The Whole Damn Affair

The Whole Damn Affair is like Bowie and Iggy - with Ike and Tina thrown in. A soul record. David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen were in the control room at Sigma watching Luther Vandross get the background parts together for Bowie’s Young Americans. Each coming from a different side of soul music – Bruce with Asbury Park rocking soul and Bowie with pre disco NYC swing added to The Sound Of Philadelphia. When we use to dance to rock and roll. This record is talking about that moment.

The Whole Damn Affair, founded by Philadelphia natives, Mister Jimmy and Jay Kelly, reflects the grit and soul of Philly’s social and musical traditions and merges those instincts with a broader love of rock n roll, Motown, Americana, and dance music. Their self-titled debut LP, produced by Derek Chafin at Barn Sound and slated for release in 2024, is a relentlessly melodic and grooving invitation to shake and swagger your way through deeply personal yet universal stories of seduction, desolation, redemption, and desire. This is music that simultaneously confronts and winks at the listener, that feels at turns earnest and coy, steeped in tradition but fresh and distinctive.

While The Whole Damn Affair is brand new and ready to burst, Jimmy and Jay are no strangers to the studio and stage, having previously collaborated in projects that landed them opening slots for national acts like The New York Dolls, among others. Still, these songs mark a clear departure from their straight-forward rock days. As one listener put it, “This album is a dirty martini in hand, walking the streets at 6 am with the smile of lessons learned on your face.” We’ll just leave it there.

Link to album in Spotify