Huntington Folk Festival – AcousticMusicScene.com https://acousticmusicscene.com Sun, 16 Jul 2023 12:08:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 AcousticMusicScene.com Co-presents 2023 Huntington Folk Festival on July 22 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2023/07/16/acousticmusicscene-com-co-presents-2023-huntington-folk-festival-on-july-22/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 11:39:14 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=12662 2023 Huntington Folk Festival e-flyer jpgThe 17th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 22, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12:30 -10 p.m., with a dinner break from 6-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 58th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. An evening concert featuring acclaimed touring singer-songwriters Lucy Kaplansky and Cliff Eberhardt will be preceded by a series of amplified song swaps and an open mic during the afternoon.

Hailed as “the songwriter laureate of modern city folk,” (The Boston Globe), Lucy Kaplansky is a New York City-based contemporary folk singer-songwriter with a luminous voice whose recordings have frequently topped the folk and Americana radio charts. Among the most respected and covered touring songwriters on the folk scene, Massachusetts-based Cliff Eberhardt, like Kaplansky, cut his musical teeth playing NYC clubs centered around Greenwich Village during the folk/songwriter renaissance of the 1980s. When not doing their own thing, Kaplansky and Eberhardt have been part of an On a Winter’s Night tour that also features John Gorka and Patty Larkin.

Prior to the evening concert on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage, Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, conducts an on-stage conversational interview with the evening’s featured artists at 7:15 p.m. He also emcees a series of amplified song swaps from 1:30-4 p.m. near a canopy tent on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage and from 4-6 p.m. on-stage. These will be preceded by an hour-long open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Toby Tobias, who co-hosts the NorthShore Original Open Mic (NOOM) that is co-presented by FMSH and the Cinema Arts Centre in the Cinema’s Sky Room on three Wednesday nights each month, while FMSH’s monthly Hard Luck Café concert series takes place on the third Wednesday.

Artists slated to showcase their talents during the afternoon include (in alphabetical order by last name): Josie Bello, Suzanne Ernst, Roger Street Friedman, Rorie Kelly, Ray Lambiase, Bill Lauter, Mara Levine, The Levins, Annie Mark, Stuart Markus, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, Louise Mosrie, Mark Newman, Nico Padden, Carolann Solebello, Hank Stone, Christine Sweeney, and Toby Tobias.

The complete schedule for the Huntington Folk Festival appears below:

Attendees enjoy amplified song swaps on the lawn at Heckscher Park during the 2021 Huntington Folk Festival. This year's festival will feature song swaps on both the lawn and on the park's Chapin Rainbow Stage.
Attendees enjoy amplified song swaps on the lawn at Heckscher Park during the 2021 Huntington Folk Festival. This year’s festival will feature song swaps on both the lawn and on the park’s Chapin Rainbow Stage.
12:30 Open Mic (hosted by Toby Tobias)

1:30 Huntington’s Own: Josie Bello, Suzanne Ernst, Ray Lambiase

2:00 LI Guys: Hank Stone and Bob Westcott

2:30 LI Gals: Rorie Kelly, Nico Padden, Christine Sweeney

3:00 Huntington’s Own II: Bill Lauter, Annie Mark, Mark Newman

4:00 A Pair of Duos: The Levins and Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale

4:30 Let’s Hear It for the Guys: Roger Street Friedman and Toby Tobias

5:00 Classic Folk Covers: Mara Levine and Stuart Markus

5:30 Women of Note: Louise Mosrie Coombe and Carolann Solebello

6:00 Dinner Break

7:15 A Conversation with Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky

8:00 Evening Concert: Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or they can walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington and presented by the Huntington Arts Council. Additional support is provided by Presenting Sponsor Canon U.S.A., with partial funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.

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July 16: AcousticMusicScene.com Copresents the Huntington Folk Festival https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/07/07/acousticmusicscene-com-copresents-huntington-folk-festival-july-16/ Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:54:50 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=12228 The 16th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 16, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon-10 p.m., with a dinner break from 5-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 57th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. ‘An Evening with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins’ will be preceded by a series of amplified showcases and song swaps, along with a musical tribute to Lois Morton and an open mic, during the afternoon.

Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins co-headline the Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 16.
Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins co-headline the Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 16.
Paula Cole is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter best known for the 1990s radio hits “I Don’t Want to Wait” and “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone,” while Sophie B. Hawkins is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough debut Tongues and Tails, which featured the hit song “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.”

Prior to the evening concert on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage, Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com , conducts an on-stage conversational interview with the evening’s featured artists at 7:15 p.m. He also hosts a series of amplified showcases and song swaps from 2-5 p.m. near a canopy tent on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage. These will be preceded by an hour-long open mic hosted by singer-songwriter Toby Tobias, who runs the NorthShore Original Open Mic (NOOM), an Acoustic Ally of FMSH, from 12-1 p.m. and Remembering Lois Morton: A Musical Tribute from 1-2 p.m.

Folks enjoying the 2021 Huntington Folk Festival (iPhone Photo: Michael Kornfeld)
Folks enjoying the 2021 Huntington Folk Festival (iPhone Photo: Michael Kornfeld)
Artists slated to showcase their talents during the afternoon include Allison Leah, Brett Altman, The Levins, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, The Royal Yard, Alan Short, Hank Stone. Christine Sweeney, Us!, Drew Velting, Bob Westcott, and Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes.

From 1-2 p.m, a number of artists will perform and share their reflections on Lois Morton, the late Huntington-based singer-songwriter who delighted audiences throughout the New York metropolitan area and beyond for years with her abundant charm and humorous songs of social commentary on such subjects as cell phones, clutter, diets, psychotherapy, and road rage. Participants in this tribute will include Josie Bello, Kirsten Maxwell, Larry Moser, Richard Parr, Glen Roethel, Dave Anthony Setteducati, Linda Sussman, and others. Here’s a link to a remembrance piece about Lois Morton: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2020/12/20/lois-morton-a-witty-singer-songwriter-1933-2020/.

The complete schedule for the Huntington Folk Festival appears below:

12:00 Open Mic
1:00 Remembering Lois Morton: A Musical Tribute (performances and reflections by Josie Bello, Kirsten Maxwell, Larry Moser, Richard Parr, Glen Roethel, Dave Anthony Setteducati, Linda Sussman, and others)
2:00 Song Swap: Hank Stone and Bob Westcott
2:30 Us!
2:45 Drew Velting
3:00 Christine Sweeney
3:15 Brett Altman
3:30 Allison Leah
3:45 Sea Chanteys: The Royal Yard and Alan Short
4:15 Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale
4:30 The Levins
4:45 Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes
5:00 Dinner Break
7:15 On-Stage Conversation with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins
8:00 Evening Concert on the Chapin Rainbow Stage: Paula Cole & Sophie B. Hawkins

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or they can walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

Although the Huntington Folk Festival is free, attendees are asked to bring donations of nonperishable food to support Long Island Cares, Inc., the regional food bank founded by Harry Chapin. July 16 marks the 41st anniversary of the late Huntington-based singer-songwriter, social activist and humanitarian’s tragic death on the Long Island Expressway, while this year is the 50th anniversary of the release of Chapin’s breakout hit, “Taxi.”

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington and presented by the Huntington Arts Council. Additional support is provided by Presenting Sponsor Canon U.S.A., with partial funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.

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Folk from the North Country Live Streams Jan. 26 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2022/01/22/folk-from-the-north-country-live-streams-jan-26/ Sat, 22 Jan 2022 14:40:00 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=11904 AcousticMusicScene.com team up to present Folk from the North Country – a livestream concert featuring Ontario, Canada-based artists Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Angela Saini and The Young Novelists – on Wednesday , January 26, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Featuring songs and conversation, the show can be viewed online at Harbortown Music’s Facebook page or YouTube channel . It may also be shared via the AcousticMusicScene.com group on Facebook. Although there is no set fee to view the livestream, tips for the artists would be most appreciated (suggested donation: $20) and may be made via paypalme.com/harbortownmusic. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which also includes audio and video links.]]]> Folk from the North Country graphicKathy Sands-Boehmer’s Harbortown Music and Michael Kornfeld’s AcousticMusicScene.com team up to present Folk from the North Country – a livestream concert featuring Ontario, Canada-based artists Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Angela Saini and The Young Novelists – on Wednesday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Featuring songs and conversation, the show can be viewed online at Harbortown Music’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. It may also be shared via the AcousticMusicScene.com group on Facebook. Although there is no set fee to view the livestream, tips for the artists would be most appreciated (suggested donation: $20) and may be made via paypalme.com/harbortownmusic.

About the Artists:

Hailing from the countryside of rural Ontario, Benjamin Dakota Rogers is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist channels his penchant for starry nights and nostalgia into a stylized, hard-driving and powerful Americana sound full of heartbreak and grit featuring guitar, banjo, upright bass, and fiddle. He has released three full-length solo recordings, showcased his talents at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, among others, and has been a four-time international songwriting competition winner and a two-time Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee.

Here’s a link to view a few of Benjamin’s videos: benjamindakotarogers.com/videos.

Angela Saini is a Canadian prairie-raised, Toronto- based folk-pop Americana artist with a positive and uplifting outlook on life. She is all about second chances and empowering others. A 2020 Independent Music Award Nominee and 2017 Toronto Independent Music Award winner, she uplifts and inspires audiences with sing-alongs and storytelling about courage and finding joy in surprising places. Angela has five Canadian tours under her belt, as well as several treks across Germany, The Netherlands and the UK. Best known for her sunshine-soaked song “Living on the Bright Side,” she has showcased her talents at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and at a number of Canadian music festivals. Her ability to combine humanistic and honest themes laden with catchy hooks and memorable melodies make her entertaining as well as relatable.

Here’s a link to view a few of Angela’s videos: angelasaini.com/videos.

The Young Novelists create contemporary folk songs that marry effortless harmonies with darkly poetic lyrics, exquisitely crafted hooks, and the unique sound of bowed glockenspiel. The award-winning Toronto-based husband-and-wife folk-roots duo of Graydon James and Laura Spink share a passion for confessional storytelling and sing songs about small towns, redemption, love and loss. The duo has toured across Canada, the U.S. and Europe and has released three studio albums and a live recording. In 2015, The Young Novelists were named New/Emerging Artist of the Year in the Canadian Folk Music Awards and took first place in the Grassy Hill-CT Folk Songwriting Competition during the 10th annual Connecticut Folk Festival, while James won the Ontario Arts Council’s Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for “Couldn’t Be Any Worse.” The duo has also played coveted juried official showcases during the Folk Alliance International conference and those of its northeast and southeast regional affiliates (NERFA and SERFA).

To view a few videos, visit youngnovelists.com/videos.

About Your Hosts:

The livestream marks a renewed partnership of sorts for Michael Kornfeld and Kathy Sands-Boehmer, who served as president and vice president, respectively, of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) for several years and also co-coordinated one-day conferences and a series of showcases. Kornfeld, a veteran strategic communications and public relations professional – whose clients have included a number of independent recording artists and labels – launched AcousticMusicScene.com in 2007 to provide news, information and commentary for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities. The longtime president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington, a nonprofit presenting organization on Long Island, NY, Kornfeld also serves on the board of Folk Alliance International, curates the annual Huntington Folk Festival, and hosts showcases at various music conferences and festivals. Sands-Boehmer, who served as the booking and publicity manager for Me & Thee Coffeehouse in Marblehead, MA for many years, was an active leader in the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association (BACHA), and has also served as an artist manager, recently launched Harbortown Music as a resource for musicians and venues — building community, while promoting and presenting high-quality music. She works with Stephen Bach of The Digital Docs, who engineers all of Harbortown Music’s virtual shows and lends his technical expertise to the participating artists as well.

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AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Song Swaps During Huntington Folk Festival, July 27 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2019/07/19/acousticmusicscene-com-hosts-song-swaps-during-huntington-folk-festival-july-27/ Fri, 19 Jul 2019 11:58:02 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=10586 Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III headlines the 14th Annual Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 27, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, NY. Opening for Wainwright on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage at 8 p.m. that evening will be his daughter, Lucy Wainwright Roche. Extending from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with a dinner break from 6-8 p.m., the free event – co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council – is part of the 54th Huntington Summer Arts Festival.

Loudon Wainwright III headlines the 14th annual Huntington Folk Festival.
Loudon Wainwright III headlines the 14th annual Huntington Folk Festival.
Few songwriters have laid out their lives in song as graphically as Loudon Wainwright III, a 2010 Grammy Award-winner (Best Traditional Folk Album) for High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (with two previous Grammy nominations for I’m Alright in 1985 and More Love Songs in 1986). The singer-songwriter, humorist and actor is, perhaps, best known for his 1972 novelty song “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road).” Maintains Stephen Holden of The New York Times: “Mr. Wainwright has proved to be far and away the most candid diarist among the singer-songwriters who … brought confessional poetry into popular song…”

Prior to the evening concert, Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, will host a series of song swaps from 12-6 p.m. These will take place near a canopy tent on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage and will feature more than 30 artists/acts from half-a-dozen states and a Canadian province. Unlike the unplugged showcases of previous years, these will be amplified. The day’s musical festivities begin with an open mic-song circle at 11 a.m.

Among the artists who will showcase their talents during the afternoon are Lisa Bastoni, Belle of the Fall, Melanie Brulée, Christian Diana, Roger Street Friedman, Genevieve, Sharon Goldman, Loretta Hagen, Marion Halliday, Joe Iadanza, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Terry Kitchen, Scott Krokoff, Mara Levine, The Levins, Lipkin & Hitt, Annie Mark, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale, Kate Mills, Lois Morton, Grace Morrison, Claudia Nygaard, Siobhan O’Brien, Anne O’Rourke, Nico Padden, D.B. Rielly, Eugene Ruffolo, Hank Stone, Jonathan Tea, and Toby Tobias.

Here’s the complete schedule for the Huntington Folk Festival:

11:00 Open Mic – Song Circle

12:00 LI Guys of Note: Roger Street Friedman, Scott Krokoff, Toby Tobias

12:30 Emerging Talents: Genevieve, Marion Halliday, Kate Mills, Anne O’Rourke

1:30 A Musical Mix: Christian Diana, Annie Mark, Lois Morton

2:00 NJ Songsters: Sharon Goldman, Loretta Hagen, Jonathan Tea

2:30 Musical Potpourri: Terry Kitchen, Mara Levine, Eugene Ruffolo

3:00 Kerrville New Folk Winners 2019: Lisa Bastoni, D.B. Rielly

3:30 Tribes Hill – Hudson Valley Songsters: Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Lipkin & Hitt

4:00 A Trio of Duos: Belle of the Fall, The Levins, Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale

4:30 Women of Note: Melanie Brulée, Grace Morrison, Claudia Nygaard, Siobhan O’Brien

5:30 FMSH Members Song Swap: Joe Iadanza, Nico Padden, Hank Stone

6:00 Dinner Break

8:00 Lucy Wainwright Roche

8:30 Loudon Wainwright III

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or they can walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

Huntington Folk Festival 2019 Flyer

The Huntington Folk Festival is part of an extended folk and Americana weekend at Heckscher Park. Long Island talent will be spotlighted on Thursday night, July 25, with a shared bill featuring folk-harmony trio Gathering Time and singer-songwriter Christine Sweeney. On Friday night, July 26, the Crys Mathews Trio will grace the stage. Although both concerts are set for 8 p.m., Kornfeld will conduct a 7:15 p.m. special on-stage interview-conversation with Matthews, the grand-prize winner in the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. Crystal Bowersox – a rising star whose influences span across folk-pop, classic rock, soul, blues and country – closes out the weekend on Sunday night.

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington, presented by the Huntington Arts Council, and sponsored in part by the New York State Council on the Arts, the County of Suffolk and Canon U.S.A.

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AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Showcases During Huntington Folk Festival, July 29 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2018/07/21/acousticmusicscene-com-hosts-showcases-during-huntington-folk-festival-july-29/ Sat, 21 Jul 2018 14:01:51 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=10044
Tom Rush and Michael Kornfeld (Photo: Gordon Nash)
Tom Rush and Michael Kornfeld (Photo: Gordon Nash)
Legendary folksinger-songwriter Tom Rush (accompanied by up-and-comer Matt Nakoa on piano and percussionist Marshal Rosenberg) headlines the 13th annual Huntington Folk Festival on Sunday, July 29, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon to 10:30 p.m., the free event – co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council – is part of the 53rd Huntington Summer Arts Festival.

An on-stage song swap featuring Long Island’s own Miles & Mafale and Carolann Solebello will precede Rush’s evening performance on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage. Prior to the featured concert at 8 p.m., Folk Music Society of Huntington President Michael Kornfeld’s AcousticMusicScene.com and Joltin’ Joe Pszonek’s Radio Nowhere will host unplugged showcases and song swaps from 12 noon to 6 p.m. These will take place near canopy tents on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage and will feature more than three-dozen artists/acts from New York and five other states.

Artists who will showcase their talents during the afternoon include:

From Long Island: Acoustic Apple, Karen Bella, Rorie Kelly, Cathy Kreger, Lois Morton, Anne O’Rourke, Nico Padden, Steve Robinson, Les Stoller, Hank Stone, Christine Sweeney, Toby Tobias, Bob Westcott.

From Elsewhere: Antonio Andrade (PA), Rick Barth (NJ), Belle of the Fall (CT), Kate Callahan (CT), Meghan Cary (PA), Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers (NY), Kala Farnham (CT), Loretta Hagen (NJ), Marion Halliday (PA), Lara Herscovitch (CT), Gina Holsopple (upstate NY), Mara Levine (NJ), The Lied To’s (MA), Austin MacRae (upstate NY), Dennis MC DoNoUgh! (NJ), The Meadows Brothers (CT), Randie O’Neill (NJ), Open Book (upstate NY), The Promise is Hope (MA), Ed Romanoff (NYC), Katherine Rondeau (NJ), Allison Rose (RI), Eugene Ruffolo (NYC), Sparrow Blue (MA), Kate Vargas & the Reckless Daughters (NYC).

The daytime schedule appears below:

AcousticMusicScene.com Showcase
(Host: Michael Kornfeld)

Singer-Songwriter Toby Tobias (Photo: Michael Kornfeld)
Singer-Songwriter Toby Tobias (Photo: Michael Kornfeld)

12:00: Huntington’s Own: Cathy Kreger, Lois Morton, Toby Tobias

12:30: LI Guys: Steve Robinson, Les Stoller, Hank Stone, Bob Westcott

1:15: LI Women’s Voices: Karen Bella, Rorie Kelly, Anne O’Rourke, Nico Padden

2:00: NYC: Ed Romanoff, Eugene Ruffolo, Kate Vargas & the Reckless Daughters

2:30: I’m From New Jersey: Loretta Hagen, Mara Levine, Dennis MC DoNoUgh!

3:00: Acoustic Roots: Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers, The Meadows Brothers

3:30: Upstate New York Voices: Gina Holsopple, Austin MacRae, Open Book

4:00: New Englanders: Kala Farnham, Allison Rose, Belle of the Fall

4:30: Mass. Appeal: The Lied To’s, The Promise Is Hope, Sparrow Blue

5:00: Connecticut State Troubadours: Kate Callahan, Lara Herscovitch

5:30: Keystone Staters: Antonio Andrade, Meghan Cary (with Peter Farrell)

Radio Nowhere Showcase
(Host: Joe Pszonek)

Belle of the Fall
Belle of the Fall

12:00: Christine Sweeney
12:20: Dennis MC DoNoUgh!
12:40: Acoustic Apple
1.00: Randie O’Neill
1:20: Rick Barth
1:40: Kate Callahan
2:00: Belle of the Fall
2:20: Hank Stone Band
2:40: Katherine Rondeau
3:00: Rorie Kelly
3:20: The Promise Is Hope
3:40: Nico Padden
4:00: Lara Herscovitch
4:20: Ed Romanoff
4:40: Marion Halliday
5:00: Austin MacRae
5:20: Loretta Hagen
5:40: Mara Levine

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The Huntington Folk Festival caps a weekend of folk, roots and Americana concerts and musical events. Long Island talent is spotlighted on Friday night, July 27, with a shared bill featuring folk-harmony trio Gathering Time and singer-songwriter Kirsten Maxwell. On Saturday afternoon, July 28, from 2-5 p.m., Phil LoFaso and the duo Acoustic Apple host two hours of open song circles, followed by an hour-long audience participatory set of Pirate Tunes and Sailor Songs with Scuttlebutt Stu (Stuart Markus) on the hill overlooking the Chapin Rainbow Stage. The Jeremy Kittel Trio, fronted by the acclaimed fiddler, takes the stage at 8 p.m.

The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington, presented by the Huntington Arts Council, and sponsored in part by the New York State Council for the Arts, the County of Suffolk and Canon U.S.A.

Flyer-2018-08-Festival with schedules in color and using whiteHAClogos

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Michael Kornfeld Re-Elected President of Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Board https://acousticmusicscene.com/2017/11/19/michael-kornfeld-re-elected-president-of-northeast-regional-folk-alliance-board/ Sun, 19 Nov 2017 18:06:29 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=9717
AcousticMusicScene.com's Michael Kornfeld speaks during the 2017 NERFA Conference in Stamford, CT. (Photo: Neale Eckstein)
AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld speaks during the 2017 NERFA Conference in Stamford, CT. (Photo: Neale Eckstein)
Michael Kornfeld, editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, was re-elected to a second term as president of the board of directors of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) during its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, CT, November 9-12, 2017.

NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a Kansas City-based nonprofit organization (on whose board he also serves) that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance. NERFA (www.nerfa.org) extends from the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC north through the Mid-Atlantic and New England states, as well as the eastern provinces of Canada.

A strategic communications and public relations professional and past president of two NYC metro area professional associations in his field, Kornfeld also is president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington and coordinates the annual Huntington Folk Festival that it presents each summer in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council.

For the 11th consecutive year at the NERFA Conference that drew more than 700 people, Kornfeld hosted a popular AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot featuring a few singing folk DJs and more than three-dozen independent recording artists and acts from throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as late-night music showcases – including an extended O Canada song swap featuring more than a dozen Canadian acts that helped to close out the conference. He also promoted a few singer-songwriters and groups and did some one-on-one mentoring.

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AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Song Swaps During Huntington Folk Festival, July 29 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2017/07/20/acousticmusicscene-com-hosts-song-swaps-during-huntington-folk-festival-july-29/ Thu, 20 Jul 2017 11:40:59 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=9511 Sarah Lee Guthrie and The Mammals (featuring Mike & Ruthy) will co-headline the 12th Annual Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 29, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon to 10:30 p.m., the free festival – co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council – is part of the 52nd Huntington Summer Arts Festival.

The theme for the evening concert is Generations. Performing on the park’s Chapin Rainbow Stage at 8:30 p.m. will be Sarah Lee Guthrie and The Mammals (featuring Mike & Ruthy). Talented artists in their own right, Sarah Lee is the daughter of Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, while Ruth Ungar is the daughter of Jay Ungar (a noted fiddler and composer of the folk classic “Ashokan Farewell’). A special on-stage song swap — NERFA Presents Young Folk: Alice Howe and Mike Tedesco – is set for 8 p.m. [NERFA is an acronym for Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International.]

Prior to the evening concert, Michael Kornfeld, who is president of both FMSH and NERFA and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, and Joe Pszonek of Joltin Joe’s Radio Nowhere Internet Radio (streaming @ radionowhere903.com), will host unplugged showcases and song swaps from 1-6 p.m. These will take place near canopy tents on the upper lawn area overlooking the stage and will feature more than three-dozen artists/acts from New York and several other states. The day’s musical festivities begin with an open mic at noon.

The afternoon lineup includes Jeremy Aaron, Clint Alphin, Alexis von Aulock, Emily Barnes, Tucker Bickell, Bill Buttner, Chris J. Connolly, Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers, Karen Dahlstrom, Folkapotamus, Marci Geller, Cosby Gibson & Tom Staudle, He-Bird, She-Bird, Gina Holsopple, Alice Howe, Josh Joffen, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Colleen Kattau, Rorie Kelly, Ray Lambiase, Mara Levine, Lori Llyn, Annie Mark, Kirsten Maxwell, Stuart Markus, Catherine Miles and Jay Mafale (The YaYas), Lois Morton, Emily Mure, Nico Padden, Steven Pelland, Katherine Rondeau, John Sonntag, Hank Stone, Christine Sweeney, Sweet Little Bloodhound, Toby Tobias, and The Whispering Tree.

Flyer-2017-07-Festival-Front-FINAL-color-3

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The Huntington Folk Festival highlights a folk and Americana weekend at Heckscher Park that also features concerts by Long Island-based indie folk-rock band Miles to Dayton (Friday July 28) and The Sweet Remains, a nationally touring act with harmonies reminiscent of CSN, The Eagles and Simon & Garfunkel (Sunday, July 30). The Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington, presented by the Huntington Arts Council, and sponsored in part by the New York State Council for the Arts, the County of Suffolk and Canon U.S.A.

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Clint Alphin is Telluride Troubadour Winner https://acousticmusicscene.com/2017/06/19/clint-alphin-is-telluride-troubadour-winner/ Mon, 19 Jun 2017 20:56:54 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=9472
Clint Alphin
Clint Alphin
Clint Alphin, a Nashville, Tennessee-based singer songwriter, won the 2017 Telluride Troubadour Competition and had the opportunity to perform a short set on the main stage during the 44th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 15-18.

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Alphin was one of ten finalists chosen from among more than 300 entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall presentation. After performing in two finalist rounds on the Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride during the festival, Alphin was named the winner, awarded cash and other prizes, and performed a 15-minute main stage set on June 17.

“I’m really excited about winning this contest,” said Alphin. He noted that Telluride Troubadour is both the first major contest he’s won and, in 2013, the first one to accept him as a finalist.

Expressing gratitude for having been selected from among “so many talented artists,” Alphin notes: “Even more special was the ability to share this experience with friends like Shannon Wurst, Lauren Pratt, and Chase Gassaway, who have been fellow musical travelers and sources of inspiration and collaboration. I also felt like I got a dose of good fortune getting greetings and hugs from Anna Tivel and Caitlin Canty, the two past winners of this contest, whose music is as good and genuine as they are as people.”

Clint Alphin performs at Telluride
Clint Alphin performs at Telluride
Alphin noted, however, that there was “a touch of bittersweetness to my win this year, since the past two times I’ve been a finalist, my parents were in the audience.” Although they could not be at the festival this year, Alphin said “they were very excited and proud of me when I told them the news.”

Alphin, who moved to Nashville in 2003, hails from North Carolina and cites James Taylor, a fellow Tar Heel State native, as a major influence. Previously a Telluride Troubadour finalist in 2013 and 2015, Alphin also was a finalist in the 2015 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and in the 2015 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition. East Coast folk fans will have an opportunity to hear him this summer when he performs at the Huntington Folk Festival on Long Island, New York (Sunday, July 29) and in the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in upstate Hillsdale, NY (Friday, Aug. 4). More information on Alphin may be found online at www.clintalphin.com.

Second- to fifth-place honors at Telluride went to Heather Mae (Washington, DC), Lauren Pratt (Boston, MA), Heather Aubrey Lloyd (Baltimore, MD), and Chase Gassaway (Austin, TX), respectively.

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Michael Kornfeld Elected President of NERFA https://acousticmusicscene.com/2016/11/27/michael-kornfeld-elected-president-of-nerfa/ Sun, 27 Nov 2016 16:48:35 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=9065
Michael Kornfeld (right) is shown with David Amram, a widely acclaimed composer and must-instrumentalist.
Michael Kornfeld (right) is shown with David Amram, a widely acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist.
Michael Kornfeld, editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, was elected as president of the board of directors of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) during its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, CT, Nov. 10-13. Kornfeld had previously served as the nonprofit organization’s vice president. NERFA is the largest regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a Kansas City-based organization (on whose board he also serves) that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance.

NERFA fosters and promotes member initiatives primarily in the following U.S. states and Canadian Provinces: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Greenland, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as three counties in northern Virginia.

Kornfeld also is president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington, a presenting organization on suburban Long Island, New York, and forged a locally heralded partnership between FMSH and LI’s Cinema Arts Centre. He also coordinates the annual Huntington Folk Festival that the Society presents each summer in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council. An award-winning strategic communications and public relations professional, Kornfeld launched AcousticMusicScene.com, an online publication for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities, in January 2007, and arranges and hosts artist showcases and song swaps under its banner during various music conferences and festivals.

For the 10th consecutive year at the NERFA Conference that drew nearly 800 people, Kornfeld hosted a popular AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot featuring several singing folk DJs and 40 independent recording artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as late-night music showcases. He also moderated a panel discussion on The Folk Revival of the 1960s that featured acclaimed artists David Amram and Tom Paxton, participated in one on strengthening artist bios and news releases, and promoted a few singer-songwriters and groups.

Michael Kornfeld leads a community meeting with the during the recent NERFA Conference in this artistically enhanced image by Neale Eckstein.
Michael Kornfeld leads a community meeting with the board during the recent NERFA Conference in this artistically enhanced image by Neale Eckstein.
Kornfeld, a nine-year member of the NERFA board, succeeds Cheryl Prashker, a member of the Celtic group RUNA and percussionist to the folkies, as its board president. He had served as vice president during most of her seven-year presidency. The board’s new vice president is Kathy Sands-Boehmer of the Me & Thee Coffeehouse in Marblehead, MA, who also serves as, president of the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association (BACHA), while its new treasurer is Terry Mutchler, owner of Pennsylvania-based Mountain Top Productions. Re-elected by her board colleagues as secretary is Jessica Wrubel of Rhode Island-based Razzi Entertainment. Rounding out the board are Ethan S. Baird (of the band Pesky J. Nixon), Ramona LaBarre (from Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA), singer-songwriters Jory Nash (Toronto, Ontario) and Karyn Oliver (New York, NY), and Prashker. NERFA’s longtime conference director is Dianne Tankle.

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AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Song Swaps at 11th Annual Huntington Folk Festival, July 30 https://acousticmusicscene.com/2016/07/20/acousticmusicscene-com-hosts-song-swaps-at-11th-annual-huntington-folk-festival-july-30/ Wed, 20 Jul 2016 16:00:41 +0000 http://acousticmusicscene.com/?p=8829 Slaid Cleaves, an acclaimed Maine-bred and Texas-based singer-songwriter, headlines the 11th Annual Huntington Folk Festival on Saturday, July 30 at Huntington, New York’s Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue. Extending from noon until l0:30 p.m., the free festival – co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington (FMSH) and the Huntington Arts Council – is part of the 51st Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival. AcousticMusicScene.com hosts song swaps during the afternoon.

Flyer-2016-07-Festival-FINAL-color-2Opening for Cleaves at 8:30 p.m. will be Huntington’s own Kirsten Maxwell, a young singer-songwriter who has been drawing national attention and accolades over the past year.

Prior to the evening concert on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage, AcousticMusicScene.com and the Folk Music Society of Huntington will host unplugged showcases and song swaps on the lawn featuring artists from five states performing near canopy tents from noon until 6 p.m. An open mic is also set for noon.

Artists slated to perform during the afternoon include Jeremy Aaron, Acoustic Apple, Blair Bodine, Addie Brownlee, Rob Carlson & Benefit Street, Greg Cornell and the Cornell Brothers, Dan and Faith, Bryan Gallo, He-Bird, She-Bird, Josh Joffen, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Colleen Kattau, Rorie Kelly, Terry Kitchen, Ray Lambiase, Richard Lanahan, Eric Lee, Mara Levine, Dennis McDonough, Lois Morton, My Dad’s Truck, James O’Malley, Steven Pelland, Pluck & Rail, Hank Stone, Aly Tadros, Jessy Tomsko, Carla Ulbrich and Letitia VanSant. The daytime schedules follow and also appear on www.fmsh.org.

AcousticMusicScene.com Tent
(Hosted by Michael Kornfeld)

12:00 LI Artists Spotlight: Ray Lambiase, Richard Lanahan, Hank Stone
12:30 Aly Tadros, Jesse Tomsko
1:00 Fiddlin’ Around: Jeremy Aaron, Eric Lee
1:30 Terry Kitchen, Mara Levine, Dennis McDonough
2:00 Mass. Appeal: Dan & Faith, Steven Pelland
2:30 Kerrville New Folk Winners: Addie Brownlee, Josh Joffen
3:00 Hudson Valley Songsters: Susan Kane, Judy Kass
3:30 Colleen Kattau, James O’Malley
4:00 Blair Bodine, Letitia Van Sant
4:30 Funny Folk: Lois Morton, Carla Ulbrich
5:00 Rob Carlson & Benefit Street
5:15 Roots Round: Greg Cornell, He-Bird, She-Bird, Pluck & Rail

Folk Music Society of Huntington Tent
(Hosted by Lee Ann Rush and Gary Schoenberger)

12:00 Open Mic
1:00 Acoustic Apple
1:15 Bryan Gallo
1:30 Carla Ulbrich
1:45 Richard Lanahan
2:00 Friends On The Journey
(Lora Kendall, Suzanne Ernst & Vincent Crici)
2:15 Letitita VanSant
2:30 Dennis McDonough
2:45 He-Bird, She-Bird
3:00 Hank Stone
3:15 Terry Kitchen & Mara Levine
3:30 Rob Carlson & Benefit Street
3:45 Steven Pelland
4:00 Rorie Kelly
4:15 Greg Cornell & the Cornell Brothers
4:30 James O’Malley
4:45 My Dad’s Truck

Festivalgoers are advised to bring lawn chairs and blankets and a picnic supper (or walk into Huntington Village and enjoy a meal at one of its many restaurants).

The 5ist Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival is produced by the Town of Huntington, presented by the Huntington Arts Council, and sponsored in part by the New York State Council for the Arts, the County of Suffolk and Canon U.S.A

Editor’s Note: I also serve as president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington, an all-volunteer nonprofit presenting organization on Long Island, and coordinate the festival in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council.

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