News Capsules for the Acoustic Community

Hayes Carll Has #1 Album on Americana Airplay Chart for 2011

Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Hayes Carll’s Lost Highway release KMAG YOYO is the #1 album of 2011 on the Americana Airplay Chart. The album-based chart prepared for the Americana Music Association represents reported play on broadcast, satellite and Internet radio stations as well as nationally syndicated shows that submit weekly spin counts. [ To view the article in its entirety, including mention of the year-end Top 10 on the Americana Airplay Chart, click on the headline.]

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2012 Grammy Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field

Nominees in more than 75 categories have been named for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, to be broadcast live from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, on CBS television stations. [To see a list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field -- including those for Best Folk Album, Best Americana Album, Best Bluegrass Album, Best Blues Album, and Best Regional Roots Music Album -- click on the headline.]

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Remembering Terence Martin, A Gifted Singer-Songwriter

Terence Martin, a gifted New York-based singer-songwriter and published poet, has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Martin, who succumbed to the disease on Nov. 7, was born in London, England, grew up in Los Angeles, California, and moved east in 1997 to become part of New York’s thriving acoustic music scene. He recorded and released six albums independently and was working on another one at the time of his passing. [To read a short article, as well as personal remembrances and reflections from Jim Colbert, a fellow singer-songwriter, click on the headline.]

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The Banjo is Focus of PBS Documentary Premiering Nov. 4, 2011

Give Me The Banjo, a documentary chronicling 300 years of American history and popular culture through the country’s quintessential musical instrument – from its earliest use by enslaved Africans in colonial times to the 21st century – premieres Friday, Nov. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS television stations(check your local listings). [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

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Arthur Alligood Wins 2011 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest

Arthur Alligood has been named the grand prize winner in the 10th annual Mountain Stage NewSong Contest.Alligood, who hails from the small town of White House, TN, near Nashville, was chosen from among more than 2,000 entrants and selected from among 12 finalists. The international finals for the noted performing songwriter contest -- presented by the live performance radio show and produced by the independent music organization NewSong Music -- took place last Thursday evening, Oct. 20, at the World Financial Center’s Wintergarden in New York City. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]

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Clearwater Honors George Wein with Power of Song Award

Music festival impresario George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk Festival, among others, will receive the first Power of Song Award during an Oct. 21 benefit concert in New York City. Monies raised during the event, which is set for 8 p.m. at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, will support the environmental education programs of Clearwater, a nonprofit organization launched by Pete Seeger and others more than 40 years ago to help spur awareness of and preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]

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Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers Win IBMA’s Top Award

Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers were named Entertainer of the Year during the 22nd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, ending a three-year winning streak by Dailey & Vincent. [To read the article in its entirety and learn of all the award winners, click on the headline.]

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2011 Future of Music Policy Summit Set for Oct. 3-4 in Washington; Online Survey on How Artists Make $ from Music Launches Sept. 6

How can artists earn a living in today’s changing music landscape? What’s the future of mobile music? Does the future of music licensing portend a new world order or a system collapse? These are among the many questions to be addressed during the 2011 Future of Music Policy Summit at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Monday - Tuesday, Oct.3-4. The nonprofit Future of Music Coalition also is enlisting U.S.-based professional musicians and composers across genres to participate in an online survey between Sept. 6 and Oct. 28 as part of its multifaceted Artist Revenue Streams research project. [To view the full article, click on the headline.].

Continue Reading2011 Future of Music Policy Summit Set for Oct. 3-4 in Washington; Online Survey on How Artists Make $ from Music Launches Sept. 6

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.]

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‘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.]

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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.]

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Bluegrass Fiddler Kenny Baker Dies at 85

Funeral services are being held today (July 12) in Letcher County, Kentucky for master fiddler Kenny Baker, who played with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys for many years and was subsequently part of a fiddle-dobro duo with Josh Graves for more than 20 years (1984-2006). Baker died July 8 at 85, following a stroke. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Continue ReadingBluegrass Fiddler Kenny Baker Dies at 85