music and progressive social change, in the Philadelphia area
Information: email polson@igc.org, or call 215-848-6246. Tickets: app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=folk
Information: email polson@igc.org, or call 215-848-6246. Tickets: app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=folk
2023-2024 Calendar:
Upcoming events:
Sun., May 19 People's Choice Concert! [top vote-getters for this year's People's Choice Open Stages - see details below]
7:30pm, $10-30* Jamie the Optimist (Jamie Polson), Karen Smith, John Braxton, Wes Powers, and Brian MacSeain
Tues., May 21 Reggie Harris/Linda Hansell Book Release!
7:30pm, Free! Get your copy of Reggie's book, Searching for Solid Ground, co-authored with Linda Hansell
[NOTE: There will not be any kind of Open Stage/Open Circle in May, although one had been listed on the calendar previously!]
Sat., June 8 Two of a Kind Album Release Concert!
7:30pm, $9-30* David and Jenny Heitler-Klevans, with Ari Heitler-Klevans, Dave Posmontier, Linda Glazerman Roeder, Roy Braverman, and other special guests!
Sun., June 30 Sharon Katz and the Peace Train!
7:30pm, $15-75* A rare concert in Philly - don't miss it, and tell your friends!
2024-2025 Season:
Sat., Jan. 11 John Flynn!
8:00pm, $12-60*
* For all in-person Folk Factory events, low and no-wage folks can pay as little as half the bottom end of the sliding scale (or whatever they can afford) at the door. Kids under 12 are free, except for family concerts. No charge for Zoom participants in Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circles. The sliding scale is simply an opportunity for you to give an extra contribution donation to the Folk Factory without having to do a separate transaction. There is no intention to put any pressure for anyone to give any more than they can wholeheartedly feel good about. Think about how much you anticipate the event is likely to be worth to you, and give that amount, or a little more if you want to support us more than that.
In-Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle 7:30pm, 4th Thursday of most months; $2-5 in person; virtual is free!
We start with about an hour and a half of Open Stage - everyone gets up to 10 minutes (usually up to 2 songs). Then we take a break to take down the sound system and hang out. Then in the Open Circle, everyone present is invited to sing a song, read a poem, tell a story, request a song, or pass; songs are often participatory. It's a great place to perform for the first time or try out new material! Email polson@igc.org to get the Zoom link.
For the People's Choice version (January through April), there is in-person audience voting for each Open Stage act that wants, and the highest vote-getters are invited to participate in the June People's Choice Concert.
Earlier this season:
Thurs., Sept. 28 In Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (see details below)
Sat., Sept. 30 Jill Salkin & Dave Posmontier
8:00pm, $15-40* Jazz, originals, classic pop (see details below)
Thurs., Oct. 26 In Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (see details below)
Fri., Nov. 10 David Roth [see below for details and photos]
8:00pm, $15-50* Opening: Jamie the Optimist (Jamie Polson)
Sun., Jan. 7 Joe Jencks & Zoe Mulford! [see below for details and photos]
7:00pm, $15-60*
Thurs., Jan. 25 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Thurs., Feb. 22 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Thurs., Apr. 4 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list) (Note: not March 21 or 28, as displayed earlier)
Sun., Apr. 14 Jazz Vespers with Greg Moore (on Congas) and Actual Proof [see details below]
3:30pm, $10-30* with Bobby Zankel (alto sax), Jim Holton (Piano), Richard Hill (Bass), & Eric Gravatt (drums)
Thurs., Apr. 25 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Events in COVID-19 Limbo:
Music for the New Revolution Showcase Concert (originally scheduled for March 14, 2020) - CANCELED/POSTPONED! Stay tuned for details
Alastair Moock and Two of a Kind - originally scheduled for May 8, 2020 - postponed
8:00pm $12-40* (David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans, doing grownup material)
past events
Sun., May 19 People's Choice Concert! [top vote-getters for this year's People's Choice Open Stages - see details below]
7:30pm, $10-30* Jamie the Optimist (Jamie Polson), Karen Smith, John Braxton, Wes Powers, and Brian MacSeain
Tues., May 21 Reggie Harris/Linda Hansell Book Release!
7:30pm, Free! Get your copy of Reggie's book, Searching for Solid Ground, co-authored with Linda Hansell
[NOTE: There will not be any kind of Open Stage/Open Circle in May, although one had been listed on the calendar previously!]
Sat., June 8 Two of a Kind Album Release Concert!
7:30pm, $9-30* David and Jenny Heitler-Klevans, with Ari Heitler-Klevans, Dave Posmontier, Linda Glazerman Roeder, Roy Braverman, and other special guests!
Sun., June 30 Sharon Katz and the Peace Train!
7:30pm, $15-75* A rare concert in Philly - don't miss it, and tell your friends!
2024-2025 Season:
Sat., Jan. 11 John Flynn!
8:00pm, $12-60*
* For all in-person Folk Factory events, low and no-wage folks can pay as little as half the bottom end of the sliding scale (or whatever they can afford) at the door. Kids under 12 are free, except for family concerts. No charge for Zoom participants in Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circles. The sliding scale is simply an opportunity for you to give an extra contribution donation to the Folk Factory without having to do a separate transaction. There is no intention to put any pressure for anyone to give any more than they can wholeheartedly feel good about. Think about how much you anticipate the event is likely to be worth to you, and give that amount, or a little more if you want to support us more than that.
In-Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle 7:30pm, 4th Thursday of most months; $2-5 in person; virtual is free!
We start with about an hour and a half of Open Stage - everyone gets up to 10 minutes (usually up to 2 songs). Then we take a break to take down the sound system and hang out. Then in the Open Circle, everyone present is invited to sing a song, read a poem, tell a story, request a song, or pass; songs are often participatory. It's a great place to perform for the first time or try out new material! Email polson@igc.org to get the Zoom link.
For the People's Choice version (January through April), there is in-person audience voting for each Open Stage act that wants, and the highest vote-getters are invited to participate in the June People's Choice Concert.
Earlier this season:
Thurs., Sept. 28 In Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (see details below)
Sat., Sept. 30 Jill Salkin & Dave Posmontier
8:00pm, $15-40* Jazz, originals, classic pop (see details below)
Thurs., Oct. 26 In Person/Hybrid Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (see details below)
Fri., Nov. 10 David Roth [see below for details and photos]
8:00pm, $15-50* Opening: Jamie the Optimist (Jamie Polson)
Sun., Jan. 7 Joe Jencks & Zoe Mulford! [see below for details and photos]
7:00pm, $15-60*
Thurs., Jan. 25 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Thurs., Feb. 22 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Thurs., Apr. 4 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list) (Note: not March 21 or 28, as displayed earlier)
Sun., Apr. 14 Jazz Vespers with Greg Moore (on Congas) and Actual Proof [see details below]
3:30pm, $10-30* with Bobby Zankel (alto sax), Jim Holton (Piano), Richard Hill (Bass), & Eric Gravatt (drums)
Thurs., Apr. 25 In-Person/Hybrid People's Choice Open Stage/Open Circle (email polson@igc.org for Zoom link)
7:30pm, $2-5* (or look for an email if you are on the email list)
Events in COVID-19 Limbo:
Music for the New Revolution Showcase Concert (originally scheduled for March 14, 2020) - CANCELED/POSTPONED! Stay tuned for details
Alastair Moock and Two of a Kind - originally scheduled for May 8, 2020 - postponed
8:00pm $12-40* (David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans, doing grownup material)
past events
SUNDAY, May 19, 7:30pm
People's Choice Concert! Tickets: app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=folk Come hear the top vote-getters from this season's People's Choice Open Stages! Jamie the Optimist aka Jamie Polson, is a rapper, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, hailing from Northwest Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Ursinus College and started writing songs when he was 10 years old. He has released 4 albums and an EP since 2020, spanning folk, hip-hop, EDM, and other styles, including “Lost and Found” and (just released last month) “Music is Magic”. His creative music draws on influences from Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, the Mountain Goats, The Oh Hellos, Sufjan Stevens, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Lawrence, and Bill Withers. Check out Jamie the Optimist on his YouTube channel and all other streaming services! Karen "Magic Fingaz" Smith, Brooklyn Native, Philly Resident, is a Professional Percussionist, Playwright, Poet, Director, Teaching Artist, Curator and now a member of the Philadelphia Musician’s Union Local 77 ! Karen is a recipient of several grants including Leeway Foundation's Art & Change and Illuminate the Arts Grants, and she received a Pew Fellowship from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage in 2023. Ms. Smith is the Founder, Artistic Director and Lead Percussionist of The Karen Smith Experience (formerly called Weez the Peeples) and Sistahs Laying Down Hands collectives. "Collaborations are the essence of my creative Journey … Truly One Nation Under a Drumbeat! Possible is Possible is my daily mantra.” Raised by Quaker camp directors, John Braxton started singing folk songs around the campfire in the 1950s, and he has been singing ever since. A peace activist jailed for draft refusal, a labor leader in the 1997 UPS strike and at Community College of Philadelphia, and an organizer for climate justice, John sings songs reflecting all of those struggles for a better world, including in his repertoire songs by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Pat Humphries, Joe Jencks, Magpie, John McCutcheon, and Steve Earle. Borrowing from Woody Guthrie, who said “I steal from everybody”, John often changes the words of older songs to reflect today’s struggles, and to include a sense of hope that justice, peace, and harmony with the natural world are not just to be dreamed of, but can be attained. Wes Powers is a Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter. He plays piano, guitar, dulcimer, and a little banjo (unless he's bribed not to!). His music is a unique blend of traditional, contemporary, and original folk music, covering a variety of subjects and moods. He is known for his humorous and oddly light-hearted songs, but also writes heartfelt emotional ones. His songs deal with unique subjects, ranging from murdering chickens to geography lessons to malfunctioning spaceships. He can make you laugh with one song and cry with the next. Brian J. MacSeain is a singer-songwriter based out of Lansdale, PA. His style draws from both the American and Irish folk traditions with some country blues and originals thrown in for good measure. You can find his music at https://www.reverbnation.com/brianmacseain. |
About the Folk Factory
The Folk Factory, based at Unitarian Universalists of Mt. Airy (formerly Restoration), is a forum for people interested in music of all kinds and progressive social change. Unless otherwise indicated, all events are held at the church, located at 6900 Stenton Ave. (at Gorgas Lane) - see the map at right. Facilitated announcements of progressive events (marches, boycotts, etc.) can be made before the start of each event. All Folk Factory events are wheelchair accessible. The Folk Factory is a kindred spirit of the People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle, co-founded by Charlie King and Pete Seeger. Regular concerts are normally on the first or second weekend of most months during the academic year, and an Open Stage/Open Circle is held on the fourth Thursday of most months. To volunteer or for more information, call (215) 848-6246.
If you have snail mail and/or email address changes, deletions, or additions (such as if you want to add your name to the email notice list), you can call us at 215-848-6246 or email us at polson@igc.org. You can send any financial contributions (we suggest $5/yr or $15 for 5 yrs to help cover our copying and postage costs for snail mail, and other donations are gratefully appreciated!) to The Folk Factory, 6900 Stenton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19150. * For all Folk Factory events, low and no-wage folks who come in person can pay as little as half the bottom end of the sliding scale (or whatever they can afford) at the door. Kids under 12 are free except for family concerts. |
More information about the Folk Factory: polson@igc.org , or call 215-848-6246, or see our Facebook page: "The Folk Factory"