Apr 20 Saturday
Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse and the Bucks County Folk Song Society will collaborate once again for the BCFSS Annual Members Showcase Concert on Saturday, April 20, 2024, 7:30 pm at Perkasie Mennonite Church, 320 W Chestnut St., Perkasie, Pa.
Admission: Free Will Donation. Doors open at 7:00 with performances at 7:30 pm.
This annual concert offers Bucks County Folk Song Society members a chance at 10-20 minutes of fame and will include eight individual and group performers contributing their talents to an entertaining evening. To take best advantage of scarce stage time, many members have banded together into performing groups. Some of these excellent collaborations cannot be heard or seen anywhere else, while others have resulted in lasting relationships and appear regularly around the area.
Imagine a trail that traverses the atmospheric sounds of Nick Drake, the heartfelt emotion of Neil Young, and the quirky storytelling of The Kinks and you’ll get an inkling of the irresistible sound of The Electric Farm.
According to Acoustic Live! “A listener who enters ‘the Farm’ will find a highly developed melodic sense and an ability to create intriguing lyrics.” The music by singer-songwriter Joey Mutis is featured in television (NUMB3RS, One Tree Hill, Happy Endings, Drive)and film (Drive Me Crazy). His song “Man of the Town” was called “one of my favorite songs by anybody” by Philly folk legend Gene Shay.
For more than 30 years, The Electric Farm has performed at East Coast venues including Musikfest, Godfrey Daniels, Sellersville Theatre, World Cafe, The Historic Blairstown Theater, Steel City Coffeehouse, Morristown Theater, 40 Watt Club, and Johnny D’s, as well as storied NYC clubs Kenny’s Castaways and CBGB. Peter Buck of REM played mandolin on early recordings. The band has opened for a diverse group of artists including The SunRa Arkestra, Strawbs, Badfinger, Dave Mason, Railroad Earth, John Gorka, and others.
The Electric Farm has four studio albums—UNGLUED, THE ELECTRIC FARM, BOOMSCHLANG VIPER STORY, and SIX.
Apr 24 Wednesday
Dave Fry will share the stage with Rick Weaver and Tom Druckenmiller to chat about our dual lives as folk radio programmers as well as professional folk performers, how those vocations intersect and inform each other. Dave has been doing radio since the early 70's at WSAN, WMUH, WDIY and recently on Folk Music Notebook. Tom holds down the Sing Out! Radio podcast for many years as well as Folk Sunday and In The Tradition on WDIY and Rick can be heard weekly on WDIY's Celtic Faire. All three are noted musicians as well. Audience conversation is encouraged.
Apr 26 Friday
We’re having a “Genre Cross-Over Night,” where the spotlight shines on three exceptional performers blending three genres of music: Danielle Notaro, Brother JT, and Dave Fry. We will also be marking a CD release event for “Limn the Chord,” by Danielle Notaro, Gus Stauffer, and Ernest Knuckle.
Brother JT (John Terlesky) of The Original Sins fame will join Danielle Notaro for a new piece before treating the audience to a set of original tunes from his extensive discography. Dave Fry will accompany Danielle for a piece and then treat us to whatever he wants!
Apr 28 Sunday
“If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert”, says Richmond Magazine. Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, Vance Gilbert’s, at 30 years into his songwriter career, influence can be felt all over the contemporary Folk and Americana realm as he has helped pave the way for many of the BIPOC artists who have followed. Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 13 albums, including 5 for Philo/Rounder Records. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, The Milk Carton Kids, and Southside Johnny, the mid 2000’s found Gilbert opening 150+ shows for comedian George Carlin. Most recently he’s been the opener of choice for Mad About You/Stranger Things star Paul Reiser’s stand-up shows (50 +) for the last 7 years, along with his own busy acoustic music touring and coaching schedule. Gilbert has been a songwriting, performance, and voice coach all around the world, kinda, from Australia to Winnipeg, at all the festivals above plus The Kerrville and Rocky Mountain Song Schools, he is currently on staff as Instructor/Professor at the University Of Colorado Denver and has a decade worth of summer programs at the Berklee College Of Music under his belt.