Ten performing songwriters have been named as finalists in the annual Songwriter Showcase hosted by SolarFest, a three-day family-friendly festival set for July 18-20, 2014, at the Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth, Vermont. Now in its 20th year, SolarFest showcases the power and possibilities of solar and other renewable energy sources, as well as some talented musicians. [To read the full article and see the list of finalists, click on the headline.]
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash will headline the fourth annual American Roots Music Festival at Caramoor, a family friendly celebration of acoustic music on Saturday, June 28, 2014. Set on 90 acres of gardens and Italianate architecture in Katonah, Westchester County, NY – 40 miles northeast of New York City — the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is well known for its summer music festivals. AcousticMusicScene.com is delighted to again be a Cultural Partner of the festival and will have a presence there. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
The Red Album, the latest release by the New York-based female Americana roots trio Red Molly, was the most-played album on folk radio during May 2014, followed by singer-songwriter Joe Crookston's Georgia I'm Here, according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. Several tracks from both albums also were reportedly among the top ten most-played songs during the month, although they were edged out by Asheville, NC-based Americana roots trio Red June for the top spot. [To view the Top albums and Songs charts, click on the headline.]
Five songwriters and a duo have been named as winners in the 2014 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Nearly 200 people are expected to converge on the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 14-18, 2014, for the seventh annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference -- an extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking, and learning opportunities. John McCutcheon is the keynote speaker. AcousticMusicScene.com will host late-night song swaps and a Midnight Hoot on the opening night. [To read the full article -- including listings of artists performing in official and AcousticMusicScene.com showcases -- click on the headline.]
Mark Erelli is a New England-based singer-songwriter who has been a winner in both the Kerrville New Folk Competition and the International Songwriting Competition. He’s played venues ranging from intimate coffeehouses and house concerts to the main stage at the Newport Folk Festival. As a multi-instrumentalist sideman, he has accompanied such artists as Paula Cole, Mary Gauthier, Lori McKenna and Josh Ritter. Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed some questions to him recently. [To read Kathy's Quick Q & A with Mark Erelli, click on the headline.]
Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), regional chapters of Folk Alliance International, are both currently accepting applications for juried showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. All showcase entries must be submitted online. [To continue reading the article, click on the headline.]
Two regional chapters of Folk Alliance International have slated a first-of-its-kind inter-regional one-day mini-conference. The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) and Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) will hold the event at Unity of Charlottesville in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, September 6, 2014. Registration forms and showcase applications are now available on the NERFA website. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
A number of talented local, regional and national touring female performing artists are on the bill for Muses in the Vineyard, a music festival celebrating women in song, that is slated for Saturday-Sunday, May 17-18 at Four Sisters Winery in Belvidere, New Jersey. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Carter Girl, an album covering three generations of Carter Family music by Carlene Carter, the daughter of of June Carter Cash and granddaughter of "Mother" Maybelle Carter, was the most-played album on folk radio during April 2014, 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. Jesse Winchester, the late singer-songwriter who was revered and widely covered by other artists, had the month's top two songs ("Brand New Tennessee Waltz" and "Yankee Lady"). [To view the Top Albums and Songs chart for April 2014, click on the headline.]
Susan Werner has never been one to adhere to just one musical style. A gifted singer-songwriter, who accompanies herself on both guitar and piano, she is known for her musical versatility and for her witty repartee during live performances. The Iowa native, who now calls Chicago home, has been delighting concert and festival audiences for two decades. Kathy Sands-Boehmer recently spoke with the classically-trained artist about her latest CD, Hayseed, and more. [To read Kathy's Quick Q & A with Susan Werner, click on the headline.]
Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2014 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among hundreds of submissions from throughout the U.S. and Canada, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted during the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 24 and 25, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To continue reading the article and see the list of Kerrville New Folk Finalists, click on the headline.]
