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SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards

SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards

The Farm Hands were the top winners in the 44th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards presented by The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 35th national convention. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of winners, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field

Winners in the 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a Premiere Ceremony that streamed online prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show on Sunday, January 28 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

NERFA Presents Mid-Winter FolkFest to be Live Streamed from Club Passim, Jan. 27

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) is pleased to partner with Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts to present a Mid-Winter FolkFest on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 12-4 p.m. The afternoon of music emanating from the legendary Harvard Square listening room and featuring 11 artists/acts in a combination of song swaps and short showcases will be livestreamed via Concert Window. To view, logon to www.concertwindow.com/clubpassim on the day of the show. For those in the Greater Boston-Cambridge area, tickets are also available to enjoy the festival in-person @ clubpassim.org. [To continue reading this article and see the schedule for the afternoon, click on the headline.]

Folk and Roots Music Artists Showcase Their Talents During APAP Conference in NYC

Nearly 3,500 arts professionals from throughout the U.S. and nearly 30 other countries converged on New York City, Jan. 12-16, 2018 for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP). As in years past, dozens of performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities in the U.S., Canada, and several other countries were featured among the more than 1,000 showcases during the global multidisciplinary performing arts marketplace and conference. [To continue reding this extensive article about the APAP Conference, click on the headline.]

Winners Chosen in 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition

Three winners have been named in the 2018 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition that took place on Saturday, January 13, at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]

Notable Songwriting Contests Open for Entries

Entries are now being sought in both the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the 2018 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that are held, respectively, in conjunction with MerleFest, April 26-29, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina and the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 18-20, in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. [To continue reading this article, which also includes information about the Kerrville New Folk Competition, click on the headline.]

Official Showcase Artists Sought for 2018 SERFA Conference

February 28 is the deadline for receipt of applications from artists seeking official showcase opportunities during the 2018 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference, slated for Wednesday-Sunday, May 16-20, at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Black Mountain and Asheville. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and educational sessions, the conference attracted some 300 people last spring. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Top Albums, Songs, Artists – 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during 2017, according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. John McCutcheon, one of America’s most revered folksinger-songwriters, was the year’s most-played artist. [The top albums, songs and artists charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]
Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

Category winners have been named in the 34th annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, presented by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), while overall grand, second and third prize winners will be announced during an awards gala on Jan. 21, 2018 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. Alberta, Canada-based singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam was the top winner (Gold) in the Folk-Acoustic category for his song “Ain’t Enough,” while Herndon, Virginia’s Crys Matthews took second place (Silver) for “We Must Be Free.” [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Top Albums and Songs – December 2017 (FOLKDJ-L)

Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 12: Happy Holidays, a compilation CD distributed by radio promoter Erik Balkey, was the most-played album on folk radio during December 2017. “Somethin’ Special” by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) was the month’s most-played song; it’s featured on both the Hudson Harding Sampler and on Stookey’s own EP, Summerfallwinterspring. So say charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.]

Mid-January is Music Festival Time in Florida

Floridians and visitors to the Sunshine State can escape the winter doldrums and enjoy some fine music in mid-January. The South Florida Folk Festival and the 30A Songwriters Festival take place over the same weekend in different parts of the state. The former includes the finals of an annual singer-songwriter competition, while the latter features such big-name talents as Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

2018 Kerrville New Folk Competition Opens for Entries

Entries are now being accepted for the 2018 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27, 2018, during the first weekend of the 47th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country. The first 800 entries received by February 28 will be judged, and 32 finalists will be named in April. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]