Folk DJs from throughout the northeastern United States and Canada, along with a couple from outside the region, will present a free, online emerging artist showcase on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
Extending from 3-6 p.m. EST, the 2021 Folk DJ Emerging Artist Showcase is hosted by Folk Music Notebook, an online radio station showcasing a wide array of folk music 24/7 since May 2019. The showcase premieres with a video stream on its YouTube channel (Here is a direct link to view the video: https://youtu.be/ZOAHIRHvTb8], while there will also be a separate audio stream at www.FolkMusicNotebook.com.
Inspired by the Folk DJ Showcase that was started in 2003 at the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference by Rich Warren (the former longtime host of The Midnight Special on Chicago’s WFMT that is also nationally syndicated) and the late Suzi Wollenberg, this virtual showcase will carry on the tradition that was interrupted with the cancellation of the November event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, notes Ron Olesko, a veteran folk DJ who founded and curates Folk Music Notebook.
Realizing that the NERFA Conference would not be taking place, Olesko contacted fellow DJs John Platt, Joe Pszonek and Bruce Swan to discuss doing something online in its place. “We brainstormed and came up with this virtual showcase, and I think what all the DJs have created will remind viewers and listeners of the spirit of the guerrilla Folk DJ Showcase that has been part of NERFA since 2003,” said Olesko. “If this event is well received, we might try another in the spring with other DJs from around the United States and Canada. The talent in our community continues to astound me, and I predict that the artists who are participating in this event will soon become audience favorites.”
Referring to the Folk DJ Showcase as a highlight of the NERFA Conference for a couple of decades, Platt, host of Sunday Supper on WFUV in New York, recalls “first getting turned on to [Canadian singer-songwriter] Rose Cousins and being gratified by the response to artists like [eclectic NY-based alt-roots-Americana band] Spuyten Duyvil that I introduced.” He believes “The lineup here is equally strong, and the beauty is you don’t have to pay for registration or have a hotel room to enjoy them.”
Here is the list of DJs and the artists whom they will be presenting (in order of appearance):
Shanna in a Dress from Boulder, Colorado will close out the 2021 Folk DJ Emerging Artist Showcase.
Angela Page – Raye Zaragoza
Mike Regenstreif – Orit Shimoni
Ellen Stanley – Jasper Lepak
Greg Torrington – Bad Luck Woman & Her Misfortunes
Jon Stein – Bianca De Leon
Joltin’ Joe Pszonek – Gawain & The Green Knight
Graham & Barbara Dean – Tom Smith
Bill Revill – The Meadows Brothers
Ron Olesko – Kemp Harris
Bruce Swan – Abby Posner
Wanda Fischer – Andy Baker
Bob Weiser – Katie Oates
Rich Warren – Shanna In A Dress
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