South Florida Folk Festival Slated for Jan. 19-20, 2008

Chad & Jeremy (the psychedelic folk-rock duo who were part of the 1960s "British Invasion" of our shores), Mason Williams (former head writerfor The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and composerof “Classical Gas"), and contemporary artists The Kennedys, Zoe Lewis and Cosy Sheridan headline the 16 th Annual South Florida Folk Festival, Jan. 19-20, 2008. Presented by the Broward Folk Club, the festival, for which advanced tickets are $55, takes place at Markham Park in Sunrise (near Fort Lauderdale) and will feature two stages, a workshop/children’s area and a jam tent. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Long Island AcoustiCalendar for December 2007

Caroling, Handel's "Messiah" sing-ins and stagings of "The Nutcracker" may dominate the musical landscape in December. However, local and touring artists also ensure us that there is some fine acoustic music in the offing. [To see the listings for December, as well as some listings for January 2008, click on the headline].

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Singer Songwriter Cape May (NJ) Seeks to Showcase Artists

Some 150 acts, from solo to full band, will be selected to showcase on 15 stages over three nights during Singer Songwriter Cape May, a new music business conference set for March 6-8, 2008 in the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community. December 31 is the deadline for performers in all genres to submit applications via mail or Sonicbids. Presented by the folks behind the annual Millennium Music Conference (February 14-17 in Camp Hill, PA, near Harrisburg), Singer Songwriter Cape May also will feature two afternoons of music business keynotes, panel discussions, songwriting workshops, musician clinics, mentoring and demo-listening sessions, exhibits and performances at Congress Hall Hotel & Harrison Conference Center. The conference also will afford plenty of opportunities for networking with other singer-songwriters, musicians and music industry professionals. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music Turns 50 on Dec. 1

On December 1, 1957,Chicago’s now legendary Old Town School of Folk Music opened its doors... Although the Old Town School of Folk Music has long since vacated its original space on West Ninth Avenue, it has maintained its philosophy that music is for everyone, where, as Frank Hamilton envisioned, “teacher and students would be partners in learning.” Today, the Old Town School of Folk Music enrolls nearly 6,000 students a week in its tuition program of classes and workshops -- some 2,700 of them children -- from various cultures and traditions , who come together to create music and learn from each other. Internationally known touring artists, local artists and the school’s own staff and students stage live performances almost every weekend... This December 1, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, a benefit concert to help fund the school’s education, scholarship, performance and youth outreach programs, will be held at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Boston Area Hosts Annual “Cool” Celtic Fest

BCMFest, Boston, Massachusetts’ annual grassroots, musician-run, winter Celtic music festival marks its fifth birthday on Jan. 11-12, 2008 with an array of Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music and dance. More than 100 performers, a mix of established artists and new or emerging acts – including fiddlers, flutists, accordionists, guitarists, singers and other musicians, as well as dancers -- who reside in the Boston area or are active in its Celtic music community will be featured. A tribute to the 1976 release by Paul Brady and Andy Irvine, regarded as one of the landmark albums of the Celtic music revival, and an “Open Stage” for both individuals and bands also are on the docket. A month earlier, a festival sneak preview is slated for Monday night, Dec. 10 at Club Passim in Harvard Square, across the Charles River, in Cambridge. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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A Real Sense of ‘Community’ Permeates NERFA Conference

AcousticMusicScene.com at NERFA 2007

by Michael Kornfeld
 

More than 600 folk music aficionados – including performers, presenters and promoters – converged on Kutsher’s in Monticello, New York over the Veterans’ Day weekend for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference.  The once venerable Catskills resort that was part of the borscht-belt circuit during its heyday was transformed into a veritable folk Mecca during what many considered to be the best NERFA conference they ever attended.

.... AcousticMusicScene.com hosted late-night showcases and a Midnight Hoot. [To read the entire article, click on the headline. A related article, "Long Islanders' Presence Felt at NERFA Conference, appears in the News - Long Island, NY section, while dozens of photos appear in the Photo Gallery].

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LIers’ Presence is Felt at NERFA Conference in The Catskills

Long Island was well represented at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference at Kutsher’s Resort in Monticello, New York over the Veterans Day weekend.  Local residents accounted for some five-percent of the 600+ people in attendance and made their presence felt more than ever before – hosting and participating in late-night music showcases and song swaps, serving as workshop panelists, jamming in the lobby,  and, in general, enjoying the esprit de corps that characterized this year’s conference. 

[To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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The Indie Acoustic Project Seeks Entries for Best CDs of 2007

Submissions are now being sought for The Indie Acoustic Project’s Best CDs of 2007 Awards. Full-length CDs (25 minutes or longer) that have at least some acoustic instrumentation and were released for sale to the public during 2007 by any entity other than a major US label are eligible for consideration. Entries must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31. One award will be given in each of 15 categories: acoustic ensemble, alt country, alt rock, Americana, Celtic, instrumental, lyrics, multi-genre, rock, roots, singer-songwriter (male), singer-songwriter (female), world music-Africa, world music-Latin, and world music-Eurasia/global. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Jerry Douglas Voted CMA Musician of the Year Again

Jerry Douglas’ latest album may be entitled The Best Kept Secret but this accomplished musician/composer and producer has been a known quantity in music circles for some time now, and he keeps raking in awards for his musicianship. On Nov. 7, he added his third CMA Musician of the Award to his collection, which also includes a dozen Grammys and a couple of Instrumentalist of the Year honors from the Americana Music Association, among others. CMA award winners are chosen by their peers – industry professionals who are members of the Country Music Association. Douglas is, perhaps, best known as a stellar dobro player, whose slide work can be heard on more than 1,000 albums – including the hit “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack – in addition to his own solo releases. He has toured with Alison Kraus & Union Station and others. Although he has not released a solo album since 2005, Sugar Hill released Jerry Douglas – Best of the Sugar Hill Years as part of its Americana Masters Series earlier this year.

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AcousticMusicScene.com Showcases Top Artists at NERFA Conference, November 8-11

Hundreds of folk music aficionados – including performers, presenters and promoters – are expected to converge on Kutsher’s in Monticello, New York over the Veteran’s Day weekend for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. The once venerable Catskills resort that was part of the borscht-belt circuit during its heyday will be transformed into a veritable folk Mecca. AcousticMusicScene.com’s creators will not only be there for three jam-packed days and nights of music, informative panel discussions and workshops, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, and lots of informal conversation and networking, they will be playing a major role as well... Late-night AcousticMusicScene.com Showcases are slated for Friday and Saturday nights. A very special AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot on Thursday will feature four folk DJs who also have recorded albums, followed by a round-robin song swap with more than two dozen artists from the U.S. and Canada. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Myrtle Beach Hosts South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival

Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys and The Grascals (the reigning, two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year who were profiled here in a Jan. 30, 2007 feature that is available in the archives) are among the acts slated to perform during the 38th Annual South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival, Nov. 22-24, at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Americana Music Festival & Conference Returns to Nashville

To kick off its 8th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville, Tennessee (Oct. 31-Nov. 3), the Americana Music Association, in conjunction with Great American Country, has slated a free, family-friendly opening night party at the Tennessee State Museum. Set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and open to the public, it will feature a special musical salute to Country Music Hall of Famer and multiple Grammy-winner Porter Wagoner. Among the artists expected to perform in honor of the 80 year-old ‘Wagonmaster’ are Rodney Crowell, Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller... Some 1,000 artists, label executives, managers, agents, music publishers, performing rights society executives, music retailers, producers, promoters, allied professionals and music journalists are expected to converge on Nashville for three days of learning, networking and entertainment. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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