Long Island AcoustiCalendar for September-Early October 2008

With the advent of fall, live music on Long Island moves back indoors and many of the region's monthly folk and acoustic music concert series start anew. The Folk Music Society of Huntington launches its 40th anniversary season. Acoustic Long Island in St. James debuts a new format. The Fifth Annual Port Jefferson American Music Festival features a number of acoustic artists. And in Brooklyn, the 11th Annual Park Slope Old-Time & Bluegrass Jamboree features a day and a half of workshops, jamming and concerts of traditional American music. More than 100 concerts, open mics and jam sessions slated for September through early October 2008 appear in this installment of the AcousticMusicScene.com's Long Island AcoustiCalendar. [To see the detailed calendar listings, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingLong Island AcoustiCalendar for September-Early October 2008

Folk Alliance Regional Conferences Fall Into Place

The 21st Annual International Folk Alliance Conference is slated for next February 18-22 in Memphis, Tennessee, while regional conferences of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance (Folk Alliance) are shaping up for this fall. The conferences provide useful and enjoyable learning and networking opportunities, not to mention plenty of fine listening and performing opportunities for artists, presenters, agents and managers, folk DJs, folk societies and clubs, media, and others actively engaged in the folk music field; they are not intended for casual folk fans. Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend these annual conferences, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those who they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections and building an acoustic community. Although artist showcases and educational workshops and panel discussions are common to all of them, the regional conferences hosted by Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West), Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), and the new Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) all have their own tenor and style. [To read the entire article, which includes information on each of the regional conferences, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingFolk Alliance Regional Conferences Fall Into Place

World United Music Festival & Radio Conference, Nov. 14-16

The Roots Music Association’s inaugural convention, radio seminar and music festival, originally slated to take place earlier this summer, has been rescheduled for the fall. Renamed the World United Music Festival and Radio Conference, the three-day event will take place November 14-16 at a 500-acre site in San Marcos, Texas, located between Austin and San Antonio. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingWorld United Music Festival & Radio Conference, Nov. 14-16

Ronnie Drew, Founding Member of The Dubliners, 1934-2008

One of the most recognizable voices in Irish folk music has been quieted. Ronnie Drew, a founding member of The Dubliners, died in a Dublin hospital on August 16, just one month shy of his 74th birthday. The gravelly-voiced folk singer had suffered a long bout with throat cancer. Drew was a pioneering and much revered and loved figure in Irish folk music since helping to form The Dubliners, in 1962. “Ronnie Drew was an iconic figure in Irish music over the last five decades,” said Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen in a prepared statement. “Whether as part of The Dubliners or during his solo career, Ronnie will also be remembered for his promotion of Irish music both at home and around the world.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingRonnie Drew, Founding Member of The Dubliners, 1934-2008

Americana Music Association to Honor Joan Baez, Sept. 18

Joan Baez is slated to receive the “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech Award during the Americana Music Association’s Seventh Annual Honors and Awards Ceremony, to be held Sept. 18 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Past recipients of the Spirit of Americana Award, which recognizes and celebrates artists who have ignited discussion and challenged the status quo through their music and their actions, also have included Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Mavis Staples, Judy Collins and Charlie Daniels. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingAmericana Music Association to Honor Joan Baez, Sept. 18

LI Artists Pay Tribute to Harry Chapin, Aug 27

In these tough economic times, hunger is an even greater problem than usual on Long Island, with local food pantries and soup kitchens running bare. On Wednesday evening, August 27, at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, many talented Long Island musical artists will present a concert and food drive in tribute to the late singer-songwriter, humanitarian and anti-hunger activist Harry Chapin -- playing his songs for the cause to which he dedicated himself. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingLI Artists Pay Tribute to Harry Chapin, Aug 27

Erik Darling, 1933-2008

Erik Darling, a singer, guitarist and banjo player, who replaced Pete Seeger in The Weavers 50 years ago and was part of the folk music revival of the 1950s to early 1960s, died of Lymphoma on August 3. Darling, who also was a member of The Tarriers and The Rooftop Singers, as well as a solo artist and an accompanist on recordings by other notable folk artists, was 74. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingErik Darling, 1933-2008

NoDepression.com to Re-Launch in Late September

When No Depression, which billed itself as “The Last Alt. Country (Whatever That Is) Bimonthly” ceased publication earlier this year, its owners vowed to continue a web presence. Now comes word that plans for a major overhaul of NoDepression.com are well under way this summer, with a new site set to be launched in late September. NoDepression.com, which will be edited by the magazine’s founding co-editor Peter Blackstock, will include regular blogs by many of the magazine’s most frequent contributors, including Blackstock and fellow founding co-editor Grant Alden, according to a news release issued this week on their behalf. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingNoDepression.com to Re-Launch in Late September

Independent Music Awards Extends Entry Deadline

The submissions deadline for the Independent Music Awards (IMA) has been extended to August 22. Produced by Music Resource Group, publishers of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Awards feature more than 50 music and design categories. Music categories (album and song) that might be of particular interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include such genres as Alt. Country, Americana, Blues, Children’s Music, Folk/Singer-Songwriter and World (traditional). In addition, finalists and winners will be selected for songs of social action and covers of established songs. Among the design categories are album packaging, music video, photography, swag and websites. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingIndependent Music Awards Extends Entry Deadline

Philadelphia Folk Festival Features Old Faves & New Talents

Steve Earle, The Felice Brothers, Great Big Sea, Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea, Tom Paxton and Al Stewart are among the more than 50 acts slated to perform during the 47th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival, August 15-17, at the Old Pool Farm near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. Featuring three days of traditional and contemporary music (including folk, blues, alt-country, bluegrass, indie folk-rock, world and roots), dance, crafts, an array of children’s activities, and a unique late-night scene (with jamming into the wee morning hours in the 40-acre campgrounds), the Philadelphia Folk Festival is the longest continuously running U.S. festival of its kind. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Folk Festival Features Old Faves & New Talents

Long Island Bluegrass Festival Set For August 16

The Long Island Bluegrass Festival will take place at Tanner Park on Kerrigan Road, near the Great South Bay, in Copiague, NY on Saturday, Aug. 16, from noon-8 p.m. Presented by the Babylon Arts Council and the Town of Babylon, the festival will be headlined by Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass and also will feature performances by Buddy Merriam & Back Roads, James Reams & the Barnstormers, Too Blue, Acoustic Electrix, Free Grass Union, Michael Daves and Blue Detour. Now in its sixth year, the family-friendly festival -- for which admission is $10 for adults and free for children under 12 -- also will include workshop tents, plenty of opportunities for jamming, music and activities for children, crafts, and a food court. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingLong Island Bluegrass Festival Set For August 16