News Capsules for and about the Acoustic Community in the Northeastern U.S.
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.]
Lara Herscovitch, an engaging contemporary singer-songwriter from Connecticut, emerged as the winner from among 10 finalists in the 11th Annual Singer-Songwriter Showcase this month at SolarFest, which bills itself as New England’s renewable energy festival. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
AcousticMusicScene.com will host song swaps and mini-showcases during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 22-24, and the Huntington Folk Festival, August 6. Both festivals take place in New York State. {to view the entire article, including schedules, click on the headline.]
Saturday, July 16 marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of singer-songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin, whose music and humanitarianism inspired many. Two concerts featuring his songs will take place on Long Island, where he resided with his family. An effort also is under way to encourage the U.S. Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp in his honor. [To View the entire article, click the headline.]
A couple of music festivals of note in the Northeast take place during the first weekend in July -- one along the cobblestoned streets of the old whaling port city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the other at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York. [To read the article, click on the headline.]
Twenty-four artists/bands have been selected from among hundreds of applicants to perform in the Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, July 22, 2011, from noon to 4:30 p.m. They are Brooke Annibale, Blair Bodine, Brittany Ann, Ellen Bukstel, Lori Diamond and Fred Abatelli, Friction Farm, Bulat Gafarov, Sharon Goldman, Jason Myles Goss, ilyAIMY, Layah Jane, Devlin Miles, Louise Mosrie, My Brothers Banned, Occidental Gypsy, Karyn Oliver, Pesky J. Nixon, Grace Pettis, Paul Sachs, Putnam Smith, Split Tongue Crow, Suzie Vinnick, Gail Wade, and The Whispering Tree. [To view the entire article, click on the headline.]
Carolann Solebello is the winner of the 2011 Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival (SMAF) Songwriter Contest. She was selected after performing two original songs -- “Papa’s Mandolin” and “Wash Me Clean” -- during the finals held on Friday afternoon, May 6, as part of the 10th Annual SMAF in downtown Havre de Grace, Maryland. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The following artists have been selected to perform short showcases during the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) One-Day Mini-Conference at the First Universalist Society in Franklin, Massachusetts (home of the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse) on Saturday, April 30: Burning Bridget Cleary, Michelle Cruz, Jason Myles Goss, Brendan Hogan, Occidental Gypsy, Amy Petty, Radio Caroline, Hayley Reardon, Roy Schneider, and the Putnam Smith Trio. [To read the complete article, click on the headline.]
Springtime may be off-season for the historic Victorian-lined seaside resort community of Cape May, New Jersey. But singer-songwriters and others engaged in the music industry will be there on Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, for the fourth annual Singer Songwriter Cape May music business conference. [To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Jack Hardy, a singer-songwriter who played a pivotal role in the New York folk/songwriting scene for several decades and influenced and inspired many other songwriters, died on March 11. His death at age 63 sent shockwaves through the folk community, with many posting short remembrances and tributes on Facebook -- the social networking platform. [To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]
April 15 is the entry deadline for both the Philadelphia Songwriters Project’s 2011 Songwriting Contest and the 19th Annual Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition. [To read the article, click on the headline.]
Recognizing the value of collaboration in the arts, two venerable Long Island, New York-based nonprofit arts organizations are doing just that. The Cinema Arts Centre and the Folk Music Society of Huntington are teaming up to present a monthly concert series and also are engaging in other cross-promotional efforts across their respective artistic disciplines. Note: AcousticMusicScene.com's Michael Kornfeld is president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
