“Gathering in person after two years of making connections though our online events is going to be so lovely,” said Dalis Allen, SWRFA’s executive director and longtime conference coordinator. “Everyone is so excited! We have many new folks attending – joining our team of folks that have continued to make our SWRFA conference the welcoming event that it is.”

Prior to the official start of the conference on Thursday, folks will converge on Austin’s NeWorlDeli on Wednesday night for a party and meet & greet during which many registered artists will e afforded an opportunity to perform a song. Similarly, there will be an open mic during a pool party at the Holiday Inn-Midtown, the conference’s host hotel, on Thursday night, along with a meal courtesy of Berkalin Records. Prior to the pool party, there will be several panels during the mid-late afternoon.

Performing Artists Will Have Lots of Opportunities to Showcase Their Talents; Official Showcases are Open to the Public on Friday and Saturday Nights

A number of unplugged in-room showcases will follow the Official Showcases on Friday and Saturday overnight from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. AcousticMusicScene.com’s in-room showcase on Saturday overnight will feature a Midnight Hoot preceded by several song swaps. Although the online publication for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities has hosted showcases at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) and Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) conferences for many years, this marks the first time it is doing so during a SWRFA conference. A popular annual event at NERFA conferences since 2007, the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot at the SWRFA conference will feature two-dozen artists/acts — each performing one song between midnight and 2 a.m. A house band is available to accompany any artists on request.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule:

10:30 Song Swap: Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, Shanna in a Dress

11:00 Song Swap: George Ensle, Tim Grimm

11:30 Texas Troubadours: Brian Kalinec, Randy Palmer, Joel White

12:00 AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot – Part 1
(One song per artist/act; order subject to change.)

Taylor Pie, Nancy K. Dillon, Michael Henchman, Libby Koch, Ken Gaines, Karyn Oliver, Jake Farr, Grace Morrison, Sarah Pierce, Kacey & Jenna, Roxi Copland, Erin Ivey

House Band: Merel Bregante (percussion), John Inman and Brian Kalinec (guitars)

1:00 AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot – Part 2
(One song per artist/act; order subject to change.)

Ryan Biter, Deidre McCalla, Carl Solomon, Carla Ulbrich, Vanessa Lively & Ben Bedford, Claudia Gibson, Alicia Stockman, Natalie Price, Carolyn Shulman, Dan Weber, Lynn McCracken

House Band: Merel Bregante (percussion), John Inman and Brian Kalinec (guitars)

The conference wraps up with an extended Sunday brunch during which songwriters who drew a random song assignment/topic upon picking up their credentials at the outset of the conference, will share the songs that they wrote over the weekend. “Getting to listen to the songs written during the conference from a prompt is still one of my very favorite things I do all year,” said Allen. Many artists and other conference attendees share her sentiments and have made the song-sharing event a longtime conference highlight.

SWRFA (swfolkalliance.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Editor’s Note: Besides hosting a late-night song swaps and a midnight hoot during the SWRFA conference, I will assist PuffBunny Records (an indie label for which I provide PR counsel and services) with its in-room showcase and Taylor Pie with a Q & A following the screening of Nobody Famous, an award-winning documentary about her and the 1960s folk-pop trio Pozo Seco Singers of which she was the lead singer and a founding member (along with Don Williams and Lofton Kline). I also will take part in a panel discussion on showcasing and offer some mentoring sessions on various PR, social media and strategic communications topics. I am a board member of Folk Alliance International and NERFA.

The regional events provide useful and enjoyable learning and networking opportunities, not to mention plenty of listening and performing opportunities for artists, presenters, agents and managers, DJs, and others engaged in the folk music field. Booking gigs is a primary objective of some performing artists who attend these annual conferences, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those who they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, these conferences are much more than that – they are really about forging connections and building community.

FARM Gathering in Illinois to Feature 14 Official Showcase Artists/Acts

The 14 artists/acts slated to perform during Official Showcases at the 2022 FARM Gathering on the evenings of October 21 and 22 are (listed alphabetically by last name or group name) Basset, Buffalo Rose, Sienna Christie, Djangophonique, Gina Forsyth, Ben Gage, Tim Grimm, House of Hamill, Jordan Hamilton, Donna Herula Trio, Spencer LaJoye, Annie Mack, Steam Machine, and Rupert Wates. Named as alternates were Tret Fure and Kelly Hunt featuring Stas Heaney. They were chosen from among nearly 170 entries. The FARM Gathering extends from October 20-23 at Doubletree Lisle Naperville in Lisle, Illinois -– near Chicago. Conversations and workshops during this year’s gathering will focus around themes of inclusion through song, storytelling, and community building. Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons, The American Songster, will deliver a keynote address. While last year’s conference took place solely online, the 2022 Gathering will feature a combination of in-person and virtual content. For more information, visit farmfolk.org.

SWRFA Taps 16 Artists/Acts for its Official Showcases in Austin, Texas

SWRFA will host eight official showcases on Friday night, September 23 and another eight on Saturday night, September 24. The showcasing artists are listed below in order of performance (subject to change if needed). Sept. 23: Jean Rohe, David Starr, Karyn Oliver, Noah Zacharin, Deidre McCalla, Grace Morrison, Javier Jara, and Violet Bell. Sept. 24: Vanessa Lively, Erin Ivey, George Ensle, Shanna in a Dress, Abigail Lapell, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, Natalie Price, and Justin Farren. The Official Showcases will be held in the ballroom at the Holiday Inn-Midtown in Austin, Texas. In addition, an Alternates Official Showcase featuring Alicia Stockman, Beth//James, Ryan Biter, Leeann Atherton, Jason Erie, and Wild Ponies will take place in another room at the hotel following a pool party on Thursday night, September 22. The 23rd Annual SWRFA Conference extends from September 21-25. For more information, visit swfolkalliance.org.

A Bit About FAI, NERFA and Other Regional Affiliates

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA.org), which draws the largest number of people to its annual conferences of any FAI region, will announce its juried Formal Showcase artists in August. Its conference is slated for November 10-13 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with Formal Showcases at the legendary Stone Pony. A hybrid event, much of the NERFA conference will also be livestreamed. Although NERFA is no longer accepting applications for its in-person formal showcases, conference attendees (in-person and virtual) may still apply for virtual showcases until August 15. Artists must be registered for the conference in order to do so.

Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) has opted not to host a conference this year, while Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) annual conference attendees converged on Black Mountain, North Carolina in May and will again.

Folk Alliance International (folk.org) — which hosts its 35th annual conference, February 1-5, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri — is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through preservation, presentation and promotion. Its conference theme is Facing the Future: Sustainability on Folk Music.

Editor’s Note: I serve on the boards of directors of both Folk Alliance International and NERFA and am a past president of NERFA. I have been a workshop presenter, moderator and/or mentor at FAI, FARM virtual, FAR-West, NERFA and SERFA conferences and will be participating in this year’s SWRFA conference. I am not involved in the selection of juried showcase artists, although I host late-night showcases under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com at conferences.

Along with the other four U.S.-based regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, SWRFA felt compelled to cancel its annual in-person conference this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, “Dalis Allen, SWRFA’s executive director, and our board members wanted to create a virtual version of our yearly gathering to keep a sense of continuity and gather our community together in these challenging times,” said Brian Kalinec, its board president.

Singer-Songwriters Nancy Beaudette and Laura Zucker lead a workshop based on information and insights contained in their book, SongC.R.A.F.T. – Writing in Your Authentic Voice, while Elaine Hayden leads a concurrent session for concert presenters on Friday afternoon. Neale Eckstein, Jeska Forsyth, Jerod Rivers and Eric Schwartz will delve into new techniques in the virtual world. Fosyth and her husband Guy also lead a breakout session on performance, while artist manager Charlie Stewart offers demo evaluations, Emily Pickrell will discuss performing in Mexico, and Jana Pochop explores social media. Liz Sunde of Music to Life will conduct a special presentation prior to the Friday night showcases. She and her father, Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, co-founded the national nonprofit organization that connects activist artists of all genres with the resources they need to revitalize their communities through music. Veteran folk DJ Rich Warren, who recently stepped down as the longtime host of The Midnight Special, a nationally syndicated radio program emanating from WFMT in Chicago, and others will conduct one-on-ones.

It has been customary during the annual SWRFA conferences for all registered artists to be given a random song topic/prompt. They are expected to write about these during the weekend and perform their songs following Sunday brunch. SWRFA will seek to replicate this song-sharing event virtually on Sunday afternoon.

SWRFA 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. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico. For more information on SWRFA, visit https://swfolkalliance.org. To register online (free) for its virtual conference, click on https://swrfa.wufoo.com/forms/m1uhtpbn08y5xmz/.

Slated to perform in the hotel’s ballroom on Friday, Sept. 29, from 7:30-10 p.m., are The Whispering Tree, George Ensle, Angela Parrish, Andy Corwin, Cosy Sheridan, Hardened and Tempered, Winona Wilde, and Ordinary Elephant.

Saturday night’s lineup features Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, Bethel Steele, Daniel Pelletier, Laura Zucker, Warren Hood, Terry Klein, American Dreamer, and Emily Herring & the FM Trio.

Rich Warren, host of the nationally syndicated “The Midnight Special” radio show that emanates from Chicago’s WFMT-FM, emcees both nights. In addition to conference registrants, the official showcases will be open to the public for a $15 cover charge each night.

Following a popular pool party and open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Butch Morgan on Thursday night, Charlie Stewart of Handshake Management will emcee the Official Alternates Showcase in the hotel’s Elm Room. Set to perform short sets beginning at 10:30 p.m. are Jaime Michaels, Kalinec & Kj, The Keller Sisters, Letitita Van Sant, Mia Rose Lynne, The Cowboy Way, Doug Gill, and Ben Shannon.

Besides the official showcases, the SWRFA Conference will feature open mics, in-room showcases extending into the early morning hours, and daytime panel discussions and seminars that address many facets of the music business, according to Dalis Allen, who produces the conference, as well as the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. “We eat meals together, form wonderful new relationships and renew old ones,” she notes. “And we are certain to have fun.”

Conference registration is $195 for Folk Alliance International members and $225 for non-members if paid by Sept. 17 and rises by $30 after then. Included with registration are five meals and a cocktail party.

SWRFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a nonprofit organization that aims to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community — traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional — through education, advocacy and performance. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its 18th annual conference is expected to draw performing artists, presenters, managers, agents and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music. For more information, visit www.swfolkalliance.org.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, official showcase artists also have been selected for three other regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International that hold their annual conferences in the fall – Folk Alliance Region – West (FAR-West), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA). Here’s a link to that article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2017/07/23/official-showcase-artists-named-for-2017-far-west-farm-and-nerfa-conferences/

Semi-Formal Showcase Artists Selected for NERFA Conference in November

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) also recently named 40 artists and acts to perform in its newly renamed Semi-Formal Showcases (formerly tricentrics and quadcentrics) during its 23rd annual conference in Stamford, CT, Nov. 9-12. Listed alphabetically by group or last name, they are Clint Alphin, Lisa Bastoni, The Beck Sisters, Bethlehem and Sad Patrick, The Black Feathers, The Boxcar Lilies, Sophie Buskin, Meghan Cary, Shawna Caspi, Dave Curley, Dunham Shoe Factory, Frances Luke Accord, Friction Farm, Abbie Gardner, Vance Gilbert, Sharon Goldman, Hoot and Holler, Alice Howe, Greg Klyma, Erika Kulnys, Abigail Lapell, Rod MacDonald, Austin MacRae, Mama’s Broke, Mike McKenna Jr., Paddy Mills, Zoe Mulford, Emily Mure, Musique a bouches, No Good Sister, NUA, Piedmont Bluz, Poor Man’s Gambit, Elaine Romanelli, The Small Glories, Christine Sweeney, Robinson Treacher, Ernest Troost, Josh White Jr., and Brad Yoder Duo.

The juried Semi-Formal Showcases immediately follow NERFA’s coveted juried Formal Showcases. Half of these artists will showcase their talents on Friday night, Nov. 10, while the other half will do so on Saturday night, Nov. 11.

Named as Alternates for the Semi-Formal showcases are Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, Emily Barnes, Meaghan Blanchard, Gabrielle Louise, The Malvinas, Alastair Moock, and Katherine Rondeau and the Show.

Dave Curley, Rod MacDonald (with Mark Dann) and Mama’s Broke were offered Semi-Formal Showcases slots having been selected as alternates for the Formal Showcases that precede them.

Editor’s Note: Although I serve as president of the NERFA board of directors and as a board member of Folk Alliance International, I am not involved in showcase judging for any of the conferences.

Midnight on March 1 is the deadline for singer-songwriters who perform in the acoustic, Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country or folk genres to submit recorded songs (two per $20 entry, three-entry limit) in mp3 format via email, mail or Sonicbids. No physical CDs will be accepted.

A panel of judges will choose ten finalists to perform two songs on the Singer-Songwriter Stage during the 24th annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. They’ll be judged based on both their songwriting craft and the presentation of their songs as they compete for cash prizes. Four finalists will each receive $500, while $100 will be awarded to each of the remaining six. All performing finalists will receive festival passes for themselves and a guest, lodging, green room access for food and beverages, and the opportunity to perform solo sets on the festival’s Courtyard Stage. The four winners will also be featured in a 75-minute spotlight round on Sunday afternoon.

Last year’s winners were Annalise Emerick (TN), George Ensle (TX), Crystal Yates (TX) and Frank Martin Gilligan (TX).

For more information, visit www.wildflowerfestival.com/singersongwriter.html.

Slated to perform in the ballroom on Friday evening, from 7:30-10 p.m., are Ryanhood, Lyal Strickland, Friction Farm, Hardin Burns, Freddy & Francine, Justin Farren, Clint Alphin, Lisa Sanders and Brown Sugar, and The Flyin A’s. Saturday night’s lineup features Mt. Thelonious, Thad Beckman, Susan Cattaneo, Wes Collins, Amy Kucharik, Andrew Delaney, Rebecca Folsom, Heather Styka, and No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow. Rich Warren, host of the nationally syndicated “The Midnight Special” radio show that emanates from Chicago’s WFMT-FM, emcees both nights.

Besides the official showcases, the conference will feature open mics, in-room showcases extending into the early morning hours, and daytime panel discussions and seminars that address many facets of the music business, according to Dalis Allen, who produces the conference, as well as the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. “We eat meals together, form wonderful new relationships and renew old ones,” she notes. “And we are certain to have fun.”

Following a popular pool party and open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Butch Morgan on Thursday night, Charlie Stewart of Handshake Management will emcee the Official Alternates Showcase in the hotel’s Elm Room. Set to perform short sets beginning at 10:30 p.m. are Berkley Hart, Chase Gassaway, Nancy Beaudette, Michael Braunfeld, George Ensle, Katie Marie, and Ordinary Elephant.

Conference registration is $195 if paid by Sept. 15 and rises to $225 after then. Included with registration are five meals and a cocktail party. The official showcases are also open to the public for a $10 cover charge each night.

SWRFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a nonprofit organization that aims to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community — traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional — through education, advocacy and performance. SWRFA includes the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its 16th annual conference is expected to draw performing artists, presenters, managers, agents and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music.

For more information, visit www.swfolkalliance.org.

The ten finalists selected by a panel of judges, based on both their songwriting craft and the presentation of their songs, are Richard Berman (MA), Cherie Call (UT), John Carroll (TN), Brad Colerick (CA), Angela Easterling (SC), Annalise Emerick (TN), George Ensle (TX), Frank Martin Gilligan (TX), Lola Toben (MO), and Crystal Yates (TX).

After showcasing their talents on Saturday, May 16, four of the finalists will receive $500 each and will perform in a 75-minute winners’ round on Sunday afternoon, while each of the other six will each receive $100. All ten finalists will also perform hour-long sets on the Courtyard Stage, on which several Dallas Songwriters Association Spotlights also take place over the weekend.

Last year’s Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest winners were Marc Douglas Berardo (RI), Carolyn Currie (ME), Drew Kennedy (TX), and Ellen Tipper (ME).

Other artists slated to perform on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the festival include Phoebe Hart Trio, Bill Ward/2-Bit Palomino, and Tom Prasada-Rao on Friday. Jacob Johnson, Rj Cowdery, Danny Schmidt, Carrie Elkin, Cliff Eberhardt, Louise Mosrie, Jonathan Byrd and the Pickup Cowboys, and Trout Fishing in America perform on Saturday. Cowdery, Mosrie and Ian Dickson – – previous contest winners in 2011, 2010 and 2005, respectively – take part in a Sunday afternoon song swap, while Zane Williams closes out the stage with a set beginning at 5:30 p.m.

In addition to its Singer Songwriter and Courtyard Stages, Wildflower! will feature several other stages with an eclectic array of musical artists (ranging from rockers Pat Benatar, Kansas and 38 Special to noted Texas singer-songwriters Joe Ely and Gary P. Nunn), as well as the Wild! Marketplace, a Taste of Texas Food Garden, a Kidz Korner family area and petting zoo, strolling entertainers, and more.

Three-day festival passes may be purchased online via ClicknPrintTickets and at Tom Thumb stores around the Metroplex for $30 through 5:30 p.m. on May 15, while single-day adult tickets will be available for $20 at the gate and online. For more information, including performance schedules, visit www.wildflowerfestival.com.