Springtime may be off-season for the historic Victorian-lined seaside resort community of Cape May, New Jersey. But singer-songwriters and others engaged in the music industry will be there on Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, for the fourth annual Singer Songwriter Cape May music business conference. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Jack Hardy, a singer-songwriter who played a pivotal role in the New York folk/songwriting scene for several decades and influenced and inspired many other songwriters, died on March 11. His death at age 63 sent shockwaves through the folk community, with many posting short remembrances and tributes on Facebook -- the social networking platform. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]
The Wailin' Jennys' recently released Bright Morning Stars tops this week's Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, while Malcolm Holcombe's To Drink The Rain and Abigail Washburn's City of Refuge are in the #2 and #3 positions, respectively. [To view the current Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
April 15 is the entry deadline for both the Philadelphia Songwriters Project’s 2011 Songwriting Contest and the 19th Annual Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition. [To read the article, click on the headline.]
Recognizing the value of collaboration in the arts, two venerable Long Island, New York-based nonprofit arts organizations are doing just that. The Cinema Arts Centre and the Folk Music Society of Huntington are teaming up to present a monthly concert series and also are engaging in other cross-promotional efforts across their respective artistic disciplines. Note: AcousticMusicScene.com's Michael Kornfeld is president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Malcolm Holcombe's To Drink The Rain tops the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart this week, while Abigail Washburn's City of Refuge and The Wailin' Jennys' February release, Bright Morning Star, climbed into the #2 and #3 positions, respectively. [To view the current Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
SolarFest, which bills itself as New England’s renewable energy festival, is seeking songwriters to perform in its 11th annual Singer-Songwriter Showcase this July. Ten singer-songwriters, who write and perform original music and are not currently signed to a major recording label, will be selected to perform two songs each and compete to be among the three winners of cash prizes and studio time. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
The Civil Wars' debut album, Barton Hollow, continues to top the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart this week. Albums by Malcolm Holcombe, Jonathan Byrd, Bobby Long and Cahalen Morrison & Eli West follow. [To view the latest Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
The Washington Area Music Association presented its 25th Annual Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies) on Sunday, February 20. The nonprofit organization of music industry professionals committed to raising the profile of the U.S. Capital region’s diverse music community created the awards to recognize significant career achievements by area musicians. [To see a list of award winners in select categories and hall of fame inductees, click on the headline.]
Irish and contemporary folk music courses through Aoife Clancy’s blood. Clancy, who hails from the small town of Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland and now calls Massachusetts home, is the daughter of Bobby Clancy (of the celebrated Clancy Brothers), with whom she began playing in local pubs as a young teenager. Over the years, Aoife Clancy has shared stages with some of Ireland’s most noted artists, was part of the acclaimed all-female Irish-American group Cherish The Ladies, and has toured extensively as a solo artist. She also collaborates with other artists as part of The Clancy Legacy and The Jammin’ Divas, as well as playing duo shows with Robbie O’Connell. Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed a few questions to Aoife Clancy recently. [To read Kathy's Quick Q & A with Aoife Clancy, click on the headline.]
Mary Gauthier is a Louisiana native and former restaurateur who didn’t turn to full-time songwriting until she was in her mid 30s. Mercy Now, her 2005 release on the Lost Highway label, made a number of publications’ annual top 10 albums lists and resulted in the singer-songwriter being hailed as the New/Emerging Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Gauthier’s seventh and latest release is entitled The Foundling and was produced by Michael Timmons of the Cowboy Junkies. A number of other artists, including such notables as Jimmy Buffett and Tim McGraw, also have recorded her songs – many of which are autobiographical in nature. Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed a few questions to her recently. [To read Kathy's Q & A with Mary Gauthier, click on the headline.]
Barton Hollow, the debut album by Americana-folk duo The Civil Wars, continues to top the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart this week. Albums by Bobby Long, Malcolm Holcombe, Jonathan Byrd and Mary Chapin Carpenter follow. {To view the latest Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
