Latest News

SWRFA Conference Returns to Austin, Sept. 21-25, 2022

For the first time in three years, Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) will hold an in-person annual conference in Austin, Texas. Set for Wednesday, September 21-Sunday, September 25, 2022, its 23rd annual conference will feature official and in-room showcases; communal meals; panel discussions, seminars and workshops addressing many facets of the music business; a film screening; Wisdom of the Elders; mentoring sessions; a DJ reception; an exhibit area, and lots of networking opportunities. AcousticMusicScene.com will host song swaps and a Midnight Hoot on Saturday overnight. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Singer-Songwriter Jim Post, 1939-2022

Jim Post, a singer-songwriter who was a fixture on the folk music scene in Chicago for more than 50 years, died on September 14, 2022 following a long illness. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

2022 Americana Honors & Awards Presented

Winners in the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards were recognized during an awards show in Nashville, Tennessee on September 14 that is a highlight of AMERICANAFEST, a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is hosted by the Americana Music Association and extends through September 17. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 35th Annual Folk Alliance International Conference

Nearly 150 artists/acts from more than 20 countries have been jury-selected to perform in Official Showcases during the 35th annual Folk Alliance International Conference that is slated for February 1-5, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see a listing of official showcase artists.]
FAI Folk Radio Charts - August 2022

FAI Folk Radio Charts – August 2022

Happy Traum was the most-played artist on folk radio during August 2022, while his recent release, There’s a Bright Side Somewhere, was the top album and its title track was the month’s most-played song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted with permission.]
Shanna in a Dress is 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase Winner

Shanna in a Dress is 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase Winner

Shanna in a Dress was named the winner of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase that took place at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado on the festival’s opening day, August 12. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of performance videos.]

Judith Durham, Lead Singer of The Seekers, 1943-2022

Judith Durham, lead singer of the Australian folk-pop quartet The Seekers, has died at age 79. Durham -- whose crystalline voice can be heard on such 1960s hit songs as “Georgy Girl” (the title track of the movie of the same name) and “I’ll Never Find Another You” -- passed away on August 5, 2022, as a result of long-standing chronic lung disease. She had been admitted to palliative care earlier that day following a brief hospital stay, according to Musicoast and Universal Music Australia. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of videos.]

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees & Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees Named

Nominees for the 33rd annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards were announced July 26 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the running for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award are Billy Strings, Del McCoury Band, and Po ‘Ramblin’ Boys. Sister Sadie, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of nominees, this year’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients, as well as the first recipient of IBMA’s new International Band Performance Grant.]

FARM, SWRFA Select Official Showcase Artists

Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, have selected artists/acts to participate in juried official showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) will do so in August. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

FAI Folk Radio Charts – June 2022

Singer-Songwriter Deidre McCalla had the most-played album (Endless Grace) and song (“Shoulder to the Wheel”) on folk radio during June 2022, while Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink &Marcy Marxer edged her out for the month’s most-played artist. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on the headline to continue reading this short article and to view the monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted with permission.]

July 16: AcousticMusicScene.com Copresents the Huntington Folk Festival

The 16th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 16, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon-10 p.m., with a dinner break from 5-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 57th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. ‘An Evening with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins’ will be preceded by a series of amplified showcases and song swaps, along with a musical tribute to Lois Morton and an open mic, during the afternoon. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Bluegrass Ramble and Songwriter Showcase Artists Chosen for IBMA World of Bluegrass

The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has extended invites to 40 artists/acts/songwriters to participate in its Bluegrass Ramble official showcases and Songwriter Showcase during the 2022 IBMA World of Bluegrass that is slated for September 27-October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]