Golden Apples’ Russell Edling talks art, music, and collaboration on WXPN Local

Russell Edling is not just the singer, songwriter, and guitarist behind the Philly band Golden Apples; he’s also a visual artist and designer, and those two passions extend back to his childhood in Northeast PA.

In this interview on WXPN Local, Edling talks about growing up in Tamaqua and discovering DIY through his older sister and their circle of friends; we hear how he cut his teeth as a musician and a visual artist playing guitar and designing album covers for the much-loved band Kite Party. When he came to Philly in his late teens, his path diverged as he studied graphic design at Tyler School of Art, and chased his musical ambitions further, next in the band Cherry, and finally, in Golden Apples, who recently released their stunning third album Shooting Star on Lame-O Records.

In our chat, we hear about how that record addresses the existential dread of life in 2025; we hear about the collaborative community spirit that gave birth not only to this record, but his favorite creative projects. And we hear his thoughts on how a song can be similar to piece of visual art, and how it’s very different.

“I think the, the trick is to think about music not as a static thing,” he says. “It’s not just the same piece over and over again every night. It doesn’t get boring to play the same song if you’re on tour, if it’s a dynamic, evolving relationship.”

Listen to our conversation in the player above, and watch Golden Apples’ “Freeeee” video below. Shooting Star is out now on Lame-O Records and the band plays a hometown release party at Launderette Records in Port Richmond on Friday, October 3rd, and then returns to the stage during Philly Music Fest on October 17^th, where they’ll share a bill at Underground Arts with The Wonder Years.