About this Event
Sean Pratt, Shannon Lay, Cole Berliner
Join us for an evening of music in the Philosophical Research Society's Library!
Shannon Lay’s music is shored by radical empathy. After 15 years of writing, recording and performing her singularly gentle songs in venues around the world, the self-taught singer-songwriter is most concerned with how her music may help people in emotional and spiritual need. In a world of persistent change, Lay’s goal is to have concentrations of love and energy in her work that double as a helping hand or a voice whispering “everything is going to be ok.” The singer’s abiding belief is that immense change also means invaluable transformation and permanent relief. Intention is her North Star. Hailed by publications such as Pitchfork, The Guardian, SPIN and Uncut magazine, Lay’s solo albums, including “Geist,” “August”, “Living Water,” and “All this life goin’ down” are noted for their thoughtful and entirely tender reflections on life’s big questions. Her seraphic voice has drawn comparisons to British folk icons Anne Briggs, Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan. Though an old soul, Lay aims to meet her listeners in the present. For her, creating a song, a recording or a live performance that is relatable and communal is of the utmost importance for we are constantly in flux and those unknowns, met with compassion, can be beautiful.
Written by Erin Osmon
Photo by Matthew Reamer
Sean Pratt is an American folk guitar player and singer-songwriter from Nebraska by way of the Dakotas.
Pratt played in Omaha punk and noise acts for the better part of a decade before developing a fascination with the songcraft of the likes of Van Zandt, Prine and Chilton. Occasionally, unearthing a set of original compositions at one of Omaha's many dark corner bars.
In the still of the pandemic, Pratt found himself focusing deeply on acoustics and how to color a space without amplification.
In December of 2023, following a debut set of new material at the preeminent Grapefruit Records, friend and collaborator Simon Joyner encouraged Pratt to record the songs from that night "quickly, while everything is still new."
Three weeks later, on New Year's Day, recording began at Another Recording Company with James Schroeder (Rosali, David Nance and Mowed Sound) at the board. Over the next three days Pratt, Megan Siebe, Colin Duckworth and James Maakestad recorded what would become 'Prairie Whistle Call'. All tracked live, leaving time to breathe and never forcing it.
Prairie Whistle Call arrived July 18th, 2025 on Worried Songs (UK).
"Having spent some considerable time in Nebraska over the last few years, I've come to know and love the region and can attest that the sound on Prairie Whistle Call that is very much of that place. There's a timelessness to Pratt's songs that belie Omaha's railroad heyday with a wispy shadow of Midwest indie rock. The performances and arrangements are played with the ease of old friends having conversations, keeping the pace steady and close.
The energy that lives in these songs conjure distant memories and warm nostalgia that I am not sure belongs solely to me. Perhaps it's the raw intimacy I hear in Pratt's tender spoken sung delivery sweetly nestled into the gentle and sparse instrumentation that recalls the feeling of driving through the grasslands, staring towards the relentless bright blue sky as the stories we live circle the clouds."
- Rosali Middleman
"Sean is a consummate Midwestern songwriter; keenly aware that our lives are more honestly depicted through impressionistic understatement than gross exaggeration. The strength of his songs lies in giving us as much of a story as we need to truly care about the characters - to wonder where these people came from and to imagine we know where they are headed."
- Simon Joyner
"Sean Pratt's prairie blown folk songs are ambling yet arresting - moving with the worn-in certainty of a trusted friend. Gorgeously frayed harmonies and delicately spun strings are all brushstrokes in the Midwestern landscapes that populate Pratt's songs. It's music that feels rooted in a place but beams outward, a flickering porch light at the bend in a road."
- Lou Turner (Styrofoam Winos)
TICKETS: $20 (In Person Event Only)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
Cole Berliner - a guitarist originally from San Francisco, CA, now living in Los Angeles. Though recognized as one half of California band Sharpie Smile (formerly Kamikaze Palm Tree), Cole dives into the world of his solo material, which features fluid, shape-shifting, acoustic-electric arrangements and lineups ranging from stripped down folk, to chamber ensemble, to jazz combo. Simultaneously an experimentalist and a traditionalist, his multifaceted styled calls upon multifaceted influences; the likes of Bert Jansch, Philip Glass, Elizabeth Cotten, Jim O Rourke, and Marc Ribot make their way in. Throughout his career as a session musician, he has worked with various artists such as White Fence, Zsela, PAINT, Stephen Brown (of Tuxedomoon), Angel Deradoorian, & more.
ADVISORY DISCLAIMER
With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected].
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.
ACCESSIBILITY
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PARKING
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
USD 23.18
