News – Northeast U.S.

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at NERFA Conference, Nov. 10-13, in Stamford, CT

Some 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 10-13, 2016, for the 22nd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. [To continue reading this conference preview – including listings of juried and AcousticMusicScene.com showcases -- click on the headline.]

Michael Troy Music Foundation Launched

A foundation has been established in memory of Michael Troy, a locally revered singer-songwriter and guitarist from Fall River, Massachusetts who succumbed to cancer last November at the age of 64. Funds raised during a Nov. 6 benefit concert for the Michael Troy Memorial Music Foundation, Inc. will support the music department at B.M.C. Durfee High School, Troy’s alma mater. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Remembering Oscar Brand, 1920-2016

Remembering Oscar Brand, 1920-2016

Oscar Brand may well have been the first folksinger and songwriter who I saw perform live when I was a youngster. My parents brought me to see him at a local library on Long Island, NY, where Brand, who died of pneumonia Sept. 30 at age 96, also lived with his family. Over the years, I saw him perform in concert and at festivals and special events many times -- most recently at the opening reception for the “Folk City” exhibit at The Museum of the City of New York last year. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Amy Soucy Wins 2016 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition at Connecticut Folk Festival

Amy Soucy Wins 2016 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition at Connecticut Folk Festival

Amy Soucy of Beacon, New York was named the winner of the 2016 Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition following a final round featuring five artists/acts that opened the Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo at New Haven’s Edgerton Park on Sept. 10. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
2016 Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo Set for Sept. 10

2016 Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo Set for Sept. 10

Susan Werner, a very versatile and witty singer-songwriter, headlines CT Folk’s 11th annual Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo. The free, day-long event is set for Saturday, Sept. 10, in New Haven’s Edgerton Park. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Philadelphia Folk Festival Set for Aug. 18-21

Philadelphia Folk Festival Set for Aug. 18-21

Thousands of music lovers are expected to converge on Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near bucolic Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, Aug. 18-21, for the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival. Now in its 55th year, the event, produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, is the longest continuously running musical festival of its kind in North America. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Emerging Artists Showcase Performers Chosen for 2016 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Twenty-four artists/acts have been selected to perform in the Emerging Artists Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, August 5, 2016, from noon to 4:30 p.m. [To view the list of this year's Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase performers and an article previewing the festival, click on the headline.]

Apply Now for Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase

May 20 is the application submission deadline for the annual Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase. From among all entries received, 24 artists/acts will be selected for two-song/10-minute spots on the main stage on Friday, August 5, during the 28th annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article, which includes a preview of the festival, click on the headline.]

Arts Presenters, Performing Artists Converge on New York City, Jan. 15-19

Several thousand people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 15-19, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 59th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature more than 1000 artist showcases, a large EXPO Hall featuring nearly 400 exhibitors, networking opportunities galore, daily plenary sessions and keynote speakers, and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. Plenaries and select sessions will live stream free for industry professionals, artists and the public. [To continue reading this article -- including a listing of folk and roots artists who will be showcasing their talents -- click on the headline.]
People's Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 29-31 in Albany, NY

People’s Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 29-31 in Albany, NY

There will be lots of singing of socially relevant songs, communal meals, jamming, mentoring, socializing, and an array of workshops during the People’s Music Network’s 2016 Winter Gathering at the Hackett Middle School in Albany, NY, Jan. 29-31. Singer-Songwriter Joe Jencks, known to many as part of the folk harmony trio Brother Sun, is this year’s PMN Artist-in-Residence and will both perform and lead workshops during the event that has taken place annually in various locales since 1977. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Showcase Artists Sought for SS Cape May

Some 150 acts, from solo artists to full bands, will be selected to showcase at various venues over two nights during the ninth annual Singer Songwriter Cape May music business conference set for Friday-Saturday, March 18-19, 2016 in the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community. All artists who submit showcase applications by the Jan. 15 deadline will receive free registration for the conference whether or not they are slotted. [To continue reading this article on AcousticMusicScene.com, click on the headline.]

2015 NewSong Contest Finalists to Showcase Their Talents in NYC, Jan. 7

Ten artists/groups have been named as finalists in the 2015 NewSong Contest and will perform live during a music showcase and competition finals set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium (61 W. 62nd St., New York, NY). Admission is free, although seating is limited. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]