Philadelphia's longest running music podcast (we think), with your host, Dan Drago. Conversations with artists and community, intimate musical performances, in-depth discussions on performing, touring, recording, and being alive.
Subscribe:.rss.atom.json.md.m3u.pls
Live Last read · last published · next check
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
Summer continues to perpetuate itself, and with comes a new playlist. 12 new tracks from Philadelphia artists are on display here for listening enjoyment. As always, check out the clickable playlist below and support the artists that you love. Flight Of Mavis- Holding Me Back Quarry- You've Changed Lia Menaker- Feed Me Sovei- January Beatrix Thorn- Gambler's Fallacy Planette Automatic- Mrs. Blue…
We're back from our brief but rejuvenating break. Dan is back in Hong Kong. But while he was in the USA this summer, he and John did a handful of interviews with Philadlephia music community people that we know you'll love. Joe Makoviecki fronts the band Jackson Pines , a folk band originally from the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey. Joe has called Philadelphia home for the last decade, but he…
Here's the short version: Dan and John were supposed to do a live podcast event at The Grape in Manayunk, but due to circumstances out of everyone's control, the event had to be cancelled. So they looked around at what else was happening that day, and decided to head over to Clark Park Fest in West Philadelphia . They ended up recording interviews and performances with a handful of the bands at…
The June playlist is here, and it is (as always) outstanding. Do check out the clickable playlist below, it has links to every artist included in this episode. Labrador- The Rosy Red World Hurry- Moving After You (feat. Gerard Love) Log Flume- Up By 9 O'Clock Caroline Quinn- Clanker Erin Fox- Orchard Lo Priestess- The Faker Brittany Ann Tranbaugh- When Our Timing's Right Nervous Nikki and the…
Labrador frontman Pat King sits down with John to talk about growing up in the rural Hudson Valley, being exposed to a lot of art and music through his father, and how countless family trips to New York City convinced him he was a city guy. Pat also talks about his bands, getting away from practicing them to death, and writing more like John Prine. He shares a performance of a new song, "Slow…
John sits down with Reese Florence in her home to talk about songwriting, stillness, and how live recordings can make the best albums. Reese raves about her neighborhood of Germantown, and even graces us with a new song called "Laura Palmer" from her upcoming release. Dan is back in the USA! And we're doing a live podcast event on 6/20 at The Grape in Manayunk . It's free, it's from 1-4:30pm, and…
We've got 12 new tracks from Philadelphia artists for your listening enjoyment. Highlights include new music from Keaton Thandi, Lovecartel, JULITH, Squiggler, and so much more. Check out the clickable playlist below, and support the artists you love! Party Nerves- 1-900-PROMETHAZINE Keaton Thandi- Anyway You Want It JULITH- Phantom Limb Dominy- Golden Age Squiggler- Hey Man You're The Best The…
John talks with Máty Rodriguez about growing up in New Jersey, her early days playing DIY shows, embracing all styles of music, her love of Sza, and how playing "Patience" by Guns N Roses will bring the house down every time. Máty shares the process of making her newest EP, working with her producer Justin, and how to use social media to say real things about yourself. Máty's latest EP, 'Stand Up…
Cliff Hillis has spent a lot of his musical career saying "yes" and then figuring it out. Dan talks to Cliff about all his roles in music: songwriter and singer, cowriter, guitar tech, touring musician, collaborator, and so much more. Cliff talks about his days playing Rehoboth Beach bars with his brother to working with bands like The Innocence Mission, Starbelly, John Faye Power Trip, Patty…
We've got eleven new tracks for you from Philadelphia artists, and there's always a little something for everyone. Check out the clickable playlist below, it'll take you to each artist's website/social media/etc, and you can support the music you love. If you're a Philadelphia area band, you can submit your music to dan.drago@25oclockpod.com . Include a link to where the song can be downloaded, as…
John talks with Maxwell Stern about growing up in Cleveland, the midwest punk scenes he began playing music in, moving to Philadelphia and finding a whole new community there, songwriting, and his love of The Clash (among many others). Maxwell's latest LP, 'In the Good Light' is out now wherever you get your digital music, as well as on his Bandcamp page . Follow Maxwell Stern on IG to stay up to…
We've got thirteen new tracks for your ears this month. If you're a band or artist in the greater Philadelphia area, send your music to dan.drago@25oclockpod.com , we're always happy to hear what's coming out. Check out the clickable playlist below, it links to you to every artist featured on this episode so you can support the music you discover and love. Stone Cold Grace- You're Always Leaving…
Sara Johnson is often known by her solo project Stone Cold Grace , under which she has been putting out music for quite. John Vettese sits down with Sara in her home to talk about her love of Jeff Buckley, her guitar playing journey, how to be creative in your spare time when you're also a creative for a living, Caring Less (the band she fronts), spinning epic 9 hour sets at 48 Record Bar in Old…
It's the first playlist episode fo 2026, and we are coming in strong. Lots of great Philadelphia artists have music coming out in the first few months of this year, and this is just a small sampling of what's out there. As always, click the playlist below to go right to the artists you love and make sure you support them. Love? Said The Commander- Eventide I Think Like Midnight- Polydactyl Gladie-…
Andrew Harris fronts The Naked Sun , a band that's been part of the Philadelphia community for over a decade. And when Dan hit him with the word "decade", Drew is still trying to wrap his head around it. Drew talks about the nearly three year process that went into making their newest LP, how their songwriting as a band has become more democratic and open, why he'll always return to Miner Street…
2025 is closing out, and we're taking a look at music that we loved from the year, as well as sharing holiday and year-end messages from some of our contributors. Big thanks to Nate Runkel, Drew Harris, Phillip reese, and John Vettese for sending messages this year, and thanks to all the contributors at 25 O'Clock in 2025. We couldn't make this happen without everyone involved. Enjoy the…
The Maks are a trio of veteran Philadelphia musicians who were just starting to maybe think about being a band when they ended up as the opener on a sold out show, and everything just took off from there. Long standing supporter of the podcast Maggie Poulos (and founder of boutique PR firm Mixtape Media ) talks with all three Maks: Melissa Menago, Angelique Zuppo, and Karina Patricelli, as well as…
Philadelphia music has a rich and long history, spanning every style imaginable, from jazz and soul to art rock to opera to doo wop and everything else. And who better to helm a book about the city's extensive music offerings than Electric Factory founder, Live Aid/Live 8 co-creator and Cobb's Creek native Larry Magid . Dan gets back in the interviewer seat for the first time in a while to talk…
After a few weeks break, we're back with another playlist episode. Enjoy these new tracks from Philadelphia artists, and remember to check out the clickable playlist below. Go support the bands and artists you love! Cadre Noir- Beach Dance Rob Rapp- To the Flag Laura Feigin- Attic Kat Rivers and the Second Sight- RED The Blackburns- Chances On Love Sun Within- Synthesis + Realization Marielle…
It's Philly Music Fest, and we wanted to highlight one more artist playing the fest this year. KulfiGirls are Abi, Joan, Adesole, and Stephanie, and they are all on the show. Nate Runkel of Yo That's My Jawn is sitting in the host chair this week, and he talks with KulfiGirls about it all: how they met, how they formed up as a band, all the work that went into their LP 'Divinity', the pain of…
John and Paige have a truly career spanning chat with Adam Shumski , drummer in Philadelphia bands like Planette Automatic (formerly The Lunar Year), and Brittany Ann Tranbaugh , as well as the newest addition to the New York based group Bodega . Adam talks about growing up influenced by his older brother's records, how studying jazz drumming made him ready to play anything, whether or not he'd…
September is almost gone, and autumn is nearly in full swing (at least in some places), and Philadlephia artists are putting out amazing music, as is to be expected. Dan presents you with 12 tracks from Philadlephia artists, so make sure you check out the clickable playlist below, and support the ones you love! 1. Work Drugs- On The Corner 2. DelCobras- Someday Soon 3. The Describers- I Ate The…
John and Paige are back, and they're sitting down with Grace Koon of Grace Vonderkuhn . Grace talks about the music community in Wilmington, Delaware, and how being even just a little outside of the greater Philadlephia area can change the whole way you form and flourish as a band. She talks about her bandmates, Brian Bartling and DaveMcGrory, and how they've refined the sound of the band over ten…
Back at it again with another playlist, featuring 11 tracks of new music from Philadelphia's finest artists. As always, check out the clickable playlist below, and go support the bands and artists you like. 1. Abi Reimold- High Tide 2. Jared Feinman- Bleeding Orange 3. Bel- Canadian Tuxedo 4. Brittany Ann Tranbaugh and Joe Plowman- See What Grows 5. Grace Vonderkuhn- Forever Loved 6. Planette…
Welcome our newest guest host, Judah Kim ! Judah talks with Blue Barnett of Best Bear , and it's a very open and honest conversation about all the things that go into being an independent musician, a songwriter, and an anxious human. Blue talks about touring, both with Best Bear and as the touring bassist for Hit Like A Girl , and all the logistics and work that goes into making music on the road…
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-…
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…
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…
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…
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. The Tisburys- Here Comes The Lonesome Dove The Describers- Home On Time (Sunrise) Kat Rivers and the Second Sight- Broken Promised Land Red Desert Motel- Cowgirl & Ramona Lo…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Just a few days before he took off for Hong Kong, Dan talks to folk singer-songwriter Andrea Nardello at her kitchen table in Philadelphia. Andrea talks about growing up the tomboy sister of older brothers just over the bridge in New Jersey, coming out of her shell to perform in college, and getting her start on the road while living in Atlanta at the beginning of her career. They discuss touring…
It's been a long time coming, but Dan finally sits down with Bruce Warren , recently retired program director from WXPN , Philadelphia's non-commercial radio station. Bruce talks about growing up in Northeast Philly, getting turned on by Philly soul, Motown, The Beatles, etc, starting a music zine to get into shows for free, and taking a random late night DJ shift at a burgeoning college radio…
Dan took a trip out to Wayne, PA to sit down with rock n' roll lifer Paul Keen ( Pawnshop Roses , Dead Flowers , Wolf & Vixen ). Paul talks about growing up loving the classic rock of his parents, especially The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Faces, and The Who, and finding a home in the Manayunk music scene at The Grape Room and Dawson Street Pub. Dan and Paul discuss the finer points of being…
We're back from January break, and in the home stretch before Dan heads off to Hong Kong. We're getting the year started off right with a great conversation with singer-songwriter Maria Mirenzi . Maria talks to Dan right at her dining room table about growing up in Mountain Top, PA, playing saxophone, being a "jazz kid", Temple music school, living in France, her first project Brother Martin ,…
And like that, the end of another year. Whether 2024 was a slog, a joyful ride, or something in between, we can all agree that if you measure a year by its music, it looks a whole lot better. Dan shares a playlist of tracks from Philadelphia artists from 2024. Some have been on the show, some he's only just discovering, and all of it is top notch. Check out the clickable playlist below, and have a…
Dan brings Ross Bellenoit back for another conversation, his last one was fall of 2016. A lot has been going on: Ross has continued to release music as a solo artist, as part of the face-melting jam band Muscle Tough , and as part of Don McCloskey's live band . On top of it all, he continues to produce records at Turtle Studios , and teach guitar to all ages and levels. Ross talks about growing up…
Dan sits down with pianist/composer/producer Corey Bernhard (currently a member of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert house band) about his journey from Boston to Philadelphia, and all the points in between. Steeped in the jazz and experimental scenes in Boston and New York, Corey landed in Philadelphia and founded Killiam Shakespeare, a beloved Philly insturmental hip-hop group. he's played with…
Dan has talked to John Faye on the show before ( twice, actually ), but this time they're doing it live. On December 4th, 2024, John held a vinyl listening party for his new LP, 'The Long Game', at 48 Record Bar in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. He asked Dan to come interview him live on stage in front of an audience, they recorded it, and decided it was cool enough to share with the…
Dan has a full house this week with Sexton Sideshow founders Paula and Jim Minacci. As the sextons (or caretakers) of Old Swedes' Church in Philadelphia since 2000, they started having events featuring Philadelphia artists like Deadfellow, Low Cut Connie, and EJ Simpson's long running one-man 'Jesus Christ Superstar' production. Paula and Jim talk with Dan about how they got into doing shows,…
The last time Brendan Johnson of Stella Ruze was on the show , it was with his bandmate Katie O'Donnell, and it was less than a week before the world shutdown in March of 2020 (Dan didn't have another in-person guest for nearly a year and a half). It's been almost five years, but Brendan comes back to talk to Dan about the band, some line-up and life changes amidst them, and how embracing…
Dan was moved to reach out to a seemingly anonymous person, based solely on liking his concert photography. And through that, Dan talks to Jersey Wall (or Eric, as he's known to some) for one of his first podcast appearances ever. Eric talks about growing up moving a lot, his dad's record collection, going to shows as a rite of passage into growing up, and his lifelong love of technology and…
Dan traveled up to Newtown, PA to sit with Dirty Dollhouse front-woman Chelsea Mitchell in her shop, Newtown Book & Record Exchange , along with her bassist Josh Machiz. Chelsea talks about growing up in Newtown, being an anxious, book-obsessed kid, and how she found her way into music by playing in the church worship bands and choir (where, as a bonus, she received classical voice training). She…
Dan and and Kat Rivers met over a Philly music Discord, and started doing Monday co-working sessions at an Olde City coffee shop with a rotating cast of musicians and creatives. Kat talks about growing up in Paduka, Kentucky, her many years in musical theater (including the Walnut Street Theater, which is what brought her to Philadelphia), and stepping away from theater to focus on performing…
Dan recovers from a week of Philly Music Fest with a playlist episode. Ten tracks of Philadlephia music goodness, including a couple from the 'Want To Play A Song?: Live On 25 O'Clock Vol. 1' compilation out now exclusivley via Bandcamp. Also, Dan shares some big news, so don't miss that! Clickable playlist is below, support that artists you love! 1. Aaron Parnell Brown- Always Everything 2. Kate…
Dan talks with Josh Ostrander, aka Mondo Cozmo , from his basement studio in Los Angeles. After mutually admiring each other's set-ups through their computer screens, Josh talks to Dan about growing up outside Philadelphia, all the ups and downs with his previous groups La Guardia and Eastern Conference Champions, and the hard decision to shift to a solo project back in 2016. Since then Josh has…
