We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Thora Phillips. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Thora below.

Hi Thora, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Pretty Vacant Booking: This started as a one off. There is an awesome venue, The Sherman Theater, that we always go to. There is a smaller sister venue called The Sherman Showcase right next door. My husband (Chad 77 of Blanks 77) and his friend Steve put together an all-ages matinee in our town, Stroudsburg PA. Blanks 77 headlined and The Mesos, Rubix Pube and Whiskey Bats played. It was an all-ages Sunday matinee. The kids loved it. I liken it to a dry sponge soaking up water. Our town had a need for all ages punk matiness with that old school feel and Chad and I decided we should do what we could to make it happen. My husband has over 30 years of playing and touring behind him, so he is very aware of how to treat bands and run logistics at the venue. Because I have Lucy syndrome (Ricki, put me in the show), I jumped in and basically ran with it. I set up the socials and began planning our first official Pretty Vacant Booking show. I cannot express the pride I have in our inaugural show. The Deacons, Disposable, Doc Rotten and The Pist. The Pist were coming out with their first new album in 29 years. I knew they were working on this and thought I’d ask. What’s the worst that can happen, no thanks? But they said yes! As did Doc, Disposable and The Deacons. These bands were coming to our town! To play our little room! It was an electrifying feeling. We decided to do quarterly shows. Keep it simple and not oversaturate. We decided on quality over quantity. Our April show is The Parasitix, Suburban Downgrade, Sin Bin and No-comply. This show was supposed to be in Jan but was rescheduled for April due to weather. Our July 28, 2004, show is Broken Heros, Duffy’s cut, Fear Gods and Alpha Rabbit. The high I got from that Pist show is what gives me the motivation to keep reaching out to Bands and promoting all the shows. Right f*cking now is the perfect time for live music. There are so many amazing promoters out there all fighting the good fight. We have Hostile City Oi Counsel in Philly, Stomp Out and Poor Man in Jersey, True Blue in Allentown. Just to name a few. There are so many options for good shows right now. Though, I am a huge fan of ours, as I can be in bed by 7pm and get to work on Monday morning,

Punk & Consequences Podcast: My husband and I had a punk rock podcast called Pretty Vacant Radio. Izzy Smut (Never Mind the Broadcast/Punk and Consequences) and I were talking about the true crime genre and decided that we should merge our two podcasts together. We recorded a special on the case of Brian Deneke. We wanted to tell it differently, with compassion and respect to the family. Adding music was a must. Jason Deneke graciously agreed to an interview. We also got Rob from Total Chaos to talk about their song Murdered. We spent countless hours discussing the injustice system, getting pissed off and drinking coffee while pouring over information and never being in the same room. We got the ball rolling on getting Brian’s jacket added to the Punk Rock Museum. It was during this process that we realized that there were more stories to be told. There is not much reporting on the crimes in our “scene”. That is when Punk and Consequences was born. Though we are states apart, Izzy and I are committed to sharing stories with compassion, dignity and of course, great music. We will be recording our debut episode at the end of April 2024. We consistently called our Brian episode a labor of love and will continue to tell stories with the same passion.

Thora, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I came into punk rock a bit late. I was 19. The moment I stepped into The Pipeline (Newark, NJ) I felt at home. These were my people. I have not looked back since then. I went to countless shows. I had to hear the music and watch the bandmates interact with one another on stage. I needed that energy to feel alive, I needed to be there. I wouldn’t say I was a groupie, but the term band aide does resonate with me. I had a child. Being a mother to my son took priority over everything. But I went to shows when I could. Now, I am a band wife. More specifically, a drummer’s wife. My duties include always carrying a drum key in my purse and watching the snare case. In 2010 I started my own podcast playing Punk. It was something I could call my own. I named it Pretty Vacant and was on a local station called PIBCO, It. was. awful. Turns out I did much better with guests. So, I asked my husband to join me. We have great chemistry and can bounce a lot off one another. We often fight about music, so we decided we should bring that energy to the masses. We did a show every Sunday. We had wonderful interviews with members of Niblick Henbane, The Bristles, The Parasitix, Eddie from Patriot, Emilio of The Pipeline and even Monte A. Melnick the road manager for The Ramones. He wrote an awesome book titled On the Road with The Ramones. We continued for a few years then decided to take a break. We came back briefly at the start of Pretty Vacant Booking, but the weather is nice, and we would rather be outside or at actual shows. When putting together a show for Pretty Vacant Booking I am always trying to mastermind everything. Will the audience love it? Will the bands gel with each other? Who is a vegan or in recovery, how can I make them comfortable? I carry a clipboard, so you know I mean business. I send out emails well in advance introducing band members to one another and getting the backline out there. I am proud to provide the bands with a place to play where they don’t have to worry about a thing. Just play the songs, have fun. Our goal is simple. We want everyone that enters the venue to leave happier than when they walked in. We want to provide a place for you to Let It All Go and still be able to get to work the next day. And bring the kiddos! Family time doesn’t always have to be mini golf and movies.
As for Punk and Consequences, I want to tell these stories as they are meant to be told. Not with a cold voice. Not mentioning the offender’s names. I want to tell them with compassion, understanding and the knowledge that these events could happen to any of us at any time. We want to get into the heart of the victims and share their light, not just the darkness of the crimes. We are all in this together. We need to look out for one another.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Pretty Vacant Booking: Your happiness. Knowing that the show goers are happy, the bands are happy, and venue owners are happy. I am a people pleaser, so if everyone could just be happy, that would be great. I am happy when you are happy. Punk & Consequences: Knowing that we are telling a story that has parts that are relatable, getting you pissed and hopefully keeping you safe by spreading the word about these stories.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Pretty Vacant Booking’s goal is providing a place where all ages can go to see a quality show. A place where you can be yourself and know you are with kindred spirits. I want listeners of Punk and Consequences to hear a story they may or may not know, be told with authenticity and compassion. And music, there must always be music.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Prettyvacantbooking Punk_and_consequences
• Facebook: Pretty Vacant Booking
• Other: pretty7vacant7booking@gmail.com Punkandconsequences@gmail.com

Image Credits
Renee Dee Photography