There’s a lot of great music coming out of Philadelphia these days, and Greg Seltzer, a local attorney, wants to do his part in supporting it, through launching the first-ever Philly Music Fest.
“I’m an attorney at Ballard Spahr doing merger and acquisitions, but everyone who knows me knows that music is my first passion after family,” he says.
Seltzer is a self-described lifelong fan of Philly music, making it a point to see bands perform whenever he can.
“It occurred to me recently that over the last three to five years, the Philly music scene has generated some really strong national talent,” Seltzer says. “We’ve always had a great scene but it’s really been elevated over the past few years.”
To give back to the music community, Seltzer decided to organize Philly Music Fest — a non-profit venture that would donate all proceeds to the musicians as well as music education initiatives in Philadelphia.
“We need to get money to the musicians trying to make a living playing music and we need to get money to the kids who are growing up in Philadelphia,” Seltzer says. “We need to reestablish music as part of the fabric of our city.”
And given this is a passion project, Seltzer isn’t taking a dime.
“When you take away the profit margin of an event producer, you can do a lot of things to put on a great festival,” he says.
Aside from the music, the festival will also feature Philly beer, Philly food and local arts & crafts vendors.
“Federal Donuts, La Colombe, Insomnia cookies — these are all local brands that have stepped up to support this,” Seltzer says.
And how does this busy attorney find the time to organize such a big event despite his already busy schedule?
“I’m relentless, generally. When you combine a laser-focused personality with a passion project, it’s almost not like work. It’s probably one of the most fun things that I’ve done,” he says.
The lineup for both days is listed below:
Friday:
Cayetana
Work Drugs
Eric Slick (of Dr. Dog)
Skull Eclipses (ft. Lushlife and Botany)
Abi Reimold
Ceramic Animal
Kississippi
Chris Kasper
Sports
Slomo Sapiens
West Philadelphia Orchestra
Saturday:
Strand of Oaks
Steve Gunn
Deadfellow
Slaughter Beach, Dog
Pine Barons
Cheerleader
Shannen Moser
Ivy Sole
Harmony Woods
Sea Offs
New Sound Brass Band
Local Smokes
Sixteen Jackies
If you go:
Philly Music Fest
Sept. 22 and Sept. 23
7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
3025 Walnut St.
$30 to $125
worldcafelive.com
