Philadelphia Folk Festival Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary

avid Amram, Roy Book Binder, David Bromberg, Arlo Guthrie, Levon Helm, Jorma Kaukonen, Tom Paxton and Tom Rush are among the music luminaries slated to perform during the 50th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival, August 18-21, 2011. Joining them at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, for the longest continually running festival of its kind will be a number of up-and-coming touring artists like Dan Bern, Justin Townes Earle, David Wax Museum, the Canadian female duos Dala and Madison Violet, and Philly’s own Hoots and Hellmouth, as well as many other locally-based artists. [To read the full article, including comments from veteran folk-DJ, festival co-founder and emee Gene Shay, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Folk Festival Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary

The Alternate Root Goes to Print, Aug. 15, 2011

While other music magazines have ceased publication or switched to online-only formats in recent years, the publishers of the online American roots music magazine, The Alternate Root (www.thealternateroot.com), which, like AcousticMusicScene.com, began online operations in 2007, will launch a quarterly print edition on Aug. 15, 2011. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingThe Alternate Root Goes to Print, Aug. 15, 2011

Top Albums and Songs of July 2011 (FOLKDJ-L)

Beginning this month, AcousticMusicScene.com is pleased to publish the monthly Top Albums and Songs charts compiled by Richard Gillmann of KBCS-FM in Bellevue/Seattle, Washington, from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. In July 2011, Gillian Welch had both the top album and top two songs for the month, while the debut album by Brother Sun (the trio comprised of Greg Greenway, Joe Jencks and Pat Wictor) was #2 on the the albums chart. Scotland's Battlefield Band had both the #3 album and song for July. [To view the top albums and songs charts for July 2011, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingTop Albums and Songs of July 2011 (FOLKDJ-L)

‘Legends of Folk: The Village Scene’ Airs on PBS Stations in August

Well-known figures in folk music perform their best-loved songs in the new PBS documentary, Legends of Folk: the Village Scene. Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary fame hosts the special celebrating the folk era in New York City’s Greenwich Village – the epicenter of the folk, folk-rock and singer-songwriter movements during the 1960s. The special program premieres on PBS television stations in August. Check your local listings for air dates and times in your area. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Continue Reading‘Legends of Folk: The Village Scene’ Airs on PBS Stations in August

Showcase Application Deadlines Loom for 2011 NERFA Conference

August 8 is the application deadline for artists seeking one of 14 coveted 15-minute juried formal showcase slots during the 17th Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. Registration for the conference, slated for Nov. 10-13 at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerhonkson, New York, also is now open. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingShowcase Application Deadlines Loom for 2011 NERFA Conference

Bill Morrissey, Singer-Songwriter of the Common Folk, 1951-2011

A private memorial service took place in New Hampshire on Friday, July 29, for Bill Morrissey, a Grammy-nominated, nationally touring folksinger-songwriter, for whom the granite state was home and its small-town life the inspiration behind much of his material. Morrissey died at age 59 of complications of heart disease in Georgia on July 23 while on tour. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingBill Morrissey, Singer-Songwriter of the Common Folk, 1951-2011

We R Indie and IndieGrrl Music Conference Set For Aug. 18-20

The We R Indie and Indiegrrl International Music Conference will feature three days of music industry-related workshops, panel discussions, live showcases featuring artists from around the world, a battle of the bands, a Songwriter Showdown competition, and a vendor expo, Aug. 18-20, in Knoxville, Tennessee. [To read the complete article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingWe R Indie and IndieGrrl Music Conference Set For Aug. 18-20

Finalists Named in Avalonfest Performing Songwriter Competition

Four artists have been selected as finalists in the Avalonfest’s annual performing songwriter competition for 2011: Doug Brouder (Gettysburg, PA), Kyle Carey (Portsmouth, NH), Kathy Moser (Stanhope, NJ) and Sarah Pinsker (Baltimore, MD). [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingFinalists Named in Avalonfest Performing Songwriter Competition

Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 07-22-11

Paul Simon's So Beautiful Or So What returned to the top spot on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart last week, followed by albums by The Civil Wars, Eliza Gilkyson, An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on His 70th Birthday, and The Waifs. [To view the Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.] Editor's Note: Last week's chart was posted late since I was attending the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival last weekend. This week's Folk Top 50 will be posted this weekend.

Continue ReadingRoots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 07-22-11