Fifty years after launching the first Newport Folk Festival, George Wein, 83, a pioneer among producers of outdoor music festivals, hopes to return to steer another one this summer at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
“Bowling Green” John Cephas, one-half of the noted East Coast Piedmont-style blues duo Cephas and Wiggins, has died at age 78. His label, Alligator Records, reported that the guitarist and singer died of natural causes today at his home in Bowling Green, Virginia. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Detailed listings for more than 150 concerts, open mics and jam sessions slated for March through early April 2009 in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties appear in this installment of AcousticMusicScene.com’s Long Island AcoustiCalendar. [Click on the headline to see the AcoustiCalendar.]
Joe Crookston, an Ithaca, New York-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, received the prestigious Album of the Year Award during the 21st annual International Folk Alliance Conference, Feb. 18, in Memphis, Tennessee. His 2008 recording, Able Baker Charlie & Dog, ended the year as the #1 most-aired recording by folk/acoustic radio DJs in the United States. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) hosts what it bills as a one-day career boost for songwriters and composers in New York City on Tuesday, March 10. ASCAP New York Sessions will feature panel discussions and speakers focusing on such topics as marketing, digital distribution, airplay, recording and publishing. Technology demonstrations and studio master classes round out the day. Attendees also will have opportunities to connect with other songwriters and composers. Registration for the program is $55 for ASCAP members and $75 for non-members through March 3. The prices rise by $20 after then. For more information and to register online, visit www.ascap.com.
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) stages its 17th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, March 31-April 4. The songwriters’ festival, which takes place at numerous venues throughout Music City USA, also coincides with NSAI Spring Training (A Songwriter’s Symposium), a two-day intensive seminar for writers of all genres and experience levels. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
More than 1,600 performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, independent label and recording industry representatives, folk DJs, music journalists, folklorists and educators will converge on Memphis, Tennessee, Feb. 18-22, for the 21st Annual International Folk Alliance Conference. Ranked among the five largest music conferences in North America, it will feature four days of panels and workshops and four nights of artist showcases, feature performances and hundreds of private showcases that extend late into the night (or early morning hours, depending on your vantage point). Roger McGuinn, former frontman for The Byrds and one of the pioneers of folk-rock music, will deliver a keynote address, while other leading and emerging artists will pay tribute to Phil Ochs and Utah Phillips and honor Cambridge, Massachusetts’ famed Club Passim on its 50th anniversary during feature performance shows. Documentary film screenings and discussions, a children’s music showcase, a special performance by NewSong Contest Winners, as well as a large exhibit hall and plenty of opportunities for networking and jamming also are in store for attendees. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Early-bird ticket prices for the Pagosa Folk ‘n Bluegrass Music Festival are available through Feb. 15. The festival is slated for June 5-7 at Reservoir Hill Park in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Lara Herscovitch, a talented contemporary singer-songwriter whose music features a nice blend of folk, pop and world styles, has been named as Connecticut’s State Troubadour for 2009 and 2010. Appointed by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, based on a recommendation by a panel of music professionals that included Pierce Campbell, the previous State Troubadour, Herscovitch serves as an ambassador of music and song to encourage cultural literacy and promote the State of Connecticut. In addition to her regular touring schedule, she will perform at a number of state events in an emissary role over the next two years. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the top winners in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. The duo’s Rounder release, Raising Sand, produced by T Bone Burnett, was named Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana album. Plant and Krauss also captured awards for Record of the Year (“Please Read the Letter”), Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (“Rich Woman”) and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (“Killing The Blues”). [To read the entire article, which includes a list of other notable winners, click on the headline.]
Artists, friends and family of Odetta, a singer of folk, blues, jazz and spirituals, whose powerful, deep voice helped spark the flames of social justice and freedom during the height of the civil rights movement, will celebrate her life and career in words and song on Feb. 24 at New York’s Riverside Church. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
A number of individuals who have made substantial contributions to furthering bluegrass music in New England will be presented with 2009 BBU Heritage Awards during the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival presented by the Boston Bluegrass Union over Presidents Day Weekend, February 13-15, at the Sheraton Framingham in Framingham, Massachusetts. [To read the entire article, including information about the award recipients and the the festival, click on the headline.]
