Heya! It's August 2019! I've just finished two awesome shows this month.  I'm giving time now to more writing and honing in on my third album demo again still in slow but sure process AND enjoying the rest of this beautiful summer!

 

June 2018 I was able to retire from teaching full time Vocal Music with the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

WOW!  I am so grateful! All the amazing JK/SK - Grade 8 kids and colleagues I've had the deep pleasure to work with over the many years has been truly a fulfilling awesome journey!

 

Presently, I have 12 unrecorded lyrical songs and 4 instrumentals for a new third album. Having the freedom of more time and energy to give to interpretation of these songs is glorious. The when this project will be birthed is slowly but surely dancing in the cosmos. I've been working with Paul Ruston with the demo stage of these songs.

 

In 2019 it's been great to be invited to perform at new venues in Toronto, such as The Imperial Pub, The Burdock, and upcoming shows at The Plein Air Garden Salon and The West Gwillimbury Arts asnd Craft Festival in August... (see "Shows" page). I'll keep pluggin' away writing new songs all in process with working to finish my new album.  Thank you again for supporting independent music!

 

Here's some history....

 

Philomene Hoffman was born in Kitchener Waterloo, ON. She is a guitarist, singer/songwriter performer weaving her personal stories and poetry about life and her day to day experiences.  She has been creating songs, little dittys and instrumental pieces since she was 8 years old. Hoffman shares, "It all started with me playing and singing in my Babji's (Polish for grama) kitchen as a kid with my Uncle Wally who played the accordion. Sadly, he passed away Friday, Novemebr 29, 2019. I remember as a kid I liked playing percussion. I would tap on any table top that was close by and play with my uncle and his accordian. One day he brought out some pots and pans and away I went. When I was 10 years old I asked my parents for drums for Christmas. That gift idea didn't go over real well. My parents bought me a guitar instead. I've been in love with the guitar ever since. I started learning the guitar by ear, working on the songs I loved at the time. My first song I ever learned was Dylan's 1963 song, Blowin' In The Wind... to name some early tunes... the Animals' House of the Rising Sun, Leonard Cohen's Suzanne and Tim Hardin's song, If I Were A Carpenter. I also liked Bobby Darin's take on that one. My primary muses as a kid and over the years... Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Carol King, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Tim Buckley, Laura Nyro, CSNY, Joan Armatrading, David Gilmour, Pat Metheny, to name a few. In my teens and early twenties I loved live music, venues and folk festivals, so I would get inspired by mostly local guy guitar players and rush home and practice what I heard. Learning tunes by ear for me was really a thrilling pleasure and a strong musical backbone for my independence, enjoyment and confidence.

 

In the summer of 1977, two years after Hoffman graduated from McMaster Univ. with a General Arts Degree, she and a family musician friend Jim Mc Murry joined together to form a duo called Slippery Sid and The Kid. She was the kid! They toured that summer performing 60's, 70's and 80's covers in various venues 'cross the upper United States and across Canada into September, ending up in Banff, Alberta 

 

It was here in Banff, where Hoffman decided to stay and begin her academic classical guitar study with guitarist, Douglas Chapman. She made it all happen focussing on her study, by waitressing, continuing to perform, and hanging out with a bluegrass band where she also learned the banjo. Hoffman became more and more impassioned with Baroque music especially Bach chorales.

 

Upon Hoffman's return home to Kitchener in Sept. 1976 she continued studying classical guitar and perform.

In September 1978 Hoffman still having the travelling bug decided to travel to Europe with a friend she met from out west. After three months of travelling around Europe she settled in Toulouse, southern France for 10 months. Hoffman's music education lept into an exciting cultural hybrid of inspired French and Spanish traditional folk music and teaching English with song to pre-schoolers in villages surrounding Toulouse.

 

In 1979, returning home to Kitchener ON Canada Hoffman applied to Universities to continue her music education. From 1980-1982 she studied Music at York University in Toronto ON. Hoffman's introduction to the jazz program at York was mind blowing also continuing studying private classical guitar with Daniella Kassner at the Eli Kassner Academy.

 

Hoffman's start as a performer was throughout the late 70's 80's and 90's, where she expanded her repertoire of cover tunes with instrumental pieces, more and more debuting her own original music. Her performing took her to local festivals such as the Cabbagetown Festival, and various Toronto venues such as Free Times Cafe, Oasis, Big Bop, The Cameron House, The Barcode at CMW Festival, and Aggies Cafe in Flesherton, ON.  From 2001 to the present moving on to venues such as, Hugh's Room, Liberty Bistro, C'est What and Habit's Gastropub, Pamenar Cafe, The Belljar, the Pyrus Cafe in Kitchener and The Great Books & Cafe in Williamsford, ON.

 

With the support of winning a FACTOR GRANT AWARD for her song "Doors Keep Turnin' Hoffman completed her first album, Let Her Go in 2002 where it was released at Hugh's Room. Her second album,

In 2011 Hoffman's second album, Her Muse, was released at Liberty Bistro... both well known venues in Toronto.. 

 

Throughout the years Hoffman has also hosted lots of open mics in Toronto, such as, The Rhino, Cabbagetown Community Art Center, Hart House U. of T. for five years and from 2012 onward, Rebas Cafe, Magic Oven and La Rev.

 

Hoffman finished a summer U.S. music tour in 2012 with her nephew, songwriter performer Luke Andrews. Both participated in a three day SongCamp in Nashville, TN and showcased there at two venues, the Commodore and Taps, then travelled on to perform shows in Hot Springs Arkansas, Mena Arkansas and Bradenton, Florida.

 

Philomene Hoffman continues to write songs and perform in southern Ontario, slowly but surely working on the final makings of a third album.