News Capsules for and about the Acoustic Community in the Northeastern U.S.
More than 500 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are expected to converge on The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York, Nov. 6-9, 2025 for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. {Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
Throngs of music lovers are expected to converge on the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township (Montgomery County), near bucolic Schwenksville and Harleysville, Pennsylvania, August 15-17, for the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival Https://folkfest.org). This will be the 62nd edition of the family-friendly event that is produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a nonprofit arts organization.
The maddening crowds of summer won’t be there yet, but several hundred performing artists and others engaged in the music business are expected to converge on the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community of Cape May, March 28-29, 2025 when the Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference resumes following a five-year hiatus. The conference had previously taken place annually from 2018-2019. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the conference which features evening artist showcases that are free and open to the public.]
AcousticMusicScene.com, Folk Music Society of Huntington and Our Times Coffeehouse co-present an Acoustic Music Community Gathering on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, New York. The afternoon will feature song circles, an open mic, breakout sessions, and lots of networking opportunities for artists, presenters, agents & managers, and others actively engaged in the Americana, folk, roots, and singer-songwriter communities from throughout the NY tri-state area. [Click on the headline to continue reading this short article that includes a link to register for the event.]
The Philadelphia Folk Festival returns to the historic Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near bucolic Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, August 16-18, following a hiatus in 2023. Thousands of music lovers are expected to converge on the farm, located some 45 minutes from Philadelphia, for the 61st edition of the family-friendly event that is produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a nonprofit arts organization. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the festival.]
The annual “Just Wild About Harry” Chapin tribute concert performed by primarily Long Island-based artists has a new venue this year: The Chapin Rainbow Stage in Huntington, New York’s Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue. The free concert is slated for Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET and will also be livestreamed via a number of social media channels. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article, view the concert program, and see where you can view the concert online if you are unable to attend in person.]
The 17th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 22, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12:30 -10 p.m., with a dinner break from 6-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 58th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. An evening concert featuring acclaimed touring singer-songwriters Lucy Kaplansky and Cliff Eberhardt will be preceded by a series of amplified song swaps and an open mic during the afternoon. [Click on the headline to continue reading this festival preview and to view the schedule.]
Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter Halley Neal has been named the winner of the SolarFest 2023 Singer-Songwriter Showcase, which returns in July following a hiatus of several years. She and four finalists have been invited to perform of the festival’s solar-powered main stage in Brandon, Vermont on Saturday afternoon, July 15, and will also be awarded cash prizes. As the winner, Neal will be invited to perform a full set at next year’s festival as well.
Bob Sherman, host of the long-running and award-winning radio show “Woody’s Children” in New York City, passed away on June 27, 2023 at the age of 90.
More than 400 performing artists, presenters, promoters, managers, agents, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on Asbury Park, New Jersey, November 10-13, 2022 for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, while more will enjoy the event virtually. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the conference.]
Fourteen artists/acts will help celebrate the life and legacy of Reba Heyman, a stalwart supporter of the folk music community who was widely viewed as a ‘folk angel’ or ‘folk mom,’ on Saturday, March 19, 2022. Co-sponsored by Focus Music, Uptown Concerts, World Folk Music Association (WFMA), Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), and Institute of Musical Traditions, the concert takes place at the Olney Theatre in Olney, Maryland and will also be live streamed. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which includes reflections from several of the participating artists.]
Scott Alarik, Bill Staines and Joe Virga — each of whom made important contributions to the folk music community in the U.S. — passed away in early December 2021 and will be greatly missed. Ethan Baird, executive director of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), pays tribute to them below. [Click on the headline to read Ethan's reflections and an extended editor's note with more information about Scott, Bill and Joe -- along with video links.]
