FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2013
Aaron & The Spell To Perform at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival
Artist Signs With Rock Ridge Music For Management and Label Deal
Philadelphia, PA-based Aaron & The Spell is set to perform at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival (http://xpn.org/xponential-music-festival) on Friday, July 26, 2013, on the Wiggins Park Stage. Also performing at this year’s festival are such acts as The Lumineers, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Brett Dennen, John Butler Trio, Justin Townes Earle, and Dawes, among many others. Bruce Warren of WXPN (from NPR Music, 10 Artists You Should Have Known) raves: “Singer-songwriter Aaron Brown is an exciting new name to add to the lineage of the city’s expressive and emotionally intense soul singers.” Says WXPN’s The Key blog: “Philly artists Aaron & The Spell make soul music in a refreshing way, reminiscent of the great artists of the 60s and 70s. It’s powerful stuff.”
Aaron Brown of Aaron & The Spell is excited about the opportunity to play the festival, saying: “Everyone at WXPN has been tremendous in their support of my music, especially Helen Leicht. Through WXPN, I’ve been able to play some amazing shows such as the Philadelphia Folk Fest, the Porch at 30th Street Station, and, the one I’m most excited about, the upcoming XPoNential Festival, alongside of some of the greatest bands and artists out there. I feel very lucky and thankful for all their support.”
Aaron & The Spell recently inked a deal with Newark, NJ-based Rock Ridge Music, who will be providing management services as well as a label home. Plans for a release of Aaron & The Spell’s Sing on September 10, 2013, are in place, and Brown is already busy writing for the next album, which is slated to be recorded in the spring of 2014. Says Brown about his new management and label partner: “I am very excited about working with Rock Ridge. All of the folks there are very knowledgeable, hardworking, and, above everything else, they are great people. With Rock Ridge in my corner, I really feel the sky is the limit.”
Aaron Brown’s bold sensitivity as a vocalist and a songwriter has garnered him favorable comparisons to Amos Lee, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Ben Harper. He draws from a refreshingly eclectic blend of blues, folk, rock ’n’ roll, his hometown’s distinguished heritage of soul, and, more recently, indie rock. Performing as Aaron & The Spell, his captivating solo acoustic performances and incendiary full-band outings have helped him build an impressive profile among audiences and critics alike.
Aaron & The Spell’s debut, Sing, includes a stunning mix of honeyed ballads and simmering soul. The album was written during an emotionally raw time when Brown’s previous band broke up, his longtime relationship unraveled, and he moved to a new town. He took solace in crafting Sing and there is a soulful catharsis to songs like “Don’t Cry,” which has been played regularly on WXPN, and “A Beating Heart,” which recently won the Independent Music Award in the Adult Contemporary Song category. Brown has also been nominated for a Tri State Indie Music Award, named “Artist to Watch” in 2013 by Ticket Magazine/Montgomery Media, and listed as one of the “10 Artists You Should Have Known In 2012” on NPR Music.