Latest News

Remembering Roz Larman, Host of “FolkScene”

Roz Larman, longtime host of the internationally syndicated radio program FolkScene, died unexpectedly on Oct. 10 following a recent heart attack and stroke. Originating from Los Angeles, California’s KPFK 90.7 FM, a Pacifica radio station, FolkScene was launched by Roz and her late husband Howard in 1970. Between them, they shared recorded music and live in-studio performances and artist interviews with listeners every Sunday evening for more than 45 years. Singer-Songwriters Dan Navarro and James Lee Stanley, who knew Roz well, shared their reflections with AcousticMusicScene.com. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

FAR-West, FARM Conferences Set for October

Two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International -- an association that aims to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music -- hold their annual conferences this month. Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) convenes Oct. 13-16 in Bellevue, Washington, while the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) Conference is set for Oct. 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa. [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.]

International Bluegrass Music Awards Presented

Entertainer of the Year honors went to The Earls of Leicester, while Flatt Lonesome was named Vocal Group of the Year and received awards for Album and Song of the Year during the 27th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show, Sept. 29, 2016, at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts. [To continue reading this article and to see the complete list of award winners, click on the headline.]
Top Albums & Songs of September 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums & Songs of September 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Robin Greenstein, a New York City-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and a winner of the 2015 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition, had the most-played album (Tears and Laughter) and song (“Hole in the Ground”) on folk radio during September 2016. So say the airplay 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 top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

2016 NewSong Contest Entry Deadline Nears

October 15 is the online submissions deadline for the 2016 NewSong Contest. Now in its 15th year, the competition showcases emerging performing songwriters. NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Nominees Named for 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Nominees Named for 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Ten Strings And A Goat Skin tops the list of nominees for the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nods. The Prince Edward Island-based bilingual folk trio is among 72 artists and groups from ten provinces and two territories vying for awards in 19 categories to be presented during a gala event at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre on Dec. 3. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]
2016 Americana Honors and Awards Presented

2016 Americana Honors and Awards Presented

Jason Isbell won Album of the Year and Song of the Year honors, while Chris Stapleton was named Artist of the Year during the Americana Music Association’s 15th Annual Americana Honors & Awards show, Sept. 21, at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Rhiannon Giddens Earns 2016 Steve Martin Prize

Rhiannon Giddens has been named the recipient of the 2016 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. A North Carolina-based musician and co-founder of the Grammy Award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens, 39, is the first woman and the first African-American to win the prize in its seven-year history. [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.]
Top Albums, Songs of August 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums, Songs of August 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Two folk trios -- Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s The Stray Birds and Nashville's The Belle Hollows -- had the most-played albums and songs on folk radio during August 2016. The Stray Birds’ Magic Fire was the #1 album, followed by The Belle Hollows’ debut release Miller’s Creek, while the two tied for most-played song. So say the airplay 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 top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]
National Folk Festival Returns to Greensboro, NC, Sept. 9-11

National Folk Festival Returns to Greensboro, NC, Sept. 9-11

Diversity is the hallmark of the 76th National Folk Festival taking place Sept. 9-11, 2016 in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. The free event, programmed and co-produced by the National Council for Traditional Arts (NCTA), the U.S.’s oldest nonprofit folk arts organization, in partnership with Arts Greensboro, celebrates togetherness and the diversity of America’s arts and heritage – with artists young and old honoring America’s musical soul and cultural roots. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]