More than 600 people have registered for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, November 12-15, at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York. Performers, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music scene will enjoy three jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions; informative panel discussions and workshops; a large trade show-like exhibit hall; communal meals, and lots of informal conversation and networking. AcousticMusicScene.com will host its popular annual Midnight Hoot on Thursday overnight, late-night guerilla showcases on Friday and Saturday, and a special Saturday afternoon Long Island Sound Showcase and Wine Tasting.
Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend the annual NERFA conference, now in its 15th year, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections and building community.
Danielle Miraglia (Photo by Walter Hansen)
After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference rooms to catch short sets by 30 additional artists, pre-selected from among some 170 applicants, in what are known as tricentric showcases. Participating artists on Friday night include Nels Andrews, Carsie Blanton, Ellen Bukstel, Annie & Rod Capps, K.C. Clifford, Anna Dagmar, Ellis, Gathering Time, Lara Herscovitch, Joe Iadanza and His Beautiful Band , Drew Nelson, A.J. Roach, Kevin So and Vanessa Torres. Slated to perform on Saturday night are Lisa Bigwood, Marc Black, Bread and Bones, RJ Cowdery, Beth DeSombre, John Flynn, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Hickory Project, Michael McNevin, Angelo M, The Rhythm Angels, Jude Roberts, BettySoo, Sally Spring Group and Carla Ulbrich.
Following the formal and tricentric showcases, so-called late-night ‘guerilla showcases’ take place in nearly three dozen hotel rooms until the wee hours of the morning, while other musicians stake out corners of the lobby for informal jam sessions that often last until 4 or 5 a.m. A handful of guerilla showcases also are on tap for Friday and Saturday afternoon, following a series of workshops and panel discussions.
AcousticMusicScene.com creator Michael Kornfeld, who also is a longtime communications and public relations strategist and serves on the boards of two presenting organizations and NERFA, will be part of a two-hour panel discussion entitled “Getting the Word Out, Getting the Audience In – PR for Venues.” Singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert conducts his popular performance clinic and critique while Siobahn Quinn leads a voice coaching workshop. Among the other topics to be covered in workshops and panel discussions are folk music for non-folk audiences, humor in songs, house concerts, tips and techniques to maximize grant awards, mastering the art of merchandising, and topical music in a changing world.
A family music track that was added to the schedule for last year’s conference will take place on Friday, with performer showcases and workshops geared for those engaged or interested in children’s and family music. The Funky Mamas, Paul Helou, Paul Kaplan, Erin Lee & Marci, and Vanessa Trien will perform in front of a live audience comprised of children from local schools as well as presenters.
AcousticMusicScene.com Showcases Set for Thursday – Saturday
New York-based folk harmony trio Gathering Time performs during the 2008 NERFA Conference
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For the past several years, a number of folk radio DJs have come to the annual NERFA Conference a day early to present artists who they consider to be worthy of more attention for the listening enjoyment of their fellow DJs and other early-arrivers on Thursday night. Playing off of that, AcousticMusicScene.com will give three folk DJs who also have recorded albums a chance to raise their voices in song: Barbara and Graham Dean of WBCR in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and Wanda Fischer of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio in New York’s capital region. Some three dozen artists from across the U.S. and Canada also have been invited to perform one song each during a round-robin song swap. The Midnight Hoot is designed to be like a late-night song circle around a campfire during a festival, only without a fire and in the cozier confines of a hotel room. Since it takes place before the conference goes into full gear on Friday, the Midnight Hoot also provides DJs and presenters who arrive early with an opportunity to check out many artists during a short period of time and determine whom they might like to catch more of during the weekend.
Artists slated to participate in the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot include Marc Black, Meg Braun, Robert Bruey, Buskin & Batteau, K.C. Clifford, Todd Coyle, RJ Cowdery, Wyatt Easterling, John Flynn, Friction Farm, Gathering Time, Jenny Goodspeed, Melissa Greener, Loretta Hagen, Jenee Halstead, Lara Herscovitch, Brendan Hogan, Joe Iadanza, Joe Jencks, Brian Ashley Jones, John Kribs, David LaFleur, Robyn Landis, Layah Jane, Mara Levine, Allison Lickley, Lucky 13, Jaime Michaels, Danielle Miraglia, Kathy Moser, Karyn Oliver, Roger Silverberg, Hank Stone, Joe Stone, Reed Waddle, Shannon Wurst, and Brad Yoder.
Artist lineups for the November 13 and 14 AcousticMusicScene.com showcases follow:
Friday, Nov. 13 (Evening)
Hosted by Michael Kornfeld
11:45 MMM Good Blues: Beaucoup Blue (Adrian & David Mowry), Angelo M,
Danielle Miraglia, Phil Minissale
12:30 Brooklyn in da House: Marc Allen Berube, Meg Braun, Sweet Bitters
1:00 Women of Note: K.C. Clifford, Jenee Halstead, Betty Soo
1:30 Two Duos & a Trio: Annie & Rod Capps, Friction Farm, The YaYas
2:00 A Mix of Styles: Gathering Time, Danny Gotham and John Kribs, Pesky J. Nixon
Saturday, Nov. 14 (Evening)
Hosted by Michael Kornfeld
11:45 Three Jo(h)ns: John Flynn, John Wort Hannam, Jon Vezner
12:30 A Coupla Joes: Joe Crookston, Joe Iadanza
1:00 New England Songbirds: Jenny Goodspeed, Jenee Halstead
1:30 Folk You Should Know: RJ Cowdery, Jaime Michaels, Ken Whiteley
2:00 No Guitars Here: Acoustic Eidolon, David LaFleur, Treasa Levasseur, Putnam Smith
Saturday, Nov. 14 (Afternoon) 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.
AcousticMusicScene.com Long Island Sound Showcase & Wine Tasting
Pairing artists who live on or near the Long Island Sound with fine LI wines courtesy of Martha Clara Vineyards. Whole Foods Market is providing snacks.
Guest Hosts: Joe Iadanza and Karen Finkenberg
2:00 Robert Bruey
2:10 Stuart Markus and Hillary Foxsong of Gathering Time
2:20 Joe Iadanza & His Beautiful Band
2:30 Caroline Doctorow
2:40 Lara Herscovitch
2:50 Hank Stone
3:00 Phil Minissale
3:10 Susan Kane
3:20 Lucky 13
3:30 David Bailey
3:40 Josh Joffen
3:50 My Dad’s Truck
4:00 Roger Silverberg
4:10 Joe Stone
4:20 Spuyten Duyvil
As part of Folk Alliance International, NERFA (www.nerfa.org) aims to foster and promote multicultural, traditional and contemporary folk music, while strengthening and advancing organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.
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