Michael Kornfeld – Page 39 – AcousticMusicScene.com

Nominees Named for 2017 Grammy Awards

Post published:December 7, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests News - U.S. National

Nominees in 84 categories have been named for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Sunday, February 12, 2017. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field that will likely be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Lori McKenna leads the nominees in the American Roots Music Field with three nominations. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.]

2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards Presented

Post published:December 5, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests

With trophies for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year (Empty Train), David Francey was the top winner in the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The expressive Scotland-born and Ontario-based singer-songwriter and three-time Juno Award-winner was among 72 artists and groups from ten provinces and two territories who vied for awards in 19 categories that were presented during a bilingual gala event at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre on Dec. 3. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of award winners, click on the headline.]

Top Albums and Songs of November 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Post published:December 3, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Acoustic Radio Waves

Hannah Shira Naiman, a clawhammer banjo-playing singer-songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, had the top album (Know The Mountain) on folk radio during November 2016, while southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had the most-played song (“Woody’s Landlord”) for a second consecutive month. Leonard Cohen, the acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist, who died Nov. 7 at age 82, was the month’s most-played artist. So say the airplay 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.]

Michael Kornfeld Elected President of NERFA

Post published:November 27, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Featured News - Northeast U.S.

Michael Kornfeld, editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, was elected 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. 10-13. Kornfeld had previously served as the nonprofit organization’s vice president. NERFA is the largest regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a Kansas City-based organization (on whose board he also serves) that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2016 Airs on PBS Television Stations

Post published:November 17, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests News - U.S. National

Performance highlights from this year’s Americana Honors & Awards show in Nashville will be broadcast on Austin City Limits. ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2016 premieres Nov. 19 on PBS stations across the U.S. Check your local TV listings for dates and times. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at NERFA Conference, Nov. 10-13, in Stamford, CT

Post published:November 3, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Conferences of Note Featured News - Northeast U.S.

Some 800 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. 10-13, 2016, for the 22nd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) 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 conference preview – including listings of juried and AcousticMusicScene.com showcases -- click on the headline.]

The Savage Hearts had the #1 album on folk radio during October 2016.

Top Albums, Songs – October 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Post published:November 2, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Acoustic Radio Waves

The Savage Hearts, a bluegrass-meets-honky-tonk group from Colorado’s Front Range, had the most-played album (Playing It Forward) on folk radio during October 2016, while southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had the most-played song (“Woody’s Landlord”). So say the airplay 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 view them and a couple of videos, click on the headline.]

Finalists Chosen in 2016 NewSong Contest

Post published:November 2, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests

Finalists have been named in the 2016 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. Now in its 15th year, the contest showcases emerging performing songwriters. It is open to artists performing in all genres, although all songs must include a vocal with lyrics. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Michael Troy Music Foundation Launched

Post published:October 24, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:News - Northeast U.S.

A foundation has been established in memory of Michael Troy, a locally revered singer-songwriter and guitarist from Fall River, Massachusetts who succumbed to cancer last November at the age of 64. Funds raised during a Nov. 6 benefit concert for the Michael Troy Memorial Music Foundation, Inc. will support the music department at B.M.C. Durfee High School, Troy’s alma mater. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Remembering Roz Larman, Host of “FolkScene”

Post published:October 17, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Acoustic Radio Waves News - U.S. National

Roz Larman, longtime host of the internationally syndicated radio program FolkScene, died unexpectedly on Oct. 10 following a recent heart attack and stroke. Originating from Los Angeles, California’s KPFK 90.7 FM, a Pacifica radio station, FolkScene was launched by Roz and her late husband Howard in 1970. Between them, they shared recorded music and live in-studio performances and artist interviews with listeners every Sunday evening for more than 45 years. Singer-Songwriters Dan Navarro and James Lee Stanley, who knew Roz well, shared their reflections with AcousticMusicScene.com. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

FAR-West, FARM Conferences Set for October

Post published:October 10, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Conferences of Note

Two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International -- an association that aims to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music -- hold their annual conferences this month. Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) convenes Oct. 13-16 in Bellevue, Washington, while the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) Conference is set for Oct. 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Remembering Oscar Brand, 1920-2016

Post published:October 8, 2016
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Featured News - Northeast U.S.

Oscar Brand may well have been the first folksinger and songwriter who I saw perform live when I was a youngster. My parents brought me to see him at a local library on Long Island, NY, where Brand, who died of pneumonia Sept. 30 at age 96, also lived with his family. Over the years, I saw him perform in concert and at festivals and special events many times -- most recently at the opening reception for the “Folk City” exhibit at The Museum of the City of New York last year. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]