NonCommvention 2026

The annual gathering of North American music nerds to check out new music from emerging and established artist while figuring out ways to keep the music Wilco alive (according to Medium Build)

What is the NonCommvention (or NonComm)?

The annual gathering of public (non-commercial) radio music programmers and managers, music industry representatives, and music media from across North America returns to uncover the very best in new music from emerging and established artists

That’s the statement from the NonComm site but what it doesn’t mention is that it also allows a small number of non-music industry folks - aka WXPN listeners to attend the music sets that are put on as Free at Noons and Evening Showcases. This is mostly to help fill the room for the artist because if you have ever been to a convention for your job, you know the main attendees dip out at some point (probably to talk).

The sets at NonComm are typically shorter than usual sets (25-40 minutes) and when one set ends on one stage, the next set starts on the other stage. There aren’t any breaks unless you choose to skip a band or leave a set early. It’s kind of like musical speed dating. You check the band out and if you like it you can stay or you can leave and move on to the next band.

I’ve been attending NonComm since 2009 (outside of missing 2011-2013 due to life) and it’s one of my favorite events to attend every year. It’s been rare for me to skip a night all together unless I have a “must see ticket” that week (The Black Crowes and The Walkmen were the only ones I skipped nights for although I did catch a few bands before The Walkmen).

I even skipped this month’s Dungeon Crawl with Crickets & Cicadas after calling Dungeon Crawl an event that I said I would not skip. I heard it was great and I’m jealous but Night 1 of NonComm was just as good.

Here’s the rundown of who I caught at NonComm this year. I’ll be doing a follow up post to do an all time NonComm breakdown but for now here’s Tuesday to Friday and the 25 out of 27 bands I caught at NonComm 2026.

NonComm Day#1: 5/5/2026

Ryan Bingham 5/5/2026 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

Ryan Bingham opened the 2026 NonCommvention (NonComm) upstairs in the Lounge which for the week of NonComm was labeled the PRX Stage. Some people know him for writing “The Weary Kind” which won almost every award. Others may know him for playing a character on the TV series Yellowstone (a show I still have never watched and my Dad and countless others have since told me “you gotta watch Yellowstone”).

For me, I first caught wind of Ryan Bingham because his early albums were produced by one of my (and my Dad’s) favorite guitarists Marc Ford (ex-Black Crowes). Marc’s son Elijah was also a member of the early Dead Horses band with Ryan Bingham as well.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ryan Bingham. The last time I saw him was in the same building downstairs performing solo on 11/24/2014. Prior to that show, I caught Ryan with his full band both on the Americanarama tour stop in Jones Beach (6/27/2013) and Union Transfer (10/19/2012). I saw he was coming to town at the Fillmore with his full band The Texas Gentleman in June and the fact that he was upstairs and kicking things off meant he was likely playing solo here at NonComm.

Ryan with a cowboy hat on top but sneaks on his feet played three songs off his upcoming album “They Call Us The Lucky Ones” coming out this upcoming week. All three songs he played were off the new album including “Relevance”, “Blue Skies” and “Let the Big Dogs Eat”. Of the three only “Blue Skies” has been released as a single so it was the first time hearing both “Relevance” and “Let the Big Dogs Eat”.

The set closing “Let the Big Dogs Eat” may be my favorite of the trio. Ryan has some weird some lyrics and past albums that I thought this is kinda corny like “Guess Who’s Knockin’” off 2012’s “Tomorrowland” but once I heard it live I was a fan and I feel the same way with “Let the Big Dogs Eat”. Not sure if I’ll make it to The Fillmore in June but glad to see Ryan Bingham back on my radar after a long time off.

The Hooters 5/5/2026 (Downstairs)

One of the bigger Philly bands from the 80s opened the downstairs stage or The NPR stage as it was known for the week. I last caught The Hooters at the 1000th WXPN Free at Noon in the same room back on 9/26/2025 for the first time.

With a limited timeframe, The Hooters played a very similar set (songs and order) minus a few songs that were played at the 1000th Free at Noon. “I’m Alive” and “Day by Day” opened the set before moving into “All You Zombies”. I moved upstairs for the Friko set after this song and we could hear the conclusion of the set played on the speakers. I’m surprised their new song “Pendulum” wasn’t added into the set since it would be the first time in the room from outside of the area would hear it. I’m not a big fan of it but it makes sense to me to at least play it.

Instead of playing “Pendulum”, they opted to play two songs they wrote for others in “One of Us” (Joan Osborne) and “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper). Both are fine songs but I’m just surprised they didn’t take the opportunity to showcase something new for the audience. “And We Danced” closed their NonComm set similar to how it did at their Free at Noon last September. The Hooters played their hits to great reception from the NonComm audience. They’ll be playing the MMBarb-Q over in Camden, NJ this weekend and I’d be shocked if the set was any different than the Free at Noon or this NonComm set.

Friko 5/5/20206 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

Friko from Chicago, Illinois took over the PRX stage after The Hooters finished their set at the NPR Stage, Friko consists of Niko Kapetan on vocals/guitar, Bailey Minzenberger on drums, Korgan Robb on guitar, and David Fuller on bass.

I actually listened to their new album “Something Worth Waiting For” prior to NonComm which for bands I haven’t seen at NonComm previously is an anomaly. I typically walk into these sets blind. I dug their album and felt they had a Bright Eyes sound with a more punk edge to them.

All four songs they played were off “Something Worth Fighting For” including the title track, “Seven Degrees”, “Still Around” and “Choo Choo”. “Get Numb to It” off their previous album was on the setlist but skipped for time. Since I listened to the album prior to the set, I was shocked to see “Guess” not played during the set. It kicks off their album and would have been great to hear. I guess I’ll have to wait to see them again maybe later this year at The Foundry. Their NonComm set was short but good enough to warrant checking out again as opener or headliner.

Molly Tuttle 5/5/2026 (Downstairs)

I finally caught Molly Tuttle last year with her band at the Xponential Music Festival and will be catching her with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country at Heuser Park in July later this year. I though I was gonna catch her with Marty Stuart in February but Marty injured his hand and had to cancel their co-tour.

I thought that Molly would be accompanied with a band especially since she was at the bigger NPR Stage downstairs. I was a bit shocked to see that there was no other equipment set up on stage before Molly came out to perform. Bummer.

Even without a band, Molly picked her way through a short five song set that featured songs from all of her albums. I stayed downstairs for “So Long Little Miss Sunshine”, “Crooked Time”, and “She’s a Rainbow” (Rolling Stones cover) before starting my walk upstairs for Telehealth’s set that was going to follow. I made sure I caught her speed through some solos before deciding to head up.

I heard “That’s Gonna Leave a Mark” as I left and I’m not sure if she did the bit at the end during “San Joaquin” where she pulls her hair off (she has alopecia) and throws it before finishing the set. I didn’t see any pics of it so I’m guessing the next time I see her do it, it will be at Heuser Park with Daniel Donato.

Telehealth 5/5/2026 5/5/2026 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

Outside of Friko, Telehealth was one of the other bands I was most looking forward to seeing at NonComm upstairs at the PRX Stage. Similar to Friko, I listened to Telehealth prior to NonComm but they only had limited songs available to hear. Their new album “Green World Image” is fully released this upcoming week and they were selling it early at NonComm but I forgot to grab it.

Seattle’s Telehealth consists of married couple Alexander Attitude (synths/vox/guitar) and Kendra Cox (synths/vox), along with Ian McCutcheon (drums), John O’Connor (bass), and Dillon Sturtevant (guitar). They have a Devo vibe although others in the room also said B-52s. You can see the Devo comparison in the lyrics and sound for sure.

They played all four songs currently available off “Green World Image”: “Donor Country”, “Things I’ve Killed”, “Idiot Proof” and “Cool Job”. I also need a cool job! I’m not sure when these guys and gals are coming back to town but I definitely want to check out more especially in a small room like Underground Arts.

Stephen Wilson Jr. 5/5/2026 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

I skipped Arlo Parks at the NPR Stage for a few reasons. For one, I was unimpressed by her last NonComm set in 2023. Also, Stephen Wilson Jr. was going to somehow be performing on the PRX Stage following Arlo Parks set. I stayed up during set change and got a few SWJ guitar pics thrown my way by his team.

I’m a big fan of Stephen Wilson Jr. and although I missed his sold out Fillmore show last month, I was able to catch him at the Newport Folk Festival last year as well as at Starland Ballroom. He is his father’s son as I am and he did not play “Father’s Son” in his set at NonComm keeping everyone’s eyes dry who have lost their father.

“Gary” was a no brainer for Stephen to play in his set as it’s his latest song he’s released. He also played “Mighty Beast” and “Preacher’s Kid” to open his set before going into “Year to Be Young 1994” after “Gary”. After a little “All Apologies” tease, he’d go into “Something in the Way” similar to how he did at Starland Ballroom last year. I’ve been getting blessed with Nirvana covers the last month after getting “Breed” by Squeaky Feet and “Love Buzz” by Cadre Noir recently.

I’ll wait until Stephen puts out another album before going back to another Stephen Wilson Jr. show. I know his rooms are getting bigger but I’ll be glad I was able to catch him in such a small room as he continues on his ascent.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Stephen Wilson Jr. play upstairs at the much smaller PRX stage, why wasn’t he closing the evening at the NPR stage downstairs instead of Tyler Ballgame who is rising as a star but doesn’t pull in nearly the same size of audiences as Stephen Wilson Jr. Thanks for coming to my NonComm TedTalk.

Tyler Ballgame 5/5/2026 (Downstairs)

Tyler Perry aka Tyler Ballgame closed out Night 1 of NonComm 2026 at the NPR stage downstairs whether I liked it or not. I caught part of Tyler’s set at the Newport Folk Festival last year and then caught his World Cafe episode taping back in February where I got a better perspective of Tyler’s life and journey to where he is today.

There was much less talking and much more time performing songs I hadn’t heard previously at either of his sets. I heard “Help Me Out”, “Live It Down” and “Nothing Goes Away” for the first time.

“I Believe In Love” is by far his biggest song and he placed it in his set early. I was a bit shocked to not see “Got a New Car” in the set but we did still get “For the First Time Again”, “Sing How I Feel” along with “Matter of Taste” and “Meltdown” which he played at the World Cafe Taping but we didn’t get a name for it so I’m glad he introduced it here.

There’s no doubt that I’ll see Tyler Ballgame again. In the most likely scenario, Tyler Ballgame will be performing on the River Stage at sunset on Saturday or Sunday at the Xponential Music Festival.

NonComm Day #2 (5/6/2026)

Bebe Stockwell 5/6/2026 (Downstairs) Free at Noon

Every NonComm there is a young singer songwriter that is dropped in a Free at Noon usually. Since Jade Bird has been that artists twice (2018 and 2024), I’ll call it the “Jade Bird NonComm” artist. This year’s “Jade Bird NonComm” artist appears to be Bebe Stockwell.

There’s nothing wrong with being the “Jade Bird NonComm” artist. I enjoyed Jade Bird’s sets at NonComm and I had no problems with Bebe Stockwell’s opening Free at Noon set either.

Bebe had a great voice but out of her seven song set, the opening song “Minor Inconvenience” was her best song. The remainder of songs were about her boyfriend and full of love but maybe just “too young” love. I’d give her time and see how her songwriting continues to evolve as she moves on in life. So many “Jade Bird NonComm” artists show the voice but most times the songs aren’t there….yet. Some make it and some fade away. I think we will see where Bebe Stockwell falls in the upcoming years.

Rhiannon Giddens 5/6/2026 (Downstairs) Free at Noon

There were two artists that I’m catching for the 2nd time at NonComm but not second time overall. One of those artists is Rhiannon Giddens who followed Bebe Stockwell at Free at Noon and she was the first artist from my first full NonComm in 2010 that has come back in another band/outfit. I mentioned to her after the set that I saw her 16 years ago at NonComm upstairs (Carolina Chocolate Drops) and she smiled and said “I really wish you didn’t say that”. To get my foot out of my mouth I told her that her set was great today and 16 years ago to which she smiled again and thanked me.

Rhiannon was joined by 5 other musicians when Turk the Free at Noon sound guy was told there would only be 3. Having all 5 musicians join her was a good choice (I didn’t get all of their names) as they rolled through five songs that pull from Rhiannon’s Carolina roots. Rhiannon switched between viola, fiddle, and banjo between “High on the Mountain”, “Hope”, “Who Are You Dreaming Of”, “Step Away Blues” and “Carolina Rain”.

“Step Away Blues” with Rhiannon on banjo was the highlight of the set but “Hope” and the only Rhiannon Giddens original song of the set “Carolina Rain” were solid songs in the set highlighting not only her ability to play so many instruments but also showing her range with her amazing voice.

She just played Philly at The Miller Theater so it may be some time before she’s back in town with a band to perform music. It’s been nine years (2017) since catching her twice at the Xponential Music Festival and the same room as this NonComm Free at Noon set but I don’t think it will nine years before I catch her again. I hope.

Weird Nightmare 5/6/20206 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

After eating multiple plates of calamari, chicken and pizza at the NonComm WXPN special members benefit at La Scala’s Fire that I attended with Roob (he’s the special member, I’m the plus one), Weird Nightmare would open the night upstairs on Night 2 of NonComm.

Weird Nightmare is the side project of Toronto, Canada artist Alex Edkins whose primary band is METZ. They were one of the artist I was looking forward to seeing on Night 2. They are managed by the same people as Guided By Voices and I met them prior to the show (although they didn’t get into the special member event and had to find food elsewhere).

GBV’s manager had asked if Roob knew of any practice space that the band could use prior to NonComm but Roob couldn’t find any available. Roob asked Alex if they found a practice space before their set and he said “nah, we went bowling instead so let’s see how it goes”.

All of the songs played by Weird Nightmare were off their latest album “Hoopla”. I listened to it maybe once before NonComm and “Heartful of Rain” stuck out then and also when they kicked off their set with it at NonComm.

As a witness to the entire six song set to kick off the night, I can say not practicing and bowling instead paid off - at least this time around. Their lead guitarist (I can’t find his name - the other musicians besides Alex in the band are Loel Campbell on drums and Roddy Keuster on bass) broke multiple strings on his guitar on the set closing “Where I Belong” which was another highlight in the short set.

I’d check a full set of these guys out in the future whether as an opener or headliner. Looks like they are playing Ortliebs on 6/26/2026. That’s a small room and likely to sell out so I’ll have to make a decision on that one shortly. I don’t have anything currently on my list for that night as of now.

Blessing Jolie 5/6/2026 (Downstairs)

I wasn’t initially going to go downstairs after Weird Nightmare’s set but I walked down anyway and caught about half of Blessing Jolie’s set. When I first got downstairs she was playing an acoustic guitar with a DJ on laptop playing the song “Software Developer”.

It wasn’t bad and initially I thought this would be an Arlo Parks repeat with a laptop so I stayed for “Bad Rx” and “20teens” which is the title track off her debut album.

I’ll give her bonus points for wearing an Allen Iverson t-shirt on the night of the Sixers-Knicks playoff game 3. She was raised in Texas but resides in Minnesota now but she knew how to catch this sports fans attention. I was upstairs and heard her final song “Regular Smegular Girl” and it was actually the best song of the set. It definitely caught my attention as well. She’s not exactly my cup of tea and I’m not likely gonna see her again but I can always give my two cents to anyone looking to see her live.

Cardinals 5/6/2026 PRX Stage (Upstairs)

Cardinals from Cork, Ireland took the stage upstairs after Blessing Jolie and I was looking forward to seeing them but with Kevin Morby coming up downstairs afterwards, I wanted to grab a decent spot. I was able to catch 2 full songs from the Cardinals who were NOT the previous band for Ryan Adams.

Ask Cat Popper and she will tell you why she left Ryan Adams band The Cardinals: “Because Ryan Adams is a fucking asshole”. Source: Roob

This band consists of brothers Euan Manning and Finn Manning on vocals/guitar and accordion, Aaron Hurley on bass, Oskar Gudinovic on lead guitar and someone who was not their cousin Darragh Manning on drums. It was a younger girl and she was probably the smallest drummer I’ve seen and I can’t find any information out on who it is now.

The songs played by Cardinals were all off their latest album “Masquerade”. I caught the title track and the first song of the album called “She Makes Me Real” in the short time I spent at their set. It definitely peaked my interest so I’ll be on the lookout for them in town coming up soon.

Kevin Morby 5/6/2026 (Downstairs)

The artist other than Rhiannon Giddens who I saw previously at NonComm is Kevin Morby. He performed ten years ago as Kevin Morby at a NonComm Free at Noon in 2016 but his band was completely different back then. That was my first time seeing Kevin Morby’s band perform and I would go on to see him perform his music with a band six other times as well as play with special performances such as The Complete Last Waltz at The Capitol Theater in 2014, The Piano Show at Joe’s Pub in 2018 and Eric Slick’s Unlimited Edition last year prior to the Newport Folk Festival (where he also sat in with his partner Katie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee for a few songs in his set and returned the favor during her set as well). Needless to say, I’m a big Kevin Morby fan.

His band for this performance would consist of Liam Kazar on guitar/vocals who played with his band last year and tour and a number of first time members on drums, keys/vocals, bass and sax/percussion/vocals. I didn’t get all of their names during the introductions.

Six of the eight songs performed by the band playing together live for the first time were songs off his upcoming album our this week called “Little Wide Open”. “Badlands”, “Die Young” and “Javelin” were released digitally and were all played during the set with “Javelin” being my favorite of the bunch released and performed.

“Natural Disaster”, “100,000”, and “All Sinners” were the others performed from the new album that we had not heard (and were likely played live for the first time in front of us) and “100,000” is the one I’m looking forward to hearing when the album comes out this Friday.

“This is a Photograph” is such a banger live. When I first heard it released a few years ago I was a bit down on it and I missed the tour stop for that album but when I heard it open his Newport Folk Festival set and this set at NonComm, I was again reminded not to sleep on it. “City Music” closed his set (and dedicated to the city of Philadelphia) and was a bit shorter than how I’ve seen him perform it before but they were strapped for time.

I’m not sure I’ll make his Union Transfer show on 6/9/2026. I have Futurebirds as the primary show on my radar for that night at Ardmore Music Hall so it won’t be Philly on this stop but I know I haven’t seen the last of Kevin Morby this year and the years to come.

Death Cab for Cutie 5/6/2026 (Downstairs)

Of all of the artist who performed NonComm 2026, Death Cab for Cutie was by far the biggest band to play downstairs. It’s why I skipped the Fantastic Cat set upstairs and stayed up front for Death Cab for Cutie. Most people who were attending NonComm for the first time OR wanted to attend NonComm were pointing to their set as a primary reason. It was for good reason too. After walking out to Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love”, Death Cab for Cutie put on a great set in front of about 300-400 people to close NonComm Day 2.

I’ve seen Death Cab for Cutie once before in 2022 at The Met but I was turned off from that set mostly because of the uber fan behind who felt to yell “I love you BEN GIBBARD!” before, during and after EVERY song. I did eventually move but to much worse seats. I didn’t have that problem this time around at their NonComm set.

The Death Cab for Cutie set was focusing on their new album “I Built You a Tower” coming out in June but they would make sure they set featured songs throughout their career in their 40 minute+ set. Of the four songs played off “I Built You a Tower”, I gravitated towards the title track version A played but from what I heard from the other tracks “Riptides”, “Punching the Flowers” and “Stone Over Water”, the album is on the right track.

“The New Year” may be a favorite of others but “You Are a Tourist” is a favorite of mine - I do like “The New Year” too though. I’m glad they squeezed that into their set as well as closing with “Soul Meets Body”.

They are playing the Mann later this year and I haven’t decided on going to that one yet but I got time. I just need to make sure I’m nowhere near the uber Ben Gibbard fan from The Met.

NonComm Day #3 (5/7/2026)

Mon Rovia 5/7/2026 (Downstairs) Free at Noon

I knew nothing about either of the artists for the Free at Noon double header to kick off Day 3 of NonComm but they both did a fantastic job winning me over and impressing me in different ways.

Mon Rovia (or Moravian as I kept writing it) was the first artist to perform. He hails from Tennessee but was born in Liberia. His voice was amazing and his storytelling in songs like “Bloodline” and “Field Song” were my favorites from the five song 25 minute set.

I would be shocked if we don’t see Mon Rovia at the Xponential Music Festival. He would be a perfect for an early afternoon Marina Stage set.

Medium Build (Downstairs) Free at Noon

When I saw Nicky Carpenter aka Medium Build walk out with tube stocks, cut off shorts, a Looney Toons jean shirt with a STP shirt on underneath looking like Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers with a guitar in hand and no backing band, I thought there is no way I’m gonna last through the remainder of this Free at Noon. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Medium Build played a six song set of songs most of which are unreleased and will be on an upcoming album. “Last Time” and “In My Room” were both on older releases and “In My Room” was suggested by the label to play although he had to find a way to change a lyric that made sense when we heard it played (“stick” replaced “dick”). His songs were about childhood topics because well, everyone has one. “Cryin’”, “Cone Off” and “Home Depot” and “Armor” were the new unreleased songs played and “Cone Off” and “Home Depot” were definitely standouts.

In between many of the songs he provided some of the best banter I’ve heard at NonComm or Free at Noon. He mentioned how he was just like us in the room supporting non-commercial radio station in his parents hometown and his current hometown while helping ‘keep Wilco alive’. That caught one of the biggest chuckles of the day. Somebody get this guy a radio show!

This set was one of the most entertaining sets of NonComm and I walked away a fan checking out Medium Build’s catalog and looking forward to his upcoming album to be released. Never ever judge a book by it’s cover.

Alex Amen 5/7/2026 (Upstairs)

Before Alex Amen would come out to kick off Night 3 of NonComm 2026, Bruce Warren would come out and let the sometimes chatty NonComm crowd to STFU multiple times and for good reason. Alex Amen and his three bandmates were going to play some quiet acoustic songs and surprise we may want to hear it.

Alex Amen’s sound instantly make you feel like you’re in another time and place. It doesn’t feel like it was recorded in 2026 that’s for sure. He has this John Denver or Glen Campbell like sound to his voice. It’s overly calming to hear.

“Sun of Amen” will be released later this year and Alex played four songs off the new album with “California Blues” the one that stands out the most of the four songs. “Cabin By the Sea”, “Changes” and “Diamonds” were others played off the new album with first two songs currently available on streaming services.

I’ll have to wait to hear the full album before deciding to see Alex Amen again at least right away. His voice is amazing but I don’t know about the songs yet. They did provide the best setlist of the week with a Doritos bag used for the setlist….with a bit of crumbs still inside.

Brother Wallace 5/7/2026 (Downstairs)

I missed Brother Wallace’s Free at Noon a few weeks ago snapping my consecutive Free at Noon streak. However, I knew he was playing NonComm so I didn’t feel as bad missing it as his NonComm set would be similar if not shorter this time around in the same room. Plus, the Free at Noon was during the Penn Relays, so Philly was a bit of a clusterfuck that day from a parking perspective.

Brother Wallace’s set at NonComm was definitely shorter than his eight song Free at Noon but I felt I got what I needed from his set at NonComm after three songs. His short NonComm set that I caught featured songs off his 2026 release “Electric Love”. He’s got alot of soul in his voice and his band is pretty good backing him up.

“Who Do You Love” was my favorite I saw from his set off “Electric Love”. After the middle of the 3rd song of his set, I went upstairs for a spot up front for Buffalo Traffic Jam. Brother Wallace will be opening for Mavis Staples in Central Park for FREE later this summer and if I go I’ll be sure I’ll get a much bigger and broader set by Brother Wallace then.

Buffalo Traffic Jam 5/7/2026 (Upstairs)

Buffalo Traffic Jam were not from Buffalo, NY, they did not sound like Traffic and they really didn’t jam at least during this short NonComm set upstairs. Frankie Cassidy and Nathan Ross hail from Bozeman, Montana and for the few songs I caught Frankie sounded a bit like Ray Lamontagne.

“Pictures of You” is the forthcoming album from Buffalo Traffic Jam and although they have a few songs released digitally, none of those songs were played in the set. “Too Young to Die”, “Older” and “Fool’s Gold” were played during the set of the album although I only heard the first two songs. After “Forgot Your Roots”, I started my way through the crowd and downstairs for the Hannah Cohen set.

If I had to drop money on a predictive betting sites, I’d say the chances of seeing Buffalo Traffic Jam are strong at a future Xponential Music Festival if not this one this year. They will be announcing the lineup soon so time will tell. I’m not sure I caught enough of their set to make a call on them yet so another set with more songs and an album released may help shift that.

Hannah Cohen 5/7/2026 (Downstairs)

Hannah Cohen was the first artist that I caught at the Newport Folk Festival last year. I was thinking of hitting her Johnny Brenda’s set last year but missed it so I was glad to see her on the NonComm schedule.

I was gonna stay for at least three songs before heading upstairs for the Freak Slug set but I wanted to make sure I stayed to get “Draggin” off “Earthstar Mountain” which was one not only one of my favorite songs off the album but one of my favorite songs last year. Thankfully, the song came in spot #3.

“Dusty” and “Mountain” which were also on “Eartstar Mountain” were played prior to “Draggin”. “Golden Chain” is her latest single and it was played after “Draggin” and I caught the beginning but slowly started my ascent upstairs for the next act.

I’ll wait until the next Hannah Cohen album before checking her set out again. After two sets of Hannah Cohen now, I’ve gotten most of the same songs so like Stephen Wilson Jr. earlier in the week, another album will bring me back to the bigger show next time in they are in town. With “Golden Chain” as a new single, it appears she’s working on new material so maybe that album will come in 2027.

Freak Slug 5/7/2026 (Upstairs)

I met a fellow music nerd at NonComm a few years ago who was a friend of Roob named Ed Zeitz. Ed resides in Ohio and what Roob pointed out about Ed is that he only likes indie bands fronted by women. During the NonComm Ed attended in 2019, there were a bunch of “Ed” bands as Roob and I called them. For NonComm 2026, there weren’t any “Ed” bands. That was until Freak Slug on the PRX Stage upstairs started.

Ed is a good sport when we point this out (“You like The Beths?!?!?!?!”). Honestly, I like many of the same bands Ed likes (as does Roob). Roob commented on Facebook copying Ed how we both text each other at the same time when Freak Slug started that this was an “Ed” band. He agreed that he liked them and saw them just recently as well.

They put on a fun set upstairs playing five songs off their latest release from 2026 called “I Blow Out Big Candles”. The Manchester, England band features Xenya Genovese on lead vocals and guitar along with Nico Thompson on guitar, Caitlin Mounteer on drums and Alex Martin on bass.

“Sexy Lemon” and “Ya Ready” were the standouts of the Freak Slug set that were off the “I Blow Out Big Candles” album. I wasn’t really sure if Xenya was really small or Alex was really tall or it was a combination fo both but I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw them face to face during the end of the set.

Freak Slug may be opening for bands now but I’m sure next time this “Ed” band comes to town they will be headlining. I’ve listened to some of the songs off “I Blow Out Big Candles” and there are some other good songs on the album they obvious couldn’t play due to language and content. I’m down with checking them out again when they hit town for sure. Somewhere in Ohio, Ed is smiling.

Broken Social Scene 5/7/2026 (Downstairs)

I’m sure there is a die hard Broken Social Scene fan that can explain ALL of the past members of the band. I didn’t claim to be a huge Broken Social Scene fan prior to NonComm although I was aware of who they were and how they consisted of a number of Canadian musicians of which Feist was the most famous for leaving. That being said, I was still somewhat excited for what and who, Broken Social Scene would bring to NonComm 2026.

“What” the Broken Social Scene was bringing to NonComm was their first album in almost 10 years called “Remember the Humans”. The good part of their set at NonComm would feature many songs from the album which post-NonComm was released to the world.

Five out of the seven songs played during the set were off “Remember the Humans” and the audience at NonComm heard these songs for the first time as well as recognizing new full time member Hannah Georgas (guessing replacing Leslie Feist’s previous role). Lead vocals on the songs were shared between bandleader Kevin Drew and Hannah throughout the set. “Hey Amanda” with Kevin on lead vocals and “Only the Good I Keep” with Hannah taking the lead were my favorites off the new album. “Not Around Anymore”, “The Call” and “Parking Lot Dreams” were also played off the new album during the NonComm set.

Broken Social Scene made sure to squeeze a few songs from their catalog that were not on the new album and one of those songs was “Lover’s Spit” which Hannah took the lead on. It was the highlight of their set for sure. For good measure, they added “Super Connected” to the setlist to end the set. It wasn’t on the printed setlist but they had some extra time and we able to add it to the delight of the crowd.

With so many members on stage it was hard to keep track of WHO was playing what instrument especially since they changed instruments almost every song. One of the members who didn’t switch instruments and was playing a badass double neck Hofner guitar was one of the founding members Charles Spearin. He alternated between bass and guitar through the set. Outside of Kevin and Hannah, he was the one artist I kept watching throughout the set.

I think I had Broken Social Scene on my radar to help me get to the 300 bands during the Road to 300 in 2017 but passed after I reached the milestone. That was ten years ago and now that I’ve seen them live I think the next time they are in town for a full show I’ll hit it to catch some more songs from their catalog and build upon this set they started at NonComm.

The Animeros 5/7/2026 (Upstairs)

Not a single person I asked knew anything about The Animeros prior to their NonComm Night 3 closing set. When Broken Social Scene finished the sparse crowd remaining came upstairs to see who they were and anyone who was there was rewarded with some hot Southwest American cumbia/psychedelic music.

The Animeros consist of Mauro Lopez on guitar, Nicolas Sanchez Castro on bass, Nick Tozzo on drums and Mike Rojas on keys. They were joined by an extra percussionist for the performance but I didn’t get a name.

The song titles were all in Spanish and some of the songs had lyrics sung by Mauro and Nicholas. A few of the songs were instrumentals like “Terlingua”. Mauro was by far the MVP of the band with his guitar playing. He was ripping solos in every song.

Looks like they have a future date at Ortliebs in June. Not sure I’ll make that show in that small room but I’ll keep my eye on these guys for a future show. No one knew who they were prior to NonComm but the small crowd that attended can tell you they put on a great set of music.

NonComm Day #4 (5/8/2026)

Gail Ann Dorsey 5/8/2026 (Downstairs) Free at Noon

Not many knew of Gail Ann Dorsey’s music prior to the final day of NonComm. What people knew of Gail Ann Dorsey was that she played bass for some time with David Bowie.

She returned home to Philadelphia with Andrew Lipke accompanying her on guitar and keys and brought her own songs to the Free at Noon crowd to kick off the finale of NonComm 2026. She mentioned how her mother was in attendance for every one of her performances and the last one her mother attended was at World Cafe Live when Gail played bass for Jonatha Brooke in 2010. It sounded familiar to me so I checked Concert Archives and saw that I was at that show on 3/25/2010.

“(It Takes All Kinds) To Make a World” which was released as a single was played along with two new songs called “Maybelline” and “Buzzing”. Gail had a great voice and Andrew’s playing was a nice compliment with it.

She was a bit overwhelmed with emotion as the set finished holding back tears. The crowd felt it too and gave her a great ovation. Not sure where she goes from here. Maybe she will be a Marina Stage artist. She would be perfect to kick off a Sunday at the Xponential Music Festival.

Hiss Golden Messenger 5/8/2026 (Downstairs) Free at Noon

Hiss Golden Messenger closed out NonComm 2026 after Gail Ann Dorsey left the stage. Hiss Golden Messenger had a few different band members since the last time I saw them (no Phil Cook) but MC Taylor as frontman remains the same obviously.

It was the third time I’ve caught Hiss Golden Messenger but the first time I’ve seen them perform since my Dad passed away. I said it the previous two times when I saw Hiss Golden Messenger that MC Taylor looks like my Dad. Now that my Dad is gone, I have to say it was eerie at first staring up at a guy sings who looks like your deceased Father singing and playing guitar but eventually I settled in.

Hiss Golden Messenger just released a new album called “I’m People” and played a number of songs from the album for the Free at Noon NonComm crowd. “In the Middle of It” and “Who You Gonna Run To?” were my favorites he played off the new album although since the performance I’ve been listening to the album and its damn good. “Heavy World”, “Shaky Eyes” and the title track “I’m People” were also played.

“California King” from Hiss Golden Messenger’s album “Jump for Joy”. During the song I got text from both Roob and Mike that it sounds like a Dead song and they were both spot on….in their assessment and timing of sending the text.

Similar to Death Cab for Cutie and Broken Social Scene at NonComm, Hiss Golden Messenger saved a few of their older songs to close their set. “I Need a Teacher” and “Sanctuary” were both played to close the set and put a wrap on NonComm 2026.

I know I’ll see Hiss Golden Messenger again it’s just a matter of when. Before this set, it had been almost nine years since the last time I saw them but I know that it won’t be nine years before the next one - that’s for damn sure.