Written by Angel Park

Milkboy Philadelphia is a live music venue, bar, and restaurant located amongst the hustle and bustle on Chestnut Street in Center City. The venue was opened in 2011 by co-owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff and has since been the host to some locally and nationally recognized musicians.

Tommy has been involved in the music industry for over 20 years wearing many hats, including roles as a music producer, sound engineer, and even as a singer/guitarist in Pep Rally, his band. We had the chance to chat with him about the origins of Milkboy, its role in the Philadelphia music community, and precisely what Pep Rally’s latest single, “Turn the Radio Up” really means.

For Joyner, the concept of Milkboy began when he was barely a teenager, inspired by his early love of recording music. 

“The idea for Milkboy started as a recording studio,” He explains. “I’ve been interested in recording since I was 14 and started experimenting with track recorders around the same age. A few years later, I started recording my band and made tapes for us. And then other bands asked me to make tapes for them. I and some of the guys in my band ran it as a recording studio for years before we got into the venue side of things.”

Milkboy had a recording studio in Ardmore where various acts would come through the doors to record. The concept of utilizing its space as more than just a recording studio reared its head in 2006 after some talks with his business partner and co-founder, Jamie Lokoff.  

“In 2006, Jamie and I decided to open up a little coffee shop associated with Milkboy Recording (down the street), so we could start getting into the venue side of the business,” Joyner recalls. “We also learned we wanted to provide a stage for bands, widen our footprint in Philadelphia’s music scene, learn more about it, and meet more people. With what we do with recording, it was all about the studio and giving us better access to more musicians.”

Milkboy Studios added Milkboy Coffee until 2011 when Joyner and Lokoff decided to move it to Philly and convert it to a two-floor bar area with stage space, and it’s been that way ever since.

When it comes to getting talent through Milkboy’s doors, Joyner is no stranger to the process.

“We have relationships with different agents and bands locally and across the country,” Joyner explains. “We’ll have an agent reach out to us and say, ‘hey, we think you should book this band because they’re gonna be big in six months, etc.’ And from there, we decide if we can book the band within two months before the album comes out or after it comes out. We work out a deal that’s best for both parties.” 

But the real key to booking great shows -according to Joyner, it’s about your network. 

“When it comes to finding new talent, It’s all about relationships, loving music, liking people and the different music pathways out there,” Joyner says.

 “Philadelphia music is a broad category,” Joyner quips, “There’s not just one genre dominating the city. For example, Philadelphia has a large gospel scene, hip-hop, R&B, and urban scene. But it also has this niche folk and indie rock scene, which you hear a lot of on, on stations like WXPN, which has been very influential in cultivating all of that.”

 In addition to the variety of music available in Philadelphia, Joyner also credits the community for being incredibly welcoming. 

“I think that we’re in many ways, we’re blessed because there’s a lot of quality artists in Philly,” Joyner explains, “And we don’t judge each other in Philadelphia by the color of our skin or the church that we worship or any of that stuff, we really judge each other by the contents of our record collection. Generally, there’s something for every genre fan here, and people find their groups in Philadelphia.” 

When he’s not busy booking shows to running Milkboy’s recording studio, Joyner writes music along with his bandmates in the group Pep Rally. 

“Pep Rally was a musical project that was a long time coming and has been with me for ages,” He states, “I’ve worked with so many other people on their records and never got around to finishing my own stuff.” 

As far as the inspiration behind the name itself? It’s all about feeling.

Tommy explains, “The name Pep Rally is really more a way to describe a feeling. What we’re trying to do with the band is have it feel like a fun time, which is good to listen to. Pep Rally’s music is really about fun and happiness and love.” 

On the subject of the band’s single “Turn the Radio Up,” Tommy said, “The song’s inspiration is from an idea about what would happen if everything was possible. Like what would life be like if you could do anything? It’s about the feeling of freedom. What if you could just grab the wheel and live life till you’re gone without all these kinds of day-to-day worries and concerns that we all have and without worrying about other people and what they think of you? I think you’d turn the radio up and drive around the world.”

 In addition to the studio and Chestnut Street’s venue, there is Milkboy South Street, where they host Open Mic every Monday night. During the summer, you can also go to The Oval XP on the parkway and check out the Milkboy Beer Garden.  

As for what’s next for Milkboy and Pep Rally? “We’re building out our show calendar for the upcoming fall and winter for Milkboy, so there’s a ton going on with that. And There’s more Pep Rally music coming out for sure! We released a second single, “South Street,” and are releasing a Remix for “Turn the Radio Up” by Klubjumpers in a couple of weeks, following our full-length album. We’re hoping to have it all completed by October.”

Milkboy Philadephia

Pep Rally on Spotify

Milkboy the Studio

Milkboy South Street

The Oval XP

Still roaring after releasing their self-titled debut back in 2018, the Seattle-based band Thunderpussy returned to Philadelphia this past Saturday at Milkboy Philly in what was one of their final shows on the last leg of an extensive summer of touring. Joining the four-piece were openers Hollis Brown who have accompanied them since late July, and the perhaps equally boldly named, Full Bush hailing from right here in Philadelphia. 

Opening the night, Full Bush kicked things off with lead vocalist Kate Breish applying the pressure to a noisy crowd with vocals that expertly fluctuate in intensity. Not to be drowned out Adesola (drums), Cassie (bass), and Jayne (lead guitar) each brought a unique flavor of post-punk to the mix. 

After a pause that included the person in front of me being escorted out by security, Hollis Brown, successfully erased the inherent awkwardness that had hushed the front of the stage with a short but sweet set. With a mixture of rock and Americana, the indie favorites displayed a seasoned sense of ease with guitarist Jonathan Bonilla notably providing several brief yet memorable solos to not insignificant number of the audience who had come just for them.

Following yet another uncomfortable incident toward the front of the stage that made me internally question what the hell had gotten into the crowd that evening, Thunderpussy started their set with guitarist Whitney Petty entering the stage solo. Drawing her bow across the strings of the guitar to produce a mythical build-up to a promisingly electric performance, the entrance of vocalist Molly Sides and company immediately turned up the hype.

With selections from their self-titled, their yet-to-be-released EP fittingly titled Milk It, and a notably faithful cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” expectations were met and exceeded. Filling up the stage with occasional high-flying antics, thunderous vocals, and guitar licks that immediately conjure up any number of classic rock stalwarts, Thunderpussy are a band that should sincerely be experienced live. 

Sides enthusiastically did her part in spreading an optimistic message of hope and love, of breaking down borders and not creating them, that is so central to the foundation of the band. That message culminated in an exercise of trust and friendship which oddly enough ended in an awkward handshake with Breish from Full Bush following a prompt from Sides to the crowd. 

It was a weird, very sporadically uncomfortable, but by-and-large wonderful evening at the classic upstairs venue. As a final PSA when attending a live event; respect a person’s personal space, maybe drink in moderation, and just be in the moment.

by Brittany Rotondo, Contributing Writer

Philadelphia’s MilkBoy is a charming chameleon of the City’s backbone. The restaurant, café, bar and live music venue has had its fair share of attributes throughout the years, most notably in its humbled beginnings, founded by owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff.

“To us, that means that we could take a risk eventually and it could go as professionals, which we did. It became caught up in what we thought it would,” explains Joyner about he and Lokoff’s partnership.

What started as a local recording studio in North Philly has turned into more than a brand, more than a business, and is gradually scaling the summit that is the entertainment and hospitality industries of Philadelphia and beyond.

Grammy-nominated MilkBoy the Studio (Located adjacent to Franklin Music Hall, formerly Electric Factory) offers premier recording spaces that have captured the sounds of artists spanning from Kanye West to James Taylor, Erykah Badu, and Miley Cyrus.

MilkBoy Recording offers four separate studios that specialize in customized mixing, monitoring and expertise. The SHAKE offers audio post for film, TV, web and sound design. They have earned 2 EMMYs, 4 CINEs, 10 ADDYs and 2 dozen TELLYs.

After relocating its original setting to Ardmore, then subsequently on to Center City, MilkBoy was officially born. Located at 11^th and Chestnut, the two-floor building caters to resident foodies with a fully stacked food and beverage menu downstairs featuring the Hangover Burger and an endless list of draft IPAs. Live entertainment echoes upstairs, highlighting local and national touring musicians alike. See upcoming events here.

You keeping up?

The venue recently expanded onto the most infamous and interesting strip of Philadelphia: South Street (401 South St) The addition sees That Mag’s sponsored weekly open mic night amplifying with each passing week, cultivating to a greater audience.

The open mic, Homegrown Showcase, features local artists and musicians competing for the ultimate reward of a cash prize, a record contract with Milkboy Studios CDs/Printing from Mirror Image Media, Promotions through REC Philly and a publishing contract with Pint Publishing.

“It feels really good for us to be doing an open mic and working in this way to connect with artists who are not famous yet, as well as people that are well known,” explains Joyner. “The music, the connections. That’s why it’s been successful because there’s a lot of heart in it. It comes from the studio and how we started the whole thing.”

The battle royale takes place every Monday with a winner announced, each week, each month and finally, an ‘End of the Year’ full set showcase brings the frontrunners to a finale face-off.

“We make our open mic a little more exciting by setting it up in a way where there’s a standout performer each week. It’s low pressure, but we’ve got folks who are bringing their ‘A’ game,” says Joyner. “We’re looking to break an artist out of our market and out of Philadelphia. The talent is all over the map.”

On the addition of MilkBoy on South Street coming to fruition, “It’s very humble and the only normal bar on South Street! When I first moved to Philly, South Street was Philadelphia,” Joyner exclaims. “I lived at 4^th and Monroe when all the venues kinda started to drift away. The opportunity came to take over the lease on that building and we were encouraged by some of the people in that neighborhood. It’s been very cool. It’s wild the stuff that we’re seeing. It’s fresh, it’s special. We’re excited!”

MilkBoy’s trademark seeps into neighboring avenues and continues to grow with a brand-new venue in College Park, Maryland. The empire has fathered three locations, and now the expansion to another state entirely at MilkBoy Arthouse. Say that five times fast. What sets this location apart from the rest, is the multitude of creative channels available within the setting itself.

“The reason it’s called MilkBoy Arthouse is that it’s in conjunction with the University of Maryland, we’ve partnered with them on the space. We’ve done art, dance, theater, it’s more overall artistic than just a music venue,” Joyner describes.

Owners Joyner and Lokoff not only have dabbled into the local music scene, but they also have an agenda that includes sound design, audio production TV and film. Notably, the pair’s producer credits of Slow Learners, a romantic comedy the two conspired on, that has reached Sundance and the Tribeca Film Festival’s radar. Talk about a resume. Also in the works is another movie project, quietly under wraps. “We continue to push ourselves artistically,” Joyner states.

When asked if there’s more expansion in the future, without missing a beat, Joyner undoubtedly counters, “Definitely. We’re not done.”

Whether you want a Pharmacist cocktail, crabcake sliders, a kicking rock and roll show, a road trip or a simple cup of coffee, just follow the addresses in these lines. MilkBoy is forging a certain class of cool and keeps on cementing their name’s in a special place of Philadelphia history.

Photos by MilkBoy’s Sites.

By Hannah Zaic

As fans, judges, and musicians, anxiously await the start of the show in the Hard Rock Cafe’s dimly lit dining room, the mood is excited, perhaps even optimistic. Patrons, expecting just dinner with a side of rock & roll relic, are pleasantly surprised by a bonus concert by some of Philly’s best country and folk artists.

Tonight’s leg of the city-wide battle of  PHL LIVE Center Stage will be judged by three of the most influential figures in the Philadelphia music scene: That Mag publisher, Brian Cronin; Executive Director of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, Justin Nordell; and WXTU Music Director and Radio Personality, Mark Razz.

Before shifting their full attention on the PHL LIVE country and folk finalists, the judges could be found socializing at the marble slab bar, catching up with fans, friends, and other individuals, sipping drinks, and trading war stories from the grueling music industry. The finalists performing this night were Man About a Horse, Ami Yares, Alex Mery & the Townsmen, Jessica Graae and Black Horse Motel.

You can log onto iRadioPhilly to see the highlights and to listen to the performances.

Our master of ceremonies is the illustrious Jennifer Logue of Rock On Philly. Logue is the first talent to take the stage before our finalists join her one-by-one for a discreet and organized mic check.  

It was a great night to be in Center City and regardless of the competitive nature of the event, everyone in the room was eager to show why our arts community is unlike any other in the world. Simply put, fans, judges, and musicians came for a friendly competition, but also stuck around to cheer each other on.

This display of mutual respect between artists, to and from the fans, is right in line with what PHL LIVE’s creator, Philadelphia Councilman-at-Large, David Oh, first imagined for the contest. During its second run, the multi-venue, genre-crossing event series is bigger and better than ever and shows no sign of slowing down.  

That Mag was lucky enough to sit down and talk with the councilman between acts. Otherwise, for most of the evening, he could be found at one of the tables near the stage, enjoying great music, as well as a few jokes told by our finalists and MC.

You wouldn’t think that a Republican Councilman would be inspired to create a music events series as successful as PHL LIVE. However, after attending a film festival, Councilman Oh was inspired and wondered if his music series should be structured similarly to the film festival.

Unlike most inaugural music festivals, adding a competitive spin would attract a fair amount of local, independent artists who are actually paid for their work. Since 2011, Councilman Oh has been bringing his notoriety (and cash) to local artists, while also serving as our city’s first Asian-American elected official! How cool is that?!

The culmination of 2017’s contest is going to be the PHL LIVE Awards Show held at the Trocadero, tonight, December 15th. For those of you looking to get involved next year, there are ten genres you could compete in for the grand prizes, which are as follows:

ANNOUNCING PHL LIVE CENTER STAGE

Coor’s Light Presents PHL LIVE Center Stage: 2017 Prizes

Grand Prizes for each of the 10 music category winners and the People’s Choice winner:

1. $1,000.00 for each of th 11 winners (total of $11,000.00 in prize money)
2. City Council Citation awarded to each of the 11 winners at the Awards Show in December at the Trocadero Theater
3. Resolution presented to the group of 11 winners in City Council

(You can find more information about PHL LIVE’s 2017 finalists, terms, conditions and prizes at www.phllive.org.)

Since the finalists are beating out so many other acts to play for a judge’s panel of industry heavyweights, the concerts held around the city at stellar venues like Milkboy #1 & #2, The World Cafe Live and The Hard Rock Cafe are guaranteed to be Philly local talent at its best. Better get out there and see them play before they aren’t so local anymore!

Here is to another epic year with PHL LIVE and to many, many more to come. Onwards, to the Trocadero!

At MilkBoy Philadelphia Friday night, Bellenoit performed in support of his newest release, Home Songs, Vol. 2.  He and his four-piece band kicked things off with “When I Leave”, which was quite characteristic of his songwriting style; it flooded the room and immediately resonated, especially the melismatic “oohs” that serve as the chorus.  The following song, “Your Face”, a sprightly tune with somber undertones, inspired some waltz-like dancing in MilkBoy’s mostly standing-room second level.

“Besides” seemed to be a point of intensity, one of Bellenoit’s strongest numbers to date.  It prompted some singalong, coming through full and lush through MilkBoy’s stellar sound system.  The guitarist switched to accordion for “To Be Free” from Home Songs, Vol. 1.  This is a great song- its minor feel and taunting guitar riff are synergistic support for the very bluesy melody line Bellenoit sings so effortlessly.  The song contains one of his more daring melodies, in my opinion, conjuring a bit of a Beatles or Turtles vibe.

A yet-to-be-recorded song entitled “When We Both Belong” proved a little more pop-y than the tracks from Bellenoit’s latest EP, but that wasn’t a bad thing.  The accordion in tandem with electric guitars bridged the gap between the tenderness of folk and the harshness of rock.  He really strutted his guitar stuff for “Lockless Heart” from his 2010 release Eight Track Mind.  It was definitely a highlight of the set, a couple audience-members shouting “Rock out!” when the song had ended.

It’s amazing that a tune can start out so contained and almost wholesome, but can transform into a vicious, violent, all-out brawl of a rock song.  That more or less encompasses “This Time Around”, and that’s what a lot of Bellenoit’s songs are made of.  His music has two sides- an accessible brand of rock and a jam-heavy derivative of Robert Plant or Pink Floyd.  The incendiary and eclectic set ended very appropriately with an Elvis Costello cover, “Riot Act”.

www.rossbellenoit.com
Photo by: Lisa Schaffer