Author Archive

Top Albums and Songs – December 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 12: Happy Holidays, a compilation CD distributed by radio promoter Erik Balkey, was the most-played album on folk radio during December 2017. “Somethin’ Special” by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) was the month’s most-played song; it’s featured on both the Hudson Harding Sampler and on Stookey’s own EP, Summerfallwinterspring. So say 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. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.]

Mid-January is Music Festival Time in Florida

Floridians and visitors to the Sunshine State can escape the winter doldrums and enjoy some fine music in mid-January. The South Florida Folk Festival and the 30A Songwriters Festival take place over the same weekend in different parts of the state. The former includes the finals of an annual singer-songwriter competition, while the latter features such big-name talents as Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

Entries are now being accepted for the 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 2018, during the first weekend of the 47th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country. The first 800 entries received by February 28 will be judged, and 32 finalists will be named in April. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Top Albums and Songs – November 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Dori Freeman, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, and The Wailin’ Jennys had the most-played albums on folk radio during November 2017, with Letters Never Read, Echo In the Valley, and Fifteen, respectively. New Jersey-based folksinger and song interpreter Mara Levine’s bluegrass-style rendition of Susan B. Shann’s “You Reap What You Sow” was the month’s #1 song. So say 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. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

Crys Matthews Wins 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition

Crys Matthews was named the grand-prize winner in the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition after performing, along with other finalists, during a live music showcase at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ David Rubenstein Atrium in New York City on Thursday, November 30. [To continue reading this article, which includes links to a couple of video, click on the headline.]

2018 Grammy Awards Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Nominees in 84 categories have been named for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Sunday, January 28, 2018. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field that, alas, will likely be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from Madison Square Garden in New York City. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 2017 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Artists were recognized in 19 categories during the 2017 Canadian Folk Music Awards celebration that took place Nov. 18-19 at Ottawa’s Bronson Centre. [To continue reading this article and see the list of award winners, click on the headline below.]

Michael Kornfeld Re-Elected President of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Board

Michael Kornfeld, editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, was re-elected to a second term as president of the board of directors of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) during its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12, 2017. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Compass Records Acquires Red House Records

Compass Records Group has added Red House Records to its family of labels. The Nashville, TN-based company announced its acquisition of the St. Paul, MN-based imprint on Nov. 7. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

NERFA Conference Returns to Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12 – Celebrating Music and Community

More than 700 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 9-12, for the 23rd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. [To continue reading this article -- which includes listings of all the artists performing in juried Formal and Semi-Formal Showcases, as well as those hosted by AcousticMusicScene.com -- click on the headline.]
Top Albums, Songs - October 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums, Songs – October 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers had the most-played album (The Long Awaited Album), while fellow Rounder artist Chris Hillman’s “Wildflowers” was the most-played song on folk radio during October 2017. So say 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. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 30th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference

Folk Alliance International has announced the Official Showcase artists for its 30th annual conference taking place February 14-18, 2018, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of Official Showcase artists -- click on the headline.]