Getting to Know … Chuck E. Costa

Chuck E. Costa, known for his candid and visceral delivery of literate and well-crafted contemporary folk tunes, has been garnering much critical acclaim over the past couple of years. Costa, whose songs were described as “sensitive, introspective… inspired” in The New York Times, won the 2008 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriting Contest and will again grace the festival’s main stage this August. In 2007, he was finalist in the prestigious Grassy Hill/Kerrville NewFolk competition, as well as a Solarfest (Vermont) songwriting contest winner and Telluride Troubadour third-place winner. A native New Yorker, he returned to the Northeast and has released three independent albums and an EP since graduating from the University of Colorado in 2002. The opening track of his latest, Where The Songs Come From, was featured on a compilation CD released by Hear Music and distributed at Starbucks throughout North America. [Kathy Sands-Boehmer recently posed a few questions to Chuck. To read her interview, click on the headline.]

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A Quick Q & A with Greg Klyma

Calling Greg Klyma ‘unique’ is not quite adequate. He’s more than unique — all in a good way. His songs resonate with truthfulness, joy, and sadness and remind us all about what it’s like to be human. His vivid lyrics inform us about characters he has met on the road and at home. It’s impossible not to identify with many of them from our own lives. [To read Kathy Sands-Boehmer's recent interview with the self-described "Rust Belt Vagabond," click on the headline.]

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Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 05-01-09

Roots Music Report compiles weekly radio airplay charts for various roots-related genres. These are based on spin totals reported by music directors and DJs from more than 400 terrestrial and Internet radio stations. The latest Folk radio airplay chart is posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission. [To view the latest Folk radio airplay chart, click on the headline.]

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‘For Pete’s Sake, Sing!’ as Seeger Turns 90

Pete Seeger, the inspirational American folk music icon, political activist and humanitarian, whose songs have helped to provide a musical backdrop for many of the historical movements of the past 50-plus years, marks a historic milestone himself on Sunday, May 3. Throughout the country and the world over, many special events are planned in celebration of Pete’s 90th birthday. In addition, a five-CD box set of Seeger songs has just been released, and a number of folk radio programs airing over the weekend are likely to focus on his life and legacy. [To read the entire article, including listings of more than a dozen "For Pete's Sake, Sing" events across the U.S., click on the headline.]

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Long Island AcoustiCalendar for May thru Mid-June 2009

Detailed listings for more than 125 concerts, open mics, jam sessions and workshops slated for May through the second week of June 2009 in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties appear in this installment of AcousticMusicScene.com’s Long Island AcoustiCalendar. [To view the AcoustiCalendar, click on the headline.]

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Vermonters are Winners in Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

Carol Hausner and Colin McCaffrey of Montpelier, Vermont were named as the winners in the bluegrass category in the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest for their song entitled “Love Gone By.” The two performed their winning song, along with the winners in three other categories (country, general and gospel), on the Cabin Stage at MerleFest on April 24 and won an acoustic guitar, a check for $300 and other prizes. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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A Quick Q & A with Tom Rush

Tom Rush has been captivating audiences with his rich, melodic voice and gently laid-back, rustic brand of folk music since he first burst on the coffeehouse scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts while a student at Harvard in the early 1960s. One of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of our time, he has both written songs that have been covered by others and introduced the world to other notable artists through his gifted reinterpretations of their work. Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed a few questions to him recently. [To read Kathy's quick Q & A with Tom Rush, click on the headline.]

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Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 04-23-09

Roots Music Report compiles weekly radio airplay charts for various roots-related genres. These are based on spin totals reported by music directors and DJs from more than 400 terrestrial and Internet radio stations. The latest Folk chart is posted here with permission. [To view the latest Folk radio airplay chart compiled by Roots Music Report, click on the headline.]

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Finalists Named in 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among 800 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted during the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 23 and 24, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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The Pocono Mountains Come Alive with the Sound of Folk Music Over Memorial Day Weekend

Folk music will abound in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains over Memorial Day weekend. There will be plenty of opportunities to sing, play, listen, learn, relax and enjoy the company of other folks as both The Folk Music Society of New York, Inc. (a.k.a. New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club) and the Philadelphia Folksong Society hold their music-filled annual spring weekends. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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George Wein Secures Permit for Folk Festival 50 in Newport

Fifty years after launching the first Newport Folk Festival, George Wein, 83, a pioneer among producers of outdoor music festivals, will return to steer another one this summer at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. Following months of negotiations, the Newport City Council last night approved a permit for what will be called George Wein’s Folk Festival 50. Slated for July 31-August 2, the event will feature several notable established folk artists who performed during the festival’s early years, as well as some more contemporary singer-songwriters and musicians. Tickets go on sale May 6 at www.folkfestival50.com. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]

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Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 4-16-09

Roots Music Report compiles weekly radio airplay charts for various roots-related genres. These are based on spin totals reported by music directors and DJs from more than 400 terrestrial and Internet radio stations. The latest Folk chart is posted here with permission. [To view the latest Folk radio airplay chart compiled by Roots Music Report, click on the headline.]

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