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.]
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.]
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, 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 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.]
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.]
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.]
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.]
Rhiannon Giddens was named earlier this month as one of 24 recipients of 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, also known as a “genius grants,” awarded annually to “individuals who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future.” [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
KC Groves had the most-played album (Happy Little Trees) and three of the six most-played songs (“Little Rain,” “Northern Lights” and “Bluebird”) on folk radio during September 2017, and was the month’s most-played artist. Mara Levine (with Gathering Time) had the month’s #1 song, “By My Silence.” 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.]
Cassie and Maggie and Stephen Fearing top the list of nominees for the 2017 Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nods each. The Nova Scotia sister duo and the Canadian folk-rock singer-songwriter are among the 75 artists and groups from nine provinces and one territory vying for awards in 19 categories to be presented at Ottawa’s Bronson Centre on Nov. 18-19. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]
October 15 is the online submissions deadline for the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Showcase & Competition. Now in its 16th year, the competition showcases emerging performing songwriters. NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]
