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Finalists Announced in 2017 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Finalists Announced in 2017 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2017 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 600 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 27 and 28, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article and see the list of Kerrville New Folk finalists, click on the headline.]

The Philadelphia Songwriters Project Names Ten Finalists in its 2017 Songwriting Contest

Finalists have been named in the 12th annual songwriting contest produced by The Philadelphia Songwriters Project. The 10 finalists have been invited to compete in a live finals showcase on Sunday afternoon, May 21, at Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, during which a panel of celebrity judges and the audience will select four winners and two alternates. Winners will be afforded non-compensated opportunities to perform during various festivals and concert series in the region this summer. [To continue reading this article and see who the finalists are, click on the headline.]
Finalists Named in 2017 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest

Finalists Named in 2017 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists have been named in the 2017 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest. Each will perform two songs on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the 25th annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival at Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. Billed as North Texas’ largest music festival, it takes place, May 19-21. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
FAR-West, NERFA Offer Juried Showcase Opportunities at 2017 Fall Conferences

FAR-West, NERFA Offer Juried Showcase Opportunities at 2017 Fall Conferences

Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, are currently accepting applications for juried showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. All showcase entries must be submitted online. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

2017 JUNO Awards Presented in Ottawa

Artist and Album of the Year honors went to the late Leonard Cohen, while William Prince took home Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and The East Pointers won Traditional Roots Album of the Year during the 2017 JUNO Awards ceremonies that took place April 1 and 2 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario -- Canada’s capital city. Award recipients in these and some three-dozen other categories were selected by members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums and Songs of March 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums and Songs of March 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm and the Family Band had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during March 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 top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission. To see them, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought for 2017 FreshGrass Awards

Online submissions are being sought through May 31 for the 2017 FreshGrass Awards and a new No Depression Singer-Songwriter Award. Unsigned bluegrass bands, banjo pickers, fiddlers and roots music-oriented singer-songwriters are invited to compete for more than $25,000 in cash prizes, instruments, recording sessions at Compass Records, and a spot on the main stage during FreshGrass 2018. Finalists will perform for a panel of music industry judges during this year’s festival, which is set for Sept. 15-17 on the grounds of MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums and Songs of February 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums and Songs of February 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Zoe Mulford, a transatlantic singer-songwriter, had the most-played album (Small Brown Birds) and three of the top five songs on folk radio during February 2017, while influential veteran folksinger-songwriter Tom Paxton had the most-played song (“Boat in the Water”). The month’s most-played artist was John McCutcheon, who also held that distinction and had both the most played album (Trolling For Dreams) and song on folk radio in January. 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 Honors David Amram with Lifetime Achievement Award

Noted composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and author David Amram received an Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award during a star-studded International Folk Music Awards Show, Feb. 15, on the opening night of the 29th Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. The late activist songwriter Malvina Reynolds (legacy) and prolific Canadian folklorist Helen Creighton (Business/Academic) were also named as recipients. [To continue reading this article, which includes more information on the awards and on the conference, click on the headline.]

Entries Sought in Two Songwriting Contests

Both The Philadelphia Songwriters Project and the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) are now accepting submissions in their respective performing songwriter contests. One does not need to be a member of either organization or to live in the areas they serve in order to enter. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 59th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field

Winners in the 59th 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, February 12, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Folk Alliance International Hosts Conference, Camp and Festival, Feb. 15-19, in Kansas City

“Forbidden Folk,” a celebration of activism in art, is the theme of the 29th Folk Alliance International Conference that takes place, Feb. 15-19, in Kansas City, Missouri. Billy Bragg, a Grammy Award-winning British singer-songwriter and activist, keynotes the event and also headlines the second annual Kansas City Folk Festival that caps it. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]