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

This past Friday night we had a chance to see Jake Huffman, former drummer of the band McLovin’s, kick start his solo career at MilkBoy on Chestnut. Huffman had been a part of McLovin’s for over 10 years and started with the band at the age of 14. After that, the band went silent. He decided that he wanted to continue his career in music as a solo artist.

The opening band, Rad and Kell, started off the show, and featured Matt Radomile and Kelly McGlynn. Their pop-soul sound comes from inspirations from Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Adele, Jason Mraz, Weezer, and many others. Their set was a mix of pop tunes and a lot of their original material. One of my favorites from their set was “Dirty Laundry” because of its R&B and pop-fuzed sound that made for such a great feel-good song. McGlynn has such an elegant vibrato that is so enticing, which only complemented her partner, Radomile’s voice. They had quite a crowd out for them, and being a part of that experience was such a special moment for me.

Before coming to Jake Huffman’s show, I had a phone interview with him to hear about his rise as a solo artist.

Jake Huffman: This past year I’ve been working to come up with a sound for myself, wrote a hundred songs and went out to LA to work with Andy Seltzer. He helped me get the ball rolling on my solo project. I also started teaching music at the School of Rock and working at a drum shop to take the time to really revamp my sound, so this was a huge growth year for me.

That Music Mag: How was working with Andy on your album?

JH: Being able to put space between the layers in music is one of the biggest things for me. In the studio, I was able to find my true sound, both for my music and in my actual voice. Once we found my authentic sound, I found that I was singing so much harder and louder than I needed to, and when Andy asked me to sing in the same way that I speak, it was a really cool thing to realize.

TMM: So how did you start getting into music then?

JH: Well, I started playing drums when I was 5 years old and my parents were always pushing me towards that. And I’ve been on the road touring from the age of 17 to 24.

TMM: How was it being on the road at such a young age?

JH: It was awesome! It was a dream come true!

We talked more about how things got moving again since he hadn’t been playing for a little after the breakup of the band.

JH: My first show was in October in New York at the Mercury Lounge and it was really nerve-wracking because I hadn’t played a show since McLovin’s a year and a half ago. I was so excited to get back out there. I’m standing up and singing, I’m playing drums and singing, and a bunch of other things for my shows. There’s a lot of movement and I’m very vulnerable in a new way. Sure, I’m a little nervous beforehand, but the minute I get on stage everything is fine and it’s a whole new situation for me.

TMM: Do you have any favorite moments from your shows on tour?

JH: So we were in Richmond, Virginia for a show and we started playing a song that wasn’t on an album. We looked out and everyone was singing the lyrics and it was awesome! Like everyone’s connected and on the same page.

When I went to his show, I saw for myself what he meant by a lot of movement, it looked exhausting! It kept it fun and exciting and there wasn’t a dull moment in the whole set. Everything from the changeover of instrumentation to his dialogue with his guitarist and the audience was so well planned out. The hard work he talked about was evident that night.

TMM: So what kinds of things do you use as inspiration for your songwriting?

JH: The biggest inspiration is all the people that I surround myself with. Other musicians, my parents, my girlfriend. I don’t have anyone negative in my life. Every city I go to brings a different vibe. I meet other people and I try to understand their story, where they come from, and it’s one of the nicest things as a musician. I find myself trying to take these small moments with others even longer because I just love connecting with them!”

The rest of the interview consisted of me picking his brain as a songwriter.

JH: Everything is through my eyes and my story, but spun in a way so everyone can take it and connect with it. I’ve had a lot of awesome opportunities, but also a lot of heartaches. Some were my fault and some not. I’ve had crazy experiences through music, but the drive to move forward is what pushes me. I use my art as a way to check in with myself – it’s important to check in with yourself. Depression, it’s very real and as a musician, sometimes you are not supposed to make it go away, but elaborate on it. Sometimes it’s detrimental to your health, but it’s important to get out there because we are the only people that do that for other people. It’s a tightrope to walk to see how far in the deep end you are going to walk and how far can you pull yourself back out to become human again. I really think that it’s all about getting to the next step and creating something for when I’m gone by leaving a trail of music and making sure others that need it, have it, and are not alone.

We spoke more about how songwriting has been an outlet for both of us, and being able to connect with someone on the same level was a hair short of perfection. From the beginning of the show to the very end, I didn’t think there was a single dull moment. Everything felt exciting and new and just like described to me in the interview. The chemistry between him and his guitarists was nothing short of exciting. The musicianship they both displayed was amazing. There was a great mix of genres, tempos, feels, and rhythms that made for such a well-rounded show.

If this is what we have to look forward to from Jake Huffman, I think I will be at every show anywhere near the Philadelphia area!