Meet Derek Jolley | Musician & Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Derek Jolley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derek, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve been a musician since I could remember. From the time I was like 4 years old, all I wanted to do was play piano and sing along to the radio in my parents’ car. As I grew up I really tried my best to play in every ensemble, every little band, every chance I had. I’m lucky to be surrounded by some of the greatest people in the world, most of whom I still play music with to this day. It was never easy, though. I wasn’t ever able to look away from my own struggles or the struggles of those around me, which is why from Day 1, my music has always been 100% philanthropic, inspired by our desire to help those around us. We’ve benefitted organizations including but not limited to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Addiction Recovery Access via the Gift of Hope Fund, Reproductive Rights Protection via Planned Parenthood, the Ronald McDonald House, CEO Weinberg Food Bank, Ruth’s Place Shelter, Autism Speaks, UNICEF, Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, CHOP, Toys for Tots, and many more queer youth defense and community mutual aid organizations. My band’s work has been featured on NPR and various local radio stations & news outlets.

cuddledrug’s new album “That Place Was Awesome” is released everywhere on May 25th, 2024. The proceeds from this album will be donated to the National MS Society in honor of Bev Washington. This time around, we are lucky to direct our philanthropic fundraising efforts to support Bev’s fight against MS. She is a member of our family and the mother of my best friend and bass player in my other band, Ticket To Ride (https://TicketToRide.band/). She was diagnosed in 2010 and has been fighting hard ever since. We’re excited to help support her fight against MS with the proceeds from our new album.

The National MS Society works to help each person address the challenges of living with MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy and providing programs and services that help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. The Society’s mission is: We will cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.

For more information about our charitable giving initiatives, and to check out our new music, please visit www.cuddledrug.com

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a part of two awesome bands who remain musically and charitably active. They are cuddledrug (www.cuddledrug.com) and Ticket To Ride (https://TicketToRide.band/). What sets us apart from other bands is not only our long history of charitable giving, but also the fact that we’ve been playing music together for more than half our lives. My work has always been rewarding, but has never been easy. Growing up as a queer musician, it seemed like everywhere I turned there was someone trying to stop me, someone lurking in the shadows ready to knock me down at every chance. I always get back up, and I’ll never give up. If there’s one thing I hope your readers take from my story, it’s to never give up. Let the people hear your music and see your art. Don’t let them stop you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
By far the best place in Philadelphia was an awesome venue I used to work at called The Grape Room which recently closed. In my time there as a sound engineer at from 2019 to 2024, I was privileged to serve a vibrant creative community in a huge capacity, mixing 1,111 live sets over 367 sound shifts, and capturing 970 live recordings of 623 unique acts at 289 live shows and 78 open mics (56 of which were charity events I organized to support several area mental health advocacy, suicide prevention, and addiction recovery organizations). After 5 years of hosting and engineering, more than half of my google drive storage space is taken up by my recording archive. Now that the sun has set on my home venue, I felt it would be appropriate to compile some of my favorite recordings from throughout the years and make them available forever. All of these recordings are authentic, off-the-board stereo audio captures of live performances. No remixing has taken place. I have mastered these tracks for the sake of curating and archiving a live performance repertoire, but have intentionally left them raw and honest, exactly how they sounded when I mixed them in the Grape Room. I am extremely grateful for the privilege of having worked in this capacity, and I look forward to serving our creative community in new and exciting ways moving forward. Thanks for listening.

All of the Grape Room Live Volumes are available for unlimited free streaming via my record label’s website: www.SilverwoodRecords.com.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my bandmates and creative team: Nate Harbaugh, Danny Washington, Dylan Jolley (my brother), Patrick Walton (my cousin), Chilly David Heinz, Tye Sutphen, Adam Harbaugh (Nate’s brother), John Shimp, Brian Keith Bidding (BKB), and Ashlyn Heid (our incredible artist). I have the best team on the planet and I’d be nowhere without them.

Website: www.cuddledrug.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuddledrug/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuddledrug

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SummerHoldsTheEarth

Other: https://TicketToRide.band/

Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Silverwood Records. Show photo courtesy of Morgan Jewel.