John Faye

I first became aware of Kelsey Cork and the Swigs during pandemic times when my Instagram was blowing up with posts referencing their snarky single “That’s Cool (Good 4 U).” Since that time Kelsey and the Swigs have been on a creative tear, releasing the EP “Weird Bones” in 2021 and the full length album “Lollygagger” in 2023. All of their releases are packed full of fun, catchy songs with just the right amount of sass and punk rock attitude.

Kelsey, her bandmate Jacinda Arellano, and I - yes, this is the first episode of TatD with two guests(!) - had an incredibly fun time chatting about music, Jacinda's new job managing a toy library, and Kelsey's second career as a hypnotherapist, while noshing on tater tots (smothered in bacon jam) at the Broad Street Diner in South Philly. Coincidentally, I happened to meet up with these two rock 'n' roll badasses on International Women’s Day.
Kelsey, who plays guitar and sings, and Jacinda, who plays bass, have been making music together for a long time, and although the Swigs have seen their share of personnel comings and goings, these two form a tough-as-nails core, which keeps the band’s heart beating strong at all times. 

Kelsey and Jacinda are also housemates, and together with their partners they run one of Philly’s coolest DIY house venues, the Dumpster Out Back. Having attended a couple shows there last year, I found it to be the warmest, most welcoming DIY space in Philly, with good vibes and smiles for miles.
Our conversation definitely put a smile on my face and I’m sure it will put one on yours too, so without further ado, I encourage you to check out this fun episode with two mainstays of the Philly indie scene.
JKF ❤

I met up with Katie Hackett at a south Philly vegan diner called The Tasty. Katie is the driving force behind The Lunar Year, an art rock project that serves as an umbrella for a very broad spectrum of sounds and styles. Since its inception in 2017, the band has gone from dreamy piano-based songs to to guitar-based ferocity, which can include everything from beautiful melodic moments to onstage poetry readings to envelope-pushing sonic storms of feedback depending on the mood of the band.

In my conversation with Katie, I found her to be interesting and introspective, a musician whose unique journey as an artist really captivated me. As yet another member of the Philly music community who successfully balances her creative life with the challenges of the music business and simply surviving in the world, Katie is definitely a voice to be reckoned with.

In addition to being the driving force behind the Lunar Year, Katie is also a co-creator of the Sweet Juice Fest - a now annual all-day music - art - and food experience entering its third year. I had the opportunity to attend last year’s Sweet Juice and it was - for me - honestly one of the best shows and best days of 2023.
I left The Tasty feeling inspired and excited about what’s to come for all Katie’s endeavors in 2024 and beyond. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

~JKF ❤

You can follow The Lunar Year on IG @thelunaryearofficial and you can also check out the website for Sweet Juice Fest at sweetjuicefest.com 

My special guest for this episode of the podcast is none other than Jim McGuinn.. no, not the guy who sang for the Byrds in the 60's. This Jim McGuinn is a Philly musician, who has seen the music business from more sides than most. He’s been a songwriter, guitarist, and bassist in many bands, including his latest project The No Good Crowd, he’s also run his own indie record label, and most people know Jim from his long career in radio. 

He’s currently the assistant program director at WXPN in Philadelphia, but I met him almost three decades ago during his tenure as program director at TWO major modern rock stations in Philly.. WDRE and Y-100, both of which were instrumental in launching the Caulfields to the next level. 

Jim has lived in several parts of the country. He just returned to Philly last year after 13 years as program director at The Current - a Minnesota Public Radio station in Minneapolis, and over the span of his radio career, Jim has met and befriended countless bands and artists, many of whom are household names. I was particularly excited to sit down with Jim because we really share a lot of things in common, including our deep love for the genre we most get associated with as artists: you guessed it - power pop! He had some great stories to tell about all this and more when we met up at Sam's Morning Glory diner in south Philly. Please enjoy my conversation with Jim on this very special 30th episode of "Talking At The Diner!"

Jeremy Savo is a super-talented musician and songwriter who is originally from the greater Philadelphia area - south Jersey to be precise. His band Out of the Beardspace has spent the last decade PLUS as one of the most popular groups in the regional jam scene, not only due to the fact that literally every member of the band is a bonafide virtuoso on their instrument, but because they single handedly created and nurtured one of the biggest independent music festivals on the east coast. 

Beard Fest began in 2012 in the band’s guitarist Zach LoPresti’s back yard and blossomed into the annual 3-day celebration of creative energy it is today. BUT in 2024, things are a little different because in Jeremy Savo now lives in Maui. That’s right - he packed his bags and his guitars and moved to Hawaii to begin a brand new adventure in both music and life.

When I visited my sister in Hawaii recently, I got a chance to spend the day with Jeremy - he took a short flight from Maui to the island of Oahu and we saw some incredible sights, hit an open mic, and had a great conversation at the Liliha Bakery (which I regret to say I mispronounced as "Alihi" in the podcast.. go 'head make your dyslexia jokes ;). We talked about all kinds of stuff but I was particularly interested in how he made the decision to make a fresh start and move 5,000 miles away from a pretty well-established music career. I'm confident that Jeremy is the kind of guy who will succeed wherever he calls home!

I met up with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rob Tait at Little Pete’s, which is tucked away in a 60’s-era high rise called the Philadelphian. Rob has been methodically building up to the 2024 release of his full length Americana album called Here and Now with a couple of killer singles in 2023 - “Matilda” and “Space Fire.” His third single “End of the World” is out now and you can hear a nice snippet of the song in the pod. You can stream Rob's other songs HERE. 

This was my first opportunity to really sit down and chat with Rob, who in addition to leading the Rob Tait band, also plays drums with quite few notable Philly artists including John Gilbride, Emily Drinker, Brittany Ann Tranbaugh, and more.

Our conversation went off in all kinds of interesting directions from nerding out on great drum performances (like Gilson Lavis's sick pocket on "Tempted" by Squeeze) to discussing how an artist trying to find their audience navigates the music business in the streaming era.

I hope you enjoy my chat with Rob!

~JKF ❤

Over the past couple of years, Emily Drinker has released a full length album, played at Firefly and the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and opened for artists like Pat Benatar and JD Souther, and along with her band and housemates has brought the Philly music community together with a festival thrown in her backyard called CINNAMiN Fest. 

Her soulful folk pop goes down smooth whether she’s performing with her powerhouse band the Funky T or in a more intimate format incorporating live looping, Emily is an artist who has found a way to do what she does using every weapon in her considerable arsenal.

She is someone I personally consider a top-shelf vocalist and she has had some incredible and unusual experiences in her travels as a working musician. She's also happens to be so much of a regular at Bob's Diner in Roxborough that they know to save a corn muffin for her anytime she stops in.

I hope you enjoy my wonderful conversation with Emily at Bob's Diner.. where they offer a monumental eating experience! 😁

I recently met up with my friend and fellow songwriter Brian Seymour at the Blue Jay Restaurant at 29th and Girard in north Philadelphia, where we encountered a charming, cash-only gem of a restaurant (tax evasion anyone?), run by a kindly Greek couple, who clearly have a deep history there. From the vintage booths, to the timeworn handwritten menu hung clothesline-style behind the counter, the Blue Jay was a veritable time capsule, as charming as your great aunt’s Hummel collection. Brian and I chatted about all kinds of topics - how times have changed since his days in the early 2000’s singer-songwriter scene, when he would regularly play in coveted venues up and down the east coast (Berlin Under A in New York, Club Passim in Boston), fly out to LA to do shows and rub elbows with artists like Grace Potter, and become a mainstay at long-gone Philly venues like the Tin Angel and the North Star Bar (both places I knew and loved as well). 

Now in the post-pandemic world of 2023, Brian has a brilliant new record called "American Courage" and has jumped back into the fray with a killer collection of songs and a different outlook on his methods and motivations for sharing his considerable gifts.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

On Episode 25 of "Talking At The Diner," I ventured into the outer Philly burbs to Phoenixville, PA to meet up with singer songwriter Alexis Cunningham, a powerful and charismatic performer who has done some very cool things in her still-ascending career.

In 2022, she appeared on American Song Contest on NBC, where she performed her song “Working On A Miracle” and completed against some serious musical heavyweights like Jewel and Macy Gray. 

She’s also developed a long-lasting creative partnership with Eric Bazilian from Philly rock legends the Hooters and gauging by the last time I saw her perform, Alexis writing the best songs of her career. Trust me when I tell you she’s got songs.

I actually got an opportunity last year to sing back-ups on a stripped down version of "Working On A Miracle" with Alexis and Joey DiTullio during a show with David Uosikkinen's In The Pocket. Check it out HERE. 

I diner’d up with Alexis at the brilliantly named “YOUR MOM’S PLACE,” located at the far end of Phoenixville’s bustling downtown. I had a great time catching up with her and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

My guest on this episode of TatD is Philly guitarist and songwriter Ben O' Neill. One might accuse me of some form of nepotism having Ben as a guest on the pod because he happens to be married to my dear friend and IKE V1.0 bassist Joann Schmidt, but he's more than earned his bona fides in the music world. 😉

Not only is Ben a Philadelphia music vet from his bands the MLMs and the Mini Q's, he's also a music educator, who has taught guitar at University of the Arts for many years, and.. oh yeah.. he's the touring guitarist for some guy named John Legend. NBD.

He's actually been a touring musician for the better part of two decades, starting in the gospel world with Tye Tribbett and moving into neo-soul with artists like Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott. He's also performed with Sting, Kanye West, Kid Cudi and many others.

More than any musician I know personally, Ben understands the touring musician's  life and the need for balance in that life, both on and off the road.

Check out Ben's stellar new solo EP Light Volume Two and enjoy this really fantastic conversation we shared at the Penrose Diner in south Philly!

Hey all! I am so excited to bring you this convo with Blue Barnett, who is the lead singer, primary songwriter, and driving force behind Philadelphia's Best Bear - a band whose 2022 debut album When had me singing along and practically sobbing in my car over dozens of listens last year.

I have known Blue as a friendly acquaintance over the past decade - they are yet another great singer / songwriter to have emerged from the South Jersey coffeehouse scene of the 2010's, but only now is Blue truly getting their taste of much deserved recognition, having landed airplay a much coveted live session on Philly radio station WXPN.

I got a chance to sit down with Blue at Geets Diner and Bar in Monroe Township, New Jersey and we chatted about songwriting, band dynamics, avoiding money pits, and how some of the best songs come from our biggest emotional letdowns. I truly enjoyed our conversation and I hope you do too!

Learn more about Best Bear at their website!
Check them out of Spotify!