Virtual Intermediate Blues Harmonica (Ages 16 and up)

Thursdays, 6pm – 7:15pm ET, June 30th through August 25th
No Class Thursday, August 18th, 2022

Let’s continue to work on the songs we did in Blues Harmonica 1, including Slim Harpo’s “Something Inside Me” & “Raining In My Heart”, Little Walter’s “Last Night” & (with Muddy Waters) “Hoochie Coochie Man”, Sonny Terry’s “Bring It On Home To Me”, etc. Additionally, let’s work on songs or parts of songs that both you and I may suggest for the class. We’ll continue to work on techniques such as bending, vibrato, and tongue-slapping. For our Zoom classes, have a 10-hole diatonic key of C major harmonica (such as the Hohner Special 20, Hohner Pro Harp, or equivalent) for the first class. Required text may be purchased for $10.00. However, if you already have the Blues Harmonica 1 text, there’s no additional textbook fee.

Note: This class is not for beginners. If you have not taken the Blues Harmonica 1 class, the instructor will need to talk with you to make sure that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to take this course.

REGISTER FOR INTERMEDIATE BLUES HARMONICA HERE

PFS Presents Philly Songwriters in The Round

Featuring: Aaron Nathans, Lili Añel, Kyle Swartzwelder, & Phil Henry

Thursday, July 7th, 2022
Doors 6:30pm | Music 7:00pm
$15 Members | $18 Not-Yet-Members | $15 Streaming

Come experience a unique night of incredible songs, storytelling and collaboration in an intimate listening room environment. Aaron Nathans will host an in-the-round concert showcasing some of the best local Philadelphia songwriters and storytellers.

About the Artists:
AARON NATHANS
Aaron Nathans’ mission is to write songs about things no one else has written about before. Like a song about male bonding between a guy and his barber. Or the onslaught of the outside world upon a new parent. Surely somebody’s written that song, right? Ok, find it.

Aaron, who lives in the Philadelphia area, describes his songs as wild-mind, bittersweet acoustic music. He’s one of a million guitar-slinging singer songwriters, but you’ve never heard anyone quite like Aaron, with his warped sense of humor and off-kilter view of the world.

His shows include humorous, meandering stories that will keep you every bit as captivated as the music itself — beautiful guitar work, catchy melodies, and his sweet baritone voice and eye-popping vocal range.

Aaron’s songwriting was honored by the Kerrville Folk Festival, which named him a New Folk Finalist in 2018 and 2011.

LILY ANEL

Lili Añel, New York native, now based in Philadelphia, captivates her audience with her unique style which she calls a hybrid of “Jazz/Folk/Soul/Pop”. Whether engaging you in one of her original songs or reinterpreting Nina Simone, she makes these classics her own, holding the listener in the in the palm of her hand, be it live or on record.

Moving to Philadelphia in 2004, Lili soon gained the support of the city’s thriving music community, with performances throughout the Lehigh Valley and neighboring New Jersey, often supporting artists like, Robert Cray, Cassandra Wilson, Raul Midón, BB King, Boz Scaggs to name a few. Winning over audiences and headlining her own shows, she has become a favorite of Philadelphia’s music scene. You will be uplifted by her voice and her songs.

“Her songs are consistently excellent” – Christopher Louden, JazzTimes

“Lili sounds like no one but herself; a rare gift in an industry of clones”
– Brent Black Bop-N-Jazz

KYLE SWARTZWELDER

A veteran of the folk scene, award winning songwriter Kyle Swartzwelder has been winning audiences over with his deft lyrical storytelling and dynamic live performances. Kyle started out in the coffee shops around the University of Delaware with his father’s 1968 Ovation Balladeer. After several years of cultivating his songwriting, Kyle moved on to the folk clubs and coffeehouses in the Philadelphia region and quickly developed a reputation as a top-notch songwriter and performer.

Recommended if you like – Lyle Lovett, Jeffrey Foucault, Josh Ritter, early Jackson Browne, early Neil Young.

PHIL HENERY

Singer-songwriter Phil Henry exudes the skill of a craftsman and the authenticity of an artist. He builds detailed worlds and characters who speak through Phil’s words, with “…vivid lyrical imagery that captures the imagination.” (Seven Days, VT) The upbeat acoustic rhythm and melodic sensibility and lush instrumental treatment is no carbon-copy of popular or folk radio songs, but is instead an expression of Phil’s individuality and craft.

The new album, Chasing Echoes, which debuted at #2 on the Folk Alliance International’s Folk Radio Chart for Top Albums October 2020, is an alchemy of Phil’s vibrant songwriting and the energy of his live performing band Phil Henry and the News Feed. (Photo by Robert Cleary)

July PFS Member Music Club 7/13/2022 @7pm

SIGN UP HERE

PFS & PASA – Digital Open Mic Night 7/20/22 at 7pm EST

SIGN UP HERE

Rescheduled From 2020: PFS Presents The Black Feathers

November 5, 2022

Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

$10 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $12 Not-Yet-Members | $15 Doors

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK 

CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIVE VIDEO OF THE BLACK FEATHERS 

About The Black Feathers

A favorite of the 2018 Philadelphia Folk Festival, and a smash show at PFS in 2019, we are delighted to bring back The Black Feathers to the PFS venue!

The ability to write songs that are both modern and ancient is a rare thing. The product of an arcane art of weaving in traditional influences so thoroughly that they become the warp and weft of fresh creations. The Black Feathers, made up of Ray Hughes and Sian Chandler, are two such talents. They first became aware of the magic between them while collaborating on several musical projects, becoming The Black Feathers and life partners in 2012.

“Once in a blue moon, the whole soars far above the sum of its parts. That’s what happens when The Black Feathers perform live”

– Black Mountain News, North Carolina

Americana, Folk, and Acoustic Indie Rock sensibilities coexist comfortably in their musical world, with Hughes’ guitar work buoying the kind of harmonies often only heard in family bands. Their music quickly draw the interest of listeners, but it is the stage chemistry that will keep them riveted.

Having already built up a loyal following in the UK, The Black Feathers have been spreading their wings across the US. They have performed at Philadelphia Folk Festival and AmericanaFest, and have also been awarded official showcases at the North East Regional and Far-West Folk Alliance conferences.

With a new single and a live album in the pipeline, these are exciting times for what FATEA refer to as “a duo of undeniable talent”.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A MUSIC VIDEO OF THE BLACK FEATHERS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE BLACK FEATHERS ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BLACK FEATHERS