"Talking At The Diner" Podcast

<p>My guest on Ep. 56 of TatD is someone whose persistence and sheer tenacity in keeping her music career alive and thriving is something I deeply relate to.</p><p><strong>Zou Zou Mansour</strong> - the driving force behind Philly rock band <strong>Soraia</strong> - has seen so many changes in her over twenty years fronting the band that she knows “better than this” when it comes to being attached. And this makes the longevity of the creative core of her band all the more special. While Soraia has definitely seen its share of guitar players come and go - I even did a brief stint with the band back in 2022 on some dates opening for <strong>Joan Jett</strong> - the foundation of Zou Zou, bassist <strong>Travis Smith</strong>, and drummer <strong>Brianna Sig</strong> (herself a previous guest on this show and an OG Meddling Kid) has remained constant for a decade.. no small feat.</p><p>With a long history of working with big names like <strong>Little Steven Van Zandt</strong> and <strong>Jon Bon Jovi</strong>, the band has evolved into a self-driving touring machine that shows no sign of letting up.</p><p>With a brand new single called <strong>“Queens and Pharaohs”</strong> dropping this month, the band continues to churn out gritty rock 'n' roll songs with Zou Zou’s lyrical vision at the center.</p><p>We met up recently at the <strong>Llanerch Diner</strong> in Upper Darby, PA and talked about her musical roots, some sweet memories of her many encounters with Joan Jett, and a surprisingly in-depth discussion of how we both started out as drummers. I think you’re going to enjoy this conversation. I know I did!</p><p>Enjoy!<br>JKF &lt;3</p>

<p>What's up, diner buddies!</p><p>Well, with yet another major snow event heading toward my hometown of Buffalo.. errrrrr.. Philadelphia, I'm happy to report I was able to find a window of decent weather to head back down to the hometown of my youth - Newark, DE - to meet up with my friend Marcus Slade, otherwise known as Marchitect. I recently got to hang with Marcus at Smiley's Diner, which holds the distinction of being the first "diner" where I really spent a lot of time, housing many a "Moons Over My Hammy" (iykyk) back in the day when it was a Denny's and I was coming up in the Newark scene, playing places like the Deer Park Tavern and the Stone Balloon, a legendary, now-defunct club, whose owner was once married to Jill Biden and was also recently arrested and charged with murdering his second wife. YIKES. But I digress.</p><p>Marchitect is a rapper with an encyclopedic knowledge of music history. He actually was raised in upstate NY so he knows all about rough winters. He eventually moved to Delaware and became a fixture in Newark, where he's been a central figure in projects like the 49ers, Fat Daddy Has Been, and The Iguana Realty Company.<br>He’s performed with and rubbed elbows with some of the biggest names in the game and he’s also the author of the audiobook “Becoming The Man” AND a member of the musical collective for Shine A Light - the annual benefit concert for children’s music education held this year on March 7th at the Queen in Wilmington. It was at the rehearsals for Shine A Light, where I realized how deep this man’s musical well truly goes. We’ve had great chats about all kinds of music and life in general and I knew he would make a great guest on this show. <br>You can keep up with Marchitect - but I warn you, he moves fast - on his Instagram:<br>@marchitect49</p><p>Enjoy!<br>~ JKF &lt;3</p>

<p>I'm excited to bring you the first installment of <strong>"Talking At The Diner"</strong> for 2026.. the year of our lord. My guest on Ep. 54 is is none other than my bandmate from the <strong>John Faye Power Trip</strong> and <strong>IKE</strong>..... Drumroll please...... that's right, it's <strong>Cliff Hillis</strong>!  
</p><p>Now, even though Cliffy and I officially stopped playing together in 2006, we have never stopped supporting each other and getting back together when the stars aligned. Last year, in fact, we played a fun acoustic show together for <strong>Record Store Day</strong> at <strong>Forever Changes</strong> in Phoenixville, and we also got loud for the first time in a long time at the sold out IKE reunion show at <strong>MilkBoy</strong> in Philadelphia in May.<br><br>The roots of our 3+ decade friendship go way back to our younger days in Delaware, where I first encountered Cliff playing around Newark in on of his first bands - <strong>The Name</strong> - while I was writing on filthy bar floors and wearing toilet seats around my neck as the front man of the <strong>Beat Clinic</strong>, the band that would later morph into the <strong>Caulfields</strong>.<br><br>We continued to cross paths as his musical journey progressed in bands like <strong>Mystery Machine</strong>, <strong>Tisra Til</strong>, and <strong>Starbelly</strong>. The opportunity to play the first <strong>International Pop Overthrow</strong> festival in Los Angeles in 1998 put Cliff and me onstage together for the first time and we kept on rockin' until the end of 2006, which  was a tumultuous year for Cliff on a personal level. He lost both his parents that year and made the decision to part ways with IKE to pursue his own path. And the result of that decision has yielded a stupendous catalog of music, which scratches any power pop itch you may have.<br><br>We met up in early January for a weekday hang at <strong>The Local</strong> in his longtime adopted hometown of Phoenixville, PA and had the kind of relaxed, familiar conversation that only two people who traveled the country in a van can have.<br><br>I hope you enjoy our conversation!!
~ John ❤️<br><br>You can follow the various antics of Cliff Hillis here:
<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://cliffhillis.com%E2%80%A8">https://cliffhillis.com
</a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://patreon.com/cliffhillis">https://patreon.com/cliffhillis</a></p><p> </p>

<p>Happy December, FAYE-treon Friends!
For the final 2025 episode of "Talking At The Diner," I got together with one of the Philadelphia music scene's most compelling personalities. Kara Koser is the bold and dauntless leader of KOSER .. the band that - rightfully so - has her name on it. Her musical vision blends alt-rock stylings with her soulful voice, electronic flourishes, and a band of high-level players to create a musical collective that is equally potent and at-home in front of traditional rock audiences, jam-leaning festival crowds, or a room packed with 20-something college kids (as you'll hear us discuss).<br><br>In addition to being a top-tier live performer with a vocal range that would inspire envy in most of the singers I know, Kara is also a person who has delved into some pretty dark spaces in her life, yet has come through it all to emerge as an artist to reckon with while remaining a kind and grounded human. This is not to say that there are not times when even she takes a cold hard look at her online antics and realizes that she.. much like myself.. might be unwell.. but in the best possible way.  
I met up with Kara in Springfield, Pennsylvania at the aptly named Springfield Diner, where we had ourselves what can only be described as a time. 😁<br><br>Follow Koser here:
<br>Website - Kosermusic.com
<br>IG - @kosermusic
<br>FB - https://www.facebook.com/kosermusic/  <br><br>I hope you enjoy this wonderful conversation as much as I did! This is the perfect ending to another year of TatD, and I can't wait to have more great chats with more amazing artists in 2026! Thank you as always for your support, which not only funds this show and feeds working musicians, but it also allows me to wholeheartedly pursue all my creative endeavors. I cannot tell you what that means to me. In a word: EVERYTHING. So, thank you all again!<br><br>Happy Holidays!
<br>~ JKF ❤️</p>

<p>Hello Breakfast Buds!</p><p>For episode 52 of <strong>"Talking at the Diner,"</strong> I'm back at <strong>Bob's Diner</strong> in the lovely Roxborough section of Philadelphia.. AGAIN! There’s clearly something in the "wooder" round those parts.. lots of the city's most creative artists live there, and my guest <strong>Lia Menaker</strong> is one of the most talented and unique performers on the rise in our music community. if you’re not familiar with Lia.. when get on the bus, babe.. because her music is an addictive blend of soulful jazz-inflected vocal hooks, piano chops, live looping, and an easy-going charm.</p><p>I first encountered Lia at a songwriter round in Philadelphia, which also featured three performers I know very well, all good friends and previous guests on TatD - Andrea Nardello, Sug Daniels, and Emily Drinker. Lia was the only member of the lineup I was unfamiliar with but she absolutely brought down the house and made a lot of new fans, myself included.<br><br>It’s been an interesting and somewhat unlikely journey that eventually led Lia to Philadelphia around 2019. She had what she considers a very "normal" upbringing in the mall haven that is north Jersey (with a heavy dose of musical theater up through high school). She earned a masters degree in public health with a focus on "global health disparities" and worked at the CDC in Atlanta before the pandemic. Prior to moving back above the Mason-Dixon Line, her drive to play music compelled her to book a 50-stop solo tour which took her all over the country.</p><p>Learn more about Lia:<br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://liamenaker.com/" target="_blank"><strong><u>LIAMENAKER.COM</u></strong></a><br><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.instagram.com/liamenaker/" target="_blank"><strong><u>INSTAGRAM</u></strong></a></p><p>Lia a super-engaging performer and I had a great time chatting with her. I’m excited to share our conversation, so enjoy!!</p><p>~ JKF ❤️</p>