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AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases at SERFA Conference

More than 200 people will converge on the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, May 18-22, 2016 for the ninth annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference featuring contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities. AcousticMusicScene.com will host late-night song swaps. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Smithsonian Folkways Acquires Arhoolie Records

Arhoolie Records -- known for “down home” blues, folk, jazz, country, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Mexican American, and world music -- has been acquired by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the nonprofit label of the Smithsonian Institution -- the national museum of The United States. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Americana Music Association Announces Nominees for its 2016 Honors & Awards

Nominees for the Americana Music Association’s 2016 Americana Honors & Awards were announced on May 11 during a celebratory invitation-only event at the historic Mansion on O Street in Washington, DC, presented by the MusicFIRST Coalition. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in six categories, click on the headline.]
DelFest 2016 Set for Memorial Day Weekend

DelFest 2016 Set for Memorial Day Weekend

DelFest 2016 takes place at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland over Memorial Day Weekend. Joining the Del McCoury Band and Del’s sons’ spin-offs, The Travelin’ McCourys and The McCoury Brothers, May 26-29, at the fairgrounds, nestled along the Potomac River in the Appalachian Mountains, 2.5 hours from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., will be a host of other artists. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

2016 Telluride Troubadour Finalists Named

Ten singer-songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2016 Telluride Troubadour Competition, held in conjunction with the 43rd Telluride Bluegrass Festival that takes place June 16-19 amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains. They will now vie for cash and other prizes, as well as the honor of being named the Telluride Troubadour. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Winners Named in Chris Austin Songwriting Contest

Winners were named in the 24th Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2016, following performances by finalists on April 29 during the popular roots-oriented music festival held at the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums & Songs of April 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

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

Folk harmony trio Brother Sun’s album Weights & Wings was #1 on folk radio during April 2016. The trio -- comprised of veteran touring singer-songwriters Greg Greenway, Joe Jencks and Pat Wictor -- also had the most-played song (“Mary Don’t You Weep and Moan”). So say the airplay charts compiled 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 April 2016 FOLKDJ-L Top Albums and Songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]

Finalists Named in 2016 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2016 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 600 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted during the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 28 and 29, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
GoGirls Hosts Online Music Festival, April 24

GoGirls Hosts Online Music Festival, April 24

GoGirlsMusic.com, launched in 1996 to promote, support and empower independent women musicians from around the world through networking and events, partners with Concert Window to host its first-ever online music festival on Sunday, April 24. [To continue reading this article, 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.]

Remembering Phil Ochs on the 40th Anniversary of His Death

Phil Ochs was an iconic American troubadour who passionately believed that he and his music could help change the world. Many of his songs became anthems for the anti-war movement during the turbulent 1960s, and his music continues to influence and inspire songwriters today – 40 years after his death. Among his best-known songs are “Changes,” “I Ain’t Marching Anymore,” “Small Circle of Friends,” “There But For Fortune,” and “When I’m Gone.” At least several folk DJs will mark the 40th anniversary of Phil Ochs’ passing on April 9 by airing special programs that weekend, while others have been playing his songs this week. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Top Albums and Songs of March 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Top Albums and Songs of March 2016 (FOLKDJ-L)

Gathering Time, a Long Island, New York-based folk-rock harmony trio, had both the #1 album (Keepsake) and the most-played song (“Who Knows Where the Time Goes”) on folk radio during March 2016. So say the airplay charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. Gathering Time, the most-played artists of the month, also had six of the most-played songs. [The March 2016 FOLKDJ-L Top Albums and Songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]