Philadelphia Phil

he Origin of Peddler's French Peddler's French is a cant, cryptolect, or argot which was formerly used by thieves, beggars, and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries. (Wikipedia) The Band 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 universal critical acclaim. Slated for release in March 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 into the Alaskan wilderness to experience the lives of mushers, Huskies, bush pilots and the folks on the tundra.