Montreat Conference Center

Nearly 200 people are expected to be at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 19-22, for the fourth annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference — an extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking, education and workshops.

The newest of the five regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, SERFA (www.serfa.org) exists to promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts in the Southeastern United States. Its annual conference is a primary means of doing that. SERFA opted to move the event from the fall to the spring after holding its last two conferences at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas during the autumn of 2009 and 2010. That decision appears to be paying off.

“We have 180 [people] registered and expect a few walk-ups,” says Christine Stay, co-director of the conference and one-half of the modern folk duo Friction Farm. “We’re still new and small, but we’re growing fast,” she says, noting that this year’s advance registration represents a 75% increase over last year’s conference attendance figures.

David Holt

In keeping with SERFA’s tradition of honoring the music of the area in which it holds its conferences, David Holt, a musician and storyteller best known for playing in Doc Watson’s band, will keynote next week’s conference. He will speak about and play music from the Southern Appalachian Mountains region.

Workshops on a variety of topics will be offered each day. In addition to music business-oriented sessions focusing on such topics as radio, publicity, working with arts councils and social networking, Stay says SERFA is “pleased to offer a number of workshops related to community building, easy harmony singing to create community choruses, songs of service, and writing and presenting political and activist songs in a way that builds bridges rather than divisions.” Mentoring sessions are slated for Saturday afternoon. A group of elementary school students also will get an introduction to folk and acoustic music, including a little hands-on time with the instruments. “We are also having our first-ever dance workshop,” says Stay.

A number of artists have been selected to present official showcases from 7-10:15 p.m. each evening. Thursday’s lineup (in order of appearance) includes Elise Witt, Grant Peeples, Deb Cowan, Twilite Broadcasters, Tater Diggers, Chuck Brodsky, Michael Troy, Loralyn Coles, Adler & Hearne, and Molasses Creek. Slated to perform on Friday night are Jon Shain, Ellen Bukstel, Greg Horne, Sisters 3, Kath Buckell, Mary Reynolds, Jon Brooks, Jacob Johnson, Al Petteway & Amy White, and David Holt. Saturday night’s official showcase artists are Deirdre McCalla, Marc Black, Beaucoup Blue, Louise Mosrie, Andrew McKnight & Beyond Borders, Brian Ashley Jones, Danny Darst, Eliza Lynn, Dylan Sneed, and The YaYas. Following the official showcases, late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various conference rooms between 10:45 p.m. and 2 a.m. Conference organizers are inviting the public to attend the showcases for $10 a night or $25 for all three nights. The conference concludes on Sunday morning with a continental breakfast and community sing.

Editor’s Note: During the SERFA Conference, I will participate in a panel discussion entitled “Performers and Presenters: Partnering to Pull in People,” along with Tracey Delfino (Trespass Music) and folk & Americana singer-songwriter Andrew McKnight. I also will be a mentor offering advice and counsel on public relations, strategic communications, websites and social media, and other topics.