Author Archive

Caroline Paton – Folksinger, Folklorist and Co-Founder of Folk-Legacy Records, 1932-2019

Caroline Paton, a traditional folksinger, musician, folklorist and co-founder of Folk-Legacy Records, has died at the age of 86. Paton, who launched the independent label based in Sharon, Connecticut with her late husband Sandy and the late Lee Haggerty in1961, passed away on March 18. She had been living in a Connecticut nursing home since last year. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

March 23: NERFA Presents Spring FolkFest at Club Passim Livestreaming via Concert Window

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) partners with Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts to present a Spring FolkFest on Saturday, March 23, from 12-4 p.m. The afternoon of music, emanating from the legendary Harvard Square listening room and featuring a number of artists performing short showcases, will be livestreamed via Concert Window. To view, log on to www.concertwindow.com/clubpassim on the day of the show. For those in the Greater Boston-Cambridge area who wish to enjoy the festival in-person, tickets -- priced at $15; $12 for Club Passim or Folk Alliance International members --- are available at www.clubpassim.org. [To continue reading this article, which includes the festival schedule, click on the headline.]

Top Albums, Songs & Artists – February 2019 (FOLKDJ-L)

John McCutcheon was the most-played artist and had both the top album (To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger) and the top song (“Sailing Down My Golden River”) on folk radio during February 2019, after having the second most-played album and song in January. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them and to continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Singer-Songwriters Flock to Cape May, NJ, March 29-30

The maddening crowds of summer won’t be there yet, but several hundred performing artists and others engaged in the music business are expected to converge on the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community of Cape May, March 29-30, 2019 for the 12th annual Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference. [To continue reading this article and view videos by featured artists Jesse Terry and Erin McKeown, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought in CT Folk’s 2019 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition

March 31 is the deadline for singer-songwriters to enter the 2019 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition that is held in conjunction with the Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo. Five finalists will be invited to perform two of their submitted songs during the annual free outdoor event that takes place in New Haven’s Edgerton Park on Saturday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. [To continue reading this article, click o he headline.]
Entry Deadline Nears for Songwriter Serenade

Entry Deadline Nears for Songwriter Serenade

Applications are being accepted through March 31 in the 2019 Songwriter Serenade competition. From among all entries received, 15 songwriters will be invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at The Parish Hall in Moravia, Texas on Saturday, May 4. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums, Songs, Artists - January 2019 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums, Songs, Artists – January 2019 (FOLKDJ-L)

Mara Levine and John McCutcheon had the top albums on folk radio during January 2019 (Facets of Folk and To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger, respectively) and a number of the month’s most-played songs. So say charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums, songs and artists charts are posed on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.
2019 Grammy Award Winners Named in American Roots Music Field

2019 Grammy Award Winners Named in American Roots Music Field

Brandi Carlile was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy, February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. [To continue reading this article and see the list of winners in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.]
Folk and Roots Artists Showcase Their Talents During APAP Conference in New York City

Folk and Roots Artists Showcase Their Talents During APAP Conference in New York City

Dozens of performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities showcased their talents during the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) that took place January 4-8. The global multidisciplinary performing arts marketplace and conference drew several thousand arts professionals from throughout the U.S. and many other countries to New York City. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums, Songs, Artists - 2018 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums, Songs, Artists – 2018 (FOLKDJ-L)

John Prine had both the most-played album (The Tree of Forgiveness) and song (“Knockin’ On Your Screen Door”) on folk radio during 2018, according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. John McCutcheon was the year’s most-played artist, as he was in 2017. [To continue reading this article and view abbreviated charts denoting the top 25 folk albums, songs and artists of 2018, click on the headline. The charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission.]

Activist Musicians Converge on NYC for PMN Winter Gathering, Jan. 25-27, 2019

There will be lots of singing of socially relevant songs, communal meals, mentoring, socializing, and a wide array of workshops during the People’s Music Network’s 39th annual Winter Gathering that takes place in New York City, January 25-27, 2019. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest Opens for Entries

Entries are now being sought in the 2019 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that is held in conjunction with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 17-19, in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]