Let’s talk about conversations. No, not an existential debate about the simplicity of creating two way communication, but Conversations– a Philadelphia surf-pop delight that has made Fishtown their headquarters, even if their fresh, summery beats would better place you at Coney Island or SoCal on a June afternoon more so than Penn Treaty Park.

Consisting of Jessica and Josh Craft, Paul Montgomery and Ian Zolitor, Conversations has shed some skin in its transformation from a conceptual project to what it is today. Formerly known as Conversations with Enemies, there was initially a different play-by-play guitarist and vocalist Josh was aiming for when the band first started making music.

“It was more about continuously writing an album that was conceptual with different alignments of comic book albums,” Craft explains.

Difficult to keep up, Josh decided to then ditch the gimmick, shorten the name and change the lineup a bit.

“Me and Jess started things off many moons ago. I met Paul a while ago– we used to play in pop punk bands in college and then reconnected after he came to the first album’s record release. Ian’s cousin lived with us and was a really good friend so we got connected with him, a great friend and great bass player. Now we’re a strong unit of four working on a full length album coming out in February.”

Describing their sound the best they can as “retro, feel good rock,” the quartet finds themselves on the tail end of wrapping up their upcoming full length, “Totally Redeem Yourself,” which is set for an early 2015 release. With the help of Joe Reinhart at Headroom Studios and Alex Santilli at Spicehouse Sound, Conversations look to a sunny future with their newest recorded endeavor.

“Joe has helped put out some of our older records, we’re one of the first bands to record in their new space at Headroom,” says Craft.”The sound of the music has changed a lot with the four of us. It changed the dynamic– the sound is different, our name is different.”

The band has also taken their work on the road, most recently to Stamford, Conn., in an August edition of Alive @ Five, an outdoor concert series. There, Conversations was able to open for legendary summer staples, The Beach Boys, in front of an audience of around 7000.

So have you noticed how Josh and Jessica both have Craft as their last name? Not siblings and not by coincidence, the two are in fact in marital bliss that all started a few years back.

“I used to be in a band called The B Team and was playing a show at the old Khyber when Jess’s friend brought her to the show and I ended up talking to her,” Josh said. “We hit it off– she played drums and I liked her so we started hanging out. I gave her guitar lessons…”

“I gave him cooking lessons…” Jessica said.

Dating then commenced and playing together in Conversations With Enemies followed before Josh popped the big question at one of their record release shows.

With most of Conversations’ members living in Fishtown, the exception being bassist Ian Zolitor (he currently resides in Mt. Airy), the band is immersed in the local music scene– a scene that has experienced some noticeable change over the past few years.

“Some of the only venues in the city that used to have decent sound systems were places like Johnny Brenda’s and Kung Fu Necktie, but now there’s venues and even art galleries and coffee shops around the city to play in,” Jessica said. “We’ve known Joe [Reinhart] since he used to be at Big Mama’s warehouse, they used to do shows there and had recording spaces. I don’t think that there are too many house venues in the area anymore.”

“Every year on our block, there’s a new gallery opening up or a coffee shop or a bakery or bar, there’s so much life being brought in to the neighborhood,” Josh said.

“It’s almost too hip,” Ian added with a chuckle.

The Crafts not only are proud to call themselves Fishtown residents, but this musical couple also gives back to the community. Together they spearhead Rock to the Future, a free music education program for underprivileged kids in the area.

“We use it as a way to keep youth engaged and develop social skills, improve academic grades. It started in 2010 with 13 kids and now we have an after-school program, in-school guitar classes, summer camp and with that we serve over 300 kids,” Jessica said.

70 percent of the kids in Rock to the Future hail from North Philadelphia and all programs are offered to them at no cost. The programs are held at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church at Cumberland and Trenton (also where Conversations hold their own band practice) and nearby Conwell and Hackett Schools.

The Crafts feel that Philly needs a resurgence of artistic expression through music and hope Rock To the Future can help spark that.

“A lot of the people that are qualified to teach music are not from Philadelphia or didn’t grow up in Philadelphia because a lot of the kids don’t have an opportunity to learn music in schools here, and therefore are not pursuing music or arts related careers,” Jessica said.

There’s also a duty of mentorship attached to the birth and continuity of Rock to the future.

“The after school program provides a safe space for the kids to be in. I know that if I grew up without music or sports to keep my mind off of all the other bad news people lurking around in my life, my life could have been a lot different,” Josh said.

Santilli of Spicehouse Sound also admires the work of the spouses, both musically and with the organization.

“Jess and Josh, what they do with the Rock to the Future program for the neighborhood is absolutely awesome,” he said. “I think I actually met them from fixing amps and guitars for their charity, they’re doing some really awesome stuff.”

It’s also crucial to remember that not only do these guys make music, but they’re consumers of music. What can be found on these guys’ personal playlists?

Zolitor: “I work in folk radio so stuff right now that I’m listening to is Willie Watson, Charlie Parr.”

Montgomery: “Recently, I’m rediscovering 70s stuff like Bowie because I really like Adrian Belew.”

Josh: “Beach Boys, Weezer and Saves the Day are my top three for sure. This punk band called Sundials? They’re really rad.”

Jessica: “Beatles, Rilo Kile, Cake– we played them last halloween and this year we did Creedence Clearwater Revival– and Velvet Underground.”

Solid.

Be sure to check out Conversations’ upcoming full length in February 2015 courtesy of Headroom Studios. You can hear more from the band at http://conversationsmusic.bandcamp.com.