AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at SERFA Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Nearly 300 people will converge on Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 15-19, 2019 for the 12th annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities, the conference will be keynoted by singer-songwriter Ellis Paul and features 27 juried official showcases. [To continue reading this illustrated article and to see a listing of official showcase artists and the AcusticMusicScene.com showcase lineup, click on the headline.]

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Read more about the article Top Albums, Songs and Artists – April 2019 (FOLKDJ-L)
Molsky's Mountain Drifters (Photo: Kate Orne)

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

For a second consecutive month, Songs of Our Native Daughters (featuring modern roots artists Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell and Amythyst Kiah) was the top album on folk radio during April 2019. "There’s a Bright Side Somewhere” by Molsky’s Mountain Drifters was the month’s most-played song, edging out Danny Schmidt’s “Just Wait Til They See You,” March’s #1 song. John McCutcheon was the most-played artist of the month. 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 Folk DJ charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.

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Folk Music Notebook, a 24/7 Music Channel, Launches Online and is Available via Free Apps

Veteran broadcaster Ron Olesko, who has been hosting a folk show (Traditions) on WFDU-FM in Teaneck, New Jersey since 1980, launches Folk Music Notebook, an online radio station showcasing folk music 24/7, on May 3, 2019 – the 100th anniversary of the birth of late folk music icon Pete Seeger. “Folk Music Notebook plans to be a gathering spot for the folk community and all the fans of this music,” said Olesko. “The channel will be a place to ‘discover’ new artists and songs as well as honor the established names who created this living tradition.” [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingFolk Music Notebook, a 24/7 Music Channel, Launches Online and is Available via Free Apps

Registration Opens for 25th NERFA Conference

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has launched a new website (www.nerfa.org) and opened registration for its 25th annual conference to be held in Stamford, Connecticut, November 7-10, 2019. Artists may also now apply online for juried official showcases. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]

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Finalists Named in 2019 Telluride Troubadour Competition

Ten singer-songwriters have been selected as finalists in the 2019 Telluride Troubadour Competition, held in conjunction with the 46th Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 20-23. They will now vie for cash and other prizes, as well as the honor of being named this year’s Telluride Troubadour. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

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Application Deadline Nears for Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase

May 10 is the application submission deadline for the annual Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase. From among all entries received, 24 artists/acts will be selected for two-song/10-minute spots on the main stage on Friday afternoon, August 2, during the 31st annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article -- which includes more information about the Emerging Artist Showcase and the festival itself -- click on the headline.]

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Finalists Named in 2019 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists have been named in the 2019 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that is held in conjunction with the 27th annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 17-19, at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. Each will perform two songs on the Singer Songwriter Stage on Saturday, May 18. [To continue reading this article and learn more about the festival, click on the headline.]

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2019 Kerrville New Folk Finalists Announced

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2019 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 500 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted at the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 25 and 26, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of all the New Folk finalists and alternates -- click on the headline.]

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Top Albums & Songs – March 2019 (FOLKDJ-L)

Songs of Our Native Daughters (featuring modern roots artists Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell and Amythyst Kiah) was the top album on folk radio during March 2019, while four of its 13 tracks were among the month’s top 10 most-played songs. Singer-Songwriter Danny Schmidt’s “Just Wait Til They See You” edged out one of them for the #1 song. Our Native Daughters were the most-played artists of the month, followed by Schmidt. 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, click on the headline.]

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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.]

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

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.]

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

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.]

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