Opening for Windborne is Marion Halliday, a Folk Factory People’s Choice winner in 2018 and a proud purveyor of her own special blend of bluegrass and bourbon-infused original woman-powered Americana. Marion, a native Kentuckian now living in Philadelphia, is a songwriter and has written a range of songs that touch on Philly’s rich and varied past. She has also written songs on more universal, contemporary topics such as domestic abuse, suicide, relationships, politics, and the scourge of addiction. Marion also performs with her sister as Trickster Sister.

Internationally acclaimed vocal band Windborne are touring in support of their new project: Song on the Times: A Songbook and Album for Social Struggle.  Windborne was catapulted to wider recognition after a video of them singing a protest song from the 1840s outside Trump Tower in a snow storm went viral, gaining over a million views between YouTube and Facebook. Song on the Times is an illustrated songbook and album that collects music from working class movements for peoples’ rights in the US and UK over the past 400 years, and sings them for the struggles of today. The album features Windborne’s richly harmonized arrangements, accompanied by a book of beautifully illustrated lyrics and music alongside guest essays providing historical context from activists, singers, and scholars such as Eliza Carthy, Reggie Harris, John Sayles, Tony Barrand, and more.  Blues and Roots Radio calls Song on the Times “Spectacularly good…utterly brilliant, a hugely impressive album.”  And Brian O’Donovan, WGBH-National Public Radio calls them “The best musical discovery of the year…Stunningly powerful vocal harmony…  Windborne sets a new bar for folk harmony singing today”.  More info: windbornesingers.com/events

Donation: $11-40, sliding scale (half-price for no or low-wage folks)
Tickets are available online or at the door.

Doors open at 7:30. All of our concerts are fully wheelchair accessible. Childcare is available; please call 215-848-6246 by October 15th to reserve. At any of our events, you can have facilitated announcements of progressive events (demonstrations, rallies, marches, boycotts, etc.) made; just speak to Bruce Pollack-Johnson.

***Series Subscriptions offer a 16% savings on all four concerts! Click HERE to buy a Series Subscription!***

Individual concert tickets can be purchased here.

$12 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $15 Not-Yet-Members | $18 Doors

(Youth prices available for 12 & under)

Join the Philadelphia Folksong Society (PFS) in our new performance venue for a series exploring Klezmer Connections in a monthly installment, curated by Philadelphia-based trombonist, composer, and premier Klezmer practitioner, Dan Blacksberg.

The series features a selection of artists who each offer unique insight into Klezmer music and sounds, both new and traditional, creating a crossroads of offerings where connections can be made.

Sunday, 10/21: Joey Weisenberg Community Sing | 4pm Doors / 4:30pm Music

Afternoon Sing-A-Long: Join Joey Weisenberg, Creative Director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute, for a community gathering bringing people together to connect through the power of music. Using melodies drawn from Jewish and American folk music, Weisenberg uses shared musical experiences to find and foster inner musical potential. Along with the community sing, enjoy a potluck (snacks and beverages to share strongly encouraged).

About Joey Weisenberg

Joey Weisenberg is the Creative Director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute, and is the author of Building Singing Communities and The Torah of Music, winner of a 2017 National Jewish Book Award. He’s a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer and composer who has performed and recorded internationally with dozens of bands in a wide variety of musical styles.

Having come to cherish the imperfectly beautiful music of normal people singing together, Joey works to empower communities around the world to unlock their musical and spiritual potential, and to make music a lasting and joy-filled force.

Wednesday October 24th @ 7:30pm
Meghan Cary 
ITR with Carolann Solebello and Tom Cardullo
The Turning Point
468 Piermont Ave
Piermont, NY
Tickets: $15

Event Details:  Lansdowne Folk Club presents Moors and McCumber on Thursday, October 25.  Moors and McCumber create that rare chemistry that happens when two gifted singer- songwriters and multi-instrumentalists perfectly complement each other’s strengths, a modern day version of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.  Check them out at http://www.moorsandmccumber.com.

Show Time: Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 pm EST

Tickets: $17 with advance reservation and $20 without an advance reservation

Location: Lansdowne Folk Club, 84 S. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA

Website: www.folkclub.org

PFS Presents Kirby + Kalob: Storytelling Through Music with Sam Steffen

Saturday, October 27, 2018
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Secure your tickets here!

$8 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $12 Not-Yet-Members | $15 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Kirby Sybert

With an innate ability to tap into a creative mindset, Kirby Sybert’s boundless talent and infectious enthusiasm is readily apparent in any medium, whether it be fashion, film, fine art, or photography. However, it is in performing music that Kirby finds his greatest rewards.

His musical adventures have led him around the world, sometimes leading his band Kirby & the VibeTribe, sometimes solo, sometimes backing up friends like, Ali Awan and Mo Lowda and the Humble, playing whatever instrument is at hand or just harmonizing with strangers in an effort to spread his message of positivity. This is reflected in his songs, which are built on hip-shaking grooves, while his lyrics portray a vast set of characters, united in their struggle to be better people in a better world.

Because of his intense focus on forging a relationship with his audience, every one of Kirby’s performances is a unique experience. It is simply in his nature; if there is a piano in a room, it will be played, and if there is a person in the room, they will be befriended. The only way to truly understand is to experience it for yourself!

About Kalob Griffin

Singer-songwriter Kalob Griffin stomps ground in Nasheville, TN. A former Penn State party band, Kalob’s sound matured with his lyrics. His debut solo record is slated for Fall 2018.

This Western Pennsylvania grown soul gives folk rock back its grassroots: from his locally commissioned, handmade album cover art to small-group, personal home shows.

Ian Zolitor of the WXPN folk show describes Kalob as “a unique talent with songs that harken back to the folk musicians of the 70’s which influenced his style.” His forthcoming debut effort, ‘We Can Be Stronger’, draws sonic inspirations from the same era recordings–mostly live performances–with minimal overdubs directly to tape.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF KALOB GRIFFIN

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO KALOB GRIFFIN ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KALOB GRIFFIN

Opening for Kirby + Kalob: Sam Stephen

PFS Presents Front Country with Black Horse Motel
Friday, November 2, 2018
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Click here to get your tickets! 

$12 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $15 Not-Yet-Members | $18 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Front Country

An acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, Front Country was unlikely to be accepted as an authentic American roots band out of the gate. Cutting their teeth in progressive bluegrass jams in San Francisco’s Mission District and rehearsing across the bay in Oakland, they fashioned their own take on roots music and Indie Folk, with the tools they had on hand. A mandolinist with a degree in composition and classical guitar. A guitarist trained in rock and world music. A bassist equally versed in jazz and newgrass. A violinist with technique that could seamlessly hop between honky tonk and electropop. And a female lead singer with grit and soul that was also a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. In a wood-paneled country dive bar in the shadow of the San Francisco skyline, Front Country forged a sound hell bent on merging the musical past with the future. The result lies somewhere between Indie Folk and Americana, in a nether-region they’ve come to embrace as their own.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF FRONT COUNTRY

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FRONT COUNTRY ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FRONT COUNTRY

OPENING FOR FRONT COUNTRY: 

Event Details:  Lansdowne Folk Club presents the Stable Shakers on Thursday, November 15.  The Stable Shakers are an ever-changing, dynamic instrumental twang jazz group that have no intention on fitting into a cookie cutter genre.  Check them out at https://www.stableshakers.com.

Show Time: 7:30 pm EST

Tickets: $17 with advance ticket purchase or reservation and $20 without an advance reservation

Location: Lansdowne Folk Club, 84 S. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA

Website: www.folkclub.org

PFS Presents Melanie Brulée

Get your tickets here!

Thursday, November 15, 2018
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF MELANIE BRULÉE

About Melanie Brulée

Born in Cornwall Ontario to bilingual parents, Toronto-based Melanie Brulée interweaves her native language into her art like she crisscrosses musical genres: with ease. From the first listen, you can hear how her years living in Australia and France have influenced her style and sound. The first offering rich surf-style guitar tones and catchy hooks and the latter blurring the lines between audience and performer, like a speakeasy cabaret. What most might call Americana, folk-rock or country music, Melanie colours with her own distinctive essence, bringing a vintage respect to a modern sound. Seeing her ease onstage, it’s clear that’s where she feels most at home, quickly winning over audiences with her charisma.

Melanie’s striking stage presence, unique vocal stylings and expressive confidence have opened several doors for her since the release of her French album Débridée (2015), giving her the chance to build a solid team including management, booking, distribution and publishing. Critically acclaimed by media in Québec as well as across Canada, the album earned Melanie a Stingray Music Rising Star Award as well as three Trille Or nominations at Canada’s largest recognition of excellence in the arts outside of Québec. Melanie was featured on the official Ontario 150 anthem ‘A Place to Stand’ which was highly distributed across the province during 2017.

Her singles have been on regular rotation on CBC, Radio-Canada as well as Sirius XM satellite in Canada and the USA, allowing her to build a following and tour the continent playing near 100 shows per year. Most recent highlights include opening for Kathleen Edwards, Whitehorse and Amanda Marshall as well as performances at renowned festivals such as Mariposa Folk Fest, Luminato, Francofolies, Montreal Folk on the Canal and multiple performances at Yonge-Dundas Square. Most recently, Melanie has been spending significant time honing her craft as a songwriter in Nashville with some of Music City’s finest in preparation for her upcoming 2018 release.

The success of Débridée opened another unexpected door, allowing her to begin a conversation about mental health with her audience. She began running workshops on self-confidence with students across North America, encouraging young people to talk about their fears and anxieties, offering tips and tricks on dealing with depression, and sharing her story as a suicide loss survivor. “After my father’s passing, I remember being so angry. The truth is that without being able to express myself through songwriting, I’d be an absolute mess. Sharing my story with others has helped me get through the pain and loss and I hope that I can offer the same refuge to others through music and open conversation.” Melanie’s third full-length album Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind further explores themes of family, loss and addiction and will be released October 2018.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MELANIE BRULÉE ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANIE BRULÉE

PFS Presents The Tall Pines

Friday, November 16, 2018
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Click here to get your tickets! 

$15 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $18 Not-Yet-Members | $20 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About The Tall Pines

THE TALL PINES ARE A SHACK-SHAKIN’, FOOT–STOMPIN’ FOLK-ROCK BAND FEATURING CONNIE LYNN PETRUK, SINGING HER HEART OUT, PLAYING DRUMS ON HER ALLIGATOR SKIN SUITCASE, AND SHAKING HER TAMBOURINE. HER PARTNER CHRISTMAS DAVIS, PLAYS GUITAR, WRITES THE SONGS AND HOWLS ALONG. THE TALL PINES REVEL IN THE SPIRITS OF THE LATE 1960S AND EARLY 1970SCOUNTRY, SOUL, AND SWAMP-ROCK SCENES, WHILE WORKING HARD TO TAKE THE SOUNDS THEY LOVE BEYOND THEIR HISTORY AND INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF AMERICAN MUSIC. THEIR FIRST SELF-TITLED ALBUM WAS VOTED ONE OF THE TOP TEN BEST RECORDS OF THE YEAR BY NPR’S MEREDITH OCHS. THEY’VE PERFORMED LIVE WITH COUNTRY MUSIC GREAT CHARLIE LOUVIN (RIP) AT THE CMJ MUSIC FESTIVAL, WITH NORAH JONES AND PUSS N BOOTS, JUSTIN TOWNES EARL, KEVN KINNY OF DRIVN’ AND CRYIN’, AMY RAY OF THE INDIGO GIRLS, AND MANY MORE GREAT FOLKS. THEY PRODUCE A MONTHLY LIVE MUSIC SERIES IN NEW YORK CITY CALLED THE TALL PINES REVUE, AND WERE RECENTLY DUBBED A BUZZ BAND AT THE 30A SONGWRITER’S FESTIVAL LAST JANUARY BY AMERICAN SONGWRITER MAGAZINE. THEIR NEW EP “FEAR IS THE DEVIL” WILL BE RELEASED IN THE FALL OF 2015. THE TALL PINES ARE ON A MISSION TO REMIND A WORLD INCREASINGLY MADE OF CONCRETE, GLASS AND STEEL THAT SOME MUSIC STILL BURNS LIKE RAW TIMBER.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE TALL PINES

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE TALL PINES ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TALL PINES

PFS Election and November Monthly Concert with Sharon Katz & The Peace Train

Get your tickets here!

ELECTION at 1pm
MUSIC at 2pm

**FREE FOR MEMBERS** While Supplies Last
**$12 For Not-Yet-Members**

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A PERFORMANCE OF SHARON KATZ & THE PEACE TRAIN

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Sharon Katz & The Peace Train

The multicultural South African band of Sharon Katz & The Peace Train helped Nelson Mandela end Apartheid and have continued spreading their message of peace and reconciliation around the world. Their pulsating rhythms, rich harmonies, guitar-driven melodies, spine-tingling dances, funky basslines, intricate drum patterns, and compelling lyrics tell of the social justice challenges worldwide and how we can change them – while getting the dance party going! Nominated for the Grammy’s “Best World Music Album,” the group made history in 1992 when they formed South Africa’s first, 500-voice multiracial choir and then organized a courageous tour on board a train –The Peace Train – to promote a peaceful transition to democracy. The documentary film about The Peace Train’s music and work, “When Voices Meet,” was selected by 30 film festivals and won Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Original Soundtrack, and Audience Award at Philadelphia International Film Festival. Recordings: “Imbizo” on Billboard’s Highly Recommended list and Grammy nomination list for Best World Music Album; “Live in NYC with Pete Seeger;” “Double Take” with Jazz divas Abigail Kubeka and Dolly Rathebe; “Carnival!” with Sting, Elton John, Tina Turner and Madonna and “Side-By Side” featuring Sharon Katz and Peace Train co-founder, Nonhlanhla Wanda.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SHARON KATZ & THE PEACE TRAIN ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SHARON KATZ & THE PEACE TRAIN

**Ticketing Policy**

The Philadelphia Folksong Society is proud to offer its’ members one or two free tickets (depending on membership level) to our selectedMonthly Member Concert and Monthly House Concert every month. Due to the large number of members and limited seating, we ask that members reserve tickets when they know they can attend. If a member has reserved a ticket and cannot make it to the member concert of their choosing, they must contact the PFS office by phone or emailprior to the event to cancel. Failure to do so will result in an inability to reserve your free member ticket to the following member concert.

If you arrive at a PFS member concert and have not reserved a ticket, you will only be seated ten minutes before show time if seats are still available.

If a member concert is listed as “sold out,” please contact Katie Kreszat kkresz@pfs.org to secure your spot atop the waitlist. You will be notified prior to the concert if seats become available.

PFS asks that all members show respect to their fellow members and the Society through following this policy.

Event Details:  Lansdowne Folk Club presents Ryanhood on Thursday, November 29.  Named “Best Group/Duo” in the 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA’s), acoustic-duo Ryanhood got their first break as street-performers at Boston’s Quincy Market.  They currently reside in their hometown of Tucson, AZ, where they have won more than a dozen Tucson Music Awards including “Best Folk Band” and “Best Rock Band” (You can decide for yourself which is most accurate.)  Check them out at https://www.ryanhood.com.

Show Time: 7:30 pm EST

Tickets: $17 with advance ticket purchase or reservation and $20 without an advance reservation

Location: Lansdowne Folk Club, 84 S. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA

Website: www.folkclub.org

PFS Presents Kaia Kater

*TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 9AM*

Saturday, December 1, 2018
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

$15 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $20 Not-Yet-Members | $25 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Kaia Kater

A Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian, Kaia Kater grew up between two worlds: one her family’s deep ties to folk music; the other the years she spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia. Her old-time banjo-picking skills, deft arrangements, and songwriting abilities have landed her in the spotlight in North America and the UK, garnering critical acclaim from outlets such as NPR, CBC Radio, Rolling Stone, BBC Music, and No Depression

Kaia started her career early, crafting her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016). Her most recent album weaves between hard-hitting songs that touch on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement (“Rising Down,” “Paradise Fell”) and more personal narratives speaking to life and love in the digital age (“Saint Elizabeth”). Nine Pin won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Stingray Rising Star Award and sent Kaia on an 18-month touring journey from Ireland to Iowa, including stops at The Kennedy Center, Hillside Festival and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush. Kaia is currently working on her next album, due for release in late 2018.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF KAIA KATER

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO KAIA KATER ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KAIA KATER

PFS December Monthly Concert with Erin Costelo

Thursday, December 13, 2018
Doors 7pm | Music 7:30pm

Secure your tickets here!

**FREE FOR MEMBERS** While Supplies Last
**$10 For Not-Yet-Members**

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A PERFORMANCE OF ERIN COSTELO

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Erin Costelo

Although she has been compared to icons like Carole King and Nina Simone, Erin Costelo’s fifth studio album cements her status as an utterly inimitable voice in Americana music.

Taking inspiration from sources as varied as Ryan Adams and Randy Newman, Sweet Marie is a genre-defying album that sounds at once timeless, timely and completely fresh.

The album features a host of great Canadian talent including, Glenn Milchem on drums (Blue Rodeo), Anna Ruddick on bass (Randy Bachman), Leith Fleming-Smith (Matt Mays) and Erin’s long-time guitarist and partner, Clive MacNutt.

On Sweet Marie, Erin looks at a world and industry that pushed her to the edge of ending her musical career – but she pushes back. Pulsing with a confident and cathartic energy, Erin’s voice soars even as her songs dive deep.

Sweet Marie will be released in Canada on Oct 19th on Erin’s own label Venue Records and to the rest of the world on October 26th through Compass Records.

A “Making of” documentary, directed by Amelia Curran will air on CBC TV in Fall 2018.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ERIN COSTELO ON SOUNDCLOUD

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIN COSTELO

**Ticketing Policy**

The Philadelphia Folksong Society is proud to offer its’ members one or two free tickets (depending on membership level) to our selected Monthly Member Concert and Monthly House Concert every month. Due to the large number of members and limited seating, we ask that members reserve tickets when they know they can attend. If a member has reserved a ticket and cannot make it to the member concert of their choosing, they must contact the PFS office by phone or email prior to the event to cancel. Failure to do so will result in an inability to reserve your free member ticket to the following member concert.

If you arrive at a PFS member concert and have not reserved a ticket, you will only be seated ten minutes before show time if seats are still available.

If a member concert is listed as “sold out,” please contact Katie Kresz at kkresz@pfs.org to secure your spot atop the waitlist. You will be notified prior to the concert if seats become available.

PFS asks that all members show respect to their fellow members and the Society through following this policy.