25 O'Clock

Dan talks with Dave Perry about his band Athensville , growing to like the weird music your older brother plays when you're young, the many missed connections between him and frontman Matt Taglang (who was on the show back on #203 ) and their eventual meeting as adults, and choosing a side in the lesser debated "Echo and the Bunnymen vs The Smiths" argument. Dave also talks about their new single,...

In the aspirationally titled 'Early Spring Playlist' (Dan is anxiously awaiting the change of seasons), here are 12 new tracks from Philadelphia area artists for your listening pleasure. As always, check out the clickable playlist below for links to all the music and ways to support the artists.    1. Autumn Luz- Bone Marrow 2. Humilitarian- Midnight (acoustic) 3. Somebody Like You- Acquaintances...

Jeremy Garber is the co-founder of Grind Select , an independent record label based in Philadelphia that is celebrating it's 10th year this year. Dan and Jeremy talk about how Jeremy found his way into the music world via punk and hardcore on Long Island, being part of the first music business major at Syracuse University, and what it takes to keep a label going for ten years amidst all the tumult...

Dan and Kara Koser bond immediately over being fellow loudmouths, and their love of the Norristown Zoo, of all things. Kara talks about growing up and trying to find her place as a singer and performer, getting sober and figuring out how to be a musician again, singing contests, skipping an entire line of the National Anthem during a performance once, and how moving to Manayunk (not her first choi...

Dan sits down with Grammy winning engineer/producer/songwriter Sam Rosen to talk about her work in the studio with folk like Jazmine Sullivan, John Legend, Khemist, and Dan's longtime friend Alec Stewart's Lucky Rabbit project . Sam recounts how she got into the engineering chair at MilkBoy The Studio , working with a ton of hip hop and r&b projects, her persistence in still making her own music,...

Dan is pleased to bring Brian Walker back for his 3rd full length episode (sort of like the SNL "5 Timers Club"). Despite a recent move to the Boston area, Brian is and will always be part of the Philadelphia community. He's been making music as A Day Without Love for over a decade, as well as being a sharp commentator on DIY, the state of touring acts, and all things community related. Dan and Br...

Dan talks to Lily Enos ( Winding Way Records ) about growing up in Wildwood, NJ, the loneliness of being a weird, arty kid, watching her dad play in bands , and how she ended up picking up a guitar and writing her own songs (she would sing rather than talk to herself). Lily talks about making the music she's making now through various online collaborations, working with people who are good at what...

Dan finally sits down with his podcast brother-from-another-mother Nate Runkel, creator, host and producer of Yo That's My Jawn! Nate tells Dan the story of how the show started, notable guests like Taylor Goldsmth from Dawes, and Ken Marino and David Wain (MTV's The State), but even before that, all his various involvements in the Philadelphia music scene playing shows and hosting open mics. Nate...

It's our 300th episode! And Dan sits down with Philly music legend David Uosikkinen, drummer for The Hooters , founder of In the Pocket , and countless other projects. Dave talks about growing up in Levittown, seeing Buddy Rich as a kid, his first drum sets, South Street and the scene in the late 70s and early 80s, and how a one-time session with Eric Bazillian and Rob Hyman in 1980 turned into a...

Dan turns again to the always vibrant Philadelphia music community for messages about their year, what wowed them in 2023, and some of their favorite tracks from Philadelphia artists. Featuring dispatches from Helen Leicht, John Vettese, Julia Pratt, Andrea Quinn, Cosmo Baker, Brian Seymour, Jenn Coulter, and Nate Runkel, as wel as their picks of favorite songs that came ouf of Philadelphia this y...

Emily Drinker is one of the hardest working singer-songwriters in Philadelphia, and Dan was delighted to finally get a chance to talk to her. Emily talks about growing up surrounded by music, singing and musical theater, feeling out of her league at Barnard as an undergrad, discovering a capella, taking jazz theory as a vocalist, and how a job as a cruise ship performer made her hone her skills ve...

Dan sits down with Paddy McCann and Eric Cooper ( remember Coop from #183? ) to talk about their band, Muskrat Flats . Paddy talks about the band forming as a recording project with his brother Matt, and the new lineup of the group, including Eric joining just a year ago. Jams, improv, touring, pedal nerdery, an amount of Phish talk (obviously), and the importance of hitting those smaller markets...

Dan and Ang Bocca have been meaning to make this conversation happen since 2021, and now it has arrived. Ang sits down in the studio, just a few blocks from where she grew up, and talks about coming up as a South Philly native, forays into music, ice skating, Broadway , dance, and being drawn to sing and write songs from a young age. Ang has been part of the Philly music community for over 15 year...

Dan talks to Dina Layzis and Artem Tenkeli ( Dina and Artem when they're playing together) about their duo, and how they came together. Dina is from the Ukraine, and came here as a young child. Artem studied classical piano in Russia and just got to the US a couple of years ago. The two found each other on Instagram, and struck up a friendship and eventual musical partnership. Dina and Artem talk...

Dan last talked to Rob Tait back in 2018, when he was drumming for the jam-organ-combo Hambone Relay. It's been almost 5 years, and things have changed. Hambone Relay is no more, Rob has drummed for countless Philadelphia artists, and when the pandemic hit, he pivoted to writing and performing his own music. Rob has been releasing singles since the summer, and we talk about the transition, the cha...

Dan sits down with Fishtown-by-way-of-Bethlehem frontman Tye Vallone of The Groove Merchants . Tye talks about growing up amidst his father's bands rehearsing in the garage, watching the same John Mayer concert on cable over and over, moving from drums to guitar, and how The Groove Merchants took a possible problem and turned it into a band when they all first met. "Real Estate" is the newest sing...

Dan is back from a few weeks in Japan, and with him comes stories, memories, a new found love of seaweed related snacks, and this playlist episode. Featuring 15 recently released tracks from Philadelphia musicians, please enjoy just a taste of all the great talent here is in this city. Please see the clickable playlist below, which allows you to link up instantly with any and all of the artists pl...

Frank Brown fronted one of the best Philadelphia bands of the 90s, Flight Of Mavis . When the touring life (which featured opening for the late Sinead O'Connor amidst her rise to stardom) couldn't pay the bills, Frank put the band to bed, and started Buzz Zeemer, which was never intended to have any ambition at all. Flash forward to 2023, and Pat Feeney at Main Street Music in Manayunk put out a f...

Matt Nestor, drummer of Apple Juice Jones , reached out to Dan a bit ago to tell him the story of the band and the tragic loss of their frontman, Teddy Kradzinski. Dan was moved by the story, so he invited Matt and bassist Mike Bennett over to talk about it all. Matt and Mike talk about the early days of the band, living in a house together during the pandemic and practicing and playing for hours...

Dan has been a fan of Moustapha Noumbissi ever since he first heard him on WXPN's Philly Local show . Moustapha talks with Dan about growing up in Belgium, the culture shock of switching to an American school in Upper Darby when he was 7,  playing college basketball, always being fascinated by guitar and songwriting, and how a One Direction concert that he was forced to take his sister to changed...

With Philly Music Fest nearly upon us, Dan talks with Samantha Gongol and Jeremy Lloyd of Marian Hill in lieu of their PMF performance on 10/11 at World Cafe Live. Sam and Jeremy talk about meeting in middle school, turning a one-time collaboration into a decade-long group, their early opportunities, the role that MP3 blogs played in their early success, and where they're headed these days. Philly...

Dan talks with Suzanne Sheer , Philly based/Pittsburgh born singer-songwriter extraordinaire. Suzanne opens up about her latest LP, 'Blue Hour', her new singles, coming from a very music familiy, music school in New Mexico, and how the pandemic shaped what would be her current trajectory. Suzanne talks about the joy of meeting and talking to people after the shows who are moved by her music, the p...

Dan converses with singer-songwriter Julia Pratt about her life, both in music and out: moving around a lot as a kid, living in China and Vietnam as an ex-pat, early songwriting, playing guitar for only about a year, and the opportunities that have come her way recently. Julia talks about her recent collaboration with Philly band Mt. Joy, opening for Hozier at World Cafe Live, writing songs for Di...

Dan has been listening to Julian Booker on WXPN for a long time, especially on Sleepy Hollow every Sunday morning. Julian sits down to talk about growing up in a music and radio house (his father was in the broadcast biz), working after school and summers in the production booth, his early days producing concerts for The Blockley in University City, moving to Ardmore Music Hall and being part of R...

Dan is always glad to talk to Nik Greeley , which is why this is Nik's third full length episode. And they always seems to talk at a time when Nik is going through a period of growth and change, whether it be in his personal life, or with his band, The Operators. Dan and Nik talk about coming back after the pandemic, working in the concert industry at  Rising Sun Presents , and stepping back from...