Festival Focus

MerleFest 2010 Artists to be Announced on Oct. 22

MerleFest, one of America’s most popular roots-oriented music festivals, will announce its artist lineup for 2010 during a one-hour radio special on North Carolina public radio station WNCW (streaming online at www.wncw.org) on Thursday, October 22, at 8 p.m. EDT. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

KVMR Celtic Festival Takes Place in California, Oct. 3-4

Strains of “Caledonia” will fill the air in Grass Valley, California, Oct. 3-4, where leading Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean is among the headliners in the 13th Annual Celtic Festival & Marketplace. Produced by and benefiting KVMR Community Radio (89.5 and 101.5FM in Tahoe/Truckee and streaming at www.kvmr.org), the festival takes place at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Celtic Classic Returns to Bethlehem, PA, Sept. 25-27

Throngs of people are expected to converge on Historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25-27, for the 22nd annual Celtic Classic. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage. Its six stages of continuous entertainment will feature performances by Albannach, Barley Boys, Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Bua, Burning Bridget Cleary, Fil Campbell, Gaelic Storm (who close out the festival on Sunday night), Ontario’s Glengarry Bhoys, Kane & Beatty, Seamus Kennedy, Malinky, McPeake, Timlin & Kane, Town Pants, and Robert Watt & Charlie Zahm. Other musical attractions during the weekend include The Celtic Classic Invitational Pipe Band Competition and a fiddle competition. Irish and Highland dancers also...

Philadelphia Folk Festival Set for Next Weekend

Buskin & Batteau, The Decemberists, John Flynn, The Folk Brothers, Sara Hickman, Sonny Landreth, Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink, the Del McCoury Band, Ellis Paul, Rebirth Brass Band, Tom Rush, Jill Sobule, Tony Trischka and the Derek Trucks Band are among the dozens of acts slated to perform during the 48th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival, August 14-16, at the Old Pool Farm near Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. Featuring an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary music, as well as dance, crafts, an array of children’s activities in the shady Dulcimer Grove, and a unique late-night scene (with jamming into the wee morning hours in the 40-acre campgrounds), the Philadelphia Folk Festival is the longest continuously running U.S. festival of its kind. [To read...

Two New One-Day Festivals Slated for This Month in Massachusetts; 16th Annual Essex Music Festival Goes Riverside; Boston Folk Festival is Back for September

Despite the tough economy, two new one-day music festivals are slated for this month in Massachusetts, while the previously cancelled Boston Folk Festival is back on again for September. And the Essex Music Festival, now in its 16th year, moves to a new downtown location, along the Essex River, on August 29. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Finalists Named in Avalonfest ’09 Performing Songwriter Competition

Four songwriters have been named as finalists in the Avalonfest ’09 Performing Songwriter Competition. Rhobb Elliott of North Carolina, Robyn Kay of New York, David Kleiner of Pennsylvania, and Steve Warner of West Virginia will strut their stuff on the festival’s Mountain Stage on Friday afternoon, August 7.

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Late-Night Song Swaps at Falcon Ridge, Afternoon Showcases at Huntington Folk Festival

AcousticMusicScene.com will host late-night song swaps during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 23-26, and artist showcases at the Huntington Folk Festival, August 1. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Irish Music Festivals On Tap

Sounds from the Emerald Isle – including bagpipes, bodhrans, button boxes, fiddles and more -- abound this summer, with a number of Irish music festivals taking place across the U.S. Here’s a glimpse at a few, with web links for a dozen more. [To view the entire article, click on the headline.]

July is Festival Time in Massachusetts

A couple of music festivals of note take place in Massachusetts in July: the Greater New Bedford Summerfest, July 4-5, along the cobblestoned streets of the old whaling city, and the Green River Festival features 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.]

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

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.]

24 Chosen for Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase

Twenty-four artists have been selected from among more than 500 applicants to perform in the Emerging Artists Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, July 24. Appearing in this year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase are: Nels Andrews, Mary Bragg, Bread and Bones, The Brilliant Inventions, Calaveras, K.C. Clifford, Chuck E. Costa, Coyote Grace, Driftwood Fire, Emily Elbert, John Elliott, Jenny Goodspeed, Aiden James, Colleen Katau & Some Guys, Robin Landis, Liz Longley, Kelleigh McKenzie, Angelo M, Danielle Miraglia, Alastair Moock, Claudia Nygaard, A.J. Roach & His Strange Pilgrims, Sean Rowe, and Swing Caravan. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

Clearwater, Old Songs Festivals Set for June in New York State

2009 marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage to the new world on the Half Moon up the river that bears his name. Two festivals will pay tribute to that this month – the 2009 Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival and the Old Songs Festival. [To read more about these upcoming festivals, click on the headline.]