Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Thunderstruck in the City of Brotherly Love

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Double elvis. There might not be a more familiar sound
for a touring musician than the accumulating buzz of the
amps and microphones, all right on the edge of that
jolt of feedback, alerting energy waiting to connect during sound check,

(00:26):
right before the show begins, that old familiar home is
a void on stage, waiting for the performer to step
in and fill it, giving the wattag purpose and unleashing
that built up power. And there's one stage in Philadelphia,
the City of Brotherly Love, where those currents meant something
else to me, a warning signal to my ears Pavlovian,
almost that a physical reaction is looming. It was the

(00:48):
Tin Angel, an old city Philly, just blocks from the
Liberty Bell. It shared something with many other indie clubs
around the country. They simply didn't have their electric grounded correctly,
as if the name didn't sort of hinted that fact
from the jump. So when I human being up on stage,
touch my fingers to the metal electric guitar strings a
guitar connected by wire to my amp, which is connected

(01:10):
by wire to an outlet, and then I touched my
lips to the mic, my body completes the circuit becomes
part of the circuit, and the slightest touched my lips
to the mic berries from a light, playful tingle to
a shock that launches me backwards like Marty McFly onto
the drum kit. Getting electrocuted is by no means a
rarity for those busting it out on all the small

(01:30):
stages all over America. But feeling that rush of wattage
run through your body in Philadelphia is just about as
on the nose as one can get. But I shall
proceed and continue to rock the mic motown Philly back again,
doing a little East Coast swing. Boys two men, going off,

(01:52):
not too hard, not too soft. It's a long overdue,
but now Philly is slamming boys to men ABC bb D.
The East Coast family never skipped to be while cooling
on South Street, Boys two men. Now, we've been talking

(02:15):
about foundational laws that govern our universe, electrical currents, sound
waves in this city that includes Cheesday. We we'll get
to that later on because heat and power is involved
here too. Let us not forget the mathematical equation that
posits the number of songs written about the city is
directly proportional to how great a place is to visit
and of course, in our case, catch a show. It's

(02:38):
in one of those books you never read in high school.
Trust me or trust these people? Boys, two men topping
the charts with the aforementioned Motown Philly I'm in a
Philly Mood by Darryl Hall I seventy six by g
Love in the special Sauce Streets of Philadelphia by Springsteen,
That Philly Thing by George Thoroughgood, East River Drive by
Grover Washington, Summertime by the Fresh Prince, and self Punk

(03:01):
Rock Girl by Dead Milkman. Even Elton John has a
number one hit called Philadelphia Freedom. I could go on,
but the point is some cities are so deeply soulful
and complicated and steeped in history and mystery that they
themselves become the muse and talking about laws that governed.
We are in the city that is also known as
the birthplace of America, where the Declaration of Independence and

(03:24):
the Constitution were written and signed, and where abolitionists rang
that liberty bell until it cracked. Freedom was ringing but
not for all, A major stop on the underground railroad,
a place where thousands of black Americans making their way
North during the Great Migration, came to call home, and
as I've noted in previous episodes, music travels light. As

(03:46):
a result, Philly has been home to generations of forward thinking,
endlessly inventive black artistry, a cauldron of culture and creativity
that resulted in the likes of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff,
two friends in groove and business who co founded the
iconic Philadelphia International Records, which crystallized Philly's distinctive brand of
soul in the seventies and eighties into the classic Philadelphia's

(04:09):
sound that we know in love. And they brought the
sounds of this town to life and then sent those
sounds blazing across the air waves and around the globe.
The music of Philadelphia is deep. Chubby Checker, the American Bandstand,
the surrealist Disney musical Fantasia, John Coltrane, and Dr Dog
can all trace their way to this singular, magnificent, music

(04:30):
obsessed town. The Philly soul sound of the seventies gave
us the basis for modern R and B and produced
so many stars that listing them feels kind of foolish.
Plus hold up, you heard me say, John Coltrane though
he was born in North Carolina, this jazz star felt
the pull of Philly. He moved here right after high
school to refine his craft and define the new sound
of bebop and free jazz, shoulder to shoulder with worldmakers

(04:52):
Miles Davis and Charlie Byrd Parker. It's a jazz town
through and through. But it's not just the soul in
jazz town. Philly is more emotionally complicated than the brotherly
love it's known for. It's also got a big old
chip on its shoulder, which makes sense because the Philly
punk scene has been alive and well for decades, giving
the cities easy proximity to places like New York and
d C. Where the crowds might be bigger, but the

(05:15):
rent is higher even now. In plenty of Brooklyn indie
rockers of DeCamp from the ruins of Williamsburg and taking
up residence in Fishtown and beyond, able to earn a
living off merch in relentless tory. Even the bands that
aren't together anymore. Don't bring up the Dead Milkman unless
you want to hear a diet tribe about their importance.
Even if you dear music obsessed listener barely know what

(05:36):
accomplishments that eighties hardcore group accomplished in Philly, you will learn.
So touch your lips to the mic in your hand,
to the fretboard, and get ready to complete the circuit
as we dive into this ancient, awesome city that has
given us Ethel Waters, Todd Round, Reve Low Cut com
g Love and Special Sauce Here, Matt Jones, Jatie Bell,

(06:00):
Work About Do, Will Smith and Oates, Cinderella, Jim Scott, Trip,
Harold Melvin and the Blue Tramp, d J Jazzy, j
Otis Rock, Chubby Checker, Disco, Doctor, Dog Dead, Milvian, Brittany
fo Amos Lee, Santa Goal, Matt Ponds, Stanley Clark, Eddie Fisher,
Rosetta Flow, It's v O J war On Drug, Kurt

(06:21):
v Tammy Terrell, Meek Mill, Kevin Bacon, and Billie Holliday.
Speaking of world famous, there's no way to breathe a
word about Philadelphia without getting into deep referential mode for
the city's most famous currently active stars, the Roots. This
hip hop collective might be the most famous in the

(06:43):
genre as they play on national television every night, and
yet still having lost that underground beginning that earned them
a following in the first place. The Roots have been
a guy. This whole city of electrified rebels, ready to
forge new genres and give icons their roses while they're
still here is built on the sprawling roots system of
legends that came before, and as new saplings spring up,

(07:04):
they draw from the same groundwater that Dreek Trotter and
Emir Thompson drink from his high schoolers busking for a buck. Obviously,
Quest Love and Black Thought aren't the whole story of Philly,
especially two or three decades removed from their formation, discovery,
and canonization. But even so, The Roots are one of
those bands that seemed to tell the whole story of
their hometown within their own narrative. And since you'll likely

(07:27):
be visiting Philly while the Roots are still gracing Jimmy
Fallon's stage, expect them to be your de facto guides
through the town. It's Quest Love's world, baby, and we're
just living in it more. Sound of Our Town is
a podcast about the music that shaped the cities of America.

(07:49):
It's about where you're going and where you want to
go to find here and feel the best music happening
right now, What sounds and places have shaped the city's culture,
and what new sounds continued to define it. It's about
getting together in a room to listen and why that matters.
So whether you're quickly dropping in, landing for a long stay,
or longing for more connection in life. In each episode

(08:10):
of Sound of Our Town, I'll introduce you to the
real places in sonic stories echoing in a particular city,
so that your travel is enriched with music. I'm Will Day.
I'm an independent songwriter and performer. I've been playing everywhere
and anywhere for the past twenty years, just looking for
the right set of years in the right room. With
this first season of Sound of Our Town, we are

(08:30):
visiting ten cities and twelve episodes. This is episode eleven
and we are listening in on Philadelphia a PM. Hip
hop wasn't always welcomed into every music venue with open arms.
Well it still isn't, based on some extremely questionable policies

(08:51):
that some venues have when it comes to installing metal
detectors only for rap shows. But I digress. The point
is back when quests love black thought, we're trying to
get their show off the road. That is busking in
the street. They would cajole interested venues into accepting them
by assuring them they do jazzy spoken word instead of
hip hop. Can you imagine The Roots, one of the

(09:13):
greatest live bands of the twenty one century, bargaining their
way into back bars and basement jams. Then Tuik comes
busting out of the gate without off the cuff. Godhead
poetry on spools like it's nothing. There were some audiences
in Philly that heard what was going to happen in
these two decades before they ever hit the limelight. And man,
what I wouldn't give to have been a fly on
that wall, a regular on one of those stools, or

(09:35):
nursing a whiskey at a wooden table, soaking in excellence
without even paying a cover charge. Now, I can't guarantee
that you'll stumble upon two music prodigies in the making
during your own trip to Philly, but we can give
you the roadmap to try flagging venues where modern day
legends and aspiring artists are most likely to be found,
and throwing some advice on the best cheese steak in

(09:56):
town along the way. If you're not buzzing yet, you
will be soon. This city will ring you like a
bell and keep echoing for days after you leave. So
maybe you've taken my advice and you're still in Asbury Park.
Take nine West. In one hour you will be in Philly.
Or maybe you're still sipping sweet teen Atlanta, so hop

(10:18):
on a plane and see in two hours. Or you're
in Boston and you're exhausted. I'm looking for that Mark
Samn plaque. Hop in a car. By the time you
finished listening to the rest of season one of Sound
of Our Town, you'll be here. And once you get here,
I need you to come to fish Town. Now. If
this was pre two thousand and three, you might say,
will you're You're trying to get me bruised, aren't you.
Fish Town was known for well being a classic fist

(10:41):
up Philly kind of neighborhood where the locals weren't exactly
thrilled by the prospect of outsiders. You have to either
be brave or a bit crazy to come here. But
things have changed. It's and sometimes all that's needed to
bridge the divide between old neighbors and new neighbors is
the right kind of offbeat establishment full of warm good vibes.

(11:01):
Great food and of course, high caliber live music. That
exact establishment would be Johnny Brenda's, on the corner of
Frankfort and Gerard is a classic old school brick triangle
building just waiting to welcome you. It's small, but it's tall.
It's vintage illuminated signance jumps out from the corner of
the building, proudly marking your destination. A long barrow waits

(11:23):
where you can watch your gastro pub dinner being made,
and once you've had a bite, you can head upstairs
to catch the best indie music in or coming through town.
Get a balcony seat for a bird's eye view of
the action. But also no, there's not a bad seat
in the place to catch the likes of ballroom thieves
w I. T. C. H or Sean Hayes. In the past,
this stage is hosted Angel Olsen, White Denim, and War

(11:45):
on Drugs all before they are Pitchfork Darling's a k A.
The ideal time to catch someone. Also, as a lifelong
road warrior myself, this place is known for treating its
musicians right, and that's a huge reason everyone wants to
be there. Johnny Brenda's living room have a theater spirit
immediately immerses you into Philly in its live music soul.

(12:18):
With all the traveling I've been doing this season for
sound of our town, I couldn't go without my favorite music.
That's why I'm always taking my son Nos Room with me,
the ultra portable smart speaker for all your listening adventures.
With the Sonos Room, your favorite albums will always sound
great at home or on the go. The room's automatic
true play tuning adapts the sound for the speaker's placement

(12:38):
and surroundings, So no matter if I'm listening to War
on Drugs in my hotel room or Patti LaBelle while
walking through Love Park, I can hear the clarity and
depth of each song. Plus when you come back home
from your trip, the Sonos Room blends seamlessly into every
corner of your home and easily connects to other speakers
to listen in every room. So get rome and get
ready for your next adventure. Learn more and shop three

(13:01):
new exclusive colors at Sonos dot com. This season, we've
taken you to all kinds of listening rooms around this
fine country of ours and really did interpretive dance of
the definition of listening rooms. We hit folk clubs, rock clubs,

(13:23):
strip clubs, clubs that kick you out for talking. I mean,
you've got ears, you can take them wherever you want.
But we save the coolest, the cool of listening rooms
for last rooms so thick with smoke and mood you
could cut it with a knife, where the stage lighting
pouring through the hazy ambiance makes you almost wished smoking
inside was legal again, because the portraits of artists in
this room are iconic, the kind that make you want

(13:45):
to travel back in town to the roots of it all.
Phonius Monk Bird, Billie Holiday, El Fitzgerald, John Coltran. That's right,
we're talking about the jazz club. And while you'll have
to stub the stoke upon entering these days, you can
still get that authentic late night, low lit urban swing
and swoon with a dirty martini at Chris's Jazz Cafe.

(14:06):
Some say jazz is on the decline these days, but
people have been bitching ever since it first started brewing.
Either way, Philly did not get the memo. It is
alive and well, hot and cool and on display at Chris's,
the longest running jazz menue in town. This place is
considered an Institution and it's one of the best hangs
in Center City. They'll see local talent and jazz stars

(14:26):
on the road alike coming through. Steve Davis, Dave Brody,
and Victor North, Haley Brunel, and Chris Farr. Those are
just a few. Chriss has been bringing the music to
the people for thirty three years. It's lounge e classy
and also has a decadent menu. So get yourself something
on the rocks to sip and let the atmosphere transport
you to somewhere left of time and space in the

(14:48):
way that only jazz can do. We've all done it,
spent way too long, mindlessly scrolling on our phone slack
jawed and content consumption mode, looking for a cute cat,
doing something funny for a nice little dopamine hit, and

(15:10):
altering the muscular structure of our thumbs. After a while
on insta our face based, you might feel like you're
slowly losing your mind. You wonder why, and you realize
that everything looks the same. All your friends have somehow
turned into brands, and everyone's got perfectly squared highlight reels
and straight teeth and motivational quotes and oh god, it's suffocating.
Don't worry, I got you. There is an ancient cure

(15:32):
for this modern affliction, and it is known as the
dive bar the stalwarts saying no thanks for cool, to
the makeovers, and the algorithmic cuddle. Toss your phone and
head out. If you've been taking a ride with us
this season, you know I love an authentic dive with
great music and well, Bob and Barbara's is the dimly
lit seventies panel disco bald sanctuary you've been searching for.

(15:54):
Get through the door and you are in a shrine
to pass blue Ribbon. Now. Philly maybe the textbook birthplace
of America, but Bob and Barbara's is the mother of
the Citywide Special, a beloved Philly classic that involves a
shot of Jim and Ice cold PBR for four bucks.
But stay somewhat sober because you are here for the music.
It's free, which feels wrong because it's so good. The

(16:14):
genre most often found here will be jazz funk in
any combination of the two. Catch residencies like even You
Banks in Detroit, Greece, or the organ trio mini queues
burning it up on no Cover Wednesdays, or spice up
your life on a Thursday and take in the city's
longest running drag show hosted by Miss Lisa Lisa and
heads up, this is a cash only establishment and you

(16:36):
better bring extra to tip the performers. That's just breathly love. Now.
We often talk about food and sound of our town
because music needs fuel. And you know what we have
to do in this episode. In a city that knows
how to take a punch, nothing could be more Philadelphia
than the best Philly cheese steak joint in town catching

(16:58):
fire just as the County Street is opening back up
after a global pandemic. Ask anyone who lived in Philly
for even a minute and they'll let you know. The
best place to get this town's coveted, cheesy, greasy, all
but holy sandwich is Jim's. Jim's on South Street is
what we call an institution, a place that's been around
so long that eating there is like ingesting a piece
of the city itself. Since nineteen seventy six, Jim's has

(17:20):
been going strong. That is until July, when a spot
that survived a pandemic got hit by the dreary, everyday
brutality of an electrical fire. And we've seen this before
in this season of Sound of Our Town. When I
mentioned Wally's in the Boston episode, I was unsure if
he would even reopen, but I'm happy to say it
is back with full funk force. And I mentioned the

(17:43):
Dresden in l A because even though the replaceable Marty
and Elane are no more, I have to believe a
new staple of the Martini scene will emerge to carry
the next twenty five years. Otherwise what are we doing?
So if you're visiting Philly in three and beyond, make
sure to check in and see if Jim's is back
up and run. We gotta believe and dream big and

(18:04):
keep a big appetite. Given what I already told you
about fish Town, it should be pretty obvious that if
you're going to go somewhere to get your face turned
to putty in your ear, drums beat on like they

(18:25):
have their own personal quest love, then it's going to
be tucked somewhere in this lovely, still emerging neighborhood. Again,
it's not like it was twenty years ago, so you
don't literally need to watch your back. But once you
get to fish Town, the Diby Hipster two story spot
to see hard rock, metal, and honestly all kinds of
music is called Kung Fu Necktie, And if the name

(18:46):
alone doesn't sell you, then the fact that they book
live music seven nights a week probably will that. And
they have two and four dollar pores that have made
them infamous for a cheap drink among Philly locals. Even
if this isn't the end game for a night out,
Kung Fu should be a stop on the way. It's
one of those loud and proud old school spots that
are few and far between these days, and since it's

(19:07):
been in business since two thousand and eight, the fact
that it's still going strong fourteen years later is another
testament to the booking and how the clubs are on
catch the likes of the legendary Pink Dots, the Schizophrenics,
or De Soto Jones. Just a word of advice, this
place books anything from death metal to singer songwriter nights,
so check the calendar to determine exactly what kind of

(19:29):
face melting you're in for. But let's be real, most
of you want to get your faces melted by the
indie rock darling du jour, and the best place to
get a glimpse of the next best thing in a
market like Philly is to check out World Cafe. Yes,
that World Cafe. As I mentioned before and I will
again before the end of this episode, Philly is home
to many an infamous taste making cultural programming, World Cafe

(19:51):
being one of them. This musical hall is housed in
an old factory that's brimming with Art deco vibes. But
it's when XPN Radio Studios join the scene and began
broad casting World Cafe Live that things really started the
heat up for the venue. It was born in two
thousand and four, partly because the more adult crowd and
Philly needed a place to see live music, and partly
because the u XPN needed new radio studios. Free shows

(20:13):
are occasionally on offer, but if you know your dates,
you want to make sure the acting question alignes whether
your preferred level of face melting. I recommend buying an
advance on this program. We're more in the habit of

(20:36):
being a reverent than reverend, but the Fillmore is one
of those places where you must you must, in the
words of Beyonce, respect that and bow down. It is
the continuation of a legacy that began in San Francisco
in nine and you won't be shocked to learn a
venue located in our beloved fish Town. I would never

(20:57):
presume to appropriate Philly slang while visiting, but calling this
venue the city's main nawn wouldn't be incorrect, just description wise,
just using the tongue of the street as it were.
So what is the Filmore. It's the place where Jimmy
Fallon awarded the Roots with their own star in the
Philly Walk of Fame. It's the place where Quests Love
often hosts a monthly residency in the smaller Foundry, a

(21:21):
venue within the venue, but the real room at the
fillmore capacity Stunner is a continuation of what the venue
started in the sixties and seventies in the Bay Area.
At this point, Bill Graham's dream to create a network
of epic music venues is being carried out only in
spirit by the larger booking companies who run the industry.
But if there was any of them that would step

(21:43):
into a role as a neighborhood haven in its own right,
it would be the one planted in Philly since opening
in which sounds very recent, but due to the brain
tricks COVID nineteen has played on all of us it
was actually seven years ago. This venue has hosted the
likes of Kid Cutty, Hall and Oates, Kurt Vile, Grizzly Bear,

(22:03):
My Bloody Valentine, Carly Ray Jepson, Motion City Soundtrack, The
Flaming Lips, and Goose. It's a place of beauty and
a legend in the making. It's a vatican that's both
for the future generation and the present at once, and
that's a rare collision, but a welcome one. If you

(22:31):
think I'm talking about the Roots a lot, We'll wait
till you get a local on the line. If there's
one thing music lovers in this town are united about,
it's absolute adulation for the massive festival that their hometown
band throws every year for this city, The Roots Picnic
is the perfect event to align with your calendar. It
gets a whole host of contemporary stars out of this

(22:53):
city for a solid one or sometimes two days of
unabashed black excellence and other artists are invited to like
the at Keys Vampire Weekend in St. Vincent along with
John Legend, Kit Cutty, Ericabado, De Angelo Farrell, Raphael Sadick
and Mary J. Blige you know a picnic. Since two

(23:15):
thousand and eight, the picnic has been going strong pandemic notwithstanding,
and since eleven of the events iterations have taken place
in June, that might be the correct time to get
a ticket to ride and hang out at the Man
at Fairmount Park in Philly. I got two tips for

(23:38):
you for a hidden gem took site various sensations in
the body and mind. One, if you're feeling a bit
of sensory overload, take a walk to the Rodan Museum
and wander the quieted hallways full of the work of
one of the greatest sculptors of all time. This is
the largest collection of his work outside Paris, and it
will stun you. Rode I was a man who breathed

(24:01):
life into what was at the time a dying art form.
Some might say certain types of music are dying art
form right now. Maybe our forms never really die. We
just need to talk about ship. But Rodin wasn't just
interested in the form of the human body. He was
obsessed with expressing the raw energy of the human spirit,
which is obviously very rock and roll. And if you

(24:23):
are out there from May to December you can stroll
into the garden area, where live music and cocktails will
transport you to a mini Luxembourg Gardens so you can
feed your eyes and mind in addition to your ears.
The other hidden gem is so hidden I don't even
really know the address. All I can tell you is
to look for a black door somewhere near twenty and

(24:44):
Ranstead Street. You can also sneak in through the back
of a Mexican restaurant on the same block, but it's
more fun if you figure it out by yourself. If
you're lucky, you'll make it to the Ranstead Room, an
authentic nineties style speakeasy with everything you want from such
an experience, warm dark wood, low light, leather booths and cocktails.

(25:05):
They will treat you right if you can find it.
I'm still looking myself, so tag me if you make
it there to leave me some breadcrumbs. And here we
are again, preparing for a trip, this time to Philly.
And everybody's uncle is gonna say to you you gotta

(25:27):
watch Rocky or The Sixth Cents or Philadelphia. But your
trusted podcast host is going to tell you to go
to YouTube and search for the Roots live at the
North Sea Jazz festival and let that play while you're
getting ready for your trip. Maybe you have a really
excellent portable Bluetooth speaker that you can sink it with.

(25:48):
And then I'm going to recommend the book A House
on Fire. It's about the Mighty three, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff,
and Tom Bell. It's a book about the sonics in
the business side of Philly soul in the rise and
fall all of Philadelphia International Records. A meticulously researched history
underscoring the endemic racism of the music business at that time,
revealing how three men were blocked from the major record

(26:10):
companies and outlets in Philadelphia, forcing them to create their
own label, sign their own artists, and create their own
sophisticated and melodious, string soaked form of rhythm and blues,
bestowing us the classic sounds of Philadelphia with dozens of
sixties and early to late seventies R and B greats
like didn't I Blow your mind this time? I'm stone

(26:32):
in love with you, I'll be around bad luck if
you don't know me by now, and ain't no stopping
us now. It's the kind of book you keep putting
down over and over just to keep adding these songs.
This new playlist, You're gonna pump everywhere you go. The

(27:03):
best way to wrap up a visit to Philly is
to remind you of the sheer force of history we're
dealing with when it comes to this music town. We're
talking decades upon decades of brilliance. That's why we need
to discuss the fact that American Bandstand. The American Bandstand
was started here right here, in a little studio where

(27:23):
it was initially hosted by local radio personality Bob Horne.
Initially just called Bandstand by Horn and his crew, the
studio was lined with pennants from local high schools in
the area, effectively centering it as a show about a
place and appealing to the hearts of the folks in
the city where it originated. In years later, the enterprising

(27:44):
Dick Clark stepped in and turned it into a program
that essentially became portal for the nation to discover rock
and roll music. But Hornley the groundwork for the show
to take off the way it did. Philly has always
held that portal quality, a place that's between aces, a
hub for things to pass through and emerge richer and
more in tune It's a reminder of how fervent an

(28:07):
American town can be when it comes to protecting its own,
nurturing them, and catapulting the best of the best onto
the national stage. In these days, the best way to
catch a new live band on TVs to go through
the channels of Late Night and if you flick on
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, you'll notice his backing
band to Philly hometown Heroes. Yes, we've mentioned them a

(28:27):
few times, but they deserve it. But think of it
more broadly, because the roots their success story in the
way they give back to their community and its wake.
That's exactly what Philly is, energy unbound, ready to be
contained by the people who realize what the city is.
It's a place to go and get ground and get
connected to the raw talent and energy that is shot

(28:48):
through this place. It's a city so full of electric
charge that it might run off the rails without a channel.
It's a place to put down roots and feel the
roots that are here, quite literally in totems like the
Liberty Bell, or more metaphysically, through the power of quest Love.
Black Thought in one of the most successful hip hop
bands in the world. It's a collective from Philly who
take the stage every night on national TV and remind

(29:09):
the audience without fail of their artistic power, raw currents
of talent ready to rip through this nation's system. That's Philadelphia.
Commit to the current or get off the stage. And
that's what Sound of Our Town is looking for. That's
what this whole show is built upon. I mean, in
this time of existential exhaustion and sadness, it's a cool

(29:30):
twist of fate to have independent music venues close or
hanging on for dear life, or rebranding with a bank
just when we need them the most, when we need
that connection. That's spark where that ultimately ancient human expression,
which is the making of music that grounds us and
brings us home. So our show is about reminding some

(29:51):
and drawing in those who already know that spiritual nourishment
of music in a live setting, a communion, it is
the best medicine around. It's a pivotal step forward from
the muck and Meyer. This show is part guide, but
it's also part imperative truth, a beacon about the importance
of supporting live and independent music right now. It's the

(30:15):
purest of gifts. It's how places like Philly, Atlanta, Asbury
Park in l A grow to become more than just destinations.
When everything starts to look the same in America, music
can start to distinguish our places and add all kinds
of value, and it morphs into spiritual homes for troubadours
and wanderers in the next world changing, culture shifting artists

(30:39):
of our time. We've got to preserve and hold the
center for want our artists to thrive, explore, and keep
us all sane and in harmony. And one more thing.

(30:59):
Any time I get shocked by the microphone, at least
me rattled for the rest of the night, fearing the
next time my lips inevitably kissed that Mike, the circuit
will be complete and the charge will fly through me
like a bolt of lightning. But I persevere. The people
are here, and a little fear sometimes goes a long way,
And then I take great solace and the fact that

(31:20):
great minds have been trying to get themselves electrocuted in Phillies.
In seventy two, Ben Frank I probably heard of, famously
flew his kite into a thunderstorm and Philly to prove
that lightning was in fact electricity. And to show that
we've got everything right here, if we just go out,
Ben tried to catch that primal energy using a kite

(31:42):
in a key. There's an easier way for you to
do it. Just go catch some sounds in this town.
Well there you go, Episode eleven of Sound of Our

(32:04):
Town Season one. We've gotten to the eleventh episode because
of you, because of everyone listening, sharing, sending the episodes
to friends, following reviewing on Apple. All this stuff helps
so much and keeps the show going in building, So
thank you. If you want to chat about the music
scene in your city, hit me up on Instagram at

(32:25):
Will Daily Official or on Twitter at Will Daily. The
Sound of Our Town is a production of Double Elvis
and I Heart Radio. You can also hit us up
on the Instagram at Double Elvis or at Twitter at
Double Elvis f M. If you want us to cover
your town, your venue, your festival, whatever it is, just
reach out. The show is executively produced by Jake Brennan,
Brady Sadler, and Carla Karioli for Double Elvis. Production assistance

(32:48):
by Matt Bowden. The show is created, written, hosted, and
scored by me Will Daily writing on this episode by
Caitlin White and Samantha Farrell. For sources see the show notes.
Music for this episode was composed and performed by me
Will Daily. You can check out our music on you know,
anywhere there's there's music. There was an additional piece of
music where the artist Cliff notes in this episode, and

(33:08):
all the drumming in Sound of Our Town is by
producer and drummer extraordinaire Dave Brophy. Well, we have one
more episode for you this season, and it's going to
be a very special one. So I'm going to get
to work on that. Thank you for your ears.