Donate | NPR Shop | NPR Community | Login | Register
Jesse Ruben.
January 3, 2008Two up-and-coming folk-rock singer-songwriters, Jesse Ruben and Madi Diaz, introduce themselves to a national audience at this show, performing a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.
A fourth-generation musician, Ruben began his musical education at an early age and attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he starred on the local college and coffeehouse circuit. He now sells out venues across the Northeast. Heavily influenced by classic singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Ruben's debut album is titled Aiming for Honesty.
Opener Madi Diaz also attended Berklee, where teachers and students already knew her from her prominent appearance in 2005's Rock School, the documentary about Philadelphia's Paul Green School of Rock. Diaz's solo debut, Skin and Bone, does a nice job conveying her mixture of precocious wisdom, unassuming poetry, and melodic sophistication. Engaging and steeped in rock tradition, Diaz's voice brings to mind Americana icons such as Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, and Patty Griffin.
Based in Philadelphia, WXPN takes listeners on a journey of music discovery through new and heritage rock, blues, roots, and folk artists. WXPN also produces NPR's World Cafe.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.