Driftwood Soldier talks religion, the roots of rock n’ roll and Porchfest on 25 O’Clock
Philadelphia gutter folk duo Driftwood Soldier joins Dan Drago on his latest episode of the 25 O’Clock Podcast. In addition to their latest EP, Blessings and Blasphemy, bandmates Owen Lyman-Schmidt and Bobby Szafranski are co-organizers of West Philly Porchfest, and they discuss both things over the course of an hour and 20 minutes.
Of the recorded music, they share the thought process behind mixing interpolations of old gospel folk songs with more pointedly anti-religious music on the new EP; Lyman-Schmidt also reflects on resurfacing the original intentions of spiritual songwriting in an era where religion has been politically co-opted to create division. They also speak at length about the organizational undertaking that is Porchfest, and express their goal for ensuring that it is open to everybody and reflective of the West Philly community at large.
There are three live performances in the mix as well: “Rosalee” and “Not Me” from Scavengers’s Joy and “Wake Up Sinners” from Blessings and Blasphemy. Listen to the entire episode below, and get more information on West Philly Porchfest here.