J&P's in S&UP

the little community that isn't

John and Peter’s, New Hope, Pennsylvania (taken from their History page)

J&P’s Greatest Hits – Live Since 1972

When we opened our doors in July of 1972 we didn’t serve alcohol, opened each morning at 7am to serve breakfast, and didn’t allow any band with drums to play on our stage. While times have changed one thing has remained the same. Since that moment 40+ years ago when that first performer walked on stage, we have showcased some of the best music and musicians of our times.

For more than 4 decades we have featured live music seven days a week, 365 days of the year. That means we have showcased more than 48,000 musicians and entertained more than 640,000 guests since that first performance.

We have featured seasoned veterans like folk legend Odetta and showcased rising stars like Mary Chapin Carpenter and Norah Jones. Over the years a number of musicians like blues rocker George Thorogood and today’s phenomenon WEEN have called J&P’s home. The cast that has graced our intimate stage is as varied and exciting as the music they play; blues great Clarence Gatemouth Brown, pop favorite Richie Sambora, jazz virtuoso Stanley Jordan, as well as the undefinable Tiny Tim and Penn & Teller.

As we rock through the 21st century, we remain the longest running nightclub in the country dedicated to musicians who play original material. The intimate setting offers a unique listening experience like none other.

More than just music, John & Peter’s has hosted hundreds of benefits for friends in need, have offered their space to area artists to exhibit their work and through the years have sponsored poetry slams, performance art, comedy nights and more. Bands have recorded live albums at the club and John & Peter’s is thanked on dozens of albums and CDs for offering emerging talent a place to play.

When award winning Ken Burns was filming his PBS series on American Jazz, he selected J&P’s as the spot to film several legendary jazz greats. Folk, Jazz, R&B, Rock, Punk, Funk and everything in between – it’s been a great 45+ years live on Main Street and we’re still going strong.

Townes Van Zandt

When a level is reached, and the musician attains a craft so refined the whole body is involved, then, the soul becomes free.

The music only truly lives while the body is moving.

Every musician knows this intuitively.

Once again “The Crossroads”

The Crossroads is a metaphor among musicians, most are unwilling or unable to hold a discussion of the true price of fame. Those who choose a “deal with the Devil” will ultimately pay the price. This metaphor has been around a long time, since childhood for myself, and we spoke openly those names who stood at The Crossroads in order to be idolized.

Idolization destroys art because it’s not real, or even the intention of the creator. Great troubadours pay a heavy price for their popularity. Since performance sets them free, they will pay any price to do what is in them to do.

But here’s the thing:

Every musician spawns more musicians. Research guitar sales in just the U.S. and see firm evidence of a burgeoning music revival. These are the curators of a great repository of music and the birth place of the next musical revolution. The difference is now we have to seek them out because their voices have been silenced by greed and avarice.

Technology has given the grifters tools to maximize profit, and music is now mass produced. The spellbinders have convinced us that talent is what they say it is, and their ability to bring it to the masses is the only true skill. They even claim to make it sound like music.

It is for these reasons the next musical revolution is happening. Take your favorite popular music star, delete the editing, postproduction, engineers, funding, promotion etc.', put them outdoors around the campfire with their instrument of choice and they become just like the rest of us, and the sound will be quite unrecognizable.

Today the average musician is denigrated as an amateur (which is true since to be considered professional means getting paid, scale, with royalties) especially if they cannot reproduce “Free Bird” with complete fidelity. Today’s musician is an anarchist in the truest sense, the very act of performing is a protest against mass produced, redundant music; overpopularized and mechanical.

Truist’s like Neil Young understand this and are able to rebel while maintaining a career, also knowing these same issues result in the self-destructive behavior inherent in their career choice.

John and Peter’s

During the 1980’s and 90’s New Hope and J&P’s was a great gig, sat on their stage and in the audience many times. Open mic night was attended by mostly unpaid musicians since by then bigger names were booked at scale. The reason you were there was for the chance to play before an audience at this legendary venue. The audience were musicians, the best of all possible audiences for a musician. These were not weekend warriors but dedicated people of their craft, everyday players. Occasionally someone would get picked up by an agent, but this was rare since the agents were in town anyway promoting one of their stable members. The rest of us were in the same very large boat, we were there for the music.

Then along came identity politics and New Hope fell prey. The decentralized music community went elsewhere, open mics sprouted up, some of the old guard remain in nearby towns and most recently the dark cloud of tyranny arose in the form of a pandemic, all but killing live music altogether, but quite unsuccessfully…

On the farms and in the poolhalls and a thousand other places the music went on, because we will never stop playing. We’re at the weddings and the funerals, we understand that people die for what they believe in, so we have a duty to bring a brief reprieve of joy anytime we can and give movement to freedom of expression.

We could wax eloquent and say music is the voice of the Cosmos, but modern music is a human concept, quite mathematical. Yet the freshly struck note is a wave and a marvel to a child’s ear.

Today we only seek an audience, but it’s not easy. My habit is to play anytime, anywhere for anyone, eschew all recording and never return if silenced. We pay the price of isolation in pursuit of our craft and deserve to be heard, in the flesh.

Today’s musician is in the fight, and it is the duty of the listener to hear the call since we are a part of this revolution, you are the total, where two or more are gathered.

Seek them out, they’re in your neighborhoods, in the same streets, towns and villages.

We’re not different or special in any way, music is just something we do. It’s fun and in small ways sets us free.