25 O'Clock Daniel Drago

Dan first talked to Katie Feeney, aka Roberta Faceplant, back in April of 2020 as one of his first virtual guests at the start of the pandemic. It was a different time then. Katie came over to the studio in person this time, and the gab starts right off the bat (Dan and Katie are both self-admitted gabbers). Katie talks about the birth of the Roberta Faceplant project and persona, the forming of the current lineup, which features her former You Do You bandmates Drew Parker and Aaron Boczkowski, as well as Nick Anastasi (Honey Butter, Southwork, Fat City Reprise) and Mykk Hoffman (The Funky T, Emily Drinker). The band's newest EP, 'Yee Haw Stuff', is out July 26th wherever you get digitial music.

A quick primer on names and places (lotta names come up in this one):
John Faye- former frontman of The Caulfields, Ike, John and Brittany, singer-songwriter, author, and elder statesman of the Philadelphia music community
Dave Kiss- Philadelphia promoter going way back, owner of Dave Kiss Presents
Ang Bocca- powerhouse Philadelphia singer and songwriter
Kara Koser- also powerhouse Philadelphia singer and songwriter, frontwoman of Koser
Crystal Engel- co-owner of Moon Rose Vintage, founder of Mamamoon Vintage
Brittany Ann Tranbaugh- Philadelphia singer songwriter, touring artist, community leader
Todd Mecaughey- engineer and producer at Cambridge Sound Studios, member of Secret American, formerly of the New Connection
MilkBoy South Street (formerly Lickety Split)- two-floor venue on South Street in Philadelphia, home of Katie's open mic
Episode image photo by Shannon Nicole

Dan first heard of Brendan McGeehan back when he interviewed Aaron Parnell Brown about their band, The Right Fiction. Brendan talks about growing up on coastal Maryland, gravitating towards the bass at a young age, his journey as a record producer, and his first time solo-outing Peace Fortress. With the foundation of the tracks recorded largely in one long session, Brendan pieced together a stellar instrumental LP called 'New Moon', featuring players like Adrian Harpham, Logan Roth, and Will Brown, as well as countless guests. 'New Moon' is out July 18th wherever you get digital music (as well as a vinyl pre-order), and the band will play a record release show at The Fallser Club the same night in Philadelphia. 

As promised, here's another set of Philadelphia music for the summer! Use the clickable playlist below to link up with the artists you love, see them play, check out their records, all of it. There's so much great music coming out this summer, sometime we have to take a sec to take it in. Enjoy!


Alek Barkats- Jewels
Sixteen Jackies- One of the Boys
The Lower Aetna- Carny Song
Brother Of Monday- Every Circle Can Have Two Centers
Solar Circuit- Good Time
Reese Florence- Night Tea
Brittany Ann Tranbaugh- Bushwick
Roberta Faceplant- Yee Haw Stuff
Jackson Pines- Julie Jane
    10. Clover- I Cried At Costco

It's playlist time again! So many Philly artists are putitng out new music this summer, so here's just a small selection of what's on offer. See the clickable playlist below for direct links to all the artists you'll hear on this episode. And, as you can imagine, Vol. 1 implies another set coming next week. Dan was sent so much great music, he had to make two whole episodes to hold it all. This week features a set of music from Sweet Juice Fest artists, don't miss the fest this year at Awbury Arboretum in Germantown.  
Jay Johnson and the OTC Collective- Apple Of My Eye
Stella Ruze- Firework- Origin (forthcoming)
Grandogs- Wither on the Vine
Ridge Runners- The Rest Of Us
Luke Simo- Time Gone
Samantha Rise- Til They’re Free
Noun w. Radiator Hospital- Lesson Learned
Red Means Run- Things You Hold True
Echo Kid- Immortal Jones
    10. Ross Bellenoit- The Language Of Dreaming- Signals
 

Dan has known of Quincy Stallworth for years, especially for Quincy's job running SoFar Sounds concerts in Philadelphia since around 2018. Quincy sits down to talk about his musical upbringing in the Baptist churches of Southwest and North Philadelphia, his early bands, and how he always excelled at the "business" side of being in a group as much as the musical side. Quincy and many others were all abruptly terminated from SoFar last winter, but Quincy already has his next thing going: Mill Street Music, an intimate listening room over the bridge in Mount Holly, NJ. Dan and Quincy get into a lot: Bowie, cocaine albums, how to keep something from getting too big, the ups and downs of his SoFar journey, and how you'll always find yourself drawn to driven, creative people no matter what. Check out Mill Street Music's calendar, as well as Quincy's photography, and his podcast, Quince Questions. 

James Haro came from Los Angeles (San Gabriel to be exact) over 15 years ago and made his home here in Philly. He talks with Dan about growing up in an old mission town, being a "secret songwriter" from age 6, early bands and projects (mostly lost to the depths of MySpace), coming to Drexel for college, and why he never wanted to leave. James began his current project, James Haro In Storage, during the early pandemic times, writing and recording out of (you guessed it) a storage unit. He's since released singles, put on a one-man show for Fringe/Canonball Fest in 2023, and continues to be active in the community with a quarterly open mic at Plays and Players' upstairs bar and music room. James' newest EP, 'Go Ahead', is out on June 20th and available wherever you get digital music. 
 
Photo by Ashley E. Smith