"Talking At The Diner" Podcast

Brianna Sig - or B-Sig as her friends call her - is the drummer Soraia, the Zou Zou Mansour-led Philly rock band signed to Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records label. For the past five years, she has anchored a band that otherwise has seen more than its share of personnel changes. She has played the drums since she was in her early teens and has fought her way up the Philly rock ladder to tour the US and Europe, open shows shows for the likes of Joan Jett, and become one of the musicians I respect the most. She's an honorary Meddling Kid, and it is her kick ass drumming you hear on my 2016 singles "Miss America" and "Puzzle Piece." She also knows a good pun when it hits her and she ain't afraid to say it out loud!  

We got together a while back at Michael's Restaurant in Glenside, PA, a place with one of the best-maintained salad bars I've ever enjoyed. They also do their baking on premises. As long as you don't get a booth too close to the bathroom, you are golden!  

Please enjoy this fun conversation with the incomparable Brianna Sig!

Jesse Lundy has been a key fixture in the Philadelphia concert biz for two and a half decades. He’s put on huge shows, intimate shows, rubbed elbows with music royalty, curated the bill at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, booked the legendary Main Line venue The Point, and helped out li’l ol’ me on many occasions, even against his better judgement.. like when I named a short-lived songwriting collective the “Semen Brothers” back in the early aughts. He's also an accomplished guitarist, who plays regularly in the city with numerous bands. Throughout the pandemic, he’s been a straight shooter, a mensch, a friend, always honest, invariably entertaining. He’s got stories, he's got opinions, and he's not afraid to share them. Hope you enjoy our conversation in which we discuss rock star run-ins, how many books he can read in a year, and how we're both fairly certain that getting murdered is how we're going to die! 

Enjoy our convo from Greg's Kitchen in the lovely Manayunk section of Philadelphia!

Ang Bocca embodies so much of what I love about the musicians I’m here to celebrate on this podcast.. she’s a hustler, a survivor, she leaves it all out on the stage, and to coin her own phrase.. she can sing her d*ck off. 

I met Ang a decade ago when I was the host for a very strange little battle of the bands at Legendary Dobbs on South St. in Philadelphia, where I was also the weekly open mic host. Ang and the Damn Band didn't win, but that was just a minor bump in the road. 

In the past ten years, Ang has done her thing in Philly, New York, and LA, with projects ranging from the aforementioned Damn Band, Angenue, The Mean Redz, a stint with indie rockers goodnight/goodluck, and more.  Having overcome adversity, loss, sexism, and a bad production deal, she's now on the precipice of another new chapter in her musical life with the release of her new unabashedly pop EP "First Love Records." 

Check out our great conversation at the south Philly institution - the Oregon Diner!

If you don’t already know Reece Ratliff, you will. Trust me. I’ve known him for what we estimated to be about seven years. I started out as his vocal coach and eventually became a producer on his debut EP - I’ll Take The Fall from 2018. Since then, he has co-written with some of the biggest songwriters in Nashville, booked his own national tour dates, released his first full-length album Compass, become an artist manager, and.. oh yeah.. 
JUST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL! 

In our conversation at the Bethany Diner in Bethany Beach, DE, Reece and I discuss the full plate of his music career and he explains to me how somebody who is pretty much good at everything stays humble.

In this “inaugural” episode of “Talking At The Diner,” John goes to the Dining Car in N.E. PHL with longtime “fixer” and bandmate from both IKE and the Caulfields - Brett Talley. Topics of discussion include: Brettman’s preference for “well done” fries, his issues with condiments that are not ketchup, the state of the upcoming Caulfields concert movie 26 Candles (which Brett is directing and editing), the significance of his Nine Inch Nails tattoo, his musical origin story, and more! 

Annotations.. 

A number of people are named or referred to with no further context, so for those who are new to John & Brett’s musical universe, here is a handy reference guide (hopefully in order of appearance): 

Frank Lafaro - Longtime studio client and confidant of Brett’s. Frank is the frontman of the Doo-wop group Frankie & the Fashions, which formed in the early 60’s before all four members went off to fight in Nam. Sometime in the 2010’s, Frank offered to “treat John to lunch” at the Dining Car for the purpose of “picking his brain” regarding the music business, but, in fact, just needed help setting up a YouTube account. At the end of the meal, the diner’s then-cash-only policy, coupled with an out-of-order ATM, led to John having to pick up the tab. 

Phil - Phil Murphy, lead singer of Brett’s band Outset, as well as the front man of Bangarang, his cover band in which Brett plays lead guitar. 

Sue / Susie - Susie Steen, bass player in Outset, IKE v2.0, and mother of Brett’s son. 

Joann Schmidt - Bass player in IKE v1.0, who gives John “lighthearted shit” about the number of songs on the band’s third album Where To Begin. 

Jason Miraglia - Drummer in IKE v2.0 and Bangarang, who, like Brett, is an avid Pearl Jam fan.

Hear the origin stories, brushes with stardom, and general $hit-talking of musicians and other creatives in this fly-on-the-wall podcast hosted by John Faye, a musician and songwriter whose 30-year career has allowed him to see the music business from all sides - as a major label artist with his 90's alt-rock band The Caulfields and as an independent / DIY artist since the early 2000's with his projects IKE, John & Brittany, John Faye Power Trip, and John Faye & Those Meddling Kids.  

If you like getting a behind the scenes look into the lives of the boys and girls in the band, then this is the show for you. Everything is on the table when we’re talking at the diner.