Written By Barbara Gettes / Photos by Lisa Schaffer

One of my favorite things is finding an artist who does not scream to get your attention. If you are familiar with Philadelphia native Hezekiah Jones, you also know the power of a whisper. With a long-awaited release of some new music in the after-time post-pandemic present apocalypse;  I am positive that I am not the only one breathing a sigh of relief to get some new songs from Hezekiah Jones.  The low-fi approach to his recording has become seminal in understanding their signature sound. If you close your eyes you can imagine sitting around a bonfire with friends, or in the intimacy of a living room where everyone is also singing along in the sweetest of harmonies.  Hezekiah Jones seems to encapsulate this feeling.  Of togetherness. 

Word has caught on about the Jones family and fans now will pack a venue to experience Hezekiah Jones live. An experience to seek as you can still see, hear, and meet the bonfire friends dancing their asses off or whispering the harmonies that run nearly two decades deep.  Alas.  This is not about the Hezekiah Jones live show experience.  It is about the new release.  The new EP boasts two new songs for the devoted lovers of Hezekiah Jones.  One song titled “Having a Time Machine Isn’t a Good Enough Reason to Time Travel”. The other song is titled “Like a Rock in a Tub”.   Though it sounds like there are subtle whispers of so many voices,  I am suspicious that on “Having a Time Machine Isn’t a Good Enough Reason to Travel” the vocals are comprised of Kiley Ryan and Raphael Curtrufello.   The voices we hear could exist in our heads just as much as on the floor in a living room concert.

Next song up is called “Like a Rock in a Tub” and it boasts another signature vibe of Sir Raphael Curtrufello, AKA Hezekiah Jones. A creepy waltz.  The last I heard a new creepy waltz from Hezekiah Jones was pre-Wednesday times and so Wednesday Adams if you are listening, I strongly encourage you to find your way to the recordings of Hezekiah Jones.  Find your way to one of his live shows and I reckon Hezekiah Jones would be thrilled to have you and your cello as the newest Jones member. I’ll call it now; Wednesday Jones. You won’t regret it. Season 2 is in the works.  Let’s help the music supervisor on Wednesday see this, okay?

Seriously… listening to this music is a breath of fresh new air mixed with the comfort of your very favorite old blanket. One last bit to be noted about Hezekiah Jones is that the impact he has had on countless people with almost a rabbinical character is tremendous. A silent, non-judgmental, mainstay on the Philadelphia music scene for two decades.  I am confident your ears will devour the new Hezekiah Jones songs that were released today. Gratitude to Hezekiah Jones and family for releasing new songs, this week of November 6, 2023, and brightening our souls on these dark days.  We look forward to future releases, as always. 

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How would you top a festival who celebrated their 50th anniversary last summer?

“We felt that last year’s 50th celebration was so special, we didn’t even try to top it” says Lisa Schwartz, Marketing Chair and President of the Philadelphia Folksong Society.

Every year, in late August, tens of thousands gather right outside Philadelphia at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township for the organization’s biggest event, the Philadelphia Folk Festival. It returns this month to continue on with the legacy of providing the folk community of the greater Philadelphia area and beyond with a summer celebration like no other.

Schwartz and company were tasked with the difficulty of trying to follow up a concert bill that last year included Justin Townes Earle, the David Bromberg Big Band and Arlo Guthrie. To do so the folk society teamed up with longtime partners and local promoters Point Entertainment to bring in top-notch talent.

“Point Entertainment has done a stellar job putting together our lineup,” Schwartz adds.

The festival this year does a great job of bringing together acts from my different generations. From Little Feat and Wanda Jackson to John Hiatt to City & Colour, there’s something on the bill that fits all age ranges.

“And, collaboration will once again be the key,” says Artistic Director Richard Kardon.

With fellow Artistic Director and Point Entertainment co-head Jesse Lundy, the two are bringing a fresh, new idea to the realm of summer festivals. Their idea is to book a smaller number of bands compared to years past. The 2012 Saturday lineup is the perfect example of idea being put into motion.

“Saturday is so packed full of amazing acts that we’ve decided to do away with the Afternoon Concert and straight through,” Lundy comments.

On top of bringing bigger talent in, the thinner lineup will also allow and encourage the acts to collaborate with one another. It’s this idea and possibility of two artists teaming up that creates the chance for something truly special and unique.

“This lineup offers incredible opportunities,” adds Kardon.

Saturday alone will include Little Feat, John Hiatt and the Combo, Steve Earle and the Dukes, Lucinda Williams and Wanda Jackson.

To help navigate the crowd through each day, WXPN DJ and proclaimed “Godfather of Philadelphia Folk Music” Gene Shay will be lending his smooth, golden voice as the master of ceremonies. Shay has been with the festival ever since day one. He was one of the original partners that put together the first summer affair.

The Philadelphia Folk Festival, on top of bringing together all kinds of musical acts, does a phenomenal job of providing other activities as well. Two additional stages, the camp stage and the crafts stage, offer a number of different kinds of fun for all ages. These include puppeteers, jugglers, storytellers, various workshops and a crafts show. On top of all that, the festival also has space for over 5,000 campsites.

Tickets for this year’s Philadelphia Folk Festival start at $145 for a three day pass. Individual passes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $65, $89, and $79 respectively. Additional charges for camping start from $10 and go up to $30. Whether it’s just for a day or the entire weekend, make the trip up to scenic Old Pool Farm. The days will be cooler and nights will be full of campfire get-togethers perfect for summer’s end. You will hear some great acts collaborate for the first and probably only time, meet new friends and have an experience worth remembering for a lifetime.

 by Matt Kelchner

To purchase tickets, click here.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he grew up in the suburbs of North Jersey, leaving at age 18 to attend school in West Virginia. While there, he began playing at open mics and recorded a demo, which received a positive response.  After earning his degree, however, he found himself at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next.

“I had a degree in Psychology and was thinking of maybe going to grad school,” Kasper says. “I’d been talking to my cousin Jackie about it, which was the turning point for me. She has real insight on life-I take what she says pretty seriously-and she said ‘You should try to do this, you should try to play music.’ As soon as I heard that, I thought, you know what, I am gonna try that. I think I just needed to hear it.”

Photographer: Lisa Schaffer

Soon after that fateful talk, Kasper moved to Philadelphia and, with the exception of a months in Oregon, has become a devoted resident.

“There’s something I really identify with in Philly that I can’t quite put my finger on,” he says. “The music here really inspires me-I really get a lot out of the local scene. It’s not as overrun [as New York or Nashville] and it’s very real–there’s no smoke and mirrors with the music here. Philly gravitates towards things that are real. It’s a very hard town to play in–there’s a big love/hate, tough love thing here–but once you do, [the locals] find a lot of pride in things from Philly. You gotta really work for it, and I like when things aren’t just handed to you.”

Kasper recorded his debut, 2006’s Flying Boy, at a friend’s studio in North Carolina. He brought it to Philadelphia with great response, receiving invitations to play shows and getting radio airplay. Kasper is quick to dismiss the idea that success has fallen into his lap, however.

“It was a lot of work, but I was determined to make [being a professional musician] my life. It’s not for everybody; it’s a hard lifestyle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Listening to his songs makes it easy to see why he has received such positive feedback. Taking inspiration from artists like Gillian Welch, Merle Haggard, and The Band, Kasper’s pleasantly peaceful chords blend seamlessly with his soft, slightly melancholic vocals. Lyrically, he cites everything from “the way life unfolds” to the dark poetry of Charles Bukowski and Jack Kerouac as influences.

“My own personal insights have a lot to do with what I write about. I’m not so much a storyteller when I write songs. I like writing about ideas, personal growth and personal challenges, that type of thing. I think my goal is to incorporate life in general, everything that surrounds me. I love art, I love oil paintings-all of my album covers are oil paintings-and it’s a great marriage of mediums. I really want to find a common thread in all of that, even lyrically. I notice by doing that, people interpret it in different ways, and I find that very interesting.”

Photographer: Lisa Schaffer

Undoubtedly, Kasper finds the most powerful influence in his music comes from his friends in the local Philly scene.

“Seeing someone in a small club-there’s something really powerful in that. I remember seeing friends play and feeling so inspired, I was writing songs when I got home. That’s my biggest influence- the people who are right in front of me, who I see every day and am friends with.”

Naturally, he has a long list of hometown favorites.

“My absolute favorites are people like Birdie Busch, Hoots and Hellmouth, Hezekiah Jones, Amos Lee, Andrew Lipke. I love the Toy Soldiers, Levee Drivers, Good Old War, I could go on and on. There’s a lot. Those are some of my standouts.”

Getting by with a little help from his friends has served Kasper well. Paul Stanek, a photo editor at Wonderful Machine, helped Kasper develop a music video for the song “Walking On Water” off his latest album, The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest.

“I was talking to [Stanek] randomly at a festival and he mentioned he’d studied animation and was looking to get involved with local musicians and make a video. The First Hundred Years was coming out, and now we’re working on videos for three of its songs. [“Walking On Water”] was the first of the three videos.”

The video renders Kasper against a variety of beautifully animated sequences, such as surrounded by fish underwater and resting on a lunar surface.

“The concept came very loosely. It’s based a lot on his art—the fish, the flowers-that’s all him, his style of drawing. We shot for two days and did a few different takes of me singing the song, and he took 8 months to make that video. He put a lot of time and his heart into it, and I think it just came out beautiful. But the main thing about that video is he got into my brain somehow- bringing in the elements of water, the infinite door opening, the awakening of the Third Eye- he picked up on these deep spiritual notions on our time hanging out. There’s nothing in [the video] that said ‘that’s not me.’ He really nailed my personality and the song and did it in his own way. It was a really amazing experience.”

While the video is a striking introduction to Kasper’s music, he is at his strongest when performing live. After touring all spring with funk-pop band ALO, Kasper took a bit of a rest this summer, writing music and playing locally with Kiley Ryan in their folk duo Foxhound. He is currently looking forward to performing at the Second Street Festival and is “extremely honored” to make his third appearance at Philly Folk Fest.

Kasper encourages Folk Fest virgins to leave any preconceived notions at the door and just take it all in:

“It’s a loose atmosphere. There’s not a lot of folksy people; there’s no way to say a specific type of person comes to folk fest. There’s this real loving vibe in the air. Everyone’s so happy to be there. There are campers who camp for all three days, and they set up a little city with roads and streets. Each little commune has little towns and names. It’s so elaborate, there’s full kitchens and little stages, saloons–it’s nuts. It’s an amazing thing to see. There are diehard folk-festers who have gone for years and people who come back every year from far out of town. You should go just to see the camping; it’s a whole world in itself. All walks of life come, from little kids to old people and everyone in between.”

By Dana Giusti

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