News Capsules for the Acoustic Community
A one-of-a-kind Deering banjo that has been signed and played by Pete Seeger will be auctioned off this month to benefit the Emergency Relief Fund of American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 1000, the traveling musicians union. [To read the article, click on the headline.]
Modern war and political songs are being sought for inclusion on a special compilation CD release to benefit Folk Alliance International (FAI), as well as to create a fund to provide acoustic instruments for returning soldiers who were injured in combat. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Six songwriters have been named as winners in the 2010 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Kate Klim (Boston, MA), Kim Richardson (Mountain Home, AR), Andy Gullahorn (Nashville, TN), Dan Colehour (Nashville, TN), Jon Brooks (King City, ON, Canada) and Michael Troy (Fall River, MA) were selected by a panel of judges from among 32 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 29 and 30 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival that continues through June 13 at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Dave Rawlings, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ryan Bingham and Patty Griffin scored the most nominations for the Americana Music Association’s 2010 Honors and Awards. Fellow Americana singer-songwriters Emmylou Harris and Todd Snider announced the nominees May 12 during a reception in Nashville, Tennessee. Nominees in additional categories will be announced over the next several months, while the winners will be named September 9 during the association’s ninth annual awards and honors show at the historic Ryman Auditorium. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The Future of Music Coalition's third annual D.C. Policy Day is set for May 25, while the national nonprofit education, research and advocacy organization also co-presents a six-hour seminar entitled "Musicplus: Skill Building for Musicians" in Oakland, California on May 16. Both events are free and will be webcast. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Rounder Records, a leading American roots music label that is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, has been acquired by the Concord Music Group. The Massachusetts-based independent label has released more than 3,000 albums in such genres as bluegrass, Americana, Cajun & Zydeco, folk, singer-songwriter and children’s music. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
In an action that may have serious implications for independent musicians and labels, a federal appeals court ruled last week that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lacks the authority to enforce “net neutrality.” That’s the guiding principle that preserves a free and open Internet – intended to afford users equal access to all websites, more choices and access to information. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Many of the winners in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy -- including those in the recently renamed and expanded American Roots Music field -- were announced online prior to televised ceremonies on January 31 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. [To view the full article and see the list of winners, click here.]
The nationally renowned Cactus Café on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin may be closing later this year. Citing a desire “to minimize the impact of budgetary reductions on students and to protect student core services,” the Texas Union board of directors on Friday announced plans to “phase-out” the intimate live music venue that has attracted a wide array of local, regional, national and international touring acoustic artists since it opened in February 1979. The board's plans are slated to take effect in August. [To view the full article, click on the headline.]
Bluegrass pioneer Lester Flatt, who died in 1979, is best known for having been a lead singer and guitarist with Bill Monroe back in the 1940s and for the two decades he spent with banjoist and fellow Bluegrass Boys alum Earl Scruggs as Flatt and Scruggs – a partnership that produced such bluegrass classics as “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” The U.S. House of Representatives, on Jan. 26, agreed to a sense resolution recognizing Flatt’s invaluable contribution to American art and the indelible legacy he left on bluegrass music. [To see the full text of the resolution, click on the headline.]
Vic Chesnutt, a prolific songwriter and independent recording artist who was a favorite of critics and fellow musicians, died on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, in an Athens, Georgia hospital. He was 45 and had been in a coma following an apparent overdose of muscle relaxants earlier in the week. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The Recording Academy announced nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards – including those in the recently renamed and expanded American Roots Music field. Winners will be named during ceremonies set for January 31, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which will be broadcast live on the CBS television network. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
