“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.

Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) – Sept. 24-26, 2021

Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA)’s virtual conference. Sept. 24-26, will feature 14 juried official showcases, along with a number of late-night guerrilla showcases, an open mic, seven 90-minute workshop sessions, and one-on-one mentoring.

Showcasing their talents during official showcases on Friday night, Sept. 24, will be The Black Feathers, Jacob Johnson, Nathan Evans Fox, Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, Kray Van Kirk, Barbara Lica, and South for Winter. Saturday night’s official showcase lineup includes Abby Posner, Alright Alright, Jana Pochop, Sam Robbins, Emerald Rae, Jim Jones, and Conjunto Cats. Named as alternates were Buffalo Rose, Jordi Baizan and Annette Wasilik — each of whom will be afforded an opportunity to share a song prior to the start of an open mic on Friday.

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.

This is the second consecutive year that SWRFA – whose region includes the Southwestern United States and Mexico — has hosted its annual conference online, rather than in Austin, Texas.

“As was the case last year, Dalis Allen, SWRFA’s executive director, and our board members are eager to keep a sense of continuity and gather our community together in these challenging times,” said Brian Kalinec, SWRFA’s board president. “Back in 2020, we never would have imagined that we’d be doing a virtual conference again. We anticipate as many, if not more, participants than last year. And this year, we’re having nine late-night showcases as well.”

More information on SWRFA and its virtual conference, for which registration is available on a ‘pay what you can’ basis, may be found at swfolkalliance.org.

Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) – Oct. 14-16, 2021

Forward with Folk is the theme of the Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) Virtual Conference, Oct. 14-16. “It embraces our movement forward in adapting to a changing world while still curating treasured conference traditions such as the Venue’s Choice Concert, FAR-WestTeaches (panel discussions), guerilla showcases, and Best of the West awards,” according to the FAR-West website. New additions to this year’s online event include campfires (open mics), community spotlights and peer sessions. There will also be a virtual exhibit hall.

A series of 90-minute online panel discussions will include Collect Your Fair Share: Accessing All Your Streaming Revenues, Get Your Music in the Movies, Elevating Your Song: From Songwriting to the Studio, and The Creative Economy in Recovery: Opportunities for Musician Changemakers. There will be not be any juried official showcases this year. The spotlight is on the various individuals and organizations that will host private guerrilla showcases that premiere on Friday and Saturday nights, Oct. 14 and 15.

“As the conference coordinator, I’m so excited to introduce FAR-West to the global community during our first-ever virtual conference,” said Julie Zipperer. Noting that FAR-West has been presenting online programming throughout the pandemic, she continued: “We look forward to continuing our online education and performance events year-round. We are not just a once-a-year conference; we are FAR-West year-round.”

Six ticket registration options for the FAR-West virtual conference are available, ranging from general fan to VIP. Post-event on-demand access to the conference programming will be available for either 30 days or 365 days, depending on the ticket type purchased. This means that people won’t have to scramble from room to room to catch particular artists/acts/programs at certain times and can also catch those that they missed during the regular hours of the virtual conference afterwards.

For more information on the virtual conference and to register online, visit far-west.org.

Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) – Oct. 27-30, 2021

Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) was the first of Folk Alliance International’s regional affiliates to embrace technology and provide educational programming and networking opportunities for FAI members and others in the wake of the pandemic. Under the banner of FARM Virtual Connections, it has been presenting Tuesday Tech Talks, educational panel discussions, mentor sessions, and peer gatherings since April 2020.

FARM Virtual Connections The Gathering, Oct. 27-30, represents its ongoing efforts to serve the Midwest (U.S. and Canadian) folk community and beyond. It will feature official and private guerrilla showcases, a keynote address by singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, panel discussions, workshops, mentor sessions, and affinity/peer group discussions. Official Showcase applications are due by Sept. 30. Panel topics will be announced beginning early next month.

“Much as we miss seeing everyone in the flesh, the virtual world is offering some unique opportunities for meaningful connections we may not have been able to make in person,” said Annie Capps, director of Virtual Connections for FARM. “To that end, we’re gearing up for some inspiring conversations which, at their core, revolve around making those connections that continue to grow our community. Of course, there will be lots of amazing musical performances, all live streamed (no pre-recorded) and ample networking opportunities, like speed dating-style meet ups, spontaneous chat rooms and other fun activities to keep everyone engaged.”

Registration for FARM Virtual Connections The Gathering is on a sliding scale, from $25-$50. For more information and to register, visit farmfolk.org.

Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) – November 11-14, 2021

Rounding out the virtual regional conferences this fall is one being presented by Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), Nov. 11-14. Beloved long-standing NERFA conference traditions – including its coveted juried Formal Showcase, the Suzie Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase, late-night guerilla showcases, and an exhibit hall will be paired with new opportunities and programming — all designed to offer a dynamic, interactive and engaging online conference experience.

This year’s NERFA virtual conference will feature more than 100 hours of showcasing opportunities, according to Ethan Baird, the organization’s executive director. He cited Formal Showcases to be presented by some of the region’s finest acoustic listening rooms, as well as three days of open mics with some of the best digital producers on the scene – folks who have worked with Jonatha Brooke, Susan Werner and Dar Williams, among others – coaching participants to produce their best performances. “There will also be curated panels and workshops covering such timely topics as zero to professional set-up streaming systems for venues and the evolution of audience to community to fan base,” said Baird. “The entire event will be capped off with keynotes and awards ceremonies celebrating the community – our lessons learned, triumphs and losses,” he added.

Like the FAR-West virtual conference, NERFA’s will afford participants an array of registration options and on-demand access to the conference programming for either 30 days or 365 days after the virtual event, depending on the ticket type purchased.

Prior to the pandemic, NERFA’s board of directors had been engaged in discussions about transitioning to a year-round organization that can provide increased value and better meet the needs of the community it serves. With the inception of its NERFA 365 initiative late last year, the organization — whose geographic boundaries extend from the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC to the eastern provinces of Canada — has done just that. NERFA hosts virtual panel discussions, artist and presenter peer group sessions each month, as well as a quarterly video spotlight series.

Visit nerfa2021.com for more information and to register for the conference.

Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), the fifth North American-based regional affiliate of FAI, held a virtual conference in May.

Folk Alliance International Conference – Feb 23-27, 2022

Folk Alliance International hosts a hybrid conference (in-person, along with online elements), Feb. 23-27, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri — where the nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion is based. Registration for the conference is open now, while artists have until Sept. 30 to apply for juried official showcases. Visit folk.org for more information.

Editor’s Note: I am a board member of Folk Alliance International and NERFA (of which I am also a past president) and have been a mentor and/or panelist on public relations and strategic communications topics, among others, for FAR-West, FARM and SERFA, as well as FAI and NERFA. AcousticMusicScene.com hosts showcases at NERFA and SERFA in-person conferences.

Gathering Time — the Long Island, NY-based trio of Stuart Markus, Hillary Foxsong and Gerry McKeveny — has drawn the attention of folk fans with a sound reminiscent of musical luminaries such as The Byrds, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. However, Gathering Time’s vocal harmonies and instrumental acumen on both originals and choice covers have broadened its appeal to a wider audience.

Although the trio has also toured in Canada and Europe, Gathering Time has forged a musical foothold throughout the Northeast U.S. – due in part to having secured several official juried showcases at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conferences and being audience-voted as “Most Wanted to Return” artists at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 2012.

Gathering Time’s new album, Old Friends, is a collection of classic folk-rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s. On it, the trio pays homage to some of the artists who influenced the sound of its original music through recreating and reinterpreting some of its members’ favorite songs — ones that Gathering Time revels in playing alongside its own and whose messages of love, concern and wisdom are as relevant today as they were a half-century or more ago.

Gathering Time’s songs have been widely played on folk radio for a number of years. Its previous three albums also made the top five on the monthly folk radio airplay charts. The trio’s 2016 release, Keepsake, was the #1 album and featured the month’s most-played song on folk radio during March 2016, while When One Door Closes … was the #3 album in January 2014 and Red Apples and Gold charted at #5 in September 2012.

Gathering Time’s cover of The Youngbloods’ classic “Getting Together,” which appears on Old Friends, was the most-played song on folk radio in July. That song was released to folk DJs ahead of the album at the urging of John Platt, host of Sunday Supper on New York’s WFUV, who also designated Old Friends the Spotlight Album of the Month for September on his New Folk Initiative blog. Writes Platt: “While they dive deep into the folk-rock canon from the ‘60s and early ‘70s on their superb new album, Old Friends, they don’t just honor the classics, [Gathering Time] make them their own with their delicious harmonies… These songs are indeed Old Friends, and the album reminds us why they’ve been part of the soundtrack of our lives.”

James Lee Baker is a Texas-based folk-rock balladeer who has been a finalist in several songwriting competitions. An official showcase artists at the 2019 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) Conference, he has played stages throughout the southwestern U.S. “100 Summers” is the title track of his new album that was recorded in one take at Blue Rock Studios in Wimberly, Texas. Prior to its release this year, Baker released another album, Home Again, in 2017 and a pair of EPs in 2011 and 2014.

Here’s a link to view a video of James Lee Baker performing “100 Summers” live at Blue Rock Studios: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BCicb0xFyYg

Scott Cook’s song “Say Can You See,” which topped the charts in August, appears on his recent seventh release, Tangle of Souls, the second most-played album on folk radio in both August and September. An internationally touring Edmonton, Alberta-based troubadour, Cook has been playing an average of more than 150 shows and a dozen festivals annually since 2007. However, like most artists, he’s not been touring during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Chosen by Falcon Ridge Folk Festival attendees as the “Most Wanted to Return” artist following 2019’s Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase, Cook performed as part of the virtual festival in July.

The September 2020 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 13,108 airplays reported on 434 playlists submitted by 114 different DJs. The number of reported spins appears in parentheses in the monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that can be viewed by clicking on the link below:
https://www.folkradio.org/chart/september-2020/#albums

Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

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 evening, Sept. 28, from 7:30-10 p.m., are Scott Cook, Byrd & Street, Mike P. Ryan, T Buckley, Dave Ray Cecil, Suzie Vinnick, The Cowboy Way, and The Flyin’ A’s.

Saturday night’s lineup features Nancy Beaudette, Andrew Delaney, Claudia Nygaard, Jaime Michaels, Ben Bedford, Helene Cronin, Clint Alphin, Jenny Reynolds, and Joana Howerton & Michael Cross.

Rich Warren, host of the nationally syndicated “The Midnight Special” radio show that emanates from Chicago’s WFMT-FM, and who celebrates 50 years of hosting folk music on the radio in 2018, 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 John Whipple (with a buffet sponsored by Berkalin Records) on Thursday night, Sept. 27, 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 Cari Ray & Shaky Legs, Flagship Romance, Kyle Donovan, Kora Feder, Susan Cattaneo Band, and Ronny Cox.

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.”

Prior to the official start of the conference, Paul Barker will host a SWRFA meet and greet and open mic at Threadgill’s North on Wednesday night, Sep. 26, while John Whipple hosts another one by the hotel’s pool on Saturday afternoon. A two-hour, hands-on ‘SongCRAFT” workshop, led by singer-songwriters Nancy Beaudette and Laura Zucker, is set for Thursday afternoon.

Upon arriving at the conference, all registered artists will be given a random song topic/prompt. They are expected to write about these during the weekend and perform their songs following Sunday brunch. This song-sharing event has long been a conference highlight.

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 19th 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 and to register to attend the conference, visit www.swfolkalliance.org.

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.

FAR-West Conference, Oct. 13-16, 2016 in Bellevue, Washington

More than 300 performing artists, presenters, managers, agents and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music are expected to converge on the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue, WA, Oct. 13-16 for the 13th annual FAR-West Conference. Several conference events also will be open to the public for nominal fees.

Conference highlights include the opening Venues’ Choice Concert on Thursday night and juried Official Showcases on Friday and Saturday evenings. On Thursday, Oct. 13, from 7-9:30 p.m., venues from around the region will each present artists of their choice. These include Traditions, Olympia, WA (Holly Gwinn Graham); Seattle Folklore Society, Seattle, WA (Orville Johnson); Artichoke Music, Portland, OR (Avery Hill); Wintergrass, Bellevue, WA (Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons); and Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater, Snohomish, WA (The Kadalywompass Radio Show featuring The Shed Players and Dawn Madsen).

Official Showcases extending from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, will feature (in order of appearance) Rachel Garlin, Uncle Bonsai, Jamie Laval Duo, Scott Cook, Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, and March to May. Saturday’s lineup includes John Batdorf, Rita Hosking and Scott Feder, Melanie Devaney, Claudia Russell & Bruce Kaplan, Nathan & Jessie, and Otter Creek.

A limited number of tickets are available for the public to each of these events for $15/night; they can be purchased online until 5 p.m. on Oct. 12 and may also be available at the door.

Following the Venues’ Choice and Official Showcases, from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., there will be late-night private guerilla showcases arranged by conference attendees and held in their hotel rooms, as well as a New Voices Showcase for conference first-timers. Also on the docket are jams that often extend from 2 a.m. until dawn. The Suzanne Millsaps Memorial Coffeehouse, named after the late beloved folk DJ, will feature short performances by a number of artists on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

During the daytime hours, conference-goers can choose from among a broad array of panel discussions and workshops focusing on such topics as diverse revenue streams for musicians, radio airplay and promotion, booking from the venues’ perspective, how to get the most out of your sound check, music success is a team sport, strategies for the self-managed act, and teaching – a way to foster community and nourish your music. Musicians and others also can get to know each other through “speed-dating” sessions as well as in the conference’s networking center.

Danny O’Keefe, a performing songwriter since the early 1970s, is perhaps best known for his top ten hit song “Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues.” Numerous other artists of more renown have recorded his songs over the years – including Elvis Presley, Cab Calloway, Allison Kraus, Jimmy Buffett, Judy Collins, Charlie Rich, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Chris Smither, Nickel Creek, Earl Klugh, Chris Hillman, Conway Twitty, Dwight Yoakum, and more. O’Keefe, who will host a songwriting master class during the conference, has also conducted classes and workshops for more than 30 years. Devoted to the cause of preserving habitat for Western Songbirds, O’Keefe is also prime mover in the Songbird Foundation.

Peter McCracken has been a visionary administrator who has played an integral part serving in various capacities with the Centrum Foundation, a Port Townsend, WA-based arts education and advocacy program that promotes creative experiences that change lives through intergenerational workshops bringing together aspiring and master artists to foster creativity, provide mentorship, and build community.

During the luncheon, FAR-West will also present a special Organizational Achievement Award to the nonprofit Seattle Folklore Society in recognition of its 50th year of producing concerts, dances, song circles, camps and a newsletter.

The FAR-West Conference concludes on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16, with a Story Expo featuring seven storytellers who enjoy the enrichment that music brings to their art. Tickets for this event, slated for 2-4 p.m. and priced at $10, also are available to the public via BrownPaperTickets. More information may be found online at www.far-west.org.

FARM Conference, Oct. 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa

Anne Hills, a Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter and a Michigan native will keynote the annual FARM Conference that’s set for Oct. 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa. Besides keynoting the conference on the Friday, she will conduct a Thursday afternoon songwriting master class that will be followed by a Community Sing, a special dinner and awards presentation, and a Presenters and Folk DJ Showcase from 8 p.m. to midnight. Folks can still register online at www.farmfolk.org for the conference.

Fourteen Official Showcase artists have been selected by a panel of judges to perform during this year’s conference. Friday night’s lineup includes (in order of appearance) johnsmith, Gina Forsyth, Roy Schneider & Kim Mayfield, Jon Brooks, The Deep Hollow, The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, and The Don Juans. Gracing the stage on Saturday night will be Linda McRae, Noah Zacharin, The Lords of Liechtenstein, Beth Wood and David Stoddard, Leaf Rapids, Claudia Russell & Bruce Kaplan, and Kenny White.

Friday and Saturday afternoons will feature an array of workshops and panel discussions, while the evenings’ official showcases will be preceded and followed by Performance Lane (an open mic of sorts featuring select artists who are not performing in juried showcases), private showcases hosted by conference attendees in their hotel rooms, jams, song circles and community singing that extend from midnight into the early morning hours.

During the conference, Sally Porter, who has been a staple of the Mid-Michigan folk community for many years, will receive FARM’s Folk Tradition in the Midwest Lifetime Award, while Sue Kessell, a folk DJ at Northwester University’s WNUR, among other things, will be given the 2016 Lantern Bearer Award.

The Folk Achievement in the Midwest Lifetime Award is an annual honor bestowed on an individual who has made a significant contribution to the region’s folk community for at least 25 years. A singer, song leader and producer of numerous acoustic music events, Porter has volunteered her services as booking manager for Ten Pound Fiddle — which hosts more than 30 concerts each season at venues around Greater Lansing, Michigan — for the past eight years. Inspired by the Wheatland Music Organization’s Wheat Scouts program, she also spearheaded the creation of Fiddle Scouts, a monthly interactive music and dance gathering that draws 40-60 children, ages 3-12. Porter, who performed in the folk trio Second Opinion from 1989-2001 and founded the Mid-Winter Singing Festival in 2003, has been leading large monthly Community Sings since 2004 and has inspired many others to launch community-based singing programs in their areas. A high school economics teacher, Porter also sings with the Arts Chorale of Greater Lansing.

The Lantern Bearer Award is given to an individual who has contributed locally and regionally to folk performance and the folk music and dance community for 25 years or more. Kessell, whose lifelong love of folk music began in her teens, has been a host of the “Folk Show” on WNUR since 2000. She is also a longtime board member of Chicago’s Old Time School of Folk Music, with which she first got involved as a student taking guitar lessons. She later served as its volunteer coordinator and created a membership program for the nonprofit educational organization and volunteered as its membership coordinator for nine years. Kessell, who manages affordable housing for senior citizens during the day, is also an active participant in international folk dancing.

A Taste of FARM will afford those individuals who only want to attend the evening concerts (Presenters and Folk DJ Showcase on Thursday and Official Showcases on Friday and Saturday) an opportunity to do so. One-night is $20, while a three-night pass costs $50. For more information and to purchase those, visit www.farmfolk.org/farm-2016/taste-of-farm/.

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As previously noted, FAR-West and FARM are part of the larger Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org). Billy Bragg, a Grammy Award-winning UK-based artist and activist, keynotes the 29th International Folk Alliance Conference that is set for Feb.15-19 in Kansas City, Missouri, and also will feature an awards gala, a three-day music camp and a daylong indoor Kansas City Folk Festival on Sunday. The conference theme is Forbidden Folk: (a celebration of activism in art).

Folk Alliance International has three other regional affiliates. The Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA) held its annual conference in Austin, Texas earlier this fall, while the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has slated its 22nd annual conference for Nov. 10-13 in Stamford, Connecticut; an article previewing the NERFA event will be posted on AcousticMusicScene.com later this month. The Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) conference takes place next May in Montreat, North Carolina.

Editor’s Note: A board member of Folk Alliance International, I also serve as vice president of NERFA’s board of directors.

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.

Alternates include Aengus Finnan, Libby Koch, Guillermo Serpas, Daniel Makins, Emily Herring and Ashlee Rose. These six artists will showcase their talents following a pool party on Thursday night. Charlie Stewart emcees.

In addition to the official showcases, various artists, presenters and others will host afternoon and late-night showcases in their hotel rooms; while singer-songwriter Butch Morgan will host open mics by the pool. A number of informative seminars and panel discussions are being planned for the daytime hours, while attendees also can visit the exhibit hall.

Although the conference begins Thursday evening with an open mic by the pool, a meet and greet and open mic for early arrivers will take place the previous night at Threadgill’s North. The conference concludes on Sunday with a brunch, followed by SWRFA’s popular song assignment performances. All artists who are registered for the conference are given a random song topic to write during the weekend and perform on Sunday afternoon.

Following the conference, from 4-10 p.m, a Be-Bob-Alooza supporting Austin singer-songwriters takes place at Nutty Brown Café & Amphitheater. Featured performing artists at the event, for which admission is $10, include Brian Batch of Alpha Rev, Will Taylor & Strings Attached, The Belle Sounds, Albert & Gage, Danny Britt & Marvin Kykhuis, and Austin singer-songwriters Charlie Faye, Michael Fracasso, David Halley, Tommy Elskes, and Doster & Cheevers.

Although focused on the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, the SWRFA Conference draws people from throughout the U.S. and Canada. SWRFA (www.swfolkalliance.org) is part of the larger Folk Alliance International, an association that seeks 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.