Nurture the Future is this year’s conference theme. “It was something we felt needed to be communicated as our world is changing every second of the day,” says Jill Kettles, SERFA’s board president. “We aim to uphold the past, mold the present, and project it for future generations; this is not just important but vital.”

SERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. SERFA (serfa.org) exists to promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts in the southeastern United States. It has produced an annual conference since 2008. This is SERFA’s third consecutive year at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.

The official showcases take place Friday and Saturday evenings, with each artist/act performing a 15-minute set. Unplugged private showcases follow from 10:40 p.m. to 2 a.m. Also on the agenda are daytime panel discussions and workshops, a Wisdom of the Elders session, a few thematic song circles, open mics, mentoring sessions, an awards presentation, an exhibit hall, communal meals, and plenty of other opportunities to learn, share and network –- including during built-in afternoon breaks in the programming. Informal jams and song circles also are apt to break out in the lobby and outside (weather permitting).

Rachael Sage, Award-Winning, Prolific Singer-Songwriter and Boutique Label Owner to Deliver Keynote Address

Daytime Programming Includes Workshops, Song Circles, Think Tanks, and Mentoring Sessions

Besides the workshops and panel discussions, there will be moderated, interactive “think tanks” on House Concerts and Small Venues and Hey, What’s Your Problem, one-on-one mentoring sessions, several thematic song circles, several thematic song circles, and a Wisdom of the Elders session during the daytime hours.

Wisdom of the Elders and SERFA Awards are Among Conference Highlights

The Wisdom of the Elders conversational panel session provides a structured opportunity for conference attendees to learn from and about veteran leaders in the folk community and for the elders to talk among themselves as well. Participants this year are Scott Berwick, Wayne Erbsen and Taylor Pie.

Berwick has long been active in American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 1000 (the traveling musicians union), has been attending SERFA conferences for the past decade, and has also been involved with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Hudson Valley Folk Guild, and the Ashokan Center, as well as an informal, weekly song circle near his home in upstate New York.

Erbsen has been engaged in traditional American music for more than 50 years as a musician, recording artist (with nearly 20 albums to his credit), professor at Warren Wilson College and the University of North Carolina at Asheville, author and publisher (who has written and published 40 books), and a public radio DJ.

A Tennessee-based traveling folk minstrel and Americana artist, Taylor Pie (Susan Taylor) helped form the Pozo Seco Singers with Don Williams in the early 1960s and has been a solo singer-songwriter and musician since the folk group disbanded. Many notable artists have covered her songs, while Pie was inducted into the Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. Along with her friend Kathryn Harrison, she launched PuffBunny Records in 2007 to share her music and that of other artists she admires. Taylor Pie, who now handles A &R for the label, also stars in Nobody Famous, an award-winning music documentary that was screened during the 2022 SERFA conference.

Menius, who currently hosts “The Revolution Starts Now” on Hillsborough, NC-based WHUP, has hosted radio shows on four stations since 2007. The first executive director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), from 1985-1990, Menius also served as Folk Alliance International’s initial board president in 1990 and manager from 1991-1996, prior to serving as associate director of MerleFest for a decade and then as executive director of Appalshop in Whitesburg, Kentucky and The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC. He’s also produced concerts, festivals and conferences and worked as a fundraiser, marketing director, emcee, stage manager, and writer.

Dom Flemons, an Arizona native and Chicago area-based musician who has earned the moniker “The American Songster” since his repertoire covers more than 100 years of American roots music, records for Smithsonian Folkways. He is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones), music scholar, actor, slam poet, record collector, and the creator, host and producer of American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. Earlier this year, he was named the grand-prize winner as well as first place honors for Best Folk/Americana Roots Album (for American Wildfire) in the International Acoustic Music Awards. In 2020, he received the prestigious United States Artists Fellowship Award in the Traditional Arts category. Two years later, he received a degree as Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater Northern Arizona University and was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony or the Class of 2022. Flemons was a founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, a Grammy Award-winning African-American old-time string band.

Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. (jamkids.org) is the nonprofit parent organization for more than 50 afterschool programs for children ages six and up. JAM provides communities with the requisite tools and support to teach children to play and dance to traditional old time and bluegrass music. Its program model introduces music through small group instruction on instruments common to the Appalachian region and provides youth with opportunities to learn traditional music with their peers from local teaching artists and to perform in their communities and regionally.

Taylor Caffery, the longtime host of “Hootenanny Power” on WRKF in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the recipient of this year’s Kari Estrin Founding President’s Award. His weekly radio show incorporates musical styles and cultural influences from Caffery’s five decades on radio that began when he hosted his first show while in the U.S. Navy and continued with his college radio station KCSL. To that musical gumbo, he mixes in new discoveries from Folk Alliance International and SERFA conferences.

Dozens of Artists to be Featured in Official and Guerilla Showcases

Slated to present official showcases on Friday evening, May 10 are (in order of appearance) Sue Horowitz, Chris Haddox, Ron Fetner, A Tale of Two, Dustin Gaspard, Nicholas Edward Williams, Helene Cronin, and Admiral Radio. Saturday’s official showcase lineup features Jess Klein, Wes Collins, Bett Padgett, Cast Iron Bluegrass, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Stone & Snow, Couldn’t Be Happiers, and Ordinary Elephant.

Here’s a link to a Spotify playlist that features one song from each of the official showcase artists.

Following the official showcases on Friday and Saturday, as well as an open mic on Thursday, late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various meeting rooms for several hours. AcousticMusicScene.com, which has had a presence at SERFA conferences since 2011, will host a couple of late-night song swaps and a midnight hoot (featuring more than two-dozen artists/acts – each performing one song) on Thursday, May 9, overnight. The AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged round-robin song swap that is intended to provide concert and festival presenters, folk DJs and others with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time on the conference’s opening night. It also enables artists to enjoy and each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com Showcase schedule:

10:40 Brooklyn in the House: Carolann Solebello and Pat Wictor

11:00 Long Island Sound: Hank Stone and Jim Whiteman

11:30 Midnight Hoot, Part 1 (one song each):

Antonio Andrade, Max & Ruth Bloomquist, Dan & Faith, Katie Dahl, Annie Stokes

12:00 Midnight Hoot, Part 2 (one song each, not necessarily in this order)

Taylor Pie, The Farmer & The Crow, Amy Speace, Annie & Rod Capps, Marc Douglas Berardo, Karyn Oliver, Lindsay Whiteman, Miles & Mafale, Rachael Sage, Emma Frances, Nicholas Edward Williams, Noah Zacharin

1:00 Midnight Hoot, Part 3 (one song each, not necessarily in this order)

Jon Shain & FJ Ventre, Erin Ash Sullivan, Robert Bidney, Rob Lytle, Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus, Meg Braun, Alice Hasen, Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean, Couldn’t Be Happiers, Reckless Saints, Siena Christie

The September 2019 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 14,185 airplays reported on 513 playlists submitted by 121 different DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission from Folk Alliance International, (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Top Albums of September 2019

1. Country Music – A Film by Ken Burns (The Soundtrack) by Various
Artists (135)
2. Up Against the Sky by Dave Gunning (95)
3. Heart Land Again by Tim Grimm (91)
4. Words of Love by Allison Lupton (82)
5. When They Fall by Annie and Rod Capps (79)
6. The Best of Christine Lavin by Christine Lavin (67)
7. Wildwood by Katie Dahl (65)
8. Talk to a Human by Terri Hendrix (64)
9. While I’m Livin by Tanya Tucker (60)
10. The Peanut Butter Falcon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by
Various Artists (55)
11. Assiniboine and the Red by The Small Glories (52)
12. Gonna Love Anyway by Louisa Branscomb (51)
13. Tall Fiddler by Michael Cleveland (50)
14. Adobe Road by Cej (49)
14. Old Ghosts and Lost Causes by Helene Cronin (49)
16. Is It the Kiss by Ana Egge (46)
17. Rearrange My Heart by Che Apalache (45)
17. Acorns by Ben Winship (45)
17. The Lost Tapes by Ian and Sylvia (45)
17. Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne by Amy Speace (45)
21. How We Want to Live by Lisa Bastoni (44)
21. The Storyteller’s Suitcase by Ellis Paul (44)
23. Every Single Star by Dori Freeman (43)
24. Crowing Ignites by Bruce Cockburn (42)
24. Songs of Our Native Daughters by Our Native Daughters (42)
26. Honest by Ordinary Elephant (41)
26. Every Trip Around the Sun by Sharon Goldman (41)
28. Back to Shore by Shari Ulrich (40)
29. Conspirators by Guy Forsyth and Jeska Bailey (38)
30. Chasing the Sun by Bobtown (37)
30. Oklahoma by Keb’ Mo’ (37)
30. Toolshed by Ben Winship (37)
33. Leylines by Rising Appalachia (35)
33. Thirty Years Later by Johnny and Jeanette Williams (35)
35. Griefcase by David Roche (33)
36. How Far It Goes by The Refugees (32)
36. As I Go Ramblin’ Around by Nicholas Edward Williams (32)
38. Mint Condition by Caroline Spence (31)
38. Visions by Alice Howe (31)
40. Even the Sparrow by Kelly Hunt (29)
41. Common Man by Joe Iadanza (28)
41. Where the Dogs Don’t Bite by Old Salt Union (28)
41. It’s a Dog’s Life by Si Kahn and the Looping Brothers (28)
44. The Hard Stuff by Susan Gibson (26)
45. Free and Fine by Jordi Baizan (25)
45. Now I’m Free by Bill Scorzari (25)
47. Paws of a Bear by Sofia Talvik (24)
47. The Other Side by Marie Chabot (24)
47. Fires for the Cold by Jonah Tolchin (24)
47. Moth Nor Rust II by Jon Brooks (24)
47. Charlie Parr by Charlie Parr (24)
47. What Will We Do by Lula Wiles (24)
47. Rose Avenue by Joel Rafael (24)
54. The Quebe Sisters by The Quebe Sisters (23)
55. When You’re Ready by Molly Tuttle (22)
55. Standard Deviation by Danny Schmidt (22)
55. There Is No Other by Rhiannon Giddens (22)
58. Fire Out of Stone by Chuck Hawthorne (21)
59. Just Around the Bend: Survival and Revival in Southern Banjo
Sounds by Various Artists (20)
59. Hummingbird by John Smith (20)
59. Unfortunate Point of View by Katherine Rondeau (20)
62. Texas by Rodney Crowell (19)
62. Patty Griffin by Patty Griffin (19)
62. The Tim O’Brien Band by Tim O’Brien Band (19)
62. Between the Tracks by Steve Eulberg (19)
62. Good Farmer by Chris and Adam Carroll (19)
67. The Early Years, 1958 – 1962 by New Lost City Ramblers (18)
68. Kill or Be Kind by Samantha Fish (17)
68. Straighten the Curves by The Grascals (17)
68. It’s a Hard Life by Ruby Lovett (17)
68. That We Could Find a Way to Be by Andrew Vannorstrand (17)
68. Between the Country by Ian Noe (17)
68. Easy Money by Old Man Luedecke (17)

Top Songs of September 2019

Here’s a link to view the video for Annie & Rod Capps’ “(That Would Do) Some Good,” the most-played song on folk radio during September 2019:

1. “(That Would Do) Some Good” by Annie and Rod Capps (19)
2. “Better Days” by Tim Grimm (17)
2. “What Will I Dream” by Allison Lupton (17)
2. “Celebrate the Crop” by Dave Gunning (17)
5. “All That’s Yet to Come” by Dave Gunning (16)
5. “Cocaine Cowboys” by Ana Egge (16)
5. “Worry My Friend” by Katie Dahl (16)
8. “Sing” by The Small Glories (15)
8. “Carter’s Blues” by Tim Grimm (15)
8. “Sweetness and Light” by Bruce Cockburn (15)
11. “Down the Road” by Tim Grimm (14)
11. “Mustang Ridge” by Tanya Tucker (14)
13. “Talk to a Human” by Terri Hendrix (13)
13. “The Storyteller’s Suitcase” by Ellis Paul (13)
13. “Barefoot Girl” by Louisa Branscomb (13)
13. “The Dreamer” by Che Apalache (13)
17. “Steel Rails” by Louisa Branscomb (12)
17. “The Liar Tweets Tonight” by Christine Lavin (12)
17. “Turnagain Arm” by The Refugees (12)
20. “Long Hot Summer Day” by Sara Watkins (11)
20. “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” by The Carter Family (11)
20. “When They Fall” by Annie and Rod Capps (11)
20. “Circle of Boots” by Dave Gunning (11)
20. “How Far It Goes” by The Refugees (11)
20. “Walk a Little Closer” by Lisa Bastoni (11)
20. “Mint Condition” by Caroline Spence (11)
20. “Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)” by Jimmie Rodgers (11)
20. “I Will Rise” by Allison Lupton (11)
20. “Anna Lee” by Katie Dahl (11)
20. “Adobe Road” by Cej (11)
20. “When Fall Comes to New England” by Cheryl Wheeler (11)

Top Artists of September 2019

AcousticMusicScene.com will host a series of late-night song swaps and mini-showcases during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 26-29, in partnership with Pirate Camp, which was informally launched by Stuart Kabak and the late Jack Hardy a decade ago to provide a warm and welcoming haven for sharing music, food and camaraderie.

Now in its 24th year, Falcon Ridge takes place at Dodds Farm on Route 7D in Hillsdale, New York, located in the foothills of the Berkshires, near the tri-state corner of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Although it is among the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, Falcon Ridge faces competition this year from the already sold-out Newport Folk Festival, which is usually held on a different weekend.

Falcon Ridge features dozens of artists performing on several stages, a dance tent, children’s music and activities, and a wide array of crafts, food and other vendors. Among the artists performing this year will be Aztec Two-Step, Brother Sun, Eddie From Ohio, John Flynn, Girlyman, Tracy Grammer, The Grand Slambovians, Eilen Jewell, Holly Near, Nerissa and Katryna Nields, Rod MacDonald, Todd Sheaffer (of Railroad Earth), and Spuyten Duyvil. There also will be a special musical tribute to the late Dave Carter on the 10th anniversary of his passing.

As previously reported, 24 artists/bands have been selected from among hundreds of applicants to perform in the Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase on Friday afternoon, July 27, from noon- to 4:30 p.m. Listed in order of appearance, they are: Miles to Dayton (Long Island ,NY), Honor Finnegan (New York, NY), Heather Maloney Band (Northampton, MA), Jarrod Dickenson (Brooklyn, NY), Kate Klim (Nashville, TN), Steve Chizmadia (Peekskill, NY), Cary Cooper (Dallas, TX), Kevin Neidig (Etters, PA), Sorcha (Portland, ME), Ryan Tennis (Philadelphia, PA), Julie Christensen (Ojai, CA), The Marrieds (London, Ont, Canada), The YaYas (Mohegan Lake, NY), Rebecca Pronsky (Brooklyn, NY), Dan Charness (New York, NY), Burning Bridget Cleary (Philadelphia ,PA), Chris Kokesh (Portland, OR), Jim Hayes (Ringwood, NJ), Sarah Blacker (Cambridge, MA), Poor Old Shine (Storrs, CT), Brad Cole (Chicago, IL), Sweet Talk Radio (Los Angeles, CA), Jon Brooks (King City, Ont, Canada) and Gathering Time (Long Island, NY).

The Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase is not a contest, and artists won’t be judged per se, although the audience is surveyed as to which showcase artists they’d like to see return the following year to participate in a Most Wanted Song Swap.

This year’s Most Wanted Song Swap will feature Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter Blair Bodine, Baltimore, MD area-based band ilyAIMY, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Louise Mosrie, and Boston area-based band Pesky J. Nixon, who also host the popular Lounge Stage on the festival campgrounds on Thursday night, July 26, before the official start of the festival.

Late-Night Music is a Festival Highlight

One of the true highlights of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival– for those who opt to camp on-site and stay up through the early morning hours — are the impromptu jams, after-hours song circles and mini-showcases that help foster a sense of “folk” community and a different kind of festival experience.

AcousticMusicScene.com is pleased to partner with Pirate Camp in hosting late-night song swaps and mini-showcases. Pirate Camp was originally started by Hardy and Kabak, both longtime Falcon Ridge attendees, who flew the Jolly Roger so that friends could more easily find their camp site. “It turned out that we had more friends than we could have ever imagined,” says Kabak. “Jack was the consummate host and chef extraordinaire but he knew little about camping gear or how to make a campsite comfortable and functional,” he continues, noting that that’s where he came in. Over the years, the two friends assembled their own camp kitchen , covered lounge, fireplace, mowed lawn, and even a heated camp shower. Jeff cooked up pasta dinners on Friday evening and some venison concoction the next night, while Stuart Stuart assumed the role of breakfast chef serving up mushroom spinach omelets and real blueberry pancakes with genuine maple syrup. Throughout the day, people would stop by and share a tune or just schmooze. After the festival’s main stage shut down for the night, a song circle would open up at Pirate Camp and run through the wee hours of the morning.

More than two years after Jack Hardy’s passing, Pirate Camp retains much of its initial spirit The new partnership with AcousticMusicScene.com adds a new element, designed in part to help keep Pirate Camp alive and vibrant. Prearranged, invitational song swaps and mini-showcases each night will precede the open song circles to which folks are invited to bring their instruments, voices and ears. These will take place under a big white tarp adorned with flags and banners and located in the lower left/northeast section of the 10-acre field (lower meadow).

AcousticMusicScene.com – Pirate Camp Late-Night Song Swap Schedule

11:15 p.m. Emerging Talents

Jon Brooks
Cary Cooper
Glen & Stu from Gathering Time
Chris Kokesh
Heather Maloney Band

12:15 a.m. Open Song Circle

Friday Overnight

12:15 a.m.

The Boxcar Lilies
Annie & Rod Capps

12:45 a.m. Long Island Sounds

Marci Geller
Miles to Dayton

1:15 a.m.

Pesky J. Nixon

1:30 a.m.

Burning Bridget Cleary

1:45 a.m. Open Song Circle

Midnight New York Artists of Note

Monty Delaney
Stuart Kabak
Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes
The YaYas

12:45 a.m. Aztec Two-Step

1:00 a.m. Maine Stage

Connor Garvey
Putnam Smith
Sorcha

1:30 a.m. Joni Mitchell’s Blue: a 40th Anniversary Celebration

Featuring Meg Braun, Honor Finnegan, Catherine Miles, Karyn Oliver and Carolann Solebello

2:00 a.m. Open Song Circle

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. are Terry Penny (Newfoundland, Canada), Paula Held (Austin, TX), Alison Lumley (Austin, TX), Jon Troast (Nashville, TN), Andra Suchy (Minneapolis, MN), Burke Ingraffia (Point Clear, AL), Edie Carey (Chicago, IL), Whit Hill – The Postcards (Nashville, TN), Miranda Dawn (Austin, TX), Poor Mans Poison (Hanford, CA), Nicolette Good (San Antonio, TX), The Hems (Austin, TX), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Talia Segal (New York, NY), Robin Macy & Kentucky White (Belle Plaine, KS), and Lindsay May (Vancouver, BC, Canada).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 27 include Lizzy Ross (Pittsboro, NC), JA Carter III (San Antonio, TX), Michael Jerome Browne (Montreal, QC, Canada), Mikaela Kahn (Denton, TX), The Sea The Sea (Madison, CT), Alicia McGovern (Salt Lake City, UT), The Selkies (Ipswich, MA), Paul Sachs (New York, NY), Scott Phegley (Nolensville, TN), Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA), Annie & Rod Capps (Chelsea, MI), J Wagner (Austin, TX), Anna Dagmar (New York, NY), Korby Lenker (Nashville, TN), The YaYas (Mohegan Lake, NY), and Michaela Anne (Brooklyn, NY).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2012 New Folk Winners by judges Cary Cooper, Seth Glier and Nathan Hamilton. The six will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to perform during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 3.

Now in its 41st year and geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and their fans, the Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

The Kerrville Folk Festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 24– Sunday, June 10. For a complete festival schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.

As in years past, the NERFA conference will feature a diverse mix of folk and acoustic music presented by artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada, workshops and panel discussions, mentoring sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, communal meals, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. If past conferences are an indication, sleep-deprived attendees should enjoy a wonderful spirit of community.

This marks the second year of record attendance for the conference that is produced by NERFA (www.nerfa.org), the northeast regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, an association that aims to foster and promote multicultural, traditional and contemporary folk music, while strengthening and advancing organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.

Folk DJ Showcase and AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Set for Thursday Night

A Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase on Thursday night, Nov. 11, starting at 8:30 p.m., marks the unofficial kick-off of the conference. Artists selected to perform this year by DJs who consider them worthy of more attention include Ben Bedford, Jim Bizer & Jan Krist, Ellen Bukstel, Chasing Jane, Confluence, Jane Fallon, Josh Joffen, Brian Ashley Jones, Chris Kokesh, David LaFleur, Rebecca Loebe, Madison Violet, Spuyten Duyvil, Twangtown Paramours and The Winterlings.

An AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot – a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs and a host of performing artists — follows. Extending from 11:45 p.m. to 3 a.m., The Midnight Hoot is designed to be like a late-night campfire during a festival, only without a fire and in the cozier confines of a hotel room. It is intended to provide early-arriving folk DJs and presenters with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time. More than 700 performers, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk music societies and clubs, and others actively engaged in traditional and contemporary folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 11-14, 2010, for the16th annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, a CD release party and wine tasting, its popular Midnight Hoot and a new Midday Hoot.

The growing popularity of the midnight hoot and a desire to include more artists in it has prompted AcousticMusicScene to add a midday hoot on Friday that will be hosted by singer-songwriters Joe Iadanza and Karyn Oliver. A list of the artists performing in that appears in a showcase schedule at the end of this article.

Informative Workshops and Panel Discussions Abound

NERFA Conference programming begins with an array of workshops on Friday morning. A family music track also is slated for Friday, with performer showcases and special workshops geared for those engaged or interested in children’s and family music. Two of Kind (David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans) host a family music showcase that is co-sponsored by the Children’s Music Network. That will feature Kim & Reggie Harris, Mifflin Lowe, Jeremy Lyons, Miss Amy and Chris McKhool’s Fiddle Fire! performing before an audience of children and adults.

Twenty daytime workshops and panel discussions will be offered Friday through Sunday. AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld moderates a panel discussion on Social Networking and Building Your Online Presence, featuring music journalist Tara Murtha and singer-songwriters Joe Iadanza and Sharon Goldman (who also publishes the blog, SongwritingScene.com). Siobhan Quinn will again lead a master class/vocal clinic, while there will be two On the Griddle sessions in which a number of songs are critiqued by a panel based on listening to the first 60 seconds of each song.

(Editor’s Note: Bikel has previously been profiled on AcousticMusicScene.com in honor of his 85th birthday. Brand will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame later this month.)

Other workshops will cover such topics as Arranging the Song, Booking & Touring 101, Care & Feeding of Guitars, Getting the Most out of Your Home Studio, Festivals Moving Forward, Inspiring Change: Activist Artists and the Legacy of Phil Ochs and Niche Marketing.

Formal and Tricentric Showcases Feature a Diverse Array of Artists

Formal showcases take place on Friday and Saturday evenings in the resort’s theater, and no other activities are scheduled at the same time. Following those, folks will shuffle between three conference rooms to catch short sets by various artists during what are known as tricentric showcases.

Following the formal showcases, folks can catch 15-minute sets by various artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada during the tricentric showcases. Artists slated to perform tricentrics on Friday night include Beaucoup Blue, Datri Bean, Ben Bedford, Burning Bridget Cleary, Tim Grimm, Layah Jane, Madison Violet, Lynn Miles, Danielle Miraglia, Jory Nash, Joel Rafael, A.J. Roach, Peter Siegel, Ryan Tennis and Tripping Lilly. Saturday night’s tricentric lineup features Clint Alphin, Barnaby Bright, Brittany Ann, Chuck E. Costa, Gathering Time, Jim Gaudet & RR Boys, Chris Kokesh, Tom Pacheco, Jean Rohe Trio, RUNA, Kevin So, Frank Sollivan & Dirty Kitchen, Suzie Vinnick, We’re About 9 and The Winterlings.

Late-Night and Afternoon Guerilla Showcases Add to the Musical Mix

After the tricentric showcases each evening, AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting so-called “guerilla showcases” in their hotel rooms through the wee hours of the morning, while other musicians will stake out parts of the lobby for informal jam sessions that may last as late (or early, depending on your vantage point) as 6 a.m. Open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the mix.

A number of guerilla showcases also take place during the afternoons. In addition to The Midday Hoot on Friday, AcousticMusicScene.com will host a song swap entitled Songs of Hope, Freedom & Spirit and featuring folk harmony trio Gathering Time and Kim & Reggie Harris. On Saturday afternoon, a CD Release Party & Wine Tasting for two-time Kerrville New Folk winner Josh Joffen and The YaYas (whose new CD, Paper Boats, has already broken into the top 10 on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart) will take place in the AcousticMusicScene.com room. Following that will be Brews & Roots (For All that Ales You), featuring alt. roots band Spuyten Duyvil, along with Pesky J. Nixon and Putnam Smith.

A complete AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 & 13, follows. A printable flyer appears below it.

Friday Afternoon:

AcousticMusicScene.com Midday Hoot
(Hosted by Joe Iadanza and Karyn Oliver)

2:15: Gillen and Turk & Tribes Hill Chorus
2:20: Carolann Solebello
2:25: Loretta Hagen
2:30: Phil Minissale
2:35: Brittany Ann
2:40: Jenee Halstead
2:45: Pesky J. Nixon
2:50: Lara Herscovitch
2:55 : Kayrn Oliver
3:00: Meg Braun
3:05: Robert Bruey
3:10: Bethel Steele
3:15: The Boxcar Lillies
3:20: Rob Lytle
3:25: Elaine Romanelli
3:30: Phil Henry
3:35: Joe Iadanza

3:40-4:20 p.m. Songs of Hope, Freedom and Spirit: Gathering Time, Kim & Reggie Harris

Friday Night :

AcousticMusicScene.com
(Hosted by Michael Kornfeld and Karen Finkenberg)

11:45-Midnight: Transatlantic Singer-Songwriter: Zoe Mulford

12:00-12:30: Harmonic Convergence: Gathering Time, Joe Jencks, Mara Levine & Caroline Cutroneo

12:30-1:00: An Americana Sampler: Loretta Hagen & Band, Brian Ashley Jones & Tisha Simeral, Greg Loftus

1:00-1:30: All Keyed Up: Anna Dagmar, Lucky 13, Allison Tartalia

1:30-2:00: Brooklyn in da House: Meg Braun, Jean Rohe, Carolann Solebello

2:00-3:00: Funny Folk: Mark Allen Berube, Lois Morton, Barry Rabin, Carla Ulbrich

Saturday Afternoon:

2:00-3:00: MichaelKornfeld.com presents …

A CD Release Party and Wine Tasting for Josh Joffen and The YaYas
(with special guests Gathering Time)
.
3:30-4:30: Brews & Roots (For All that Ales You): Spuyten Duyvil, Pesky J. Nixon, Putnam Smith

Saturday Night:

11:45-12:30: Kerrville New Folk Winners: Nels Andrews, RJ Cowdery, Robby Hecht, Josh Joffen

12:30-1:00: Blue Roots: Brendan Hogan, Spuyten Duyvil, Ken Whiteley

1:00-1:30: A Trio of Duos: Buskin & Batteau, Annie & Rod Capps, Friction Farm

1:30-2:00: Folk You Should Know: Marc Douglas Berardo, The Laws, Randall Williams

2:00-2:30: J Note: Joe Crookston, Joe Iadanza, Jeff Talmadge

2:30-3:00: An Irish Set: Burning Bridget Cleary, RUNA

Click on the image to the left to view and print a full-size program schedule.

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 29, from noon to 3 p.m. are Cassie Peterson (Nashville, TN), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Terry Holder (Olympia, WA), John Batdorf (West Hills, CA), Chris O’Brien (Somerville, MA), Annie & Rod Capps (Chelsea, MI), Leanne Atherton (Austin, TX), Liz Longley (Downingtown, PA), Alex Woodward (San Diego, CA), Kate Klim (Boston, MA), Neal Katz (Tyler, TX), Blair Bodine (Ambler, PA), and Wyatt Easterling (Nashville, TN).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 30 include Chet O’Keefe (Nashville, TN), Jen Cass (Bay City, MI), Dan Colehour (Nashville, TN), Angela Easterling (Taylors, SC), Bobbie Lancaster (Bloomington, IN), Gretchen Witt (Brooklyn, NY), Michael Troy (Fall River, MA), Brad Boyer (Friendswood, Texas), Joe Scutelle (Nashville, TN), Jennifer Morrison ( Sarasota, FL), Jon Brooks (King City, ON, Canada), Mai Bloomfield (Venice, CA), Sam Doores (New Orleans, LA), Kim Richardson (Mountain Home, AR), Andy Gullahorn (Nashville, TN) and Lucas Ohio Pattie (Pleasanton, CA).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2010 New Folk Winners by judges Tom Prasada-Rao, Ronny Cox and Susan Gibson. The six will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 6.

Among the former New Folk finalists and winners in this year’s Kerrville Folk Festival lineup are BettySoo, porterdavis, K.C. Clifford, Eric Schwartz, Danny Schmidt, Anthony da Costa, Jack Harris, Abi Tapia, Tom Prasada-Rao, Ernest Troost, Louise Mosrie, Rebecca Loebe, Raina Rose, Robby Hecht and Jimmy LaFave.

Now in its 39th year and geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and their fans, the Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops. Also slated is the fifth Music to Life songwriting contest, a biannual event sponsored by Noel “Paul” Stookey’s Public Domain Foundation that features songwriters performing songs dedicated to social or political issues of concern

The Kerrville Folk Festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 27 – Sunday, June 13. For a complete festival schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com.

Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend the annual NERFA conference, now in its 15th year, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections and building community.

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference rooms to catch short sets by 30 additional artists, pre-selected from among some 170 applicants, in what are known as tricentric showcases. Participating artists on Friday night include Nels Andrews, Carsie Blanton, Ellen Bukstel, Annie & Rod Capps, K.C. Clifford, Anna Dagmar, Ellis, Gathering Time, Lara Herscovitch, Joe Iadanza and His Beautiful Band , Drew Nelson, A.J. Roach, Kevin So and Vanessa Torres. Slated to perform on Saturday night are Lisa Bigwood, Marc Black, Bread and Bones, RJ Cowdery, Beth DeSombre, John Flynn, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Hickory Project, Michael McNevin, Angelo M, The Rhythm Angels, Jude Roberts, BettySoo, Sally Spring Group and Carla Ulbrich.

Following the formal and tricentric showcases, so-called late-night ‘guerilla showcases’ take place in nearly three dozen hotel rooms until the wee hours of the morning, while other musicians stake out corners of the lobby for informal jam sessions that often last until 4 or 5 a.m. A handful of guerilla showcases also are on tap for Friday and Saturday afternoon, following a series of workshops and panel discussions.

AcousticMusicScene.com creator Michael Kornfeld, who also is a longtime communications and public relations strategist and serves on the boards of two presenting organizations and NERFA, will be part of a two-hour panel discussion entitled “Getting the Word Out, Getting the Audience In – PR for Venues.” Singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert conducts his popular performance clinic and critique while Siobahn Quinn leads a voice coaching workshop. Among the other topics to be covered in workshops and panel discussions are folk music for non-folk audiences, humor in songs, house concerts, tips and techniques to maximize grant awards, mastering the art of merchandising, and topical music in a changing world.

A family music track that was added to the schedule for last year’s conference will take place on Friday, with performer showcases and workshops geared for those engaged or interested in children’s and family music. The Funky Mamas, Paul Helou, Paul Kaplan, Erin Lee & Marci, and Vanessa Trien will perform in front of a live audience comprised of children from local schools as well as presenters.

AcousticMusicScene.com Showcases Set for Thursday – Saturday

Artists slated to participate in the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot include Marc Black, Meg Braun, Robert Bruey, Buskin & Batteau, K.C. Clifford, Todd Coyle, RJ Cowdery, Wyatt Easterling, John Flynn, Friction Farm, Gathering Time, Jenny Goodspeed, Melissa Greener, Loretta Hagen, Jenee Halstead, Lara Herscovitch, Brendan Hogan, Joe Iadanza, Joe Jencks, Brian Ashley Jones, John Kribs, David LaFleur, Robyn Landis, Layah Jane, Mara Levine, Allison Lickley, Lucky 13, Jaime Michaels, Danielle Miraglia, Kathy Moser, Karyn Oliver, Roger Silverberg, Hank Stone, Joe Stone, Reed Waddle, Shannon Wurst, and Brad Yoder.

Artist lineups for the November 13 and 14 AcousticMusicScene.com showcases follow:

Friday, Nov. 13 (Evening)

Hosted by Michael Kornfeld

11:45 MMM Good Blues: Beaucoup Blue (Adrian & David Mowry), Angelo M,
Danielle Miraglia, Phil Minissale

12:30 Brooklyn in da House: Marc Allen Berube, Meg Braun, Sweet Bitters

1:00 Women of Note: K.C. Clifford, Jenee Halstead, Betty Soo

1:30 Two Duos & a Trio: Annie & Rod Capps, Friction Farm, The YaYas

2:00 A Mix of Styles: Gathering Time, Danny Gotham and John Kribs, Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday, Nov. 14 (Evening)

Hosted by Michael Kornfeld

11:45 Three Jo(h)ns: John Flynn, John Wort Hannam, Jon Vezner

12:30 A Coupla Joes: Joe Crookston, Joe Iadanza

1:00 New England Songbirds: Jenny Goodspeed, Jenee Halstead

1:30 Folk You Should Know: RJ Cowdery, Jaime Michaels, Ken Whiteley

2:00 No Guitars Here: Acoustic Eidolon, David LaFleur, Treasa Levasseur, Putnam Smith

Saturday, Nov. 14 (Afternoon) 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Long Island Sound Showcase & Wine Tasting
Pairing artists who live on or near the Long Island Sound with fine LI wines courtesy of Martha Clara Vineyards. Whole Foods Market is providing snacks.

Guest Hosts: Joe Iadanza and Karen Finkenberg

2:00 Robert Bruey
2:10 Stuart Markus and Hillary Foxsong of Gathering Time
2:20 Joe Iadanza & His Beautiful Band
2:30 Caroline Doctorow
2:40 Lara Herscovitch
2:50 Hank Stone
3:00 Phil Minissale
3:10 Susan Kane
3:20 Lucky 13
3:30 David Bailey
3:40 Josh Joffen
3:50 My Dad’s Truck
4:00 Roger Silverberg
4:10 Joe Stone
4:20 Spuyten Duyvil

As part of Folk Alliance International, NERFA (www.nerfa.org) aims to foster and promote multicultural, traditional and contemporary folk music, while strengthening and advancing organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.