"Talking At The Diner" Podcast

My guest on Ep. 56 of TatD is someone whose persistence and sheer tenacity in keeping her music career alive and thriving is something I deeply relate to.Zou Zou Mansour - the driving force behind Philly rock band Soraia - has seen so many changes in her over twenty years fronting the band that she knows “better than this” when it comes to being attached. And this makes the longevity of the creative core of her band all the more special. While Soraia has definitely seen its share of guitar players come and go - I even did a brief stint with the band back in 2022 on some dates opening for Joan Jett - the foundation of Zou Zou, bassist Travis Smith, and drummer Brianna Sig (herself a previous guest on this show and an OG Meddling Kid) has remained constant for a decade.. no small feat.With a long history of working with big names like Little Steven Van Zandt and Jon Bon Jovi, the band has evolved into a self-driving touring machine that shows no sign of letting up.With a brand new single called “Queens and Pharaohs” dropping this month, the band continues to churn out gritty rock 'n' roll songs with Zou Zou’s lyrical vision at the center.We met up recently at the Llanerch Diner in Upper Darby, PA and talked about her musical roots, some sweet memories of her many encounters with Joan Jett, and a surprisingly in-depth discussion of how we both started out as drummers. I think you’re going to enjoy this conversation. I know I did!Enjoy!JKF <3

What's up, diner buddies!Well, with yet another major snow event heading toward my hometown of Buffalo.. errrrrr.. Philadelphia, I'm happy to report I was able to find a window of decent weather to head back down to the hometown of my youth - Newark, DE - to meet up with my friend Marcus Slade, otherwise known as Marchitect. I recently got to hang with Marcus at Smiley's Diner, which holds the distinction of being the first "diner" where I really spent a lot of time, housing many a "Moons Over My Hammy" (iykyk) back in the day when it was a Denny's and I was coming up in the Newark scene, playing places like the Deer Park Tavern and the Stone Balloon, a legendary, now-defunct club, whose owner was once married to Jill Biden and was also recently arrested and charged with murdering his second wife. YIKES. But I digress.Marchitect is a rapper with an encyclopedic knowledge of music history. He actually was raised in upstate NY so he knows all about rough winters. He eventually moved to Delaware and became a fixture in Newark, where he's been a central figure in projects like the 49ers, Fat Daddy Has Been, and The Iguana Realty Company.He’s performed with and rubbed elbows with some of the biggest names in the game and he’s also the author of the audiobook “Becoming The Man” AND a member of the musical collective for Shine A Light - the annual benefit concert for children’s music education held this year on March 7th at the Queen in Wilmington. It was at the rehearsals for Shine A Light, where I realized how deep this man’s musical well truly goes. We’ve had great chats about all kinds of music and life in general and I knew he would make a great guest on this show. You can keep up with Marchitect - but I warn you, he moves fast - on his Instagram:@marchitect49Enjoy!~ JKF <3

I'm excited to bring you the first installment of "Talking At The Diner" for 2026.. the year of our lord. My guest on Ep. 54 is is none other than my bandmate from the John Faye Power Trip and IKE..... Drumroll please...... that's right, it's Cliff Hillis!  
Now, even though Cliffy and I officially stopped playing together in 2006, we have never stopped supporting each other and getting back together when the stars aligned. Last year, in fact, we played a fun acoustic show together for Record Store Day at Forever Changes in Phoenixville, and we also got loud for the first time in a long time at the sold out IKE reunion show at MilkBoy in Philadelphia in May.The roots of our 3+ decade friendship go way back to our younger days in Delaware, where I first encountered Cliff playing around Newark in on of his first bands - The Name - while I was writing on filthy bar floors and wearing toilet seats around my neck as the front man of the Beat Clinic, the band that would later morph into the Caulfields.We continued to cross paths as his musical journey progressed in bands like Mystery Machine, Tisra Til, and Starbelly. The opportunity to play the first International Pop Overthrow festival in Los Angeles in 1998 put Cliff and me onstage together for the first time and we kept on rockin' until the end of 2006, which  was a tumultuous year for Cliff on a personal level. He lost both his parents that year and made the decision to part ways with IKE to pursue his own path. And the result of that decision has yielded a stupendous catalog of music, which scratches any power pop itch you may have.We met up in early January for a weekday hang at The Local in his longtime adopted hometown of Phoenixville, PA and had the kind of relaxed, familiar conversation that only two people who traveled the country in a van can have.I hope you enjoy our conversation!!
~ John ❤️You can follow the various antics of Cliff Hillis here:
https://cliffhillis.com
https://patreon.com/cliffhillis 

Happy December, FAYE-treon Friends!
For the final 2025 episode of "Talking At The Diner," I got together with one of the Philadelphia music scene's most compelling personalities. Kara Koser is the bold and dauntless leader of KOSER .. the band that - rightfully so - has her name on it. Her musical vision blends alt-rock stylings with her soulful voice, electronic flourishes, and a band of high-level players to create a musical collective that is equally potent and at-home in front of traditional rock audiences, jam-leaning festival crowds, or a room packed with 20-something college kids (as you'll hear us discuss).In addition to being a top-tier live performer with a vocal range that would inspire envy in most of the singers I know, Kara is also a person who has delved into some pretty dark spaces in her life, yet has come through it all to emerge as an artist to reckon with while remaining a kind and grounded human. This is not to say that there are not times when even she takes a cold hard look at her online antics and realizes that she.. much like myself.. might be unwell.. but in the best possible way.  
I met up with Kara in Springfield, Pennsylvania at the aptly named Springfield Diner, where we had ourselves what can only be described as a time. 😁Follow Koser here:
Website - Kosermusic.com
IG - @kosermusic
FB - https://www.facebook.com/kosermusic/  I hope you enjoy this wonderful conversation as much as I did! This is the perfect ending to another year of TatD, and I can't wait to have more great chats with more amazing artists in 2026! Thank you as always for your support, which not only funds this show and feeds working musicians, but it also allows me to wholeheartedly pursue all my creative endeavors. I cannot tell you what that means to me. In a word: EVERYTHING. So, thank you all again!Happy Holidays!
~ JKF ❤️

Hello Breakfast Buds!For episode 52 of "Talking at the Diner," I'm back at Bob's Diner in the lovely Roxborough section of Philadelphia.. AGAIN! There’s clearly something in the "wooder" round those parts.. lots of the city's most creative artists live there, and my guest Lia Menaker is one of the most talented and unique performers on the rise in our music community. if you’re not familiar with Lia.. when get on the bus, babe.. because her music is an addictive blend of soulful jazz-inflected vocal hooks, piano chops, live looping, and an easy-going charm.I first encountered Lia at a songwriter round in Philadelphia, which also featured three performers I know very well, all good friends and previous guests on TatD - Andrea Nardello, Sug Daniels, and Emily Drinker. Lia was the only member of the lineup I was unfamiliar with but she absolutely brought down the house and made a lot of new fans, myself included.It’s been an interesting and somewhat unlikely journey that eventually led Lia to Philadelphia around 2019. She had what she considers a very "normal" upbringing in the mall haven that is north Jersey (with a heavy dose of musical theater up through high school). She earned a masters degree in public health with a focus on "global health disparities" and worked at the CDC in Atlanta before the pandemic. Prior to moving back above the Mason-Dixon Line, her drive to play music compelled her to book a 50-stop solo tour which took her all over the country.Learn more about Lia:LIAMENAKER.COMINSTAGRAMLia a super-engaging performer and I had a great time chatting with her. I’m excited to share our conversation, so enjoy!!~ JKF ❤️

Back in late August - the first time I recorded an episode of the pod "out of sequence" - I met up with my friend Eric Cooper, known to most in the Philly music scene as Coop. Coop is a virtuoso bass player who let's loose in bands like the Funky T, but also plays with singer songwriters like Emily Drinker and John Gilbride. His solo project Coop A Loopfeatures trippy melodic soundscapes created primarily on bass guitar using loops, effects pedals, and a whole lot of imagination. Our meet-up at Bob's Diner in Roxborough (a popular spot, having been the setting of three episodes of the show) was on a sunny Sunday Morning. Breakfast was definitely in the cards and I was stunned to hear that Bob's offers four.. count 'em.. FOUR sausage options. Its was the perfect setting to listen to Coop's musical origin story, which began in Plymouth Meeting, just outside of Philadelphia. After starting out on drums (as many of us do), Coop serendipitously began playing a borrowed bass, which a friend lent him as a diversion when Coop broke his ankle. A true virtuoso on the instrument, Coop looks to do so much more with the bass than most of us can even imagine. His live performances range from just himself onstage with a loop station and a pedal board, to bringing a full band that includes fellow members of the Funky T as well as drummer and previous guest on this very show, Rob Tait. I recently saw Coop in full band mode at an event called Jam on the Grass, which showcased not his talent but a pretty wicked sense of humor too, as he held up a fully realistic looking box of cereal he dubbed "Coop A Loops" and extolled the virtues of its 9 essential vitamins and minerals before declaring it "RFK-approved." Impossible not to be a fan :)Hope you enjoy this great conversation!
JKF ❤️

I’m excited to share Episode 50 of “Talking At The Diner!" I wanted to ask a heavy hitter to be my 50th guest on the show and when I think of heavy hitters in the Philadelphia music community, my guest really fits the bill not only in terms of his experiences and accomplishments, but he’s literally a heavy hitter sitting behind the drum kit for Philly rock legends The Hooters. David Uosikkinen was raised in Levittown and came of age in the early days of FM rock radio.If you are of a certain age in this part of the world, you already know of the Hooters rise from local heroes to international touring artists. Numerous songs such as "All You Zombies," "And We Danced," "Day By Day," and "Hanging On A Heartbeat" were ubiquitous on radio stations like WMMR. As an aspiring musician growing up in Delaware, it was very motivating to see a Philadelphia band on MTV and performing at Live Aid. And even after 45 years as a band, the Hooters continue to tour and even release new music to this day.My personal connection with Dave Uosikkinen dates back to when I was in my early 20’s fronting the Beat Clinic, the band that would eventually morph into the Caulfields. We were finalists in a national battle of the bands called the Energizer Rock ’n’ Roll Challenge. David was a judge at the battle of the bands and although the Beat Clinic did not win, his words of encouragement to me in a my agony of defeat moment were inspirational to me and played a big part in motivating me to keep on pushing.In the years since to end of Covid, David has invited me to be part of In The Pocket, an all-star collective of musicians who honor the musical history of Philadelphia with tribute recordings and raucous shows. I was excited to get a chance to sit down with David at Minella’s Diner in Wayne, PA for what ended up being an amazing conversation. We talked about his origin story as a musician, the genesis of the Hooters, and there’s also an entertaining story about an encounter with Ace Frehley from Kiss. I am confident you will enjoy this episode!~ JKF

Greetings Diner Buddies! My guest on episode 49 of TatD is a rising star in the Philly indie pop community - singer/songwriter Caroline Quinn. Caroline is a relative newcomer but has in the past year achieved impressive success on TikTok and Spotify on the strength of her cool and quirky sense of style and her super-catchy viral single “Alien On My Mind” - produced by recent TatD guest Ross Bellenoit.Full disclosure: for this episode, I made an exception about what some might consider the very foundation of the podcast - eating in a traditional diner. You know, with vinyl booths, and off-brand ketchup, and bad fluorescent lighting. But due to the timing and circumstances of our meet-up, we ended up going to Le Bus, a longstanding upscale spot in Caroline’s neighborhood of East Falls. So, not exactly a diner but Le Bus did get its start operating out of an actual school bus in the late 70’s, so it still has cred.I first saw Caroline perform at Iris, the all-femme music showcase curated and amplified by another previous TatD guest - Taylor Kelly. In the unusual setting of an 80-seat north Philly comedy club, I was immediately drawn in by Caroline’s fantastic singing voice and hook-laden songs. Her knack for song craft and her way of expressing herself as an artist beyond the music itself made her someone I was curious to get to know better.Her new EP "The End of May" is out now on all streaming platforms, and she is playing her official (if belated) release party on Saturday August 16th - appropriately at the Fallser Club in East Falls, which was just named Best Small Venue in Philadelphia Magazine's 2025 Best Of Issue. You can buy tickets to the show HERE.You can follow Caroline here:IG - @caroline_quinnTikTok - @caroline_quinnn (note the extra "n")I loved our conversation and I think you will too!~ JKF ❤️

Mackenzie Johnson is supremely talented singer-songwriter who grew up in Bucks County, PA about 30 miles up I-95 from Philadelphia and now splits her creative life between Philly and New York. A poised and confident performer, with the soul of a musical theater kid, Mackenzie is a bonafide social media heavyweight. Her Youtube channel has over 620K subscribers and her TikTok has over 226K followers. Yes, you read that right. In our conversation, we get into how she navigates and tries to bridge the gap between her impressive online communities and the more "analog" world of DIY gig promotion and the task of putting asses in the seats.Beyond her life as a creator, she is at her core a serious songwriter, who spent time down in Nashville collaborating with other songwriters through a publishing deal, and in 2024, was one of four finalists in Philly radio station WXPN’s 24 Hr. Song Challenge, writing and recording her tune “Sunburn” in a single day. She's sung onstage with Glen Hansard, andsung a duet with her mom. We met up at her neighborhood spot - Jake's Eatery in Newtown, PA for a hang that just flew by - the conversation was just that good.You can join Mackenzie's online communities here:YouTube - @mackeziejohnsonTikTok - @mackenziemusic26IG - @MackenziemusicI hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!~ JKF ❤️

I went out to Bob’s Diner in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia for a repeat visit after having first been introduced to this charming spot by Emily Drinker in 2023. I was very excited to meet up with two uber-talented musicians’ who happen to be a married couple. Ross Bellenoit and Andrea Weber are both hugely respected members of the Philly music community. Both highly educated in their respective instruments and both are themselves music educators. Ross attended the now sadly defunct University of the Arts in Philadelphia and studied jazz guitar and eventually joined the faculty there. Andrea is a classically trained cellist, who has been TEACHING cello since she was 16.Andrea is also the longtime cellist for my longtime friend and previous TatD guest - another Andrea - Andrea Nardello. I'm excited to share the stage with Andrea Weber (or simply Weber, as her friends call her) for the first time in an official capacity when she'll join me and Joey DiTullio at a special "Songs & Stories by candlelight" event on Aug. 23 at Fat Lady Brewing in Philadelphia. BUT I DIGRESS..Ross Bellenoit has toured with national artists like Amos Lee, he produces artists like the up and coming Philly phenom Caroline Quinn, and has his own career as a solo artist and as a member of his band Muscle Tough.I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with Ross and Andrea - I was curious to chat with two married musicians and see how they live their creative lives, weather their professional storms, and manage to make it all work. I also loved learning a bit more about musicians whose backgrounds are rooted in classical and jazz - these are very different worlds from your typical rock upbringing!I hope you enjoy this great conversation!~ JKF ❤️

Very often on TatD, I seek out guests I don’t know all that well because it’s fun to get to chat with and learn about new people, but sometimes it’s fun to sit down with friends you’re known a long, long time. And such is the case on this episode with my two guests, both of whom play in a Philly band I have been close with for twenty years. We’ve played countless shows together, in front of thousands of people, and they've both played music with me in my bands and projects. One of them has produced records of mine, one has done a vast amount of the graphic design on my projects. I’m talking about my longtime pals from the band Jealousy Curve - lead vocalist Michael Leavy and guitarist Steven LaFashia.. known more commonly to most as Leavy and Fash.I met up with these two at one of my favorite spots in Delco: the Country Squire, the spot of many post-show meals back in the day. The place looked great after all these years, if a little desolate, as we were the only customers in the dining room at noon on a weekday. Times are tough for some of these classic restaurants, I'm not gonna lie. All the more reason to have our chat at this beloved meeting place.Over chicken & waffles and omelettes, we talked about the Jealousy Curve's origins and I marveled at the fact that they have weathered some of life’s ultimate challenges, with some substantial breaks in their timeline, and yet have re-emerged in 2025 (after our sold out co-bill at Ardmore Music Hall back in December of '24) more determined than ever to do the thing they’ve been doing together since Leavy and Fash met on the first day high school -  collaborate on making music that is simultaneously heavy, beautiful, and thought provoking..  as good as rock music gets.I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the life and times of one of Philadelphia's most beloved rock bands!~ JKF ❤️

This is a very special episode of TatD. I mean verrrrry special. During a "social media day" we shared back in February, I was thrilled to hang out with my fellow bandleaders of Asian American Pie II coming up on May 17th at MilkBoy in Philadelphia.Carissa Matsushima is the powerhouse band leader of Kikashima.Judah Kim is AAPie co-founder and my first two-time guest on the show.Listening back to the conversation, which happened at the West Chester Diner in lovely West Chester, PA, I think both Judah and I were more than happy to focus on hearing Carissa tell the story of her upbringing in southern California, where she had a very different  cultural experience than we east coast Asian kids. She eventually moved to New York to attend NYU where she studied experimental theater and began writing songs. Only after college and her eventual move to Philly did she really begin sharing her music and her stunning and unique voice with the world.In addition to learning about Carissa's early life in a predominantly Asian / Latino community, we discussed the pressing matters of eating Taco Bell in the light of day, and what ever happened to RC Cola. Suffice it to say, the three of us get along swimmingly. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you're checking this out before May 17th, 2025, you should absolutely come out to Milkboy and get yourself a slice of Asian American Pie! 🥧🥧🥧

I recently got a chance to hang out at one of my favorite haunts - the Broad St. Diner in south Philly - with my friend Taylor Kelly. Taylor caught the music bug as a young school kid in upstate New York and moved to Philadelphia from Boston after college in 2016. By the time she was in her early 20's, she was already a seasoned touring musician, playing trumpet in a big band (an actual 18-pc big band!) and getting a degree from Berklee College of Music. Taylor occupies a space in the music scene that I am honestly not as familiar with as I’d like to be but she is now my gateway drug into the world of modern Philly soul,  jazz, and R&B.My first exposure to Taylor was the Iris Music Showcase. Inspired by Black Lily, the weekly early aughts jam session that highlighted early performances by neo-soul artists like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, Iris is an incredible monthly music event Taylor created to celebrate femme voices of the past, present, and future. Having attended several of these shows myself, I have only seen Taylor actually perform at one of them, as she selflessly puts a laser focus on the artists while drawing minimal attention to herself. She is a true embodiment of community building in Philadelphia and she happens to also be a badass artist and songwriter in her own right. But the magic in Taylor Kelly lies in her voice - a smooth, soulful, and powerful instrument, equally capable of quiet introspection, hip hop attitude, and even hard rock fury. Her latest single is a trippy remix of “Take Me” a track originally released on her 2024 EP "The Spins." This new version features a rap verse from Richmond, Virginia artist Tennishu.In our conversation, Taylor and I chat about her early musical life, her love of the band Butcher Brown (the hip hop / soul project fronted by the aforementioned Tennishu) and the importance of being intentional with your decisions in music and in life. It's a really fun episode and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!Check out the Iris Music Showcase on IG @irismusicshowcase and Taylor's official website https://taylorkellymusic.com~ JKF ❤️

I met Philly musician / singer / songwriter Deirdre French in 2019, less than a year before Covid, when she walked into the open mic I was hosting at the Khyber in Philadelphia, and basically silenced a loud, chatty room with a pin-drop performance showcasing her impressive vocal and songwriting chops. In the intervening years, she’s done a lot of personal and artistic exploration and now she’s just released her debut full-length album "Sensitive Girl," an eclectic blend of her many artistic shades, from 90’s rock bombast, to Costello-esque lyrical snark, to jazz-inflected introspection.Deirdre’s music can make you think, it can make you laugh, and, as stated in her bio, it can leave you sorta scratching your head.. but in a way that only makes you curious to find out more. I was thrilled to get the chance to sit down with her at the iconic Penrose Restaurant in south Philly, where I quickly found myself in the midst of a great conversation covering topics ranging from our favorite bass players to making it through your 20's, to showing up for your friends. This was honestly one of my very favorite TatD conversations and I hope you'll stream Deirdre's album and give a follow on IG @sensitivegrrl .Enjoy!~ JKF ❤️

Happy 2025, diner buddies!
I am so excited to begin the new year of "Talking At The Diner" with this conversation. Tyler Asay is the lead singer and band leader of The Tisburys, a Philly-based indie band who are close to my musical heart because they are at the forefront of what I like to think of as a Philly power pop renaissance, which has been bubbling under with fellow torch bearers like Log Flume, Second Grade, and the Jette Planes. Tyler is one of those musicians who loves the lineage of music in a particular genre or scene, and the Tisburys land squarely in the Philly pop rock tradition that can be traced back to Todd Rundgren, through the A's and the Hooters, and indie bands like Flight of Mavis and Buzz Zeemer. I have a feeling that if we were contemporaries in the aughts, IKE and the Tisburys would have done a LOT of shows together. But sharing stages will hopefully come to pass in 2025! In the meantime, The Tisburys are working at an impressive clip. Their newest single "The Anniversaries" is out now and their previous albums "Exile On Main Street" (2022), "Sun Goes Down" (2020), and "Wax Nostalgic" (2019) are all great and full of killer songs. With a healthy dash of Springsteen-esque energy and grandeur, this band is a rock and roll anthem machine!You can find them at their official website: http://thetisburys.com
And on IG: @the_tisburys  By the by, Tyler is a talented music writer and journalist and you can find him on Substack at: thetisburys.substack.comEnjoy our chat!
~ JKF ❤️

I met up with Brendan Johnson - guitarist and primary songwriter of Stella Ruze, a band that he started in 2014 with vocalist / mandolin player Katie O' Donnell, keyboardist Mason Hunter, and trumpet player Alex Styer. In the ten years the band has been together, their sound has evolved past early comparisons to The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons to a more complex marriage of modern folk melodicism and jam band experimentation, dropping beautifully melodic gems with four-part vocal harmonies that can morph into psychedelic instrumental odysseys at any moment.Celebrating their tenth year as a band, Stella Ruze has spent much of 2024 navigating all the pivots and adjustments that come with sticking around for a decade. Personnel changes and realignments are part of the deal, but through all that they completed their third studio album - “Origin” - and are doing what they need to do to “keep the train on the tracks.” Do yourself a favor and GO see this band at their album release party for “Origin” at Ardmore Music Hall on 12/21/24. Appearing with them will be fellow Philly folk mainstays Hezekiah Jones and Brittany Ann Tranbaugh.I hope you enjoy my conversation with Brendan. He’s a thoughtful, kind, and curious person. And a pretty damn talented one at that!~ JKF ❤️

I first met Camille Peruto when she was just 14. We were the designated opening acts for 80’s rocker John Eddie at Coffee Works - a long gone music venue located in a shopping center in Voorhees, NJ. Even then, you could tell she had something special.In the decade-and-a-half I’ve known her, she’s gone from Coffee Works, to American Idol, to her current life as a can’t stop / won’t stop gig machine. Self-managed and self-reliant, she can be seen playing solo acoustic shows all over her home state of New Jersey practically every night of the week.  
At the same time, she has also amassed an impressive catalog of original songs - three full length albums (Sparrow, From the Sea to the Sky, and Perfect Vision) - that are packed with great songwriting, memorable arrangements, and seemingly effortless vocal prowess.You can listen to Camille on Spotify here.Now a married woman at the front of her 30’s, Camille has put in her time and become a bonafide music veteran. She’s played literally thousands of shows, and still to this day maintains an incredible singing voice, although we commiserated about how sometimes we both just need to tune our guitars a half step down to save our vocal cords.  
Full disclosure: I often tune mine a full step down ;)We had a wonderful hang at the Stratford Diner in Stratford, NJ, where I asked her how she stays creative as an original music artist while playing multiple nights a week on the cover circuit. We also chatted about her experience on season 15 of American Idol back before she could legally drink in the places where she now entertains the masses. As my friend Brian Seymour said in a previous episode of this show, “everyone gets to heaven their own way” and Camille has found true happiness in sharing her voice with people who perhaps don’t fully realize how good they have when she’s serenading them.You can find Camille on Instagram and TikTok @camilleperuto or at her website camilleperuto.com. And on well over 200 nights a year in the state of New Jersey, you can also find her in the wild, singing her heart out.Enjoy!
~ JKF ❤️

I recently met up with Philly podcast host and longtime musician Dan Drago at the Penrose Diner in south Philly and before we even walked in he kindly hooked me up with a bag of homemade goodies made with stuff from his own garden. I scored jars of homemade tomato sauce, salsa roja, pickled green tomatoes, and even figs. FIGS! I got all that, and all he got was a John Faye Power Trip CD from 1999.. somebody got the short end of the stick there! ;)If you don't know Dan, he is the host of 25 O’ Clock - Philadelphia’s longest running music podcast.. he thinks. I am a devout follower of this pod, not only because it’s named after a great song by XTC’s side project the Dukes of Stratosphere.. but because Dan is a genuinely smart, genial, and curious interviewer.With 330+ episodes and counting, 25 O' Clock is celebrating its tenth year of amplifying Philly musicians and the music scene in general. I am proud to have appeared as the guest on two of these episodes, which you can check out here:20182023In addition to celebrating a decade of his show, Dan is also giving back to the Philly music community with the release of a great compilation called “Want to play a song?.. Live on 25 O’Clock Vol. 1" The album features 10 live musical performances from his past guests and all proceeds go to the Philly Music Fest, which has given over 500K to local music and arts non-profits since its inception in 2017.You can pick up that release at 25oclockpod.bandcamp.comGet all the 25 O' Clock you can handle at the official website:https://www.25oclockpod.comHope you enjoy the show!!~ JKF ❤️

I’m super excited about Ep. 38 of the show because I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Olivia Rubini.. now, those of you familiar with my story know that the last name Rubini is a very important one in the long arc of my musical life. Ritchie Rubini has been my partner in crime with the Caulfields for three decades. His late brother Rudy played a huge role in getting the band signed to A&M. Suffice it to say I am deeply connected to the Rubini family.  So, it is particularly cool to have been privy to the journey and the ascent of Olivia, daughter of "Richard," as she likes to call him.Liv has been making music for several years now but her career got a major boost when she was chosen to compete on Season 25 of the hit NBC program The Voice. She made it into the top 20, receiving incredible national TV exposure, which she is now parlaying into the next steps of her music career, making sure that the audience she gained from the show is well aware that she is a true original artist and songwriter, with her own vision of who she is.We met up at the Metro Diner in my old hometown of Newark Delaware where we discussed her six month odyssey on The Voice, the lore of her very first performance at a zoo, and the Caulfields transition from 90’s rock band into a budding amateur pickle ball league.Liv recently celebrated the release of "Heartless Woman (Olivia's Version)"
Check it out hereFollow Olivia on IG and TikTok: @oliviarubini  Enjoy this super fun conversation!
JKF ❤️

As the 2-headed driving force behind onyx&honey., Rob Perna and Nikki DiGiorgio are a musical love story that has become the heart and soul of the music scene in West Chester, PA.West Chester is a bit of an island unto itself.. it’s not too far from Philadelphia but it is not what you would call a Philly satellite either. It’s a unique scene that has had its fair share of cyclical change and Grateful Dead cover band over-saturation. 💀 But it also has a great annual Porch Fest, the Turk’s Head Music Festival, alignspace (where we all met), and a whole lot of very kind and talented musicians, who are just looking to be seen and heard.And it is against that backdrop that onyx&honey. stands out.Rob Perna has had a long, consistent presence in West Chester, starting his still-active band New Kings of Rhythm roughly three decades ago in the 10th grade. Then you have Nikki DiGiorgio - an emo-at-heart singer songwriter, who began her musical journey as a girl with an acoustic guitar writing songs and singing Spill Canvas covers in coffee houses and on YouTube when she was about sixteen. Jump to 2024 and Nikki and Rob have been together for five years and have for the past four been making music together.As the founders of Look Around Music and Arts Festival, they have given the original music scene in their hometown a shining annual event, with its third iteration happening on August 24. 2024.Their latest studio release - Love Has Disarmed Me - is a funky blend of Rob's musical upbringing of RHCP, Talking Heads, and Jimi Hendrix, combined with Nikki's pop sensibilities and female energy.These two are truly some of my favorite people.. musicians fighting the good fight in their art and within their music scene. They've created a space for themselves and like-minded artists based on community building and passion and West Chester is all the better for it.Their individual personal stories are incredible and the evolving story of their partnership is inspiring. I hope you enjoy our conversation!~ JKF ❤️