I recently met up with my friend and fellow songwriter Brian Seymour at the Blue Jay Restaurant at 29th and Girard in north Philadelphia, where we encountered a charming, cash-only gem of a restaurant (tax evasion anyone?), run by a kindly Greek couple, who clearly have a deep history there. From the vintage booths, to the timeworn handwritten menu hung clothesline-style behind the counter, the Blue Jay was a veritable time capsule, as charming as your great aunt’s Hummel collection. Brian and I chatted about all kinds of topics - how times have changed since his days in the early 2000’s singer-songwriter scene, when he would regularly play in coveted venues up and down the east coast (Berlin Under A in New York, Club Passim in Boston), fly out to LA to do shows and rub elbows with artists like Grace Potter, and become a mainstay at long-gone Philly venues like the Tin Angel and the North Star Bar (both places I knew and loved as well).
Now in the post-pandemic world of 2023, Brian has a brilliant new record called "American Courage" and has jumped back into the fray with a killer collection of songs and a different outlook on his methods and motivations for sharing his considerable gifts.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!