25 O'Clock

July brings us 10 new tracks from Philadelphia artists. Be sure to check out the clickable playlist below and support the ones you like. In the meantime, Dan will let you know about shows, upcoing events, and how he survived a T10 typhoon this last wekeend in Hong Kong (a typhoon is a hurricane in the Pacific). Enjoy the music!

1. The Bret Tobias Set- Happiness Writes White

2. Automatic Love- Heaven You Must Be

3. Erin and Fox and John Faye- Swing And A Miss

4. Caroline Quinn- Lost For Words

5. Nervous Nikki and the Chill Pills- Nerves Of Glass

6. Suzanne Sheer- Me and My Friends

7. Moonroof- Can't Say No To You

8. Dominic Angelella- Smoking At The Lakehouse

9. Jackson Pines- Evergreen ft Julia DiGrazia

10. Maria Mirenzi- Let It Steep

Dan shares a conversation between The Flying Vees and Phillip Reese of Your Next Favorite Band. Originally airing back in April, the band members Brechyn Chase, Shannon Vasile, Caitlin Ramsey, and Hannah Taylor talk about how they all met and formed the band back in 2018. Even though they can go a while between times they see each other, they're able to dial in quickly when they get chance to rehearse and perform, and their harmonies and stage show are proof of how naturally this all comes to them.

The Flying Vees have a brand new EP coming out, and they'll be celebrating with a release show on Sunday, July 13th at the Philadelphia Ethical Soceity in Rittenhouse Square (an absolutely gorgeous space to see live music). Show starts at 5pm, so get there early to see the band that long-time Philadelphia music promoter Jesse Lundy prasies as "Cooler than G. G. Allin."

Special thanks to Phillip Reese and the team over at Your Next Favorite Band for graciously letting us give this interview an encore release. Check out Your Next Favorite Band to, appropriately, discover your next favorite band. If you're heading to Musikfest up in Bethlehem, PA this August, let YNFB take the guesswork out of who to go see with their daily coverage of the fest, as well as their Musikfest Exordium on July 29th to get you up to speed before the fest starts.

Here are another handful of new tracks from Philadelphia artists for your listening pleasure. As always, check out the clickable playlist below, and support the artists. There's a set of tunes in there that are all bands playing the Jam For Josh at The Fallser Club on July 18th. Josh Craft is the co-founder (along with his wife Jess) of Rock To the Future, a non profit group that brings after school music programs into Philadelphia city schools free of charge to the students. Josh is recovering from multiple surgeries and procedures that were needed due to the sudden onset of pancreatic cancer, and this concert will donate all of its proceeds to Josh and his family. Check out the bands, and support the event.

Enjoy the playlist, and send me your tracks if you're a Philadelphia area musician!

1. Dan Pell- fouNNt

2. The Indestructible Water Bear- Missing You

Jam For Josh Spotlight: July 19th at The Fallser Club

3. The Blackburns- Video Den

4. Plastic Soldiers- Borrowed Time

5. Roberta Faceplant- Big Dark Town

6. UPHOLSTERY- Somerset

7. Crossed Keys- Lucky Stars

8. DelCobras- Untied (She's The One)

9. Justin Kerecz- Don't Forget The Porterman

10. t-minus- Sonder

11. The Honey Badgers- Summer Skin

Sweet Juice Fest has been featured on this show since its inception in 2022, and this is the first year we get an in depth look at not just some of the artists that are playing, but the foundation and philosophy of the festival itself. John and Paige sit down with Shona Carr and Mel Harris, two of the festival's founders, to talk about this year's fest, the growth over previous years, and how Sweet Juice seeks to build and strengthen community and create a more audience-focused approach to music and art festivals. Dan takes a look at some of the artists playing this year's festival, check out the clickable playlist:

1) ShyGodwin- American Circus

2) Little Hag- Show Me Your Head

3) KulfiGirls- Red Light Full lineup includes: Speedy Ortiz, Little Hag, Kulfi Girls, Sovei, Kai Davis, Ollie Goss, Cyrus K Stratton, and line dancing featuring Fist City and the Sweet Juice Fest House Band.

Sweet Juice Fest is Saturday, June 28 at Awbury Arboretum in Germantown, and runs from 1:30pm to 9pm. Go to the festival's site for all information and ticketing, and be sure to follow them on IG for all the up-to-the-minute info.

As promised, here's the playlist episode for the month of May, just under the wire. Twelve new tunes from twelve Philadelphia artists, and you can go right to their sites and support them below on the clickable playlist.

1. The Tisburys- Here Comes The Lonesome Dove

2. The Describers- Home On Time (Sunrise)

3. Kat Rivers and the Second Sight- Broken Promised Land

4. Red Desert Motel- Cowgirl & Ramona

5. Lo Priestess- Faker

6. Love? Said the Commander- Leslie

7. Lowercoaster- Five Rooms

8. Rob Rapp- Spells

9. Naked Sun- Witches

10. Night Windows- Baseball Cards

11. Plans To Sand feat Lia Menaker- Meredith Street

12. Galactic Prism Sounds- Ode To An Adventure

We'll be doing these each month, so send your music submissions to us at [email protected]. Please send DL links or attach an mp3, and don't forget to link your EPK or press info so we have something to say about you. Enjoy these tunes, and if you like em, share em.

John and Paige talk with photographer/tour manager/many-hat-wearer Ashley Gellman about life on the road and at home. Ashley has worked with artists like Bartees Strange, Jamie xx, Jonas Brothers, boygenius, and is currently on the road with Lucy Daucus. She's a larger-than-life personality, and she breaks down her life on the road, her upbringing as an independent kid doing her own thing, her relationships with the early artists she worked with, found family amidst her touring peers, and how to capture the best shot without being in the way. Amidst a whirlwind of travel and work, Ashley talks in depth about how she's grown to embrace being home, and how she balances the "all-in" touring lifestyle with the calmer vibes of being back in Philadelphia. If you can manage to pin her down, Ashley does do photo shoots for hire when she can, so follow her on IG. On Sunday, May 18th, the 12th annual Brain Fest is happening at Fringe Bar in Philadelphia from 5pm to midnight. Brain Fest raises money and awareess for treatment of brain tumor, with all the proceeds going to the American Brain Tumor Association. Performers include Adventure Lost, The Lunar Year, Alright Junior, Trash Boy, Erin Fox and the Hounds, Annalise Curtim, and more. More info available at their event posting and at the ABTA donation site.

In Philadelphia, John and Paige talk with Sovei, an artists no matter what they choose to apply their talent to. Whether it's singing and songwriting, sound experiments, visual collage, poetry, fashion, Sovei brings their spirit and experimentation to it all. Sovei talks about singing from an early age, their original incarnation as Justmadnice, being one of the founders of the Sweet Juice Festival, and how they bring creativity to any artistic endeavor they're working on. They discuss their collaborations with poet/musician Moor Mother, their Philadelphia circle of musicians featuring folk like Martronimous and Erik Kramer, and even tease a song from their upcoming EP. From his new apartment on Ma Wan Island in Hong Kong, Dan compiles a mini playlist of music that's coming out of Philadelphia now. Check out the clickable playlist below, and support the artists you love.

1) Long Spells- Fill My Mind

2) Polaroid Fade- Cotton Candy Skies

3) Penny Death- Cleaver Soul Spit

4) Kobika- Stalactites

Note: 3 & 4 come from Impetus Records' newest compilation of 14 bands from their Wilmington, DE based record label

5) Taylor Kelly- Take Me (remix) feat. Tennishu

6) Moor Mother- STORIES feat. Soviet

7) Sovei- Big World 25 O'Clock is produced by Dan Drago (currently living in Hong Kong), with John Vettese and Paige Walter in Philadelphia.

This episode marks a new chapter in the 25 O'Clock book: our first episode with collaborators, and our first episode of a new format going forward. While Dan is living in Hong Kong, he wanted to keep the show going, and with the help of his friends back in Philadelphia, Paige Walter and John Vettese (you might know them from their day jobs at WXPN), 25 O'Clock continues on with great conversations with artists, and of course, lots of Philadelphia music. And rest assured, Dan is still ever present, introducing the music and artists, bringing in his usual brand of commentary, and continuing to champion the music community. Kristin Daelyn is a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, and has been captivating audiences with her songs for years. John and Paige sat down with Kristin in Philadelphia to talk about what she thinks of as "seasons" for making music, her sweeping and fluid guitar playing, and how she wants to leave room in each of her songs for the listener to find space in. She's kind enough to grace us with an in-studio performance of one of her songs, "Patience Comes to the Bones". That song and others are on her brand new record, 'Beyond The Break', available on Orindal Records and wherever you get your digital music. She'll be playing a release show on March 14th at Harmonie Hall with Reese Florence and Adeline Hotel, get tickets here, or follow her on her Instagram.

In Part 2, longtime Philadelphia talent buyer/promoter/manager Derek Dorsey talks about everything he was up to during the 00s to now, including leaving The Fire (a club he booked for over 15 years), working in music publishing, managing bands, and continuing to book shows for Philadelphia venues like The Blockley, Underground Arts, and the Electric Factory. Derek also opens up about his current health and treatments, and the amazing benefit concerts that the We Live On foundation has been putting on. Dan tries his best to express to Derek just how much he means to the community, and how we will never stop supporting him and We Live On. Derek, among other things, tells two incredible stories about working in the concert industry: one involving a car chase with Shuggie Otis as a passenger, and one about a near brawl between him and his staff and DMX's Ruff Ryders. These simply can't be missed.

Derek was diagnosed with a very rare version of trigeminal neuralgia, a neurological disease that attacks the body with sharp, sudden bursts of pain. It has been treatable to varying degrees of success, but the illness is chronic and incurable. Derek and friends started a foundation called 'We Live On', which helps Derek and his family, as well as provides assistance and resources to others who are going through similar situations. They host benefit concerts, including two upcoming ones, both at Ardmore Music Hall: Sunday, March 30th with Mason Porter, Frog Holler and Travel Lanes, and on Saturday, May 3rd, We Live On presents The Soul Of Quincy Jones: York Street Hustle and Special Guests. Go to the AMH website for all your event and ticket information.

Photo by Jessica Emge

Dan sits down with Philadelphia music community icon and long-standing champion Derek Dorsey. He's booked and promoted thousands of shows at The Fire, Underground Arts, The Blockley, and Electric Factory, if you played in Philadelphia in the last 25 years, you worked with Derek at some point. In Part 1, Derek reminisces about growing up in Overbrook, early concerts, his love of music, and his early career as a social worker working with at-risk youth in Philadelphia. In an attempt to raise money via a benefit concert, Derek got his first taste of being part of the business from behind the scenes, and the rest is history. Dan and Derek talk about the Philly music scene in the 90s and early 00s, the bands in Derek's orbit (Town Hall, June Rich, Huffamoose, etc), and how he made his career, even if (according to him) he had no idea what he was doing. Derek was diagnosed with a very rare version of trigeminal neuralgia, a neurological disease that attacks the body with sharp, sudden bursts of pain. It has been treatable to varying degrees of success, but the illness is chronic and incurable. Derek and friends started a foundation called 'We Live On', which helps Derek and his family, as well as provides assistance and resources to others who are going through similar situations. They host benefit concerts, including two upcoming ones, both at Ardmore Music Hall: Sunday, March 30th with Mason Porter, Frog Holler and Travel Lanes, and on Saturday, May 3rd, We Live On presents The Soul Of Quincy Jones: York Street Hustle and Special Guests. Go to the AMH website for all your event and ticket information.