When Temple's main campus reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, Brittany Deitch, Reese Harburg and Logan Bennett noticed a change in the DIY scene. The show was suddenly packed and venues were popping up left and right. The trio, who are not musicians themselves, decided to use their talents as visual artists to showcase this up-and-coming culture.
“Something really great was happening and no one was recording it,” said Harburg, a 2023 political science graduate. “So at first I started it as a way to do just that: just document the rise of the DIY scene.”
In December 2021, the trio founded RatPie Friends, an independent music publication dedicated to covering Philadelphia's DIY music scene. Group photos and interviews seek to showcase the wealth of talent in the scene.
RatPie was founded as a simple document by three people who wanted to be part of the scene without making music, but didn't have the space to host their own events. As the group expanded, they began cooperating with venues near campus to host shows.
Before graduating from Temple, the RatPie founders frequently hosted shows in collaboration with The Mansion, a Carlisle Street venue they met through the scene.
In August 2022, Rat Pie and The Mansion hosted a show in support of SOL Collective, a Philadelphia harm reduction organization working to end the drug overdose crisis. The show raised over $800.
RatPie's support for these groups extends to the programming they plan. They strive to include queer people of color when curating setlists and spotlighting artists to uplift the voices they feel need to be heard.
“When we say we want to support queer artists, it's really important that we actually support them with money,” Harburg said. “And once you get past that point, with artist showcases and people to include on playlists and things like that, what comes to mind is, 'What voices are we elevating and what stories are they telling? ?”about it.”
They also want to foster a safe space for artists and spectators, even if it means excluding people from the event.
Bennett, a 2023 computer science graduate, said: “It can be awkward to kick someone off a show, and it can be really weird and uncomfortable. It's very easy to pretend nothing is happening, but when it really is… I can't do that,” he said. “We have to make the atmosphere awkward and kick out the strange people.”
The Mansion has ceased hosting shows at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester as the venue's organizer has graduated. RatPie no longer had the space to host large-scale events and transitioned to primarily covering artists. They delved deeper into artist profiling and covering shows by big-name artists like The Front Bottoms.
“Once RatPie took off, it was like going somewhere and tapping into a community where everyone was like friends,” said Deitch, a 2023 information science and technology graduate. “We thought, 'So what else can we do?'” And now we can reach out to bigger bands to cover shows at places like Union Transfer and the Fillmore. I started to realize that I could do it. ”
Since Harburg, Deitch and Logan graduated, their program has transitioned to more casual events, including acoustic and open mic nights held at Deitch's home in Fairmount.
The organization has launched a call for local artists to feature their work on its website in December 2023 to provide a platform for those struggling to get their work noticed.
They hope to continue using their platform to give up-and-coming artists a voice through open mic community events.
“I think it's going to incorporate more open mics and poetry readings and involve the community more, rather than like a specific set list,” Harburg said. “I want these guys to bring their guitars and tambourines and other talented guys and show us their talent.”