Entries Sought in CT Folk’s 2018 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition
March 31 is the deadline for singer-songwriters to enter the 2018 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 8, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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IBMA Songwriter Showcase Applications Sought
Up to 10 songwriters (or songwriting teams) will be invited to perform one original bluegrass song each for an audience of artists, producers and other industry professionals during a Songwriter Showcase at this year’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina, hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association. The online application period for the IBMA Songwriter Showcase -- slated for Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 -- extends through March 31.
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Nominees Named for 2018 JUNO Awards
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees for the 2018 JUNO Awards – including those for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year. The coveted awards will be presented on Sunday, March 25 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards
The Farm Hands were the top winners in the 44th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards presented by The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 35th national convention.
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Winners Named in 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field
Winners in the 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a Premiere Ceremony that streamed online prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show on Sunday, January 28 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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NERFA Presents Mid-Winter FolkFest to be Live Streamed from Club Passim, Jan. 27
Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) is pleased to partner with Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts to present a Mid-Winter FolkFest on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 12-4 p.m. The afternoon of music emanating from the legendary Harvard Square listening room and featuring 11 artists/acts in a combination of song swaps and short showcases will be livestreamed via Concert Window. To view, logon to www.concertwindow.com/clubpassim on the day of the show. For those in the Greater Boston-Cambridge area, tickets are also available to enjoy the festival in-person @ clubpassim.org.
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Winners Chosen in 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition
Three winners have been named in the 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition that took place on Saturday, January 13, at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.
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Notable Songwriting Contests Open for Entries
Entries are now being sought in both the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the 2018 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that are held, respectively, in conjunction with MerleFest, April 26-29, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina and the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 18-20, in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas.
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Official Showcase Artists Sought for 2018 SERFA Conference
February 28 is the deadline for receipt of applications from artists seeking official showcase opportunities during the 2018 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference, slated for Wednesday-Sunday, May 16-20, at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Black Mountain and Asheville. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and educational sessions, the conference attracted some 300 people last spring.
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Top Albums, Songs, Artists – 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)
Southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during 2017, according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann 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, one of America’s most revered folksinger-songwriters, was the year’s most-played artist.
[The top albums, songs and artists charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]
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