Two Rocks Rye – “What We’re Doing”

Brent Porche here and it's time for another song from MMR's Local Shots Artist of the Month. We play the featured band every Wednesday around 6:30pm, as MMR continues to feature talented artists from right here in the Philadelphia area.

This month's band, Two Rocks Rye, hails from the Doylestown area (BucksCo in the house!). The group consists of Matt Walters on guitar and lead vocals, Benjamin Smith on lead guitar, Brian Shaw on the drums, and Brendan Cassidy on bass. They started as an acoustic duo with Ben and Matt back in 2015 and soon Brian and Brendan jumped on board, and they've since released three full length albums together. Their latest, Back to Shine, came out last year.

Thanks to my pal Ray Koob, who filled in for me last week - he gave the band their on air debut with the song "0:07". You can always hear and see more from Two Rocks Rye on their band page.

They've got a few shows coming up this week if you want to hear their music live. On Thursday June 13th they'll be at Sports & Social Allentown from 6-9pm, and on Saturday June 15th you can see them at Ambler Arts & Music Fest for a daytime set at 12:30pm.

Let us know what you think of the song on Instagram and Facebook, and check out more Philly music at Local Shots HQ.

About WMMR’s Local Shots: WMMR has supported Philadelphia’s music scene since its inception in 1968. The station continues that tradition with the Local Shots Artist of the Month on air every Wednesday at 6:30pm, plus live events, podcasts, and more!

"Music gave me my voice—not just the transmitter of lyrics and melodies from the songs I write but my place in the world, my sense of belonging somewhere, and believing in something."

John Faye's impressive discography portrays an ever-evolving troubadour: The Caulfields, IKE, John & Brittany, and Those Meddling Kids are just a few of the many projects he's lent his voice to. Now, he's venturing into a different medium by publishing a book.

John's career in summed up in The Yin and the Yang of It All: Rock'n'Roll Memories from the Cusp as Told by a Mixed-Up, Mixed-Race Kid. The memoir is "about the discovery of a voice, a tribe, and a musical ethnicity that runs far deeper than his Korean/Irish roots." The Philadephia music scene is prominently featured in the book, as John has spent most of his life in our city, working to uplift the community and nurture new artists. 

Pierre and Sara were at the release show at the Ardmore Music Hall where he presented the book in a unique format. The various bands that have played with him over the years were all present, providing an instrumental backdrop as John read selections from the book. In between readings he'd perform songs from a corresponding era of his discography before reaching for the book to read another highlight. This wasn't a quiet poetry reading by any means - this was a full electric performance, turned up to eleven, with the energy to match.

Below are highlights from John's book release show. The Yin and the Yang of It All is available in hardcover, digital and audio formats. Order your copy here.

Those Meddling Kids
Orbit
Puzzle Piece
Translation

The Caulfields
Book of Your Life
The Day That Came and Went
Figure It Out
Devil's Diary
President of Nothing
Born Yesterday

Sug & Sam
Lightning in a Bottle

Those Meddling Kids
Church and State
One Way to Avalon
Into Philadelphia
Sell Your Soul as an NFT

The Caulfields
Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain & Tennille cover)

"Philadelphia Freedom was real, and I was feeling it for the first time all over again."

Read - or listen to - The Yin and the Yang of It All here.