Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference Set for Nov. 12-15; AcousticMusicScene.com to Have a Major Presence

More than 600 people have registered for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, November 12-15, at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York. Performers, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music scene will enjoy three jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions; informative panel discussions and workshops; a large trade show-like exhibit hall; communal meals, and lots of informal conversation and networking. AcousticMusicScene.com will host its popular annual Midnight Hoot on Thursday overnight, late-night guerilla showcases on Friday and Saturday, and a special Saturday afternoon Long Island Sound Showcase and Wine Tasting. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart, 10-30-09

Roots Music Report compiles weekly radio airplay charts for various roots-related genres. These are based on spin totals reported by music directors and DJs from more than 400 terrestrial and Internet radio stations. The latest Folk chart is posted here with permission. [To view the current Folk radio airplay chart, click on the headline.]

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Q & A with Greg Greenway

Greg Greenway is a soulful and powerful singer-songwriter who has appeared on “Mountain Stage” and on a segment of CNN’s “World Beat” featuring socially conscious artists. Besides releasing half a dozen solo CDs, he has been included on numerous compilations. Greenway also is a frequent participant in Phil Ochs Song Nights at coffeehouses and other venues. Kathy Sands-Boehmer interviewed him recently. [To read Kathy's Q & A with Greg Greenway, click on the headline.]

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International Acoustic Music Awards is Open for Entries

Entries are currently being accepted for the International Acoustic Music Awards. Now in its sixth year, the competition promotes excellence in acoustic music performance and artistry. Awards will be presented in eight categories: Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo, Folk/Americana/Roots, AAA/Alternative, Instrumental, Bluegrass/Country, and an Acoustic Open Genre category. An overall Grand Prize winner also will be named. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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Long Island AcoustiCalendar for July-August 2009

Detailed listings for nearly 200 concerts, festivals, open mics, jam sessions and musical workshops slated to take place during July and August in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties appear in this installment of AcousticMusicScene.com’s Long Island AcoustiCalendar. AcousticMusicScene.com is pleased to be hosting unplugged showcases featuring artists from LI and the Hudson Valley area during the Huntington Folk Festival at Heckscher Park on Saturday afternoon, August 1, as well as late-night song swaps featuring artists from New York and beyond during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 23-26, on Dodds Farm in Hillsdale, New York. [To view the entire calendar, click on the headline.] Editor's Note: Links to Websites covering other parts of the New York metropolitan area, the Northeast and beyond appear in the Regional Calendars section of AcousticMusicScene.com.

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Abbie Gardner is Folk Winner in John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Abbie Gardner (photo by Kathy Gardner).By Michael Kornfeld Abbie Gardner, a gifted New York area singer-songwriter and dobro player, who also is part of the rootsy female Americana trio Red Molly, is the Lennon Award winner in the folk category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Her winning song, “The Mind of a Soldier,” now competes with the winners in the contest’s 11 other categories for the $20,000 Maxell Song of the Year Award, to be announced in July. “I wanted to write a war song, but not from the perspective of either side, not something preachy or political, something more personal that people can relate to,” says Gardner of her award-winning song. She recalls listening to a lot of radio news reports about the war in Iraq while driving in her car and being bothered by the way in which “everyday I would usually just hear a number of how many people had died. It was just like a weather report.” “The Mind of a Soldier,” which can be heard on her MySpace page, seeks to address the human element. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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A Quick Q & A with Tom Rush

Tom Rush has been captivating audiences with his rich, melodic voice and gently laid-back, rustic brand of folk music since he first burst on the coffeehouse scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts while a student at Harvard in the early 1960s. One of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of our time, he has both written songs that have been covered by others and introduced the world to other notable artists through his gifted reinterpretations of their work. Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed a few questions to him recently. [To read Kathy's quick Q & A with Tom Rush, click on the headline.]

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A Quick Q & A with David Mallett

His songs -- most notably "The Garden Song" -- have been covered by many artists over the years -- including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Alison Kraus, Kathy Mattea, and John Denver (with The Muppets). David Mallett also is a gifted singer in his own right, as those who have heard him will readily attest. Kathy Sands-Boehmer recently posed a few questions to the singer-songwriter from Maine, many of whose songs are informed by his own rural small town roots. [To read Kathy's Q & A with David Mallett, click on the headline.]

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1,600 Head to Memphis for International Folk Alliance Conference

More than 1,600 performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, independent label and recording industry representatives, folk DJs, music journalists, folklorists and educators will converge on Memphis, Tennessee, Feb. 18-22, for the 21st Annual International Folk Alliance Conference. Ranked among the five largest music conferences in North America, it will feature four days of panels and workshops and four nights of artist showcases, feature performances and hundreds of private showcases that extend late into the night (or early morning hours, depending on your vantage point). Roger McGuinn, former frontman for The Byrds and one of the pioneers of folk-rock music, will deliver a keynote address, while other leading and emerging artists will pay tribute to Phil Ochs and Utah Phillips and honor Cambridge, Massachusetts’ famed Club Passim on its 50th anniversary during feature performance shows. Documentary film screenings and discussions, a children’s music showcase, a special performance by NewSong Contest Winners, as well as a large exhibit hall and plenty of opportunities for networking and jamming also are in store for attendees. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]

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