PFS Presents OSOG with Special Guests The Naked Sun

Friday, February 22, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

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

Get your tickets here!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About OSOG

OSOG stands for “On Shoulders Of Giants,” honoring their musical roots, and on the way to their unique sound, they have done some deep listening. You may be tempted to think: Americana, and that would be true, because their life-water comes from the same well. But the creature nurtured on it, was born on the crossroads, in the Middle East, with the world in its ears. The nine-person band features acoustic instruments, yet they are played with a 21st century sensibility. A song may open with poetic imagery and fingers pick out a delicate melody on the ukulele or mandolin, like a folk tune coming from an old soul, then something happens, a portal opens to the dark side, and everything changes. But in that intensity, you realize that it was always all there, paradise and the inferno are all part of the same whole. There’s a religious fervor to many of the songs, that resonates profoundly. It sounds like traditional Gospel and Blues, not because it is written in that manner or in imitation; if you listen to the music you soon realize that it is a raging devil-child of diverse influences (blues, folk, rock, punk, reggae – to name a few) and striking originality. OSOG’s music feels like traditional blues or gospel because they are harnessed to the same, ultimately subversive task: truth-telling.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF OSOG

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OSOG ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OSOG

About The Naked Sun

The Naked Sun may or may not have coined the phrase, but “honest rock” has unquestionably been their ethos since their start back in 2011—and few bands embody its spirit like they do. With songs that echo the rawness and sincerity of the cities around which its members grew up—Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia—the band blends the basics of roots rock and folk with layers of bolstering piano and organ, intricate pedal steel leads, and melodic choruses backed by satisfying vocal harmonies. Rooted in the songwriting of frontman Andrew Wesley Harris, The Naked Sun strive equally toward Petty’s pop genius, Springsteen’s storytelling, Dylan’s social consciousness, and the energy of My Morning Jacket.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE NAKED SUN

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE NAKED SUN ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NAKED SUN

PFS Presents Melanie Brulée

Get your tickets here!

Saturday, February 23, 2019
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

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

PFS February House Concert with Whirled Music

Thursday, February 28, 2019
Potluck/Doors 7pm | Music 8pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Whirled Music

Ken Ulansey and Phyllis Chapell have been blending their instruments and voices for over 15 years, enriching each others musical outlooks. They draw from traditions as diverse as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Ireland, France and, of course, the American songbook. Their travels through most of these cultures lend an authenticity to their music that’s wonderful and rare! When with their larger group, these influences expand astronomically, creating a maelstrom of infectiously danceable rhythms.

Phyllis Chapell’s repertoire features songs in 12 languages. She captures the essence of musical styles from percussive Brazilian sambas and explosive klezmer to elegant folk, jazz, and originals. Picked as one of the top 500 jazz vocalists ever by the book, “The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide”, the Inquirer raved, “Chapell is an elegant singer who will steal your heart away. She eludes all labels!”

Ken Ulansey, Penn Council for the Arts winner, is a musical chameleon, having played classical music with Relache, jazz with his own award-winning band, Latin with Minas, and folk music with many of the nation’s leading songwriters. Besides leading his own wedding band, Ken has toured extensively in Europe, Asia and the States, and played on 250 recordings.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF WHIRLED MUSIC

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event is located at the Stevens’ residence located in Paoli, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 7pm, music at 8pm.

PFS Presents Bon Débarras

Friday, March 1, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

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

Get your tickets here!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Bon Débarras

Bon Débarras unites the worlds of music, dance and poetry through a collaboration between Montreal artists Dominic Desrochers, Jean-François Dumas and Marie-Pierre Lecault. The group brings together a fusion of Quebecois folk music, traditional step-dancing and global influences, for a show that is full of fun and inventive energy. On guitar, banjo, violin and harmonica, the trio opens a door to their recollections of America and their music is at the intersection of various traditions. Bon Débarras’ energy taps into the rhythms of today and ventures boldly on the multi-faceted road to tomorrow’s dreams, in an atmosphere that transcends boundaries and ages.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF BON DÉBARRAS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO BON DÉBARRAS ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BON DÉBARRAS

PFS Presents The Black Feathers

Saturday, March 2, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BLACK FEATHERS PERFORM

About The Black Feathers

A favorite of the 2018 Philadelphia Folk Festival, we are delighted to be hosting The Black Feathers in 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.

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. It’s been an incredible couple of years for the The Black Feathers. Their debut album was met with critical acclaim and broke into the Top 10 in the iTunes Country chart and the Official UK Americana Chart. A live album recorded at The Convent in Stroud has also just been released and very well received. Tours in the UK, as well as an Irish tour supporting Eddi Reader, have kept Sian and Ray busy. They could easily rest on their laurels, but instead have been spending their downtime working on new material to be released as their ‘The Ghosts Have Eaten Well’ EP in 2018 with more new music on the way!

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

PFS Presents The Accidentals

Friday, March 8, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

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

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A STANDING ROOM ONLY SHOW, NO SEATS WILL BE AVAILABLE EXCEPT FOR THE MEZZANINE

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE ACCIDENTALS

About The Accidentals

Named among Yahoo Music’s “Top 10 Bands to Watch in 2017,” The Accidentals’ adventure began in their hometown of Traverse City, MI, when Larson, a sophomore cellist, and Buist, a junior violinist, were paired for a high school orchestra event. The gifted young musicians became fast friends and before long, bandmates. Having both grown up in musical families with professional pianists for fathers and vocalists for mothers, their shared influences bounced between classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, alt-rock, and the obscure.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE ACCIDENTALS ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ACCIDENTALS

PFS Presents Rev. Sekou

Saturday, March 9, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REV. SEKOUS’ TINY DESK CONCERT

About Rev. Sekou

Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou
Osagyefo (oh-sah-GEE-fo) Uhuru (ooh-WHO-roo) Sekou (SAY-koo)

Noted activist, theologian, author, documentary filmmaker, and musician, Reverend Osagyefo Sekou was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in the rural Arkansas Delta. Rev. Sekou’s music is an unique combination of North Mississippi Hill Country Music, Arkansas Delta Blues, Memphis Soul and Pentecostal steel guitar. In May 2017, he released “In Times Like These” produced the six-time Grammy nominated North Mississippi Allstars. AFROPUNK heralded the ”deep bone-marrow-level conviction” of his first album, “The Revolution Has Come”. The single, “We Comin’”–was named the new anthem for the modern Civil Rights movement by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A consummate entertainer, Paste Studio celebrated his barn-burning performance saying: “Rev. Sekou delivers the spiritual performance we need now.”

With the Deep Abiding Love Project, he has helped trained over five thousands activists in militant nonviolent civil disobedience through the United States. He spent 6 weeks on the ground in Charlotteville, VA training clergy in response to the Unite the Right rally. Reverend Sekou is featured in Orlando de Guzman’s 2015 documentary film Ferguson: A Report from Occupied Territory. He was arrested multiple times during the Ferguson Uprising, including for ‘Praying while Black’ outside the Ferguson Police Department in September, alongside over 40 clergy, faith leaders and community members during the 500-strong Moral Monday protest during last year’s Ferguson October convergence, and, more recently, on Moral Monday 2015, as part of more than 50 people and faced federal charges following a sit-in at the Department of Justice.

His documentary short film, Exiles in the Promised Land is based on his visit to a refugee camp and lecture in Beirut, Lebanon. It was selected for the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Festival (2009). He is a founding national coordinator for Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq (CALC-I), which represented over 300 faith-based institutions and organizations working to end the war in Iraq.

Rev. Sekou co-led an interfaith delegation to Haiti one month after the tragic earthquake. He built toilets alongside the Haitian people. Based on a Lecture he delivered in Beirut, Lebanon, his short documentary film, Exiles in the Promised Land: The Quest for Home focuses on the plights of Palestinians, Iraqi, and post-Katrina New Orleans. The film was accepted at the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival. Rev. Sekou was a delegate to the People’s World Climate Change Conference in Bolivia. He was a delegate to the Interdependence Day Conferences in Istanbul, Turkey and Berlin, Germany.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO REV. SEKOU ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT REV. SEKOU

March Monthly Concert with John McCutcheon

Sunday, March 10, 2019
Doors 1:30pm | Music 2pm

Get your tickets here!

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About John McCutcheon

No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John’s bedroom. It didn’t seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had “found his voice” thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.

From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota’s St. John’s University, this Wisconsin native literally “headed for the hills,” forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music…whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs…with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. It also created a storytelling style that has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.

But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”

Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF JOHN MCCUTCHEON

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO JOHN MCCUTCHEON ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN MCCUTCHEON

**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.

PFS Presents Les Poules à Colin

Friday, March 15, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

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

Get your tickets here!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Les Poules à Colin

Taking their name from a traditional song, Colin’s Hens (formed in 2009) are five descendants of trad musicians who have been raised behind the scenes of folk festivals. They learned their trade with some of Quebec’s greatest traditional musicians in an area famous for its living heritage: Lanaudière.

Their strong stage presence demonstrates a contagious pleasure and projects the audience in a family and festive atmosphere. It is in 2010 that they record their first album. It is with Hébertisme Nocturne that they take to the stage in major cities in Canada, the United States and France, including festivals such as the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Tadoussac Song Festival, the Sunfest , the Memory and Roots Festival, and many others.

These young artists continue their work of creation and record in 2014 their second album, Ste-Waves. The latter was nominated at ADISQ 2015 in the category Traditional Album of the Year. Broadcast on Quebec, the album has become a hit in record stores and the official video has exceeded 35,000 views. Ste-Waves has earned them a place on the North American and European folk trades scene by playing in several major festivals such as the Vancouver Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, the Vancouver Island Music Festival, the Festival du Voyageur and the International Festival. from Louisiana.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF LES POULES À COLIN

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO LES POULES À COLIN ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LES POULES À COLIN

PFS Presents Catherine Britt

Friday, March 22, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

$12 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $15 Not-Yet-Members | $20 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Catherine Britt

When you look at modern country music you can identify a diverse range of styles that have evolved from the traditional roots form. From pop country to bush ballads, acoustic folk-leaning songs to rousing country rock and the polymorphic blend of Americana. One Australian artist that can lay claim to all of these strains is Catherine Britt, a songwriter who has already packed a respected and highly acclaimed career into her first two decades as a recording artist. Now, in 2018, a new chapter begins with the release of her seventh studio album, Catherine Britt & The Cold Cold Hearts.

From Newcastle to Nashville, Catherine made the move to the home of country music at just 17 years old. It proved to be a brave decision that gave her immeasurable experience as a musician, insight into the machinations of the industry and a contract with the legendary RCA Records. Upon returning to Australia in 2009, Catherine set about recording her debut full length album Dusty Smiles and Heartbreak Cures, the first of five consecutive albums nominated for Album Of The Year at the CMAA (Country Music Awards of Australia). The accolades didn’t stop there. Along the way she has received five Golden Guitar Awards, the CMA Global Artist Of The Year award in 2010 and six ARIA Award nominations for Best Country Album.

Life has a way of throwing curveballs, both good and bad, and the last three years have seen Catherine fight and win a battle with breast cancer, marry her husband James and most recently, give birth to their first child. Out of those highs and lows comes Catherine Britt & The Cold Cold Hearts, an album that rattles and rolls with life, energy and honest, autobiographical songwriting.

The album was recorded in Catherine’s own studio, built in her backyard and dubbed the Beverley Hillbilly Studios. With engineer Jeff McCormack behind the desk, Catherine and The Cold Cold Hearts (Michael Muchow & Andy Toombs) self-produced the album with Bill Chambers guesting on all the tracks. “I came up with this idea three years ago on our honeymoon while we were traveling in our camper in WA. I didn’t know what to do next after Boneshaker but I knew I didn’t want to do the overseas thing again and that I wanted to do something more organic and at home. I thought of building the studio and doing it ourselves. I’ve always wanted to do one of those ‘artist and a band’ projects like Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and Emmylou Harris & The Hot Band. It’s still the artist but they have this band of mates behind them. When I was writing the album I was going back to when I was a kid and rediscovering that music that I grew up on. I thought about who would get that and pull it off and these guys were perfect. When you’re making a record and going out on the road it’s really important that there’s a good vibe and you’re all on the same page.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF CATHERINE BRITT

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO CATHERINE BRITT ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CATHERINE BRITT

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

PFS Presents Ana Egge and Antje Duvekot

Friday, March 29, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

$12 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $15 Not-Yet-Members | $20 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Ana Egge

When Ana Egge got bit by the music bug as a teenager, she took matters into her own hands, building her own guitar, and moving to Austin, TX to observe, absorb and take musical risks. The striking depth and unusual maturity of her singing, playing, and songwriting got her noticed, and she recorded her first album, River Under the Road (1997) with the legendary western swing band, Asleep At The Wheel. The Austin Music Awards named her “Best Singer/Songwriter” and “Best Folk Artist.” Over the ensuing years and 8 subsequent CDs, Ana has made good on that promising debut. She has worked with producers Martin Terefe, Jason Mercer, Joel Plaskett, Steve Earle, and Stewart Lerman, and recorded full albums with The Stray Birds and The Sentimentals. Now, in 2018, she has released White Tiger, her tenth album, a new batch of Egge originals of such singularly articulate and affecting honesty and sensitivity, as to once again deserve USA Today’s accolade, “[Ana] can write and sing rings around” her contemporaries.

Ana wrote the song “White Tiger” as encouragement for a dear friend going through hell, and in need of her spirit guide (Keep your eyes on the tiger / Feed him, let him be your guide / Teach him freedom, that he might lead you / Through to the other side). Ana, herself, fiercely honest and compassionate, is not unlike that animal, near-miraculous, rare but real, and she, too, can take us through, enlighten our lives. She still plays that guitar she made herself all those years ago, and is still possessed by a self-determined sense of who she is and what she wants to do. As Lucinda Williams once told some friends, “Listen to her lyrics. Ana is the folk Nina Simone.” According to Shawn Colvin, “Ana has the rare gift of being so eloquent and simple that she takes your breath away. I just love her.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF ANA EGGE

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ANA EGGE ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANA EGGE

About Antje Duvekot

former Rolling Stone music editor Dave Marsh says: “This is a brilliant, brilliant album. I have had this reaction once in the last 10 years and that was the first time I heard Patty Griffin.”

Antje Duvekot has solidified her reputation as one of Boston’s top singer songwriters with “Big Dream Boulevard” her debut studio release and “the Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer” and “New Siberia” her follow-up albums. The debut CD was produced by Seamus Egan, founder of the Irish super group, SOLAS and the project was released on songwriter Ellis Paul’s label and quickly attracted international attention for Antje. It was voted “#1 Folk Release of 2006” by the Boston Globe and was named to the “Top10 Releases of the Year” by National Public Radio’s, Folk Alley. Her follow up albums “the Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer” and “New Siberia” were produced by Richard Shindell and along side with Richard feature other “folk royalty” such as John Gorka, Lucy Kaplancky and Mark Erelli. 

Antje has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the prestigious, Kerrville (TX) “Best New Folk Award” and in one of the nation’s top music markets, she won the Boston Music Award for “Outstanding Folk Act”, three of the top prizes in the singer songwriter world.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF ANTJE DUVEKOT

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ANTJE DUVEKOT ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTJE DUVEKOT

PFS March House Concert with The River Drivers

Saturday, March 30, 2019
Potluck/Doors 7pm | Music 7:30pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About The River Drivers

The River Drivers are a band with roots that run deep in a number of musical genres. Anchored by Kevin McCloskey (vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass) and Mindy Murray (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer) with accompaniment by Marian Moran (tin whistle, low whistle, concertina, bodhrán) and Meagan Ratini (fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle). The River Drivers have cultivated a passion-infused style drawing from Celtic, Americana and Mountain influences.

At a very early age, Kevin was playing guitar and banjo and singing harmonies to Irish standards with his father, Irish tenor, Tommy McCloskey. In his early twenties, he cut his teeth playing weekly at a Trenton pub alongside his father and “Irish Billy” Briggs. Kevin developed a passion for songs portraying the plight of working men and women and all the places they toiled. Kevin’s musical tastes are broad, and he toured North America and Europe extensively with his hardcore punk band Wrong Answer. He brings the intensity of that genre to River Drivers.

Mindy was in her early teens when she started singing and playing guitar and dulcimer in coffee houses, pubs, and campus radio stations. Life took her to medical school in West Virginia where she witnessed firsthand the struggles of day-to-day life in Appalachia. The music of the mountains and the miners infused into her repertoire. Years later, she and her daughter Meagan would play music together long into the night and eventually formed the musical duo Port Murray.

Marian’s family roots lie in the town of Ardara in County Donegal–known throughout the world as an epicenter of Irish traditional music. Whenever she can break away from the office world, she steals back to the rugged coastline village to recharge at its nightly sessions and the many music festivals held there–including the famed Cup of Tae and Johnny Doherty festivals. Having played the organ as a child, Marian jumped at learning a reed instrument that’s more portable and took up concertina.

Meagan grew up in a house that seemed like it had more musical instruments than practically anything else. She learned how to play the flute and dulcimer when she was quite young and then moved on to other instruments, eventually picking up the fiddle and the tin whistle and falling into Irish music. While helping direct the New Jersey Folk Festival in college, Meagan was introduced to the world of the traditional Irish session by some of the best trad musicians in the region.

In what has been unironically called “An Act of God,” Mindy was asked to resurrect some ’70s folk music for an anniversary at a local church along with Kevin, a grade school friend of her daughter Meagan. Marian, Mindy’s best friend from high school and college roommate, was also brought into the fold. All four quickly sensed a deep musical connection. House sessions evolved into the formation of River Drivers–a band that continues to experiment and find ways of making the traditional visceral again. Their music is now heard at many festivals and other venues throughout the region. The River Drivers can also be found anchoring a weekly Irish session at a local pub in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE RIVER DRIVERS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE RIVER DRIVERS ON SPOTIFY

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event will be held at the Spears’ residence located in the West Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 7pm, music at 7:30pm.

PFS April House Concert with Fish Harmonics and Slowey and the Boats

Sunday, April 14, 2019
Potluck/Doors 2pm | Music 2:30pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Fish Harmonics

Fish Harmonics are a Philadelphia-based ensemble, led by accordionist Rob Curto, that plays adventurous American roots music.

Influenced by celtic, old time, and modern bluegrass sounds, the band brings a unique free-wheeling and improvisational energy to both classic tunes and original compositions.

Featuring Curto’s mastery of the piano and diatonic accordions, coupled with rhythmic arco bass playing, old-timey strings, and groove-oriented drumming, the band is creating an exciting blend of sounds both familiar and new.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF FISH HARMONICS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FISH HARMONICS ON SPOTIFY

About Slowey and the Boats

Slowey and the Boats are a mainstay in Philadelphia’s eclectic music scene. In 2012 band leader Isaac Stanford got some of his closest friends together to play the steel guitar instrumentals that he had been learning, and the rest is Philadelphia nightclub history.

The band is busy around Philadelphia and has been featured monthly at the legendary local music bar Dawson Street Pub in a residency that has now lasted more than five years. In addition to Stanford on the console steel guitar, the band is comprised of David Streim on keys, Nate Skiles on guitar, Michael Hlatky on Bass, and Fred Berman on drums.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF SLOWEY AND THE BOATS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SLOWEY AND THE BOATS ON SPOTIFY

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event will be held at the Rigby Mansion located in the East Germantown neighrborhood of Philadelphia, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 2pm, music at 2:30pm.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

PFS Presents The Kennedys

Saturday, May 11, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About The Kennedys

At well over a million miles of roadwork, including two stints as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, Pete and Maura Kennedy show no signs of slowing down either on tour or in the creative realm.

Originally based in Austin, Texas, they spent a few years in the Washington DC area before moving to the East Village in New York City, where they have been based for most of the last two decades. The Kennedys are known nationwide as the hosts of the late lamented Dharma Café program on Sirius Satellite Radio, and on Broadway, they are regular cast members of Theatre Within’s annual tribute to John Lennon — working in that capacity with Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Jackson Browne, Cyndi Lauper and a host of others.

Life on the road and time spent in the creative ecosystem of the Village have informed their songwriting over the course of 14 duo albums and half a dozen side projects, and Safe Until Tomorrow is true to that tradition. What sets the album apart is the inclusion of several anthemic, rocking songs of social consciousness that convey a strong message best summed up in one of the song titles: “Be Silent No More.” The Kennedys’ music has been described as uplifting, empowering and encouraging. In these turbulent times, they rise to the occasion with Safe Until Tomorrow.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE KENNEDYS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE KENNEDYS ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KENNEDYS

PFS Presents Irish Mythen

Thursday, May 16, 2019
Doors 7:30pm | Music 8pm

Get your tickets here!

$14 for Members *While Supplies Last* | $17 Not-Yet-Members | $20 Doors

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Irish Mythen

Irish Mythen was born in Ireland and now resides in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada.

“This Island creates music and musicians, art and artists. I found a shift to take things more seriously when I moved here.” And she did just that. Her latest release, the self titled Irish Mythen, gained her recognition around the globe with nominations and wins coming from Music PEI, East Coast Music Association, Folk Alliance International and Socan. Write-ups in Australian Guitar Magazine, the Rolling Stone, and a plethora of online publications world wide have helped plant Irish firmly on the map of ‘Must See Artists’.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF IRISH MYTHEN

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO IRISH MYTHEN ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IRISH MYTHEN

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

Saturday, Feb 23 2019   8 pm

Terry Kitchen & Mara Levine split bill with Robin Greenstein

People’s Voice Café

Community Church of New York , 40 East 35th Street , New York, NY 10016

$20 suggested contribution — more if you choose, less if you can’t; no one turned away.
For PVC subscribers, students, and youth, the suggested contribution is $12.

http://www.peoplesvoicecafe.org

Mara Levine FACETS OF FOLK CD Release Concert

Split bill with Gathering Time

Sunday, February 24 1:30 pm Doors open at 1

Borderline Folk Music Club

Nanuet Library

149 Church street, Nanuet, NY

$20

for reservations Greta at intrend@yahoo.com

or www.borderlinefolkmusicclub.org

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

PFS February House Concert with Whirled Music

Thursday, February 28, 2019
Potluck/Doors 7pm | Music 8pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Whirled Music

Ken Ulansey and Phyllis Chapell have been blending their instruments and voices for over 15 years, enriching each others musical outlooks. They draw from traditions as diverse as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Brazil, Ireland, France and, of course, the American songbook. Their travels through most of these cultures lend an authenticity to their music that’s wonderful and rare! When with their larger group, these influences expand astronomically, creating a maelstrom of infectiously danceable rhythms.

Phyllis Chapell’s repertoire features songs in 12 languages. She captures the essence of musical styles from percussive Brazilian sambas and explosive klezmer to elegant folk, jazz, and originals. Picked as one of the top 500 jazz vocalists ever by the book, “The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide”, the Inquirer raved, “Chapell is an elegant singer who will steal your heart away. She eludes all labels!”

Ken Ulansey, Penn Council for the Arts winner, is a musical chameleon, having played classical music with Relache, jazz with his own award-winning band, Latin with Minas, and folk music with many of the nation’s leading songwriters. Besides leading his own wedding band, Ken has toured extensively in Europe, Asia and the States, and played on 250 recordings.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF WHIRLED MUSIC

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event is located at the Stevens’ residence located in Paoli, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 7pm, music at 8pm.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended!

MC/poet/songwriter Kuf Knotz and classically trained harpist/guitarist/pianist/vocalist Christine Elise have combined forces to perform and record. The unlikely pair connected and built the project with a similar vision wanting to create positive, forward-thinking music driven by a strong message. Both individuals are intrinsically motivated to foster community growth through musical expression.

Along with live performances, Knotz and Elise offer motivational creative arts workshops and performances at various settings such as hospitals, schools and community centers. Their mission is to use the power of music, personal experience and empathetic relation to help individuals grow to meet their fullest potential.

Knotz is one of todays fastest emerging alternative artists, which has led him to open for top acts Arrested Development, Common, G. Love, Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Bruce Springsteen and many others. He has a strong passion for supporting the community by participating in and facilitating fundraising events such as food drives, clothing drives, cancer benefits, and disaster relief efforts. Knotz is also a member of the WXPN program Musicians on Call, bringing live music to the bedsides of patients throughout hospitals in Philadelphia.

Christine Elise has a strong background in music therapy, having delivered music therapy services to children, adults and seniors with developmental delays, special needs and those needing emotional support. Finding a passion for community music therapy, she has facilitated group sessions for professionals and clients in the USA, South Africa, Peru and Jamaica. Elise has presented at national and regional music therapy conferences, with a focus on her community music therapy work, as well as written three scholarly articles published by Music Therapy Perspectives.

The duo will be releasing their debut album Higher Grounds in early 2019. For more information visit www.kufknotz.com/k-c-project.

March Monthly Concert with John McCutcheon

Sunday, March 10, 2019
Doors 1:30pm | Music 2pm

Get your tickets here!

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

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About John McCutcheon

No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John’s bedroom. It didn’t seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had “found his voice” thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.

From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota’s St. John’s University, this Wisconsin native literally “headed for the hills,” forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music…whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs…with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. It also created a storytelling style that has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.

But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”

Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF JOHN MCCUTCHEON

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO JOHN MCCUTCHEON ON SPOTIFY

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN MCCUTCHEON

**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.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

PFS March House Concert with The River Drivers

Saturday, March 30, 2019
Potluck/Doors 7pm | Music 7:30pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About The River Drivers

The River Drivers are a band with roots that run deep in a number of musical genres. Anchored by Kevin McCloskey (vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass) and Mindy Murray (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer) with accompaniment by Marian Moran (tin whistle, low whistle, concertina, bodhrán) and Meagan Ratini (fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle). The River Drivers have cultivated a passion-infused style drawing from Celtic, Americana and Mountain influences.

At a very early age, Kevin was playing guitar and banjo and singing harmonies to Irish standards with his father, Irish tenor, Tommy McCloskey. In his early twenties, he cut his teeth playing weekly at a Trenton pub alongside his father and “Irish Billy” Briggs. Kevin developed a passion for songs portraying the plight of working men and women and all the places they toiled. Kevin’s musical tastes are broad, and he toured North America and Europe extensively with his hardcore punk band Wrong Answer. He brings the intensity of that genre to River Drivers.

Mindy was in her early teens when she started singing and playing guitar and dulcimer in coffee houses, pubs, and campus radio stations. Life took her to medical school in West Virginia where she witnessed firsthand the struggles of day-to-day life in Appalachia. The music of the mountains and the miners infused into her repertoire. Years later, she and her daughter Meagan would play music together long into the night and eventually formed the musical duo Port Murray.

Marian’s family roots lie in the town of Ardara in County Donegal–known throughout the world as an epicenter of Irish traditional music. Whenever she can break away from the office world, she steals back to the rugged coastline village to recharge at its nightly sessions and the many music festivals held there–including the famed Cup of Tae and Johnny Doherty festivals. Having played the organ as a child, Marian jumped at learning a reed instrument that’s more portable and took up concertina.

Meagan grew up in a house that seemed like it had more musical instruments than practically anything else. She learned how to play the flute and dulcimer when she was quite young and then moved on to other instruments, eventually picking up the fiddle and the tin whistle and falling into Irish music. While helping direct the New Jersey Folk Festival in college, Meagan was introduced to the world of the traditional Irish session by some of the best trad musicians in the region.

In what has been unironically called “An Act of God,” Mindy was asked to resurrect some ’70s folk music for an anniversary at a local church along with Kevin, a grade school friend of her daughter Meagan. Marian, Mindy’s best friend from high school and college roommate, was also brought into the fold. All four quickly sensed a deep musical connection. House sessions evolved into the formation of River Drivers–a band that continues to experiment and find ways of making the traditional visceral again. Their music is now heard at many festivals and other venues throughout the region. The River Drivers can also be found anchoring a weekly Irish session at a local pub in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE RIVER DRIVERS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE RIVER DRIVERS ON SPOTIFY

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event will be held at the Spears’ residence located in the West Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 7pm, music at 7:30pm.

PFS April House Concert with Fish Harmonics and Slowey and the Boats

Sunday, April 14, 2019
Potluck/Doors 2pm | Music 2:30pm

CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK

About Fish Harmonics

Fish Harmonics are a Philadelphia-based ensemble, led by accordionist Rob Curto, that plays adventurous American roots music.

Influenced by celtic, old time, and modern bluegrass sounds, the band brings a unique free-wheeling and improvisational energy to both classic tunes and original compositions.

Featuring Curto’s mastery of the piano and diatonic accordions, coupled with rhythmic arco bass playing, old-timey strings, and groove-oriented drumming, the band is creating an exciting blend of sounds both familiar and new.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF FISH HARMONICS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FISH HARMONICS ON SPOTIFY

About Slowey and the Boats

Slowey and the Boats are a mainstay in Philadelphia’s eclectic music scene. In 2012 band leader Isaac Stanford got some of his closest friends together to play the steel guitar instrumentals that he had been learning, and the rest is Philadelphia nightclub history.

The band is busy around Philadelphia and has been featured monthly at the legendary local music bar Dawson Street Pub in a residency that has now lasted more than five years. In addition to Stanford on the console steel guitar, the band is comprised of David Streim on keys, Nate Skiles on guitar, Michael Hlatky on Bass, and Fred Berman on drums.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF SLOWEY AND THE BOATS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SLOWEY AND THE BOATS ON SPOTIFY

PFS and the hosts ask that guests act in a respectful manner and be considerate of the performers and other attendees–if you do not, you may be asked to leave by PFS staff or the hosts.

Advance registrations for this performance are REQUIRED.

Admission is free for PFS members and $10 for Advanced Tickets for non-members.

The event will be held at the Rigby Mansion located in the East Germantown neighrborhood of Philadelphia, PA. You will receive the exact address upon registering.

Please bring something to share! Potluck at 2pm, music at 2:30pm.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.

You’re invited to…

MONTHLY YIDDISH DANCE GROOVE with Steve Weintraub- Yiddish Dance Master!

Are you ready to party?

Be part of the ongoing cultivation of a lively Yiddish Dance scene!

Gain confidence and competence in a wide variety of dances to klezmer music as we learn and enjoy dances in groups, couples, squares, and solo in a cozy environment. Two or three dances will be taught each night, and the rest of the evening will be given over to enjoying dances led by top experts in the form. Dances will be set to live music by some the region’s best klezmer musicians with occasional surprise visiting artists.

All are welcome! Recommended for ages 12+.

***

Tuesday, February 26
Tuesday, March 26
Tuesday, April 23
Tuesday, May 28
Tuesday, June 25

7pm Doors | 7:30pm Dancing

PFS Members / Veterans / Students with valid ID: $10

Not-Yet-Members: $15

Find ride shares, Facebook events, and lively discussion in the Monthly Yiddish Dance Groove @PFS Facebook group!

***

ABOUT STEVE WEINTRAUB

Steve is a teacher, choreographer, and performer of Jewish dance, particularly Yiddish dance, the dance to klezmer music.

Born on Governor’s Island, Bar Mitzvahed in the Bronx, and living now in Philadelphia, Steven Lee Weintraub received his dance training in Manhattan with Alvin Ailey and Erick Hawkins, among others. He is in international demand as a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance at festivals and workshops including Klezkamp, Klezkanada, and festivals in Krakow, Furth, Paris and London to name a few. Steven delights in introducing people to the figures, steps and stylings of the dances that belong to Klezmer music. He has often been called the “Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance”; his years of experience leading and researching Yiddish dance allow him to quickly weave dancers and music together in astonishing ways. Young and old, from all backgrounds, find it easy to share in the joy of Yiddish dancing.