When it comes to music, this band doesn’t fall short of their name in terms of elasticity throughout genres. Rubber, composed of Andrew Loper and John Della Franco seamlessly combines R&B and jazz, with Loper’s soulful vocal runs to round out their sound. With their second EP, Buggy Bumpers, released earlier this year, Rubber was able to bring their groove-filled sound all over the East Coast on tour, but remain true to their roots here in the City of Brotherly Love.
Rubber is Philly through and through, from basement shows near Temple University to performing at the Wawa Welcome America Festival last Summer. And the passion that shines through in their music is only bringing them farther (their single “Control” has 100,000 streams on Spotify alone!). Keep reading to learn more about Rubber and how Philly has influenced them and their music!
PPRG: How did Rubber come to be? Have you always known you wanted to pursue music?
Rubber: We were invited to a jam session by a mutual friend and formed this band that pretty much just hung out and passively played music. The two of us were the only ones writing songs and taking it seriously so as the band kind of stopped rehearsing, we just kind of kept on writing. We didn’t know we’d be pursuing it professionally. Both of us are, and always have been, audiophiles. It may not have always been the plan but we were both just naturally drawn to careers in music/entertainment.
PPRG: Which track is a ‘must-listen’ for someone who hasn’t heard your music before?
Rubber: Probably “Control”- it’s definitely the most popular. We each have our favorites but that’s the one that seems to grab people’s ears and sits middle-of-the-road as far as our stylistic range.
PPRG: What messages do you hope listeners get from your music?
Rubber: Not really sure if there’s a specific message. The songs are stories, emotional snapshots. We definitely want people to be able to step out of their own lives at our shows and while listening to our music. More than anything, our goal is to create a space where people can feel freely, and leave their baggage at the door.
PPRG: Are there any fun stand-out stories you have from writing and recording your newest EP, Buggy Bumpers?
Rubber: The back-up vocals for ‘Losing’ were recorded two days before the EP’s due date in our managers basement at 2 a.m. Coincidentally, ‘Losing’ was actually the first song we ever wrote together, so for the Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers era, it was the first and last thing we worked on, and is the last track on the two-part project.
PPRG: How has Philadelphia’s culture shaped your approach to your music?
Rubber: Philly made us; it’s the Jazz open mics, the Global Village Jams, the grungy basement shows, the input and advice from our Temple professors who worked at Sigma Sounds. Philly is on the come-up artistically, you can feel it at the shows, in the galleries, it’s a competitive camaraderie and supportive community that has brought us to where we are now. If it weren’t for people like Mariah Del Rio, who booked us for our first show at the Boom Room, Fawziyyah Heart, who put us on consistently as we were coming up, or Medina Oyefusi, founder of Stumble Music who got us into Green Soul, we wouldn’t even know how to navigate this strange and beautiful industry.
PPRG: Are there any Philly artists who have influenced your passionate and soulful sound?
Rubber: Teddy Pendergrass, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Jazmine Sullivan, and Grover Washington Jr. are all major influences for sure. Taylor Kelly, CJ Mills, and Suzanne Sheer also deserve a mention too.
PPRG: What’s one thing about Philly that you love the most?
Andrew: The food and the thrifting- can’t pick just one.
John: Everywhere you go is so different, each part of the city is like its own little independent city.
Listen to Rubber on Spotify, and keep up with them on Instagram and their website!
