“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.

More than 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 13-16, 2014, for the 20th 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.

The NERFA Conference will feature several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions, informative panel discussions and workshops, a keynote by acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram, one-on-one and group mentoring sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, tasty communal meals in the dining room, a welcoming party and happy hours, and lots of informal conversation and networking.

Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the NERFA Conference, and many presenters and folk DJs do 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, building community, and attending workshops and seminars to learn about options to further careers, promote the music, and attract audiences and listeners.

Taking center stage during this year’s conference will be 15 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges, with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set in the resort’s theater on Friday and Saturday nights. Slated to perform on Friday are Bobtown, Claudia Schmidt, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Guy Mendilow Ensemble, Harpeth Rising, Dave Gunning, and David Jacobs-Strain. Saturday’s Formal Showcase lineup features Shtreimi & Ismail Fencioglu, SONiA disappear fear, Modern Man, Burning Bridget Cleary, No Fuss & Feathers Roadshow, Jory Nash, The Don Juans, and Tim Grimm Band.

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between four conference rooms to catch short sets by 40 additional artists who were selected by a different set of judges. Performing in Quad Showcases on Friday night are Kristin Andreassen, Brothers McCann, Ellen Bukstel, Bumper Jacksons, Kate Callahan, Roger Street Friedman, Connor Garvey, Loretta Hagen, Phil Henry, Lara Herscovitch, JEWMONGOUS, Libby Koch, Mara Levine, Lords of Liechtenstein, Lois Morton, Hannah Shira Naiman, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes, and Young Novelists. Saturday’s Quad Showcase artists include Beaucoup Blue, Nancy Beaudette, Jeff Black, Chasing June, RJ Cowdery, Doll Sisters, Driftwood, Folk Goddesses, Matt Harlan, Jesse Stuart Few, Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards, Matt Nakoa, No Good Sister, Rose Sheehan & Colin de la Barre, John Sherman & Randy Clepper, Lyal Strickland, Jesse Terry, Ernest Troost, and Victor & Penny.

Following the juried showcases each evening (as well as during the afternoons), AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting guerilla showcases in their hotel rooms that extend through the early morning hours. Open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the musical mix. It’s not unusual to see musicians staking out other areas of the hotel and jamming until 4 or 5 a.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Artists and Singing Folk DJs

An overflow crowd will likely again descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com room (1506) on Thursday overnight for its popular Midnight Hoot. Following the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase and extending from 11:45 p.m. to 3 a.m., the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Barbara and Graham Dean, Wanda Fischer and Jon Stein) and some three-dozen of artists/acts – each of whom will perform one song.

Now in its eighth year, the Midnight Hoot is intended to shine a spotlight on several folk DJs who also enjoy singing, while providing them, presenters and others with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time. It also enables artists to enjoy each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday (although since increasingly more people have been arriving on Thursday, some intensive workshops will take place that afternoon).

A house band comprised of David Buskin (keyboards), Mark Dann (bass) and Marshal Rosenberg (percussion) also will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below. Craft beers and wine are being graciously provided by Blue Point Brewing Company (Patchogue, NY) and Clovis Point (a boutique winery on Long Island’s North Fork).

Thursday Night 11:45 p.m. – 3 a.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot

Featuring one song by each of the following (not listed in order of appearance)

Folk DJs: Graham & Barbara Dean, Wanda Fischer and Jon Stein

Artists: Annika, Robert Sarazin Blake, Robert Bruey, Ellen Bukstel, Burning Bridget Cleary, Dan and Faith, Gathering Time, Marci Geller, Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick, Rick Gottlieb, Loretta Hagen, Christopher Mark Jones, Stuart Kabak, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Savannah King, Terry Kitchen, Libby Koch, Mara Levine, Bernice Lewis, Rob Lytle, Lois Morton, Zoe Mulford, Jory Nash, Aaron Nathans, Dan Navarro, Hugh O’ Doherty, Karyn Oliver, Amanda Pearcy, Glen Roethel, Elaine Romanelli, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, Sorcha Cribben-Merrill, Hank Stone, Chuck Williams

House Band: David Buskin (keyboards), Mark Dann (bass), Marshal Rosenberg (percussion)

Friday Afternoon

12:15 Lower Hudson Valley Songsters: Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Glen Roethel
12:45 I’m From New Jersey: Christine DeLeon, Loretta Hagen, Kathy Moser, John
Sonntag
1:30 Brooklyn in da House: The Lords of Liechtenstein, Alex Mallett, Matt Nakoa
2:00 Texas Troubadours: Matt Harlan, Libby Koch & Amanda Pearcy
2:30 Long Island Sounds: He-Bird, She-Bird, Hank Stone, The Folk Goddesses
3:15 Long Island Sounds: Robert Bruey, Jerry DeMeo, Gathering Time, Rorie Kelly

Friday Night

11:45 Dan Navarro

12:00 Funny Folk: JEWMONGOUS featuring Sean Altman, Mark Berube, Lois Morton

12:30 Harmonic Convergence: Gathering Time, Mara Levine, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado

1:00 The Wisch List: Robert Bruey, Jenai Huff, Eugene Ruffolo
1:30 Folk You Should Know: Kristin Andreassen, Rob Lytle, Teresa Storch

2:00 Mass. Appeal: Brothers McCann, Danielle Miraglia, Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday Afternoon

1:45 Pirate Camp: Monty Delaney, Laura Joy, Stuart Kabak, Mike Laureanno

2:30: Salty Songs & Sailor Slang: Stuart Markus & Robin Greenstein

2:45 Pirate Camp Part II: Mya Byrne, Elaine Romanelli, Hank Stone, Jesse Terry

3:30 New Englanders of Note: Marc Douglas Berardo. Heather Pierson, The Boxcar Lilies

Saturday Evening

11:45 Burning Bridget Cleary

12:00 Funny Folk II: Modern Man and Lois Morton

12:30 POSItively Good Music: Freebo, Glen Roethel, David Roth

1:00 CT State Troubadours: Kristen Graves and Lara Herscovitch

1:30 Folk You Should Know: Friction Farm, Robinson Treacher, Laura Zucker

2:00 O’ Canada: Shawna Caspi, Irish Mythen, Young Novelists: Graydon James & Laura Spink, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Manitoba Hal, Jory Nash, David Newland, Cheryl Prashker

NERFA (www.nerfa.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, an association that seeks to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Stuart Kabak, with whom I partner in hosting late-night song swaps and open circles under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, for providing a carpeted wooden platform stage and stage lights for this year’s AcousticMusicScene.com showcases. Thanks also are due to him and fellow singer-songwriters Glen Roethel and Hank Stone for graciously offering to host afternoon showcases, and to Amy Blake, Sybil Moser and Gary Schoenberger for the loan of folding chairs.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases during the NERFA Conference, I will be participating in a panel discussion on social media and offering some group mentoring sessions focused on artist bios and one-sheets, electronic press kits (EPKs), media relations, social media, website content, and what presenters look for when considering artists for their concert series and festivals. I also serve on the board of directors for both Folk Alliance International and NERFA.

Artists slated to perform at the festival this year include Brother Sun, Ronny Cox, The Duhks, Seth Glier, John Gorka, Tracy Grammer, The Grand Slambovians (always a highlight at the dance tent), Kim & Reggie Harris, The Horse Flies, Christine Lavin & Don White, Magpie, Louise Mosrie, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Aoife O’Donovan, Tom Paxton, Spuyten Duyvil, The Storycrafters, Annie Wenz, Cheryl Wheeler, and more.

Emerging Artists Showcase Their Talents on Friday Afternoon, Aug. 1

As previously reported, 24 artists/duos/groups have been selected by a panel a of judges to perform in this year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase on Friday afternoon, Aug.1, from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. Listed alphabetically by last name or name of group, not in order of appearance, they are Suzie Brown (Nashville, TN), Wendy Cahill (Bethel, CT), Caitlin Canty (New York, NY), Brianne Chasanoff (New Fairfield, CT), Melanie Dewey (Manilus, NY), Allie Farris (Nashville, TN), Liz Frame and the Kickers (Newburyport, MA), Laney Jones & the Lively Spirits (Boston, MA), Russell Kaback (Greenfield, MA), Libby Koch (Houston, TX), Chris LaVancher ( North Reading, MA), The Levins (Congers, NY), The Lords of Liechtenstein (New York, NY), Matt Nakoa (Brooklyn, NY), Hayley Reardon (Marblehead, MA), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), Roy Schneider (Fort Myers, FL), Zak Smith (Montclair, NJ), Ashley Sofia (Ticonderoga, NY), Jesse Terry (Stonington, CT), Tumbling Bones (Portland, ME), Avi Wisnia (Philadelphia, PA), Zameer (Hollywood, CA), and Laura Zucker (San Francisco, CA).

The 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 The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Connor Garvey and Roosevelt Dime.

Late-Night Musical Revelry is a Festival Highlight

You will find us under a big white tarp at Pirate Camp festooned with Jolly Roger flags and banners and situated in or near the lower left/northeast section of the 10-acre field (lower meadow). The musical revelry kicks-off with an open song circle late Thursday night, July 31, after the music ends on The Lounge Stage that is hosted by Pesky J. Nixon and friends. Pre-arranged, invitational late-night song swaps will be followed by open song circles on Friday and Saturday overnight after the music ends on the Main Stage. The schedule of pre-arranged song swaps follows.

Friday Overnight under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp

12:15 – Folk You Should Know: Cosby Gibson, Stuart Kabak, Mike Laureanno, Heather Pierson
1:00 – Three Guys with Guitars: Tony Denikos, Rob Lytle, Jesse Terry
1:30 Mass. Appeal: Darlingside and Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday Overnight under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp

12:15 2Ks2Ls – Women of Note: Libby Koch, Karen Mal, Kathy Moser, Laura Zucker
1:00 No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow: Karyn Oliver, Carolann Solebello and The YaYas
1:30 Three Duos: Friction Farm, The Levins and The Lords of Liechtenstein

More than four years after Jack Hardy’s passing, Pirate Camp retains much of its initial warm spirit of camaraderie — with folks stopping by throughout the day to share a tune or just schmooze. The partnership with AcousticMusicScene.com and the addition of invitational song swaps has added a new element that is designed in part to help keep Pirate Camp alive and vibrant.

Headlining this year’s festival and performing on the [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage at 8:30 p.m. will be Bobtown. Drawing on field hollers, gospel music, folk songs, pop melodies and bluegrass harmonies, Bobtown reinvents American choral music for the 21st century to create a unique and compelling blend of voices and instruments that move gracefully between elegy and celebration.

A hootenanny-style musical tribute to Pete Seeger at 8 p.m. and an afternoon of unplugged showcases and song swaps, from 12 noon to 6 p.m., featuring artists from the New York metropolitan area and beyond, will precede the concert. Hosting the latter near canopy tents will be Acoustic Live! in New York City and Beyond and AcousticMusicScene.com. Artists slated to perform include Mark Allen Berube, Emma Brooke, Robert Bruey, Mya Byrne, Brad Cole, Julie Corbalis, Karen Dahlstrom, Christine DeLeon, Honor Finnegan, Marci Geller, Craig Greenberg, Loretta Hagen, Jenai Huff, Josh Joffen, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Libby Koch, Lisa Jane Lipkin, Alex Mallett, Gerry McKeveny, My Dad’s Truck, Matt Nakoa, Kat Quinn, Eugene Ruffolo, Paul Sachs, Dylan Sneed, Toby Tobias, Robinson Treacher, Villa Palagonia, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes, Wool & Grant, and The YaYas.

Co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington (ww.fmsh.org) and the Huntington Arts Council (www.huntingtonarts.org), the Huntington Folk Festival is part of the 49th Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival presented by the Town of Huntington and produced by the Huntington Arts Council and sponsored in part by the New York State Council for the Arts, the County of Suffolk and Canon USA.

Attendees are advised to bring lawn chairs or blankets and to consider bringing a picnic supper or venturing into nearby Huntington Village for dinner

More information about the Huntington Folk Festival, including the complete schedule and directions to the park, appears online at www.fmsh.org. The afternoon showcase schedules also are posted below.

Afternoon Showcase Schedules

Acoustic Live!
Emcee: Richard Cuccaro

1:00 Lisa Jane Lipkin
1:15 Jenai Huff and Eugene Ruffolo
1:30 Karen Dahlstrom
1:45 Susan Kane
2:00 Chris Fuller
2:15 Mark Allen Berube
2:30 Judy Kass
2:45 Mya Byrne
3:00 The YaYas
3:15 Wool&Grant
3:30 Brad Cole
3:45 Marci Geller
4:00 Paul Sachs5
4:30 Libby Koch
4:15 David Goldman
4:45 Robinson Treacher
5:00 Honor Finnegan
5:15 My Dad’s Truck
5:30 Gerry McKeveny
5:45 Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes

AcousticMusicScene.com
Emcee: Michael Kornfeld:

12:00 My Dad’s Truck

12:15 Julie Corbalis, Toby Tobias, Dylan Sneed, Robinson Treacher

1:00 Mya Byrne, Brad Cole, Wool & Grant

1:30 Alex Mallett, Kat Quinn, Villa Palagonia

2:00 The YaYas

2:15 Kerrville New Folk Winners: Honor Finnegan, Josh Joffen, Matt Nakoa, Paul Sachs

3:00 The Wisch List: Robert Bruey, Jenai Huff and Eugene Ruffolo

3:45 Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes

4:00 Women’s Voices: Karen Dahlstron, Christine DeLeon, Judy Kass

4:30 All Keyed-Up: Marci Geller, Craig Greenberg , Lisa Jane Lipkin

5:00 Americana-Roots Country: Emma Brooke, Susan Kane, Libby Koch

Editor’s Note: I am president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington, an all-volunteer nonprofit presenting organization, and coordinate this annual festival in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council.

Appearing in this year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase are (listed alphabetically by last name or name of group, not in order of appearance): Suzie Brown (Nashville, TN), Wendy Cahill (Bethel, CT), Caitlin Canty (New York, NY), Brianne Chasanoff (New Fairfield, CT), Melanie Dewey (Manilus, NY), Allie Farris (Nashville, TN), Liz Frame and the Kickers (Newburyport, MA), Laney Jones & the Lively Spirits (Boston, MA), Russell Kaback (Greenfield, MA), Libby Koch (Houston, TX), Chris LaVancher ( North Reading, MA), The Levins (Congers, NY), The Lords of Liechtenstein (New York, NY), Matt Nakoa (Brooklyn, NY), Hayley Reardon (Marblehead, MA), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), Roy Schneider (Fort Myers, FL), Zak Smith (Montclair, NJ), Ashley Sofia (Ticonderoga, NY), Jesse Terry (Stonington, CT), Tumbling Bones (Portland, ME), Avi Wisnia (Philadelphia, PA), Zameer (Hollywood, CA), and Laura Zucker (San Francisco, CA).

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 The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Connor Garvey and Roosevelt Dime

Among the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival , now in its 26th year, takes place August 1-3 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. The festival 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 Brother Sun, Ronny Cox, The Duhks, Seth Glier, John Gorka, Tracy Grammer, The Grand Slambovians (always a highlight at the dance tent), Kim & Reggie Harris, The Horse Flies, Christine Lavin & Don White, Magpie, Louise Mosrie, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Aoife O’Donovan, Tom Paxton, Spuyten Duyvil, The Storycrafters, Annie Wenz, Cheryl Wheeler, and more.

Those camping at Falcon Ridge and staying up through the early morning hours can enjoy an array of informal jams, mini-showcases and after-hours song circles that help foster a sense of “folk” community and a different kind of festival experience.

AcousticMusicScene.com will again host late-night music at Pirate Camp, located on the 10-Acre field. Pre-arranged unplugged late-night song swaps will be followed by open song circles on Friday and Saturday overnight after the music ends on the Main Stage. Open song circles also will take place at Pirate Camp during mealtimes and on Thursday prior to the official start of the festival on Friday. Pesky J. Nixon and friends also host pre-arranged artist showcases under the auspices of The Lounge Stage on Thursday.

Three-day festival tickets are $139 with camping or $109 without camping if purchased by July 1 and rise by $26 after then. Single-day tickets also are available. Gates open for campers on Wednesday afternoon, July 30. More information on the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival can be found at www.falconridgefolk.com.

Editor’s Note: More information on AcousticMusicScene.com’s late-night song swaps and the open song circles at Pirate Camp will be posted next month. Kathy Sands-Boehmer, a frequent contributor to AcousticMusicScene.com, is posting interviews with all of the Emerging Artists on her Everything Sundry blog.