The following artists have been selected from among 200 applicants to perform in the juried Formal Showcase during the 19th Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 7-10, 2013:
Miles to Dayton is a Long Island, NY-based band.
The Boxcar Lilies
Comas
Hickory Project
Connie Kaldor
Miles to Dayton
Buddy Mondlock
David Myles
OCEAN
Darryl Purpose
Jean Rohe
Roosevelt Dime
Amy Speace
Tall Heights
Natalia Zukerman
Named as alternates were Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band and SONiA & disappear fear.
With only 14 artists/acts chosen for 15-minute performance slots on Friday and Saturday nights, the Formal Showcase is the premiere and most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Formal Showcases take place in the resort’s theater between 7 and 9:30 p.m. each night, and nothing else is allowed to compete with them.
Meanwhile, June 17 is the application deadline for the conference’s Quad Showcases. A series of 15-minute showcases set for Friday and Saturday evenings, between 9:45 and 11:30 p.m., four Quad Showcases take place concurrently in nearby conference rooms equipped with professional sound and production services. Like the Formal Showcases that immediately precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the Quad Showcases during the conference. Artists may apply for these showcases via the NERFA website (www.nerfa.org) or SonicBids.
“Dianne Tankle, our longtime conference coordinator, and I have heard from many performing artists who consider being selected for one of these juried showcases to be quite an honor,” says Cheryl Prashker, NERFA’s president and percussionist to the folkies. “Many festival and concert series presenters — for whom we offer incentives to attend — have featured artists they’ve discovered in these showcases and had opportunities to speak with during our conference,” she adds. “Indeed, for some, the NERFA Conference serves as a primary vehicle for booking talent.”
As in years past, the NERFA conference, which drew a record attendance of some 850 people last year, will feature a diverse mix of folk and acoustic music presented by artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada, informative panel discussions and workshops, mentoring sessions, communal meals, a large exhibit hall, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. After the juried showcases each evening, AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting guerilla showcases in their hotel rooms that extend through the early morning hours. Open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the musical mix.
A nonprofit organization for those engaged in traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) is the regional arm of Folk Alliance International that seeks to strengthen and advance organizational and individual initiatives in folk music, dance and related performing arts through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.
Editor’s Note: I have been attending and actively participating in this conference as a panelist, moderator and showcase host for a number of years and currently serve as vice president of NERFA’s board of directors.
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