Lisa Bastoni | AcousticMusicScene.com

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Set for July 28-30

by Michael Kornfeld on Jul 7, 2023 • No Comments

Aztec Two-Step 2.0, The Ebony Hillbillies, The Gaslight Tinkers, Tracy Grammer, Alice Howe & Freebo, David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach, Joe Jencks, Lucy Kaplansky, Stephen Kellogg, Nerissa & Katrina Nields, Ellis Paul, Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Livingston Taylor, Tempest, Richard Thompson, Tony Trischka, and Annie Wenz are among the artists slated to perform during the 35th annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 28-30, 2023 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut – preceded by a Pre-Fest Day of Tastings & Farm Market and Thursday Night Music Stage on July 27. [Click on the headline to continue reading this festival preview.]

Awards & Contests

Entries Sought in 2020 Kerrville New Folk Competition

by Michael Kornfeld on Dec 14, 2019 • No Comments

Entries are now being accepted for the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, 2020, during the first weekend of the 49th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries postmarked or submitted online by February 29 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in April. To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Song Swaps During Huntington Folk Festival, July 27

by Michael Kornfeld on Jul 19, 2019 • No Comments

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III headlines the 14th Annual Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 27, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Opening for Wainwright on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage at 8 p.m. that evening will be his daughter, Lucy Wainwright Roche. Extending from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with a dinner break from 6-8 p.m., the free event – co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council – is part of the 54th Huntington Summer Arts Festival. [To continue reading this article and see the complete festival schedule, click on the headline.]

Awards & Contests / News - U.S. National

Winners Named in Kerrville New Folk and Songwriter Serenade Competitions

by Michael Kornfeld on May 28, 2019 • No Comments

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2019 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 32 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 25 and 26 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Winners were also named in the Songwriter Serenade that took place elsewhere in Texas earlier this month. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Awards & Contests / Festival Focus

2019 Kerrville New Folk Finalists Announced

by Michael Kornfeld on Apr 16, 2019 • No Comments

Thirty-two songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2019 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 500 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted at the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 25 and 26, as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of all the New Folk finalists and alternates -- click on the headline.]

Conferences of Note / Featured / News - Northeast U.S.

2018 NERFA Conference Celebrates Music and Community, Nov. 8-11, in Stamford, CT

by Michael Kornfeld on Nov 2, 2018 • No Comments

More than 700 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are expected to converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 8-11, 2018 for the 24th 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 illustrated article -- including listings of juried showcase artists and the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase lineup -- click on the headline.]

Festival Focus / News - Northeast U.S.

Club Passim’s Campfire. Festival Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary Over Labor Day Weekend

by Michael Kornfeld on Aug 30, 2018 • No Comments

Dozens of emerging artists from New England and beyond will showcase their talents over the Labor Day Weekend during the annual Campfire. Festival at Club Passim, the legendary Harvard Square listening room in Cambridge, MA. Now marking its 20th year, the event also will be live streamed via Concert Window beginning Friday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. and extending through Monday, Sept. 3, at 10:30p.m. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]

Awards & Contests

Winners Named in Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

by Michael Kornfeld on Jan 3, 2018 • No Comments

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.]

Conferences of Note / Featured / News - Northeast U.S.

NERFA Conference Returns to Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12 – Celebrating Music and Community

by Michael Kornfeld on Nov 2, 2017 • No Comments

More than 700 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. 9-12, for the 23rd Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance 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 article -- which includes listings of all the artists performing in juried Formal and Semi-Formal Showcases, as well as those hosted by AcousticMusicScene.com -- click on the headline.]

Conferences of Note

Official Showcase Artists Chosen for 2017 SWRFA Conference in Austin, Texas

by Michael Kornfeld on Aug 22, 2017 • No Comments

Sixteen artists/acts have been selected to perform Official Showcases during the 2017 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) Conference, Sept. 27-Oct. 1, at the Holiday Inn – Midtown in Austin, TX. Eight will perform on Friday night, while another eight will do so on Saturday night. In addition, eight alternates have been invited to showcase their talents late Thursday night, the 28th. [To continue reading this article -- which also includes information on the recently named Semi-Formal Showcase Artists at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in November -- click on the headline.]

Festival Focus / News - Northeast U.S. / News - U.S. National

Emerging Artists Showcase Performers Chosen for 2017 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in August

by Michael Kornfeld on Jul 6, 2017 • No Comments

Twenty-four artists/duos or groups have been selected to perform in the Emerging Artists Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, August 4, from noon to 4:30 p.m. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of all the Emerging Artists and the complete festival lineup -- click on the headline.]