Locals looking for great live music could be forgiven for overlooking Philadelphia's green, bucolic Northwest neighborhoods in favor of the music clubs in Fishtown and the independent basement show circuit in West Philly.

This, advises Dave Shields of Roxborough's Turtle Ridge, would be a big mistake. Northwest Philadelphia offers its own unique experience – one he wouldn’t want to miss. 

In a shifting, post-Covid landscape marked by venue closures, bands like Turtle Ridge are at the forefront of Northwest Philadelphia's resilient and evolving music scene. Their unique blend of folk, bluegrass and punk influences, coupled with a deep connection to their local community, exemplifies the area's distinctive musical identity and the challenges faced by local musicians in a changing environment.

“It's definitely vibrant. I've met a lot of lifelong musicians, great players that play in the Manayunk-Roxborough area,” Shields said. “It's a different crowd. It's a different style of music and a different expectation of what a show is.”

Shields would know. Prior to moving to Roxborough, he was a veteran of West Philadelphia's house shows, playing bass in emo acts. By contrast, he said, the Northwest scene is “more of a chill, sharing environment than a party-time type of environment. That being said, we love to hoot and holler.” And to hear the crowd at a Turtle Ridge show, it's clear, the audience does too.

Blending musical styles

While the band is often categorized as bluegrass, Shields said he doesn't think the descriptor fits – though he does take it as a compliment.

“We don't abide by all the rules of standard bluegrass,” he said. But when “other people say that we're bluegrass music, I say ‘thank you,’ because bluegrass players tend to be really, really good at playing.”

The differences, he says, are largely technical. "Bluegrass players don't swing their eighth notes, and they don't step out of that bluegrass structure, but we do all the time,” he said. With apologies to bluegrass purists, it's this expansive approach to folk and traditional American music that has earned them local acclaim.

The early days

Formed by guitarist Shields and vocalist Colin O'Gorman in 2021, the duo began writing music with a “folky, heartfelt vibe” influenced by the music of singer-songwriter Benjamin Tod. The pair soon added banjo player Doug Myers and upright bassist Nolan Gardner to their lineup. Gardner, whose background is in jazz, and Myers, who Shields described as a “local legend” with a penchant for music in the public domain, built upon Shields and O'Gorman's background in midwest emo and punk to create a vibrant and eclectic brand of folk that defies easy categorization.

Across two EPs and one full-length LP, including “BEWARE!” released earlier this year, the band's wide gamut of musical influences are on full display; punk snarl here, impressive jazz and bluegrass licks there, wide-open choruses that invite you to sing along throughout. It's this urgency and eclecticism that quickly made Turtle Ridge local favorites and earned them a slot in the 2021 Philadelphia Folk Festival.

“That scene existing is why we continue to try so hard to make our band happen and put our music out there,” Shields says.

A changing environment

It's this enthusiastic base of musicians and their fans that shores up local bands like Turtle Ridge during times of change. Since 2020 and the COVID lockdown, a number of small venues across the city have shuttered their doors, leaving local acts with fewer places to be seen and heard.

Early this year, for instance, The Grape Room – a legendary Roxborough music venue and a frequent haunt for national touring acts and local artists such as Turtle Ridge – closed abruptly. “That was a great tragedy, losing it,” Shields said. “If you were going to convince your friends to come out for a show or something like that, to visit you in Manayunk if they lived in not that neighborhood, you were probably convincing them to come to The Grape Room."

And in an environment where rent prices are on the rise and music venues are not seen as a secure investment, new venues are not appearing to replace the ones that have shuttered.

In their absence, fans and musicians are working together to keep the music going. A collective of musicians and promoters that once kept The Grape Room busy are now organizing shows at Fat Lady Brewing Company on Manayunk's Main Street, for instance. And open mic nights at neighborhood bars like Dawson Street Pub and Chestnut Hill's historic Mermaid Inn provide an intimate environment for musicians to connect with their audiences.

Connections, and community 

The greatest resource available to local musicians, of course, remains word of mouth. Fans who love a particular band or musician and spread the word are key to the success of a band like Turtle Ridge. Thankfully, they know a thing or two about connecting with their audience. Both on and off the stage, Turtle Ridge creates a zone of intimacy for their fans.

“Especially in Northwest Philly, in Philly in general, and I think in any city, you have to make yourself vulnerable,” Shields says. “You have to let them into this zone where they know you and they know pieces of you that you maybe wouldn't necessarily share with a stranger, and here you are, singing about it in front of a bunch of people.”

To listen to a song like “Don't Leave Me Blue” off of 2024's "BEWARE!" is to be struck by the raw emotion in the band's stunning vocal harmonies. Like the best folk musicians, Turtle Ridge takes music rooted in America's cultural heritage and makes it immediate and resonant for contemporary audiences. Some bands are content for the listener to hear their songs, Turtle Ridge makes you feel them.

It's a small wonder, then, that they've created a local buzz. “We've been really lucky to have some very supportive fans in the neighborhood. Any time we're playing a show they show up, they'll wear our T-shirts. They're friends of ours that we've developed, really, from showing up at a bar on a Thursday and trying out our songs.”

Looking to the future

With several releases and a return to the 2024 Philadelphia Folk Festival under their belts, Turtle Ridge has already come a long way from two musicians playing in Shields’ backyard. In that time, they've weathered big shifts in the city's music landscape and found local acclaim among fans and musicians alike.

As Northwest Philadelphia's music scene continues to evolve, bands like Turtle Ridge stand as a testament to the area's resilience and creativity. Their success points to a future where local musicians can thrive, even as they face challenges in the changing landscape of available venues. 

At the end of the day, what drives the music scene in Northwest Philadelphia is the same thing you'll find in Johnny Brenda's on Frankford Ave. or a basement on 34th Street – musicians who are willing to put everything they have out there, and an audience that's eager to connect.

Turtle Ridge regularly performs at local venues and events. Their music, including the latest album "BEWARE!" is available on major streaming platforms and at local record stores.