For a compendium of upcoming concerts and coffeehouses, click on the title in red. In addition to a number of talented local singer-songwriters and musicians, visiting acoustic artists performing on Long Island in March include Bob Franke, Susan McKeown, David Wilcox, Catie Curtis, Christine Lavin, The Roches, Terence Martin, Beaucoup Blue and Livingston Taylor. Gigs listed in boldface type are highlighted under AcoustiConcerts (LI, NY).
Gene Shay, hailed as "the dean of American folk DJs" by the Philadelphia Daily News, was named Folk DJ of the year during the 2nd Annual Folk Alliance Awards Show in Memphis, Tenn. on Feb. 21. The awards, presented on the opening night of the just-concluded 19th Annual North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance Alliance International Business Conference, recognize merit and achievement in the folk music field. Shay, who has hosted and produced weekly folk radio shows in Philadelphia for more than four decades, can currently be heard each Sunday on WXPN (88.5 FM) and, as of yesterday (Feb.24), on the FolkAlley.com stream each Saturday from 5-7 p.m. ET, with an encore broadcast Wednesday evenings at the same time. [To read this article in its entirety, click on the title in red].
Winners of the 2nd Annual Folk Alliance Awards were recognized during an awards ceremony at the just-concluded 19th Annual North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance International Business Conference in Memphis, Tenn. And the winners are… Folk DJ: Gene Shay, WXPN (Philadelphia) Song of the Year: “Seems So Real,†Chris Smither Traditional Release of the Year: Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome – The Seeger Sessions Contemporary Release of the Year: Wailin’ Jennys, Firecracker [To see the full list of winners, click on the tile in red].
A number of talented acoustic performers will grace Long Island stages during March. Although more extensive listings appear in the AcoustiCalendar, here are a few highlights: Susan McKeown -Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. Congregational Church of Huntington, Centerport Catie Curtis – Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m. Landmark on Main Street, Port Washington The Roches – Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m. (Cancelled) Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore Beaucoup Blue and Terence Martin - Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. University Cafe, Stony Brook Christine Lavin – Friday, March 23 at 8 p.m. Our Times Coffeehouse at the Ethical Humanist Society, Garden City Livingston Taylor – Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m. Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore [To see this posting in its entirety, with opinionated one-paragraph descriptions of each of the artists, click on the title in red].
March entry deadlines for both the Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival Songwriting Contest and the Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Contest for Emerging Songwriters are fast approaching. Both contests are associated with festivals taking place in late spring. [To see the entire article, click the title in red].
Among the winners of the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, announced during ceremonies at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 11, were:
Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Instrumentals (Skaggs Family Records)
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: Bob Dylan, Modern Times (Columbia)
Best Traditional Folk Album: Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions (Columbia)
[Click title in red to see the entire posting]
Little Toby Walker returns to Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in March… Phil Minissale appears on WRCN’s “Graveyard Blues Radio Show,†Feb. 18…2007 LI Harp Blowoff Slated for March 4… James O’Malley is a finalist in the Plowshares Singer-Songwriter Competition for the second successive Year… [Read more by clicking on the title in red]
Winners of the 49th annual Grammy Awards will be announced in
Best
The Grascals, Long List of Heartaches
Jim Lauderdale,
Ricky Skaggs &
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Live at the Ryman
Rhonda Vincent, All-American
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album:
Jackson Browne, Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Rosanne Cash, Black Cadillac
Guy Clark, Workbench Songs
Bob Dylan, Modern Times
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris, All the Roadrunning
Best Traditional Folk Album:
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, I Stand Alone
Odetta, Gonna Let It Shine
Linda Ronstadt & Anne Savoy, Adieu False Heart
Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Ralph Stanley, A Distant Land to Roam [For complete listing, click on title in red]
Many fans of bluegrass, roots and
The 20th Annual Old Settler’s Music Festival, slated for April 19-22 at the Salt Lick BBQ Pavilion and Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, Texas is not as well-known outside the state as some other festivals in the Austin area – and that’s part of its allure. Old Settler’s Music Festival also takes place during what’s usually the height of Texas Hill Country’s wildflower season, although few bluebonnets were in bloom last year due to earlier drought conditions. [Click on title in red to see the entire article]
American listeners can hear some fine folk and acoustic music from across the pond streaming online and archived on the Web sites of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
“The Mike Harding Show†on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2’s Mike Harding, a talented folk artist in his own right, hosts a fine weekly folk programme on Wednesdays at 8-9 p.m. (London-time) that is audio-archived for a week, along with past playlists, at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/harding/. Coming up on his show: (Feb. 7) Highlights of the Folk Awards 2007, during which Pentangle and Danny Thompson received Lifetime Achievement Awards, the band Bellowhead won several awards, Seth Lakeman was named Folk Singer of the Year, Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick took Best Duo honors, and 25-year-old mandolinist Chris Thile (formerly of Nickel Creek) was named Musician of the Year; (Feb. 14) Eddi Reader, a Scottish singer-songwriter; (Feb. 21) general show; and (Feb. 28) Nic Jones, an influential figure of the 1970s British folk scene.
While a winter chill fills the air, there's no shortage of hot acoustic music acts on Long Island -- both visiting and home-grown -- to help warm your souls.
Although more listings appear in the AcoustiCalendar (LI, NY), here are a few highlights for February 2007:
Pat Wictor and David Jacobs-Strain - Sunday, February 18 at 2 p.m.
University Café, Stony Brook
Among the musical highlights of the recent Association of Performing Arts Presenters 50th Annual Members Conference in New York was a series of showcases by contemporary musicians from Scotland. The last time I heard so much good live Scottish folk music was at the Edinburgh Folk Festival in 1981, and come to think of it, not all of that music was Scottish and fiddling was not as prominently featured. “The [Scottish folk music] scene is quite healthy; there are a lot of young people playing great music throughout Scotland [To see the entire article, click the title in red]
