Chris Austin Songwriting Contest Entries Due Feb. 18

Submissions are now being sought for the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest. Open to aspiring songwriters, who derive no more than 50% of their income from songwriting or music publishing, the contest deadline is February 18. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale chairs a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals, who will judge entries based on originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Multimedia Celebration of Acoustic Music Continues in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Movie Theaters

Westchester County, New York-based contemporary folk singer-songwriters and musicians Kelly Flint, Susan Kane and The YaYas perform on Wednesday evenings in January as part of an ongoing multimedia celebration of acoustic music known as “WoodSongs at the Movies.” In addition to Clearview’s Bronxville Cinemas, the series also takes place at theaters in Babylon, New York; Montclair and Hackettstown, New Jersey; and Wayne, Pennsylvania. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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“Woody’s Children” Turns 40; “The Session” Ends Nine-Year Run

“Woody’s Children,” Bob Sherman’s folk radio program that airs Sundry afternoon from 4-5 p.m. on WFUV in New York, marks its 40th anniversary in January, while “The Session,” an hour-long Celtic music program that Ron Olesko hosted from the studios of WFDU in New Jersey, bowed out Jan. 2 after a nine-year run. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Long Island AcoustiCalendar for January and Early February 2009

Detailed listings for more than 100 concerts, open mics and jam sessions slated for January through the first week of February 2009 in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties appear in this installment of AcousticMusicScene.com’s Long Island AcoustiCalendar. [To see the listings, click on the headline.]

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Miss Tess, The Low Anthem Win Boston Music Awards

Miss Tess, a Boston, Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, whose music includes a smattering of jazz, blues and Americana, has been named “Outstanding Folk Artist of the Year” in the Boston Music Awards. The Low Anthem, a Providence, Rhode Island-based Americana-folk group, was named “Best New Act of the Year,” while Guns and Glory, a honky-tonkin’ four-piece Americana outfit, was named “Outstanding Americana Act of the Year” for the second year in a row, as well as “Local Act of the Year.” Award-winners were announced in 26 categories earlier this month. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Winners Named in 2008 USA Songwriting Competition

Winners in the 2008 USA Songwriting Competition have been announced. Brooklyn, New York-based singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche captured first place in the folk category for “Snare Drum.” Boston, Massachusetts-based contemporary Celtic fiddler and composer Hanneke Cassel came in first in the instrumental category and won overall third prize in the competition for her song “A Shadow and a Thought.” Top honors for lyrics went to San Marcos, Texas-based Americana singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix for “If I Had a Daughter.” Los Angeles, California-based pop-rocker Jordan Zevon won the overall grand prize in the 13th annual competition. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Future of Music Coalition Policy Day Set for Feb. 11 in D.C.

The potential impact of media and broadband policy and changes in federal copyright law on the music and technology communities will be explored and debated during the Future of Music Coalition’s second Policy Day. Slated for Wednesday, February 11, at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium in Washington, D.C., the day-long event -- sponsored by the national nonprofit education, research and advocacy organization --comes just weeks after the Obama Administration assumes power. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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BCMFest Celebrates Celtic Music and Dance in Boston

A wide array of Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Appalachian and other Celtic-inspired music and dance is on tap during BCMFest, Boston, Massachusetts’ annual grassroots, musician-run, winter Celtic music festival, Jan. 9-10, 2009. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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January is Festival Time in Oregon

Although summertime is the traditional festival season, a couple of music festivals of note take place in Oregon during January. The Fifth Annual River City Bluegrass Festival is slated for Jan. 9-11 in Portland, while the Florence Winter Folk Festival is set for Jan. 17-19. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Odetta, 1930-2008, The Spark Goes Out

OdettaOdetta, 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, has died. The artist, who helped keep the light of folk music burning brightly for more than half a century, succumbed to heart disease on Dec. 2, less than a month short of her 78th birthday and less than 50 days shy of the inauguration of President Barack Obama at which she had hoped to sing.

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