String Band Sessions

Our final guest in the "Moms of Mums" series, where Jim Donio chats with the mothers of String Band captains, is Colleen Kudrick, whose son Jake is Captain of the Duffy String Band. Among the String Bands, Colleen is the only mother who is also a musician marching behind her son as Captain. Colleen shares the heartbreaking, and ultimately heartwarming, story of the sudden loss of her husband, Duffy's former Captain Ted Kudrick, in October 2017, which led to Jake becoming the youngest string band captain in history at age 11 in the 2018 Mummers Parade.

Our next guest in our new "Moms of Mums" series, where Jim Donio chats with the mothers of String Band captains, is Paula Tilley whose son Austin is Captain of the Aqua String Band. Paula was actually the inspiration for this series after she posted photos of Austin on Facebook with the caption..."I just love watching you do what you love!" Of course, we had to explore how much a mother's support and encouragement means to their children as String Band leaders.

Our next String Band Sessions podcast series is entitled "Moms of Mums," where Jim Donio will be chatting with the mothers of string band captains. The love, support and pride that mothers give to their families is like no other. When it comes to the Mummers, you may find a mom who enthusiastically cheers from the sidelines or at home, takes care of everyone with food and drink, pushes props as a marshall, makes costumes and sets, or is a marcher or musician herself. 

Our first guest is Joann Walton, whose oldest son Pat is Captain of the Jersey String Band. Joann also has quite a few other members of her family in the group and delights in celebrating all of them. 

Episode 14 of String Band Sessions podcast is a Special Episode that answers the question..."How Are the String Bands Judged?" Host Jim Donio speaks with Judging Committee Chairman Louis Speziale, who delivers a master class in the current judging process, as well as reliving his experience in real-time following the 2025 Parade that resulted in an unprecedented tie for 1st Prize between the Quaker City String Band and the South Philadelphia String Band. Lou also shares some of his memories about his life as a Mummer, including reminiscences about his father, the late, great Bill Speziale, who was the longtime award-winning captain of the Joseph A. Ferko String Band.

Episode 13 of String Band Sessions podcast continues our series "Putting It Together" as host Jim Donio chats with experts about how they contribute their unique talents to help the bands complete their productions. In this episode, masterful arranger John Wernega shares his musical journey as a veritable "one man band." We learn about his early string band career as a member of the Broomall String Band and the Polish-American String Band, and how he came to weave together the song scores that help define and complete the productions. We hear about some of his favorite scores and his partnerships with the Fralinger String Band, the Quaker City String Band and the Ferko String Band, where he is also currently a member.

Episode 12 of String Band Sessions podcast continues our new series "Putting It Together" as host Jim Donio chats with experts about how they contribute their unique talents to help the bands complete their productions. In this episode, costume and set designer David Rigler shares his professional background and experience bringing his visions to life for many Mummers groups. We get to see glimpses of his work, including Hegeman String Band's 2013 "Just Imagine" and Aqua String Band's 2018 "Lights Out", as well as hearing about his partnerships with Uptown String Band, Fralinger String Band, South Philadelphia String Band, and Woodland String Band, among others.

Episode 11 of String Band Sessions podcast begins our new series "Putting It Together" as host Jim Donio will chat with experts from make-up & masks, costume & set design, music arranging, and costuming about how they contribute their unique talents to help the bands complete their productions. In this episode, make-up and mask maestro Jim LoSasso shares his 40+ year journey of literally changing the face of Mummery. His stroll down memory lane includes glimpses back at Greater Kensington String Band's 1983 Just Clownin' Around and Hegeman String Band's 1984 Dante's Dancing Inferno; plus Quaker City String Band's 1985 The Scarecrow's Hay Day and Polish-American String Band's 1986 Dr. Hi-Tech and His Robot Ramble, which both won 1st Prize. LoSasso is still going strong as he continues working with numerous groups as they prepare for January 1, 2026.

In Episode 10 of our String Band Sessions podcast, Jim Donio brings us interviews and highlights from the New Year's in North Wildwood Parade on September 6. He chats with fans, a member of Durning String Band, iconic costumer James May, and young future Mummer Jaxon McKelvie, whose dad Ryan is a member of the South Philadelphia String Band. We end with the Fralinger String Band playing their 1984 1st Prize-winning "The Jokers Are Wild" theme to honor former member Pete Cammarota who performed in that routine 41 years ago, and who was in the audience.

This is the last episode our "Concept to Creation” series. Jim Donio discusses band background and history and plans for 2026 with South Philadelphia String Band Presentation Director and Theme Chairman Jim Browne, and Theme Co-Chairman Jay Nestor, who give us a preview of their Aladdin spinoff “Cave of Wonders” and Joseph A. Ferko String Band Music Director Matt Gibson, and Theme Coordinator Justin Fayette, who share how they’ll combine trains with 70s Disco, Funk and Soul music in their “Soul Station” production. Check out our previous episodes and watch for a new series of one-on-one interviews next month.

This episode of the String Band Sessions podcast continues our "Concept to Creation” series. Jim Donio speaks with Durning String Band Vice President & Theme Chairman Gary Pisarek and Presentation Director Steve Palys about their version of a Beauty & the Beast “Be Our Guest” theme; and with 2025 co-reigning champion Quaker City String Band Executive Vice President and Theme Chairman Chris Roetz about their “Fun House” production. Check out our previous episodes and watch for new episodes on Fridays.