Bluegrass & Beyond – Page 9 – AcousticMusicScene.com

International Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees Named for 2009

Post published:August 24, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Dan Tyminski Band, Dailey & Vincent, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, The Grascals and Steve Martin lead the list of nominees for the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards that takes place on Thursday, October 1, at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s “World of Bluegrass,” September 28 to Oct. 4, that also features a business conference and fan fest. Hosting the awards show will be Grammy Award-winning country artist Kathy Mattea and bluegrass band Hot Rize (the first recipients of the IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 1990). It will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” channel 14 and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets. [To read the entire article and see the complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]

Mike Seeger, 1933-2009

Post published:August 8, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Mike Seeger, who, as a solo performer, collector of songs, and member of the New Lost City Ramblers, helped to revive and widen interest in southern traditional music, died at his Lexington, Virginia home on August 7, just a week shy of his 76th birthday. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Registration Opens for Americana Music Association and IBMA ‘World of Bluegrass’ Conferences in Nashville This Fall

Post published:June 21, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond Conferences of Note Festival Focus

Two major music industry business conferences of note to the acoustic music community are slated for the fall in Nashville, Tennessee. The Americana Music Association’s 10th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference returns to the “Music City,” September 16-19, while the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass is set for September 28-October 4. Early-bird registration opened this month for both events. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Bluegrass Festivals Set for Early Summer in New England

Post published:May 17, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus News - Northeast U.S.

With summer approaching, the festival season will soon be in full swing in the Northeast. There will be plenty of banjos, fiddles and high-lonesome harmonies in New England. Among the bluegrass festivals taking place in the region early in the summer are the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival (May 28-31) and both the Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Festival and the Jenny Brook Family Bluegrass Festival (June 18-21). [To read the entire article, including artist lineups for the festivals, click on the headline.]

Vermonters are Winners in Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

Post published:April 29, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond News - Northeast U.S.

Carol Hausner and Colin McCaffrey of Montpelier, Vermont were named as the winners in the bluegrass category in the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest for their song entitled “Love Gone By.” The two performed their winning song, along with the winners in three other categories (country, general and gospel), on the Cabin Stage at MerleFest on April 24 and won an acoustic guitar, a check for $300 and other prizes. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Finalists Named in 2009 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

Post published:April 6, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Twelve finalists have been named in the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2009, the popular “traditional-plus” Americana music festival that takes place April 23-26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. [To read the article, click on the headline.]

Early Bird Tickets for MerleFest 2009 Available Until April 3

Post published:March 8, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus

Three- and Four-day early bird tickets for MerleFest 2009, representing an average 10% discount over regular admission prices, are available until April 3. MerleFest, one of the most popular Americana music festivals, celebrates the music of the late instrumental virtuoso Eddy Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson. The “traditional plus” music festival – featuring a diverse array of roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region and beyond -- takes place April 23-26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Kottke, Colvin and Hot Rize Headline RootsFest Denver, March 28

Post published:March 5, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus

Swallow Hill Music Association, which bills itself as Denver’s home for folk, roots and acoustic music, hosts RootsFest Denver in Colorado’s “Mile High City” on Saturday, March 28. Acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke, multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin and bluegrass band Hot Rize headline the festival at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Tickets are $55, $75 and $125. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Early-Bird Tickets Available for Pagosa Folk ‘n Bluegrass Festival

Post published:February 13, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus

Early-bird ticket prices for the Pagosa Folk ‘n Bluegrass Music Festival are available through Feb. 15. The festival is slated for June 5-7 at Reservoir Hill Park in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Boston Bluegrass Union Presents Awards, Festival in February

Post published:January 31, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Focus News - Northeast U.S.

A number of individuals who have made substantial contributions to furthering bluegrass music in New England will be presented with 2009 BBU Heritage Awards during the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival presented by the Boston Bluegrass Union over Presidents Day Weekend, February 13-15, at the Sheraton Framingham in Framingham, Massachusetts. [To read the entire article, including information about the award recipients and the the festival, click on the headline.]

Bluegrass Artists Showcase Their Talents During APAP Conference

Post published:January 29, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Conferences of Note

Bluegrass music may have been a very small part of the recent Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Conference in New York City, but the few artist showcases were top-notch. Showcasing artists included veterans Rhonda Vincent and Claire Lynch and relative newcomers The Lovell Sisters and Bearfoot. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Dailey & Vincent Visit A Prairie Home Companion, Feb. 7

Post published:January 24, 2009
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Acoustic Radio Waves Bluegrass & Beyond

Dailey & Vincent, the 2008 Entertainers of the Year in the International Bluegrass Music Awards, will appear on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. CST. They are musical guests for a live broadcast performance that emanates from the show’s home base, the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. Several million people tune in to the popular radio variety show each week when it airs on nearly 600 public radio stations in the U.S., as well as on America One abroad and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far East. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]