,” Bingham’s twangy, soulful set brought the best of Americana to the PRX stage. Bingham’s first new release in seven years, They Call Us The Lucky Ones, drops May 15. His current tour, Still Gettin’ Away With It, stops at the Fillmore on June 10. Tickets and more information is available on the XPN concert calendar.
— Maeve Zeleniak
Stephen Wilson Jr. is his father’s son. Born in the hollers of Indiana, he’s mixing country and grunge and kicked things off with “Mighty Beast. With an almost-orchestral swell, Wilson had the crowd in the palm of his hand. In a mechanic’s shirt with an embroidered name tag for Gary, Wilson paid homage to the “town of fixers” where he grew up. “When life hits the fan I don’t believe AI will show up,” he said. “But I do believe a guy named Gary will.” Wilson has a knack for storytelling, one that completely sucks you in to “Year to Be Young 1994,” in which the aftermath of a first kiss introduces him to the music of Kurt Cobain. Wilson and company’s rendition of “Something in the Way” had the crowd in total awe.
— Maeve Zeleniak
Telehealth is having so. Much. Fun. Formed in Seattle in 2022 by husband and wife Alexander Attitude and Kendra Cox, the synth-punk band has expanded to include Ian McCutcheon, John O’Connor and Dillon Sturtevant. On the PRX stage, Telehealth gave it their all from the jump with “Things I’ve Killed” all the way through to “Cool Job,” heads banging on the synthesizer to spitting out water in spite of the spotlight’s heat. It’s infectious in the best way. Find both singles on their second LP, Green World Image, dropping May 15.
— Maeve Zeleniak
Friko is straight out of a mid-2000s coming-of-age movie. Kicking things off with the title track of their new album, Something Worth Waiting For, the raw sound of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Mizenberger, joined by Korgan Robb and David Fuller, had the audience completely struck by timeless indie. Friko’s rise has been meteoric, from playing house shows in 2022 to signing with ATO in 2023 to touring worldwide this year. On lead vocals and guitar, Niko’s energy was frenetic and contagious, raw, and oh-so worth the wait.
— Maeve Zeleniak
Check out the full lineup below.
Tuesday
May 5
Evening Showcases · 7 to 11 p.m.
- 7:00 PMRyan Bingham
- 7:25 PMThe Hooters
- 8:00 PMFriko
- 8:25 PMMolly Tuttle
- 8:50 PMTelehealth
- 9:15 PMArlo Parks
- 10:00 PMStephen Wilson Jr.
- 10:35 PMTyler Ballgame
Wednesday
May 6
Free At Noon · 12 p.m.
- 12:00 PMBebe Stockwell
- 12:00 PMRhiannon Giddens
Evening Showcases · 8 to 11 p.m.
- 8:00 PMWeird Nightmare
- 8:25 PMBlessing Jolie
- 8:50 PMCardinals
- 9:15 PMKevin Morby
- 10:00 PMFantastic Cat
- 10:30 PMDeath Cab for Cutie
Thursday
May 7
Free At Noon · 12 p.m.
- 12:00 PMMon Rovîa
- 12:00 PMMedium Build
Evening Showcases · 8 to 11 p.m.
- 8:00 PMAlex Amen
- 8:25 PMBrother Wallace
- 8:50 PMBuffalo Traffic Jam
- 9:15 PMHannah Cohen
- 9:45 PMFreak Slug
- 10:10 PMBroken Social Scene
- 10:50 PMThe Animeros
Friday
May 8
Free At Noon · 12 p.m.
- 12:00 PMGail Ann Dorsey
- 12:00 PMHiss Golden Messenger