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.com

Enjoy 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:

2018

2023

In 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.com

Get all the 25 O' Clock you can handle at the official website:
https://www.25oclockpod.com

Hope 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 here
Follow 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 ❤️

This episode of the pod brought me back to The Tasty (see Ep. 31).. a lovely vegan spot in south Philly, where I met up with singer / songwriter / producer Max Davey and her partner in crime, multi-instrumentalist and producer Steve Novoa. I’ve known Max for a lot of years - we first met in the early 2010s when I was the open mic host at Dobbs on South St., but that really feels like a lifetime ago for both of us. In much more recent history, Max Davey has made a mark in the Philly music scene in 2023-24 with a string of eclectic singles. In addition to some killer originals, Max and Steve have released some intriguing cover versions of songs by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dave Matthews Band, and Deathcab for Cutie.

Both Max and Steve have come a long way in their personal journeys, processing tragedy and grief in their lives to come to new perspectives on the creation of their art and the value of being present. They are wonderful humans and a musical force to be reckoned with. 
I hope you enjoy this conversation!


JKF ❤️

I'm still smiling about my hang with Katie Feeney at the Oregon Diner in south Philly. Katie is a no-nonsense belter with a voice capable of delivering melodic Americana twang with a healthy dose of Robert Plant bravado. Hence, perhaps, the name Roberta Faceplant. At once an alter-ego and a band moniker for the well-oiled country-inflected machine she's been leading into venues all over the greater Philadelphia area, "Roberta," as she affectionately calls it, started as a way to for Katie to land a gig she wanted for an artist that sounded way more rootsy than her funk rock collective You Do You. And so, on a lark in 2018, Katie planted the seeds of a character she has no problem leaning into, unabashedly yee-hawing in front of crowds just trying to match her energy.

The debut Roberta Faceplant EP - "Yee Haw Stuff" - drops on July 26, 2024. 
The songs range from honky tonk ravers like the title track and "Lucille," to the sincere country balladry of "Morning Joe."

In addition to fronting Roberta Faceplant, You Do You, and playing a big role in RF bassist Nick Anastasi's passion project Honey Butter, Katie is also one of Philly's most beloved open mic hosts, running Tuesday nights at Milkboy South St. after having done time at Dobbs on South (my old haunt when it was called "Legendary" Dobbs), and all the way back to pre-pandemic days at Connie's Ric Rac in the Italian Market.

This was honestly one of my favorite conversations for this show and I know you're going to be thoroughly entertained by her takes on such diverse topics as Mexico, Steely Dan, and clowns like me! 🤡

IG: @robertafaceplant

Enjoy!
JKF ❤️

Btw.. a few annotations on this episode, as a lot of names get thrown around out of context which you may not be familiar with.. I may not get all of them, but here's what I can think of:

Will Drinker - local film maker and videographer and brother to TatD Ep. 27 guest Emily Drinker

Drew (Parker)- Katie's hubby and guitarist in Roberta Faceplant and You Do You

Nick Anastasi - Roberta Faceplant bassist, bio writer, and the man who cares the most

Annalise (Curtin) and Doug (Lowman) - You know Annalise from our collab single "Ghost Writer".. her bf Doug plays in the metal band Divide The Tides

Paula and Jim (Minacci) - they run the "Sexton Sideshow," promoting indie arts and music events at Old Swedes Church in south Philly

Frank Tartaglia (RIP) / Ron Bauman - Co-owner and GM of Connie's Ric Rac, a south Philly music venue located in the heart of the Italian Market.

Mykk Hoffman - guitarist for Roberta Faceplant, as well as Emily Drinker and the Funky T

I met up with my friend Jace Miller at Silk City on Spring Garden St. for this latest episode of TatD. A revered Philly diner - a little more on the upscale side than your typical greasy spoon - Silk City has vibe to spare. It's also a spot that hosts full-on rock shows and other eclectic musical events in its back room. You could hear someone sound checking for a show around the time we sat down to catch up on a Wednesday at 5:30 - that no-man's land between the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening. Over a beef short rib grilled cheese (me) and a meatball salad special (him), we got into all kinds of topics from the panic of thinking your cat ran out the front door during a washing machine delivery, to tales of sadly departed former bosses in the concert booking industry (RIP Bryan Dilworth), to realizing your band sounds better with fewer people in it.

Since the early aughts, Jace has been the frontman and band leader of Alright Junior, one of Philly's most consistent alt-rock juggernauts. The band has an impressive tenure as well as an impressive resume of prestigious opening gigs, having shared stages with Incubus, Toadies, Young The Giant, Cake, and many more. Their own brand of 90's infused rock has never gone out of favor, and they deliver it with impressive precision both live and on record.

Catch Alright Junior at Brainfest on May 25, 2024 at Broken Goblet Brewing. Wheatus will be headlining the show and all proceeds benefit the American Brain Tumor Association.

I hope you enjoy this fun diner convo!
~ JKF ❤️

 **Host's Note**
Streaming platforms have become a huge pain in my a$$ by flagging recent episodes for what I can only assume is the use of very short clips of both my and my guests' music. It didn't used to be this way, but here we are. So, unfortunately, episodes on said platforms will no longer contain music clips or even my own theme song, which I now kind of regret releasing as a single. I'll be using an acoustic version of “Talking At the Diner” for intro / outro bumpers and, sadly, no guest artist music clips. However, episodes that DO contain all that good stuff will henceforth be made public on my Patreon after one week of exclusivity to my subscribers. So, while I will still post these altered episodes on streaming platforms for continuity, I encourage you to listen on Patreon and subscribe if you would like to further support the show. Thanks! ~ JKF 
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For this episode of "Talking At The Diner" I went back to my home state of Delaware to a spot in Wilmington called Goober’s. I got to sit down with my good friend and Grammy-nominated artist Darnell Miller.

Darnell came up through the Pentecostal church and began a decades-long music career playing gospel music at Faith City, which is a church I had always heard about as a kid in Newark, DE. The circles Darnell fell into through that experience took him on countless tours with gospel superstar Tye Tribbett and he’s got some great stories about his life on the road.

Darnell is also a solo artist, band leader of the Souldaires, a music educator, and on top of all that.. he is a bonafide metal head! Prepare for Stryper, Whitesnake, Poison, and "Balls To The Wall" by Accept to be name-checked! 🤘🤓🤘

Now THAT’S the kind of musician I wanna hang out with!

JKF ~ ❤️