Mary Chapin Carpenter's The Age of Miracles continues in the top spot on the Roots Music Report's Folk Radio Chart, while Jakob Dylan's Women and Country and Tim O'Brien's Chicken & Egg moved into the #2 and #3 positions, respectively, last week. The Folk Top 50 is posted here with permission. [To view the current Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, click on the headline.]
Although he was best known as the longest-serving member of the United States Senate, Robert C. Byrd, who died Monday at 92, also was an old-time and bluegrass fiddler. On July 27, Virginia-based County Records plans to reissue a bluegrass album recorded by Byrd, who represented West Virginia for more than half a century in the Senate and also served as the chamber’s majority leader for 11 years. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Artists interested in applying for the 12 official evening showcase slots available during the 2010 Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) Gathering have until July 15 to do so either via mail or Sonicbids. An affiliate of Folk Alliance International, FARM will hold its annual conference over Columbus Day Weekend, October 7-10, at the Holiday Inn of Bolingbrook, Illinois, located less than an hour from Chicago. Early registration discounts are available for those whose forms are postmarked by September 21. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
John Gorka is widely considered one of the top male singer-songwriters on the contemporary folk scene. Since being named a Kerrville New Folk Winner in 1984, he has become a popular fixture on the coffeehouse and festival circuit, and a number of other notable artists have recorded and/or performed his songs. He is part of a new folk trio called Red Horse with Eliza Gilkyson and Lucy Kaplansky, whose Red House Records debut will be released on July 13. With his rich, soulful baritone, Gorka delivers his own well-crafted songs in a way that prompted Rolling Stone to call him “the preeminent male singer-songwriter of the new folk movement.” Ever self-effacing, Gorka has professed to “consider myself to be an aspiring folk singer, not an accomplished one.” His legion of fans – including Kathy Sands-Boehmer, who posed a few questions to him recently – would disagree. [To read Kathy's Quick Q & A with John Gorka, click on the headline.]
Mary Chapin Carpenter's The Age of Miracles retains the top spot on the Roots Music Report's Folk Radio Chart. Nearly half of the top 50 albums on this week's chart were not on it last week. The Folk Top 50 is posted here with permission. [To view the current Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, click on the headline.]
A couple of music festivals of note take place in Massachusetts next month: The Greater New Bedford Summerfest, July 3-4, along the cobblestoned streets of the old whaling city, and the Green River Festival featuring music, hot air balloons and more at the community college campus in Greenfield, July 17-18. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Nashville, Tennessee-based singer songwriter Robby Hecht emerged as the winner of the 2010 Telluride Troubadour Competition yesterday afternoon and will perform on the main stage during the 37th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival tonight. His 15-minute set will be sandwiched in between performances by Yonder Mountain String Band and Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer. The roots-oriented music festival, which takes place amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains and coincides with the Summer Solstice, continues through Sunday. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Mary Chapin Carpenter's The Age of Miracles continues in the top spot on the Roots Music Report's Folk Radio Chart this week. Rounding out the top five are albums by Crooked Still, Mary Gauthier, Mumford & Sons and Jakob Dylan. The Folk Top 50 is posted here with permission. [To view the current Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, click on the headline.]
Twenty-four solo artists and bands have been selected from among hundreds of applicants to perform in the Emerging Artists Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, July 23, 2010. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Sonicbids, the website designed to help artists leverage the power of the Internet to manage their electronic press kits (EPKs) and find and book gigs, has acquired ArtistData, an online publishing platform that more than 25,000 musicians use to update and manage their gig-related information across the Web. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
June 30 is the application deadline for artists who would like to be considered for slots during two nights of juried Premiere Showcases at the 2010 Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West) Conference slated for Oct. 21-24 in San Jose, California. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The finals in the 2010 Telluride Troubadour Competition take place this week. Ten singer-songwriters will vie for a custom Shanti guitar, cash prizes, recognition, and the opportunity to perform on the main stage during the 37th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival that takes place in Colorado, June 17-20. [To view the entire article, click on the headline.]
