ROCKINFront Porch

West Chester Porchfest returns in May among the borough’s residential blocks story KElly Murrary photos Kevin

A screen door slams, Mary's dress sways

Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays…

In his classic tune “Thunder Road,” Bruce Springsteen opens with a wistful sequence of harmonica notes before unraveling a lyrical tale that tells the story of a young woman and her sweetheart who are grappling with the unknown of their future. Thought to be one of the greatest rock songs in American history, “Thunder Road” may evoke themes of hitting the road, starting anew, and exploring the world — but the songwriter chooses to place the setting of this seminal song at the home — specifically, on the front porch.

Considered to be a uniquely American architectural tradition, the front porch — which rose to prominence in American houses during the 1800s — has evolved into a central part of the home. From enjoying sips of coffee on a summer morning, to trick or treating on Halloween night, or even sharing a first kiss, the front porch plays host to a slew of experiences that shape our lives.

So, it’s no surprise to hear mention of the beloved exterior feature woven into lyrics of American songs across all genres. From rock and rollers to country crooners, to hip hop artists and blues singers, each has a story to tell from moments shared in the communal space that extends from our front doors. And now returning for its second year, West Chester Porchfest offers borough residents some front porch rockin’ of their own.

West Chester Porchfest, which kicked off in 2022, cultivates a unique music festival environment where attendees are invited to stroll down designated streets and enjoy live music performances from residents’ porches. Taking place in the southwest quadrant of the borough, the route winds along from Church Street to Bradford Avenue and Miner Street to Dean Street, along a backdrop of the borough’s stately historic Victorian homes. This year, West Chester Porchfest is scheduled for Sat- urday, May 20th and promises a lineup of more than 40 local performers, food trucks, and children’s activities.

Organized by the West Chester Green Team (WCGT), a non-governmental civic association that works to provide the public with education and community events centered around green initiatives, West Chester Porchfest’s origins are rooted in both building community and protecting the environment. This relatively new event joins the WCGT’s established roster of programs that have been active in the borough for many years. Along with community building, the WCGT focuses on providing sustainable and community-oriented solutions to issues around climate and energy, gardening and food, pesticides and herbicides, reducing plastic use, and light pollution.

Porchfest is managed under the WCGT’s West Chester Area Transition initiative, which became fully functional in 2021, and follows guidelines of the international Transition movement. Known simply as Transition, it is a movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild the world. Groups in the movement work to create positive change locally in their community—whether neighborhoods, towns, and cities—or on a smaller scale such as at school, the workplace, or on a college campus. Established in 2005, the Transition network is growing rapidly, and can be found across 48 countries around the world; local communities including Phoenixville and Media are also Transition towns.

“As a Transition town, they ask you to set goals,” explained Margaret Hudgings, co-founder of West Chester Green Team and event organizer for Porchfest. “One of the things [Transition] features is building a community of connection, happiness, and spirit. That is how we decided to do Porchfest—as a community builder and connector.”

And connect the community they did. Last year, Porchfest welcomed 2,500 people and hosted 41 live performers ranging from jazz musicians to a Japanese folk singer. “It was just an amazing success last year. The mayor co-spon- sored the event. We had a diversity of different kinds of music. Lots of participation. [Porch hosts] put their own spin on each block. The 400 block of Dean Street decided they would offer free hot dogs, hamburgers, brownies, and lemon bars. They used it as a fundraiser for Friends of Everhart Park.”

This spirit of generosity is found throughout Porchfest. It is a volunteer-based event, so those involved –from hosts to bands to organizers – are lending their time and talents in the name of community building and to enjoy great local music with the neighborhood. Along with residents who open their porches to musicians, local organizations have also offered support in other ways. Last year, Iron Works Church, located at 312 W. Union Street, set up tables and chairs in their parking lot so festival goers would have a place to sit down and enjoy the music. Members of their congregation cleared tables and poured water. Hudgings was pleased to share that Iron Works Church will be involved in this year’s event as well.

This year, West Chester Porchfest returns with a growing lineup of performers – and a few new updates to their gameplan. Hudgings shared that the festival will cover more blocks. “We will have the same basic footprint [as last year], but that was consolidated within a three-block area. Now we have the 100 block of Miner Street and the First Presbyterian Church (at 130 W. Miner Street) involved. We’ve also added the 100 block of W. Barnard Street and 109 S. Brandywine Street to the route. We like having outlying houses because we can schedule bands there that may be louder, and won’t conflict with anyone else’s performance, which also gives us more flexibility with scheduling.”

Ensuring that everyone has a proper place to perform is indicative of the care and curation that goes into the talent featured at Porchfest. After all, at the heart of the event is the music. This year, Porchfest is bringing a lineup of over 40 local performers in genres including indie, rock, folk, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, punk, and dance. So, whether you’re looking to hear some acoustic jams, just vibe out, or dance in the streets, you’ll find it. And it’s clear that the event organizers and attendees are passionate supporters of the music community in West Chester. When speaking about the return of Porchfest, Hudgings stated, “I do think there’s tremendous support for it. It’s local talent. That kind of local connection is what people are really hungry for these days.”

This sentiment is shared by local musicians and returning Porchfest performers onyx&honey. Made up of Chester County natives Rob Perna and Nikki DiGiorgio, onyx&honey. is a celebrated West Chester-based duo that delivers a vibrant, eclectic mix of music. “It’s funkdazed, improvisational original music with elements of punk and rock and roll,” explained Perna. “We bounce around a bit, with a common thread of being a danceable, groove-oriented band.” They formed during quarantine and have been performing for three years now.

DiGiorgio emphasized the need for reviving the local music scene in the borough. “I’ve been living here for five or

2023 Porchfest Performers

Curious to see who’s playing this year? Check out Porchfest’s lineup. This lineup includes registered performers as of early March. Performers can register until mid-April, so this list is subject to change.

Acoustic Jukebox

Annalise Curtin

Angelica and the Midnight Ghost

Anthem Arcade (formerly The Walton Marquette Project)

Baker & Collins

Blanton-Chambers Guitar Duo

Blues Berry Hill Band

Brad Rau, Classical Guitarist

Brett Durham

Bryan & Kyle Weber (ZELAZOWA/Everything Turned to Color)

Cam Narimanian

Candiflyp

Cornflower Jam

Dan Schatz

DJ Sub Freq

DT and the Burners

Elise Acoustic

Garden Station

Groove Intelligence

Homeless and Desperate

John Faye

Jeff Campbell

Jesse B.

Jumping Juvies

Kurt Papenhausen

Manali

Michael Rudolph Cummings

Not Quitting Our Day Jobs onyx&honey.

Peter Peak

Pimp Fried Rice

Rented Mule

Sanction Ethereal

Stephanie Phillips

So Colloquial

Snooze

Tea Head

The Flip Phones

The Penny Lane Combo

The Shoeshiners

We don’t have it.

West Chester Dance Works

West Chester Ukelele Group

Without Question

six years now and have made it a point to invest in the community whether through music or events,” she explained. “Hearing about Rob’s rich history and how [the music scene] used to be… we are committed to reviving that and capturing that.” Perna, who is a guitar instructor and the band leader of the funk, reggae, and R&B group The New Kings of Rhythm, is a familiar face to many in the local music scene, due in part to his unwavering presence in the community as both a performer and mentor. “There’s no shortage of original artists here. But that stopped being a focus. Where did the shift happen?” continued DiGiorgio, “When we heard about West Chester Porchfest, we knew it was a perfect forum for original bands, and any kind of band, to shine a little bit.”

This year, onyx&honey. are excited to be returning to the porch of 423 Dean Street to perform with a full band lineup. “[Porchfest] is an opportunity for people who are patrons of the arts…to open up their porch and have other people play. The vibe of your porch is an element that people don’t always get to see…it’s a way to have a chance for people to represent the culture they want to have,” said DiGirogio. “Plus, last year we had a gig somewhere after our Porchfest set,” added Perna, “This year we’re going to be able to hang out and represent harder.” In the meantime, Perna and DiGiorgio will have no problem staying busy. The duo is currently recording their second onyx&honey. album, host a weekly radio show every Thursday at 5pm on WCHE, and are part of the team behind The Look Around Music and Arts Festival scheduled for August 26, another newly minted grassroots festival in West Chester created to support the local music and arts community.

It was just an amazing success last year... We had a divaersity of different kinds of music. Lots of participation... The 400 block of Dean Street decided they would offer free hot dogs, hamburgers, brownies, and lemon bars. They used it as a fundraiser for Friends of Everhart Park.

For Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Annalise Curtin, Porchfest is not only an opportunity to perform, but a way to reconnect with her hometown. The West Chester native, who sings original folk, rock, and blues, will be returning to perform at 341 W. Miner Street. For Curtin, this porch holds personal significance – it's her parent’s place. “My dad is a musician, and my brothers are musicians, too. It’s just been a way for our family to bond. My parents love sharing that with other people and are unbelievably proud to be a part of anything,” said Curtin. “I love my parents and can’t wait to hang out with them. It's a good time and a good memory to build.” While Curtin’s excitement speaks volumes to her family bond, she is also keenly aware of the impact events like Porchfest have across generations within the neighborhood. “I think it’s a great way to strengthen the community, and I think West Chester has needed that. There’s lots of young kids, but there’s people who have been living there for a long time. [Porchfest] is a way to strengthen that neighborhood bond.”

Like Perna and DiGorgio, Curtin shares a strong support system with many local musicians in the area. She is quick to express her admiration for John Faye, the singer-songwriter from Newark, Delaware, and front man of 90s alternative rock band the Caulfields, who will also be returning to perform at 341 W. Miner Street as a solo artist this year. “I always love performing with John Faye. We’ve known each other for 10 years, and he’s one of the first people I met in the industry in Philly.” Along with Curtin and Faye, 341 W. Miner Street will also welcome Jesse Breindel to his first Porchfest. “Jesse was actually my English professor,” Curtin disclosed with a laugh, “I found out he did music, so once he wasn’t my teacher anymore, I figured it was a great way to introduce him to the music industry. It’ll be the first time performing together.” Until their reunion at Porchfest, Curtin and Faye will continue developing original music and focus on their own projects. Curtin said that she released two singles last year “Heading Out Soon” and “Falling” and looks forward to doing more vocal collaborations and gigs. In early April, Faye released his first book The Yin and Yang of It All, a memoir on his life as a musician.

It’s just been a way for our family to bond. My parents love sharing that with other people and are unbelievably proud to be a part of anything. I love my parents and can’t wait to hang out with them. It’s a good time and a good memory to build.

This welcoming spirit is prevalent among all those involved in Porchfest, and that includes the porch hosts, too. For many, getting involved in the event unfolded organically. Miggy Min, who relocated with her family to West Chester from Boston two years ago, became involved after a serendipitous conversation on the sidewalk with her neighbor Hudgings. During their chat, Hudgings invited her to join the Porchfest planning committee. Min, an interior designer, lent her creative skills to the effort and has helped set up the festival website, created t-shirts, and designed promotional posters. Her husband designed the event logo. In a way, joining the Porchfest committee was a full circle moment for Min; she attended college in Ithaca, New York, the city that hosted the first organized Porchfest back in 2007.

When they decided to become hosts, the Mins welcomed The Walton Marquette Project (now Anthem Arcade) to their porch on Dean Street. “It was awesome being a host,” said Min. “The Walton Marquette Project performed classic rock and 80s covers. They were great for dancing and very high energy.” This year, Min hopes that the band, made up of local musicians Wade Walton, Michelle Marquette, Mike Bassick, and Jim Marquette, will be assigned to their porch again. She looks forward to experiencing their new sound as Anthem Arcade, an arena rock and roll tribute band.

Min explained that hosts must agree to several things to participate, such as being able to provide electricity sources for band’s gear; informing neighbors that there will be a music performance next door; and providing recycling and water. For Min, last year’s setup was seamless and enjoyable. The band arrived before the festival to set up their gear, and that gave them an opportunity to chat and get to know each other a little bit. As for the neighbors nearby who weren’t hosting? It was a priority to make sure that surrounding homes were made aware of the festival by social media and more traditional tried-and-true methods like handing out flyers at each door and posting signs around the block. It’s safe to say there weren’t any noise complaints for this gathering.

Along with live music, Hudgins and Min told us that the committee is planning a series of porches interspersed throughout the blocks that will have displays dedicated to the work the WCGT is doing for the environment. So far, these include a living landscape porch, where visitors can learn about sustainable gardening; and a dark skies porch, which will provide information on how to cut down light pollution to help lightning bugs breed successfully. Children will be able to enjoy face painting and other activities planned for each block, and the food truck selection will expand this year, including dessert and ice cream trucks.

As a Transition town, they ask you to set goals. One of the things [Transition] features is building a community of connection, happiness, and spirit. That is how we decided to do Porchfest — as a community builder and connector.

Because it was created with the intention to bring the community together, Hudgings hopes that Porchfest will continue to grow and that they’ll be able to connect with artists and musicians in other neighborhoods around the borough. Only in its second year, it’s clear that West Chester Porchfest is a refreshing family-friendly event with a promising future. Those working on either side of the proverbial stage –from musicians and artists to the event organizers and porch hosts – have come together to create a grassroots celebration of the arts and the environment that takes place right at our doorsteps. In a way, it’s fitting that this fusion of artistic expression and environmentalism would occur on a series of front porches, the space that connects our innermost dwellings to the outside world, and opens us up to the beauty of the communities around us.

Porchfest is scheduled for Saturday, May 20th from 1pm-7pm in the southwest quadrant of the borough. Rain date is Sunday, May 21st. This is a family-friendly event. Admission is free.

For more information on Porchfest, or to learn more about becoming a sponsor or volunteer, please visit: westchesterporchfest.com, Facebook @West Chester Porchfest, and Instagram @westchesterporchfest