Peddler's French

Expect great original Americana (Country, Blues, Rockabilly, Swing, Folk and Western music) along with fresh interpretations of traditional songs.

Maybe the song is an ode to a great music city (New Orleans Goin' Down), or a ballad for displaced workers (Everything's Goin' Away), an ironic Country Blues dedicated to breaking up (Burn You Mama, Mercy), or a new classic prison lament (New Graveyard Blues). Only Philadelphia Phil can switch from a timeless West Texas ballad (I Wonder Who's Loving Her Tonight) to a Country song about a Gypsy woman in Spain (I Thought She Was a Gypsy), then shift again into a swampy Blues (Born in East Saint Louie) without missing a beat.

Your audience, like so many before, will be thrilled to experience the new/old voice of one of contemporary Americana's best, and songs that will stay with them long after the show. A Philadelphia Phil performance, whether solo or with the band, is always lively, fast-paced, intimate and completely original, no matter if it's a living room or huge festival setting.

Peddler's French is a bit of a misdemeanor, a conspiracy of street-saavy operators, their larcenies picking the pockets of traditional Folk music, burglarizing Bluegrass and Blues, stealing Swing and Western artifacts to produce a completely original swagbag of new music.

The Peddler's are led by Philadelphia Phil (writer Phillip Henry Christopher), an entirely unique artist-- At once a down to earth folk musician, and life-long activist, poet, philosopher and writer. His sixty-plus years of living have included stints in film school, performance poetry, theater and movies, driving taxis and working in a steel plant. Along the way his writing has appeared in hundreds of literary journals and anthologies, while he and his songs have been featured on albums, in films, over the air, streaming and live in venues from New York to California, Canada to New Orleans.

In early 2022 Phil was joined by Bluegrass prodigy, Matt Scutchfield, fiddler since age three, master of 22 stringed instruments and counting, and Berklee School of Music graduate. In 2023 Matt and Phil collaborated to co-produce Matt's international Bluegrass/Jazz fusion project, Far Away Again. The work boasts an ensemble of virtuoso players from Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Canada, New York City and Indiana. The album was released on August 13, 2023 to critical acclaim.

From Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes Bluesman, Danny Hargrove. Danny began in high school, playing flute and snare drum, skills that came in handy when he took up harmonica to express his love for the Blues, then added guitar and, finally, snare drum and washboard, to his arsenal. The singer, guitarist and harmonica master brings all these voices to Peddler's French after over a decade collaborating as a member of Philadelphia Phil & Friends band.

With bassist/vocalist, Rusty Humphrey of the Prog Rock band, The Mathematicians, rounding out the group, Peddler's French was been active throughout 2023, both performing live and recording tracks for new albums.

Slated for release in May of 2024 is the first all-Peddler's album, co-written with veteran dog sled racer, writer and lecturer, Karen Land. Trail Angels takes listeners on an album-length journey to Alaska to experience the lives of mushers, Huskies, bush pilots and the folks on the tundra.

Peddler's French has appeared at:

Shaker Woods Festival (Columbiana, OH)
Libations by the Levee (Rushville, IN)
The Rees Theater (Plymouth, IN)
Uncommon Ground Lakeside (Chicago, IL)
Raven (Port Huron, MI)
Lost River Music Festival (West Baden, IN)

Philadelphia Phil has appeared at:

The Beer Diviner (Cherry Plain, NY)
Ohio State Fair (Columbus, OH)
Central Pennsylvania Festival of Art and Music (State College, PA)
Fiore Winery (Pylesville, MD)
Horses Sing None of It ( New York City/Northern New Jersey television)
Indiana State Fair (Indianapolis, IN)
SummerFair (Cincinnati, OH)
Southgate House Revival (Newport, KY)
Grove City Strawberry Celebration (Grove City, PA)
Piasa Winery (Grafton, IL)
Maifest Music & Art Festival (Covington, KY)
The Saloon at The Seasons Lodge (Nashville, IN)
Chatterbox Jazz Club (Indianapolis, IN)
Potters Bridge Festival (Noblesville, IN)
Getaway Hostel (Chicago, IL)
Gaslight Inn (Indianapolis, IN)
Carmel Porchfest (Carmel, IN)
Silvie's Lounge (Chicago, IL)
The Elbo Room (Chicago, IL)
Pure Eatery (Indianapolis, IN)
Art Squared (Indianapolis, IN)
Playing For Change Day 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (Indianapolis, IN)
Birdy's (Indianapolis, IN)
Zinc (Cleveland, OH)
Chicago Acoustic Underground (Chicago, IL)
Refuge Coffee Bar (Cincinnati, OH)
Brylan's (Cincinnati, OH)
Metamora Old Time Music Festival (Metamora, IN)
Ediburgh Pixie Theater (Edinburgh, IN)
Common Grounds Coffee House (Lexington, KY)
The Hub Cafe and Tapas Bar (Danville, KY)
Red Lion Grog House (Indianapolis, IN)
Bier Brewery (Indianapolis, IN)
Zazoo's Bar (Louisville, KY)
Beatniks Cafe (Marion, IN)
Doc's Music Hall (Muncie, IN)
All Nations Bed and Breakfast (Indianapolis, IN)
Firefly Cafe (Fort Wayne, IN)
Aroma Cafe (Champaign, IL)
Highlands Taproom (Louisville, KY)
It's All About Wine (Springfield, IL)
Firenczi (Warrensburg, IL)
Creekside Cultural Center (Lenhartsville, PA)
Indy's Jukebox (Indianapolis, IN)
Muddy Boots Cafe (Nashville, IN)
Red Lion Grog House (Indianapolis, IN)
Art Bank (Indianapolis, IN)
Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN)
City Market (Indianapolis, IN)
Gumbo Aid (Indianapolis, IN)

Philadelphia Phil can perform entirely acoustic, and appears "and Friends" from duo through a a full band, and with any technical configuration from nothing to a massive stage with gigantic monitors. With the band, up to 12 channels, including 5 vocal mics, 5 direct boxes, and 2 or 3 acoustic instrument mics.