
Most people, when pressed to compile a list of “essential” Philadelphia songs—either about the city or performed by its resident musicians—would think of “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen … or “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John … or even “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen. If you’re David Uosikkinen, you would also include “All My Mondays,” first recorded in 1983 by a little-known, long-defunct band known as Youth Camp.
Uosikkinen, a Levittown native now living near Radnor after 20 years in Southern California, is doing his part to nudge Philly’s music scene back into the limelight—as if he hasn’t done enough already. His name might not have the same immediate recognition as his longtime band mates in The Hooters—namely, Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman—but Uosikkinen had just as much of a hand in crafting some of the most venerated rock songs ever spawned in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania.
“I wanted to do a project of my own,” says Uosikkinen, The Hooters’ versatile drummer. “One day I was mulling over some concepts with my girlfriend and we were talking about all the great music that’s been made here, and she said, ‘Why don’t you record some of those songs?’”
Out of that conversation arose In the Pocket (ITP for short), a locally flavored “super group” with a rotating lineup of prominent homegrown musicians, including Uosikkinen. His aim: to re-record seminal songs created by some of the Philadelphia area’s most talented yet, in some cases, unheralded musicians. Two ITP songs—“All My Mondays” and “Open My Eyes”—are now available for download through the ITP website and iTunes.