May 10 is the application submission deadline for the annual Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase. From among all entries received, 24 artists/acts will be selected for two-song/10-minute spots on the main stage on Friday afternoon, August 2, during the 31st annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
An opportunity to be seen and heard in a large amphitheater setting, with hundreds of folk fans, presenters, agents, media and other music industry professionals in attendance, the showcase is open to all performing artists who have not previously showcased their talents at Falcon Ridge in the last two years and who will not be appearing on its stages in any other capacity this year. In evaluating submissions, a panel of three judges will look for high-quality performances of interesting, well-crafted, acoustic-based material that need not be original.
Selected artists, to be notified by June 10, will be assisted by a stage and sound crew and may have their mailing lists, CDs and other merchandise available in the festival’s sales tent. Their names will also appear in the festival program book. Although there is no compensation for showcasing artists, each will receive full admission, on-site camping and meals for the festival, plus one guest pass per act. There is a $20 showcase application fee. Artists may submit materials online via Submittable: https://showcasefalconridgefolkfestival.submittable.com.
The Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase is not a contest, and artists won’t be judged per se, although the audience is surveyed as to which showcase artists they’d like to see return next year to participate in a Most Wanted Song Swap. This year’s Most Wanted Song Swap will feature Quarter Horse, Carolann Solebello and Justin Farren.
Among the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, takes place August 2-4, 2019 at Dodds Farm on Route 7D in Hillsdale, New York, located in the foothills of the Berkshires near the tri-state corner of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The festival features dozens of artists performing on several stages (including a dance tent), children’s music and activities, and a wide array of crafts, food and other vendors. A Pre-Fest Tastings Day & Farm Market is slated for Thursday, Aug.1, featuring locally grown food, drink and artisanal items, along with performances by a number of artists from 5-11 p.m. on The Lounge Stage presented by Tribal Mischief Productions.
Artists slated to perform during the festival – in addition to those in the Most Wanted Song Swap — include Michael Allman & the Mile High Band, Annie & the Hedonists, Bettman & Halpin, BoDeans, Buddy System, Jim & Madeline Christensen, Emma’s Revolution, The Gaslight Tinkers, The Ivy Vine Players, Martyn Joseph, Stephen Kellogg, Low Lily, George Marshall with Wild Asparagus, Crys Mathews, Pamela Means Band, Mid-City Acres, Beth Molaro, Mustard’s Retreat, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Patti O’Brien Melita, Pete’s Posse, Kerri Powers, Paul Rosenberg, Rowan Brothers, Ryanhood, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, The Storycrafters, Tame Rutabaga, Andrew VanNorstrand, Kathryn Wedderburn, and Annie Wenz. The Falcon Ridge House Band — featuring Rad Lorkovic, Mark Dann and Eric Lee –also will be on hand to accompany a number of other artists.
Those camping at Falcon Ridge and staying up through the early morning hours can enjoy an array of informal jams, mini-showcases and after-hours song circles that help foster a sense of “folk” community and a different kind of festival experience at the Big Orange Tarp, Budgiedome, Pirate Camp and elsewhere. Singer-songwriters Terry Kitchen and Tony Kearney host the Nite Owl Swap and Nite Owl Hoot.
Early-bird three-day festival tickets priced at $160 with camping or $115 without camping are available through May 15 and rise in cost incrementally after then. Children 12 and under will be admitted free with an adult, while three-day tickets for teenagers, ages 13-18, are $95 and $65, respectively. Single-day tickets are also available. Gates open for campers on Wednesday afternoon, July 31. More information can be found at www.falconridgefolk.com.
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