In the brisk March of 2022, Philly garage rock four-piece Kelsey Cork and The Swigs spent four days hunkered down in their third floor walk-up on South Broad Street, recording their debut album Lollygagger…and WXPN was there to document the experience. Today, we’re releasing the first episode of Lollygaggers On South Broad, a multi-part series of documentary shorts following the band’s journey on that intensely creative and productive weekend and getting to know them as people along the way.
Half of the band has shared this same living space since 2019, with a parade of musicians, neighbors and creative collaborators coming and going in a fashion that lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Cork describes as “a true sitcom home.” That winter, with a killer batch of new songs in their repertoire, the band converted their expansive living room into a studio space with the assistance of Matt Schenck — a local producer they connected with while performing for the Unprecedented Sessions lockdown livestream series –and made an record.
“I’ve always wanted to live in a house where I can play music and be surrounded by music making,” says bassist Jacinda Arellano. “We’ve just got walls of guitars and amps and little things to mess around with, and a constant stream of friends to do it with.”
With guitarist Mattie Klauser and drummer Branden King rounding out The Swigs, the energy that weekend was explosive. “What we’re doing here is we’re capturing a raw performance,” says Schenck, calling the process a throwback to the early days of rock and roll production.
Below, watch Episode One of Lollygaggers On South Broad; stay tuned for the first single from the album, “Don’t Need You,” which releases this Friday; and keep a watch out for Episode Two, which releases early next month.