Folkadelphia Session: Joe Kille

During his initial email exchange between WXPN’s John Vettese and Philadelphia-area musician Joe Kille, Kille, while announcing the album release of his solo album Arkadelphia, admits that he’s “not too good at the internet.” Something about that little amusing acknowledgement provides a rather poignant picture in my mind – I imagine Kille coaxing his dial-up to provide a few minutes of connectivity, hunting and pecking on the keyboard with two fingers drafting the note to Vettese. Of course, it’s probably the furthest from reality. I’m being influenced by the rustic, homegrown nature and magic of Arkadelphia, with its fiddles blazing and bass jumping, and converting Kille’s Southern NJ into backwater Appalachia.

John Vettese kindly recommended the group to me. The Morning River Band, a group that Kille is associated with and who we’ve featured on Folkadelphia before also told us to keep our ears open for the fiddle player. I’m glad they did because Arkadelphia, a smart set of timeless sounding country-noir songs, has become a favorite of mine. If you haven’t heard the name Joe Kille before, it’s time to put him on your radar. Start with our session, recorded October 2013.