WXPN asked Philadelphia artists one simple question

What does independence mean today?

The answers became Philly Anthems—twelve original songs commissioned from established artists and seven emerging musicians, each offering a different perspective on freedom, identity, belonging, and hope.

Philly Anthems artwork over the Philadelphia skyline

This summer and fall, WXPN will premiere each song, tell the story behind it, and introduce the artist who made it.

Summer Releases

Eric Bazilian Eliza Hardy Jones Lady Alma Christian McBride Devon Gilfillian

The project concludes on Record Store Day in April 2027 with a Philly Anthems album collecting all the songs, WXPN’s annual vinyl release.

Fall Releases

Grace Gardner Sug Daniels Black Buttafly The Bul Bey JR Everhart Moustapha Noumbissi The Flying Vees

Christian McBride | Pick A Card

Pick A Card

An original composition written by Christian McBride.

Listen to the song

Bob Bumbera interviews Christian

Christian on the song

“Somewhere between that paper and practice
is a lot of static.”

When the question is asked, what does America 250 sound like to you? Obviously, you can get so many different images and have so many different feelings, emotions and thoughts. I think of America as being this melting pot of somewhat disjointed ideas and many different interpretations of what freedom is. It almost feels like we’ll never be able to get on the same page.

On paper, what the Declaration of Independence says and what’s written in the Constitution of the United States looks incredible. On paper, it’s absolutely perfect. But somewhere between that paper and practice is a lot of static.

I feel like everyone in America finds their crew, and now there’s a bunch of crews around the country who only hang with that crew. They don’t really understand what freedom means to another crew, what another crew is thinking, or why they think that way.

That’s where I came up with the title of “Pick A Card,” because I imagine a person who has never been to America before looking at Uncle Sam dealing some cards and basically saying, “Hey, pick one.” You might get lucky and find some version of freedom that you understand.

What I tried to do with the piece is write a melody that sounds somewhat traditionally patriotic, whatever that might mean. Something like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “God Bless America,” along that type of melodic shape, with the march.

Then the trombone comes in, and that’s the trombone’s version of freedom. The trombone says, “Well, wait a second. This is how I feel about what you just said about freedom. I feel that it’s this.” Then the piano at some point says, “Well, wait. If you guys feel that way, then I feel like this.”

So there are three distinct versions of so-called freedom going on, but the main theme is still going on underneath as somewhat of a shadow. That’s how I hear America 250. A lot of conflict, a lot of unwillingness to bend on anyone else’s interpretation. But you somehow put that all together, and it makes some type of music.

“I think of America as being this sort of melting pot of disjointed ideas and many different interpretations of what freedom is. So that’s where I came up with the title of Pick A Card, because I imagine a person who has never been to America before looks at Uncle Sam dealing some cards and basically says, ‘Hey, pick one,’ and you might get lucky to find some version of freedom that you might understand.”
Christian McBride, in conversation with Bob Bumbera

Lady Alma | Liberty

Liberty

An original song. Lyrics and performance by Lady Alma.

Listen to the song

Bob Bumbera interviews Lady Alma

Lady Alma on the song

I’ve seen injustices, not just with, you know, our Black folk, but I’ve seen injustices with our Caucasian families and injustices with our Asian families and it’s always the big guy against the little guy. They seem to get liberty, but when it comes to the people who built this country, who helped forge neighborhoods and communities, how come we never can get our right to liberty?

“People need to get together and with the power that they have when they stop fighting each other, fight the real problem. That was an inspiration for the song.”
Lady Alma, in conversation with Bob Bumbera

Eliza Hardy Jones | America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful

An original song. Music and lyrics by Eliza Hardy Jones.

Listen to the song

Bob Bumbera interviews Eliza

Eliza on the song

A hootenanny, a cathartic sing-along
in the tradition of American folk music as an act of resistance.

For all 250 years of this nation, we have come together to make music, connect to our community, to celebrate and to mourn. The lyrics reference famous patriotic speeches and songs, from Lincoln’s “last best hope of earth” to Jefferson’s “tree of liberty” to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”

I wrote the song with the idea that it would be true at any moment in our history, not just relevant to the current moment. We have always been a country founded on the revolutionary dream of true freedom and equality for all, but also built on stolen land by stolen bodies. The inherent dissonance of being a beacon of love of liberty, while also perpetrating violence and oppression, is the true American experience. And as Americans, we must continue to fight for the “better angels of our nature.”

“I’m such a history nerd. I really thought about what makes a song an anthem, and about patriotic music, and about the role of music in terms of protest and resistance in this country. Woody Guthrie, and Odetta, Paul Robeson, all these people who really used music to shift the cultural landscape, to shift the political landscape.”
Eliza Hardy Jones, in conversation with Bob Bumbera

Eric Bazilian | Better Times

Better Times

Music and lyrics by Eric Bazilian

Listen to the song

Bob Bumbera interviews Eric

Eric on the song

“Better Times” started with five words,
over and over.

I’d like to be able to say that “Better Times” came to me in a dream. It came, in fact, in the shower. Five words, over and over. Better times better come soon. I chased the idea in my head as I dried off, got dressed, followed it out of the house and into the studio, where I tried a bunch of things that didn’t work.

Then I sat down at the piano, started playing some chords, then a few more chords, until the idea decided to let me catch it. Several versions later, I’ve got a song in a style I’d never done before that I thought I could never sing. With some encouragement I proved myself wrong.

Don’t you just hate it when a writer says, “I’d rather let the song speak for itself”? Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m going to let the song speak for itself, hope somebody likes it and it makes them think kind thoughts.

“So, usually I start with a musical idea, but in this case it was a lyric phrase, something about better times. Yeah, better times, better times, better come soon. Kind of like early Dylan or Jesse Welles vibe.”
Eric Bazilian, in conversation with Bob Bumbera

Philly Anthems has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.