Five Acts to See at the 2024 Philadelphia Folk Festival

The folk-jazz duo of Bethlehem & Sad Patrick are one of the Philly music scene’s under-appreciated treasures. Bethlehem Roberson is a skilled, subtly emotive vocalist who met guitarist Patrick Arkins when the guitarist was hosting an open mic at a cafe in Germantown. Their 2023 album, This Is What We Do, is a minimalist delight, displaying Roberson’s impeccable timing as a vocalist on top-notch Arkins originals like “Because It Rhymes with Sin” and “Starving Kind of Love,” as well as an arresting cover of “House of the Rising Sun.” (Dan DeLuca)

Bethlehem and Sad Patrick are ready for love on latest single

Jazz-tinged duo Bethlehem and Sad Patrick write about love and other struggles, making music that softly rests upon the fragility of life: falling in and out of love, finding peace in the day to day, and staying positive despite the often touch-and-go nature of Philadelphia. In anticipation of their latest album, This Is What We Do, out August 17, the pair have released “Ready For Your Love.” Their latest single shines a warm, smoky light on all the best parts of their sound, marrying Patrick’s Wes Montgomery-esque jazz guitar lines with Bethlehem Roberson’s angelic vocals and unique body percussion, kindling a fireside style of jazz-folk minimalism that would compliment both a peaceful walk in the woods or a smoky night in a speakeasy.

“Ready For Your Love” follows lead single “Nostalgic”, a cruising upbeat track in which Roberson argues against the allure of nostalgia singing, “We were not always perfect, I know, and we were not always lots of fun / but when you get, get right down to it you know I’m the one. / Don’t you want to breathe that way again, like the whole wide world is rushing in? / Like it’s all ahead of you, like you’re just about to begin?”

Between honest storytelling, artistic ​​ekphrasis, and beautifully subtle guitar work, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick are perfect compliments to one another. Their 2015 album Did You Ever Do earned them a spot on Slingshot’s “10 Artists You Should Know From Philadelphia” as well as a WXPN Key Studio Session in late 2016.