Tommy Joyner on New Single “Roll Around” by Pep Rally
Tommy Joyner, a key figure in Philadelphia’s music scene and co-owner of multiple GRAMMY-winning recording studios MilkBoy the Studio, is the guy you want to know if you’re in or around the City of Brotherly Love, looking for gigs or well-produced tracks for your new album. After many years of devoting himself to helping his fellow musical kindred spirits, he realized it was time to step back into the spotlight. Pep Rally is the two-piece musical outfit that embodies his spirit of musical exploration and sonic excellence. Their distinctive indie rock sonic vibrations and innovative production values have set them apart from the crowd.
“Roll Around” is a duet that digs into the tumultuous relationship cycle marked by repeated breakups and reconciliations. Tommy Joyner and bandmate Emily Roane’s vocals bring the song to new heights, superbly complementing one another. The song’s lyrics, set in the form of a lengthy text thread, capture the complex and sometimes toxic nature of a love that seems to never fully end—always coming back to each other, despite the challenges and heartache. It’s a raw portrayal of a relationship that, while intense and passionate, is also fraught with conflict and unresolved feelings.
The Visuals
The music video for Roll Around, directed by Amy Roy, offers a unique and engaging twist by bringing the song’s tumultuous relationship to life through a series of text message conversations. It’s a clever lyric video that, ironically, contains none of the song’s lyrics! Instead, it dives deep into the chaotic and sometimes humorous exchanges between two people stuck in a never-ending cycle of breaking up and making up.
Tommy Joyner weighs in on the new project!
What’s the story behind the name “Pep Rally”? How does it reflect the energy and spirit of your music?
We’re called Pep Rally because we both play percussion and like outfits, hahaha! Emily has an MFA in percussion, really knows her shit, and I (Tommy) play drums, well, I even played briefly for Digable Planets. We love to hit things and and love the energy that comes off the skins when we hit them in time together. It’s like a pep rally for our souls, and we’re inviting you along:)
Pep Rally’s sound seems to blend classic and modern rock influences. What artists or bands have shaped your music style, and how do they influence the Tommy Joyner creative process?
We’re big fans of 80’s new wave like Talking Heads and Devo, and that sound is mutated because there’s only 2 of us making ALL the music. We are also big fans of Pomplamoose – they really cracked the code for the “what you see is what you hear” kind of video and we were very inspired by them.
How involved was the band in the creative direction of the music video? Did you have a specific vision going into it, or did it evolve during production?
Very! It was something that (Director) Amy Roy and I cooked up with some great friends who work in advertising, Steve O’Connell and Steve Red. Amy wrote the script and she kinda did it in my ‘voice’ and wow, did she nail me.
What do you hope fans will take away from the visual elements of the video, and how do you think it enhances the song’s message?
The song is about love, in particular when you don’t LIKE the person you love! There’s something that always hangs on like, “what if it’s different this time?” The video takes the idea that is contained in the song lyrics, then throws it away and shows what’s happening BEHIND the lyrics.
What’s your approach to songwriting—do you focus on the music first or the lyrics, and how do you know when a song is “ready”?
We like to riff a lot and songs usually come out of that process. An idea or a turn of phrase then BOOM, it becomes a complete vision. I don’t think we know it’s ready until we try to record it. It can just be on our phones or whatever, but when we listen back we can tell if it’s ready or not.
Looking ahead, what can we expect from Pep Rally? Any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
We have some local gigs planned while we finish the records – we’re playing Chestnut Hill’s Night Of Lights festival, free on the street this Friday Oct 4, We’re playing Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware and at Inkwell in Allentown in November. We have one more single coming out in November and we are working to finish the full-length album for the new year. After that we hope to come to your town in the spring of 2025!
If you could describe the future of Pep Rally in three words, what would they be, and why?
BIG DRUMS BOOMIN.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be, and how do you think their influence could shape the direction of your music?
Avant garde acts like Devo, Laurie Anderson, Kraftwerk… THESE are the boundary pushing acts that we admire so greatly! We have stripped ourselves of all the extra junk in music, we do not sequence, we do not play with a computer or hard drive. YOU CANNOT FLY IF YOU DO NOT TAKE RISKS! and that is the direction we are headed in.
TweetAbout the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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