I’d never listened to music that came “straight from the BEARD”, as Wes Mattheu claims to produce with his own full, firey set and his twangin’ rock ‘n roll family The New Way Down. But since I’ve started listening to them, I’m team beard USA 100%, about to start my thesis in pogonology. OK, so maybe I’m being a little dramatic. But seriously, ten years in the making, Wes Mattheu and the New Way Down’s debut album Finding a New Way…The Old Way, featuring vocals from local songstress Adrien Reju, was worth the wait. With Wes singing like Uncle Dave Macon, rocking the 12-string acoustic with accompaniment by country favorites like the banjo and fiddle, and with Joe Kille on the pedal steel to stir up flashbacks of its birth in the barn dance days, you could hear their songs echoing from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, whether it be one hundred years ago or this Friday. But, luckily for us, Johnny Brenda’s has them booked to start this weekend off and they better have stocked up on plenty of bourbon and whiskey. Joining them will be fellow down-home souls Papertrees, whose constantly evolving cabaret-folk lineup has included members of TNWD, and Charlotte Littlehales, a UArts graduate with delicate acoustic vignettes to keep you warm at night while you roam the American countryside. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by Scott Perryman) – Katie Bennett