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.

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.

Years ago, I encouraged Lois to attend the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conference and to apply for showcases at it. Accompanying herself on a mini-piano during the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase at the 2011 NERFA Conference, she drew a standing ovation from an audience that was captivated by her and thoroughly enchanted with her funny songs. Selected for an official juried showcase in 2012, Lois repeated that feat (a rarity at NERFA conferences). At my urging, she applied for and secured another official juried showcase a few years later.

Lois earned the praise of noted folk DJs like John Platt and Rich Warren. “Don’t be deceived. Underneath Lois Morton’s sweet grandmotherly demeanor lurks a wickedly clever songwriter,” Platt, host of Sunday Supper on New York’s WFUV, once commented. “The legacy of Tom Lehrer lives on in Lois.” Warren, the recently retired host of the long-running, nationally syndicated The Midnight Special, played her songs frequently and also invited her to perform live in Chicago on his WFMT radio program and concert series, Folkstage. Her song “The Diet is Cast” received an Imprint Radio Award from the late upstate New York folk DJ Terry Doyle for Best Live Performance and also was nominated for a 2012 MAC Award by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. She received a 2014 MAC Award for a New York City cabaret revue, 20th Century Girl (featuring songs from her 2013 album of the same name), that was performed at Don’t Tell Mama and The Duplex.

[Here’s a link to a video of Lois Morton performing “The Diet is Cast:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZb30xZjUZc.]

Lois was also the subject of a cover feature in Acoustic Live! in New York City & Beyond. Richard Cuccaro, its editor & publisher, opined: “For any concertgoer who loves intricate wordplay, Lois is a lodestone discovery. Truly a gem.” Singer-Songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore, with whom she took courses at the Omega Institute, described her songs as “a beautiful blend of biting wit, constant surprises and poignant, human stories. They alternately provoke us to laughter at our modern foibles and touch our hearts with timeless, tender, heartfelt sharing.” Lois was also a frequent attendee of the Summersongs and Wintersongs songwriting camps in upstate New York.

She released three CDs of original songs – As I See It, Doorways In Time and 20th Century Girl – and, in November 2019, a six-song EP entitled Thinking It Through. In addition to her own topical songs, which she began writing in the late 1960s, and several of which were published in Broadside Magazine, Lois brought to life the legendary Edith Piaf in a lecture-cabaret program featuring songs and stories and also performed a show called “Raisins and Almonds: Jewish Songs for the Heart.”

Lois leaves behind a daughter (Amy), a son (Philip), three grandchildren, and a trove of songs that I hope will be discovered and enjoyed by people for years to come. Below are links to just a few of the many videos of her performing them that appear on YouTube:

“Twentieth Century Girl”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQaY9R2aBtk

“The Cell Phone Song”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84Kg2n-cTI

“Confessions of a Clutterholic”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5kbjYkFR58

“The Diet Is Cast” (performed live at the 2016 NERFA Conference)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PemwZlKZzA

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).

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.

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)

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)

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.

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.

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.

The NERFA Conference – being held in Stamford for the first time after outgrowing its previous location in The Catskills of upstate New York — will feature several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps/in-the-rounds, an open mic, informal jam sessions, informative panel discussions and workshops, a keynote by singer-songwriter Christine Lavin, mentoring sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, 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.

Among the more than 30 workshops slated during the conference are a two-hour songwriting session with Tom Paxton; a Wisdom of the Elders panel featuring Nora Guthrie, Tom Rush and Noel Paul Stookey, and a panel discussion on The Folk Revival of the ‘60s moderated by AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld and interspersed with performances of songs from the era by panelists David Amram and Paxton. Rush also will participate in a short Q &A session following the screening of the documentary “Tom Rush – No Regrets.” By popular demand, there will be two fast-paced 90-minute “On the Griddle” instant critique sessions. Sarah Craig will explore “The Rebirth of Caffe Lena: How We Saved America’s Longest-Running Folk Club,” while Nora Guthrie, daughter of the legendary American folksinger and songwriter, will discuss Holy Ground: Woody Guthrie’s Yiddish Connection.” During other workshops and panel discussion, attendees will learn how to build a loyal audience for their venues, spruce up their online image, strengthen their bios and news releases, make a radio-ready recording, listen for that sideman, prepare contracts, and stay healthy on the road. Singer-Songwriters Amy Soucy and Karyn Oliver will lead morning yoga sessions, while MusiCares will fit folks for custom earplugs.

Juried and Guerrilla Showcases Abound

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference ballrooms to catch short sets by 30 additional artists who were selected by a different set of judges. Performing in tricentric showcases on Friday night are The Brother Brothers, Cricket Blue, The Doll Sisters, Ian Foster, The Gaslight Tinkers, Manitoba Hal, Louise Mosrie, Red Tail Ring, Monica Rizzio, Ryanhood, Putnam Smith with April Reed-Cox, Carolann Solebello, Suzie Vinnick, Rupert Wates, and Dan Weber. Saturday’s Tricentric Showcase artists include Cliff Eberhardt, Freebo, Tret Fure, Connor Garvey, Dave Gunning, Heather Mae, Phil Henry Acoustic Trio, Tish Hinojosa, Kirsten Maxwell, Linda McRae, Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, Tom Rush, Bethel Steele, Noel Paul Stookey, and Heather Styka.

Following the juried showcases each evening (as well as on Friday and Saturday 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. Community sings, open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the musical mix. Musicians also are apt to stake out other areas of the hotel and jam until 4 or 5 a.m.


AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Artists and Singing Folk DJs


An overflow crowd will likely descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com suite (2031) 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 40 artists/acts – each performing one song.

Now in its 10th 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.

A house band comprised of Mark Dann (bass), Efrat (violin), Eric Lee (violin), Marshal Rosenberg (percussion), and Nick Russo (banjo) also will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

As in recent years, the musical festivities in the AcousticMusicScene.com room will wrap up on Saturday overnight with an extended “O Canada” song swap. Carrying their instruments and the maple leaf, a number of talented Canadian artists will march into the room at 2 a.m. singing their national anthem.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below.

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, Jon Stein

Artists: Jeremy Aaron, Antonio Andrade, Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, The Belle Hollows, Jim Bizer & Jan Krist, Sophie Buskin, Rob Carlson, Meghan Cary: Sing Louder, Shawna Caspi, Greg Cornell and the Cornell Brothers, Cricket Blue, Vincent Cross, Crowes Pasture, Efrat, Freebo, Friction Farm, Gathering Sparks, Gathering Time, Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick, Stuart Kabak, Brian Kalinec, Judy Kass, Ladybird, Eric Lee, Mara Levine, Gigi Love, Anna Ludlow, Kirsten Maxwell, Mike McKenna Jr., Emily Mure, Dan Navarro, Kaitlyn Raitz & Ben Plotnick, Red Tail Ring, Bill Scorzari, Hank Stone, Shawn Taylor, The End of America, The Everly Set, Avi Wisnia, The YaYas

Grassy Hill Youth Scholarship Recipients: Sara Chodak, Ayssa Dann

House Band: Mark Dann (bass), Efrat (violin), Eric Lee (violin), Marshal Rosenberg (percussion), Nick Russo (banjo)

Friday Afternoon

2:30 Long Island Sound: Rorie Kelly, Scott Krokoff, Hank Stone

3:00 Keystone Staters: Ladybird, Robert Bobby Duo, The End of America

3:30 Keystone Staters: Meghan Cary: Sing Louder, Mist-Covered Mountains, Aaron Nathans

4:00 Joan & Joni: Allison Shapira & Kipyn Martin

4:30 “I’m From New Jersey”: Sharon Goldman, Dennis McDoNoUgh!, John Sonntag

Friday Late Night

11:45 CT State Troubadours: Kate Callahan, Kristen Graves, Lara Herscovitch

12:15 Rob Carlson and Benefit Street

12:30 Funny Folk: Lois Morton, Carla Ulbrich

1:00 Strings & Songs: Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, Efrat

1:30 Roots-Americana – Greg Cornell & the Cornell Brothers, He-Bird, She-Bird, Pluck & Rail

2:00 Mass. Appeal – Stephanie Corby, Neale Eckstein, Eric Lee, Steven Pelland, Monica Rizzio, Jim Trick

Note: Mass. Appeal will extend until 3 a.m.

Saturday Afternoon

2:00 Maine Event: Connor Garvey, Putnam Smith (with April Reed-Cox), Sorcha, Ashley Storrow,

3:00 Pirate Camp: Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick, Diane Perry, Hank Stone

3:30 Pirate Camp: Jacob Johnson, Elaine Romanelli. The Whispering Tree

4:00 Pirate Camp: Susan Kane, Judy Kass

4:30 Pirate Camp: Freebo, Stuart Kabak, Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio

11:45 Pesky J. Nixon

12:00 Harmonic Convergence: Mike Agranoff, Gathering Time, Mara Levine

12:30 Female Folk: Kate Copeland, Rachael Kilgour, Kirsten Maxwell

1:00 Two Trios: The Boxcar Lilies, Cole, Nakoa & Treacher

1:30 The Belle Hollows and Friction Farm

2:00 O Canada: Shawna Caspi, Durham County Poets, Ian Foster, Gathering Sparks, Irish Mythen, Erika Kulnys, Anna Ludlow, Manitoba Hal, David Newland, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Suzie Vinnick, Katherine Wheatley, The Young Novelists (Percussion: Cheryl Prashker)

Note: O Canada will extend until 3:30 a.m. or thereabouts.

One-Day On-Site Conference Registration Available

Special one-day walk-up registration rates have been established for those actively engaged in the folk music community who are unable to attend the entire conference. For $100 on Friday or $120 on Saturday, folks will receive badges entitling them to sit in on workshops and showcases and to visit the exhibit hall. Meals are not included. Workshop descriptions and showcase listings and schedules may be found online at (www.nerfa.org.

NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a nonprofit organization that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases during
the NERFA Conference and moderating the Folk Revival panel discussion, I will be promoting a few artists, participating on a panel entitled Strengthening Your Bio and Press Releases, and doing some mentoring. Currently vice president of NERFA’s board of directors. I also serve on the board of Folk Alliance International.

Opening 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.

Paxton, an influential folksinger-songwriter – known for such songs as “The Last Thing On My Mind,” “Bottle of Wine,” “Whose Garden Was This” and “Ramblin’ Boy” – formerly lived on Long Island and plans to retire from the road this summer after more than a half-century as a touring artist. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Paxton also has had his songs covered by many notable artists.

Opening for Paxton at 8:30 p.m. will be No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow, featuring nationally touring New York area-based singer-songwriters The YaYas (Jay Mafale and Catherine Miles), Carolann Solebello and Karyn Oliver.

Prior to the featured evening concert on the park’s [Harry] Chapin Rainbow Stage, AcousticMusicScene.com and FMSH will host unplugged showcases and song swaps on the lawn near the stage featuring artists from half a dozen states from 12:45-6 p.m. The day’s musical festivities begin with an open mic at noon.

Artists slated to perform during the afternoon include Acoustic Apple, Annika, Mark Allen Berube, Michael Braunfeld, Meghan Cary, Andrea Cetlin, Greg Cornell and the Cornell Brothers, Curtis & Carla, Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick, Phil Henry, Jay Hitt, Karen Hudson, Josh Joffen, Stuart Kabak, Kalinec & Kj, Judy Kass, Cecilia Kirtland, Scott Krokoff, Mara Levine, The Levins, Lisa Jane Lipkin, Eli Maniscalco, Kirsten Maxwell, Lois Morton, Larry Moser & Mary Nagin, Mark Newman and Naomi Margolin, James O’Malley, Elaine Romanelli, Shawn Taylor, Robinson Treacher and Bob Westcott.

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 Showcases

12:45 Mark Newman and Naomi Margolin
1:00 Scott Krokoff, Shawn Taylor, Robinson Treacher
1:30 Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick
1:45 Greg Cornell & The Cornell Brothers
2:00 Funny Folk: Mark Allen Berube, Lois Morton
2:30 Josh Joffen, James O’Malley, Bob Westcott
3:00 Mara Levine, The Levins, Elaine Romanelli
3:30 Westchester Artists: Curtis & Carla, Judy Kass, Lisa Jane Lipkin
4:00 Keystone Staters: Michael Braunfeld, Meghan Cary, Jay Hitt
4:30 Karen Hudson, Stuart Kabak, Cecilia Kirtland
5:00 Young Folk: Annika, Kirsten Maxwell
5:30 Phil Henry, Kalinec & Kj

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

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

The 50th 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, and coordinate the Huntington Folk Festival in partnership with the Huntington Arts Council.

Now in its 46th year, Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival is slated for Saturday-Sunday, June 20-21, at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson in New York’s Hudson Valley. A wide array of music, dance, storytelling and family-oriented programming will take place on seven sustainably powered stages.

Produced by and benefiting the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a nonprofit member-supported organization launched by Pete Seeger and others to preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries, the festival celebrates environmental activism and education and supports its efforts on behalf of the environment and social justice and keeping the sloop Clearwater afloat. Besides lots of music, the festival features a Green Living Expo, riverfront activities, environmental workshops and exhibits, and booths run by educational and activist organizations. For an extra fee, visitors will be afforded opportunities to sail the Hudson on the Clearwater, a world-renowned floating classroom and symbol of effective grassroots action. A juried Handcrafters’ Village and a participatory Circle of Song are also on the docket. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.clearwaterfestival.org.

The 35th Annual Old Songs Festival takes place June 26-28 at Altamont Fairgrounds in Altamont, approximately 10 miles west of Albany. Produced by Old Songs, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in the New York State Capitol Region that seeks to keep traditional music and dance alive through the festival, as well as monthly concerts, dances and educational programs, this festival features a variety of folk, Celtic and world music.

A very participatory event, the Old Songs Festival includes more than 120 workshops, classes, sessions and performances. Attendees also are afforded opportunities to take part in “sacred harp” or shape-note singing, choral harmony singing and open mics, as well as lots of festival performer-led and impromptu jam sessions. The relaxed, family-friendly festival also features a dedicated children’s area, as well as a wide array of artisans, vendors and food.

Individual day tickets and all-festival tickets (with or without camping) are available at the gate. For more information, visit www.oldsongs.org/festival.

Lucinda Williams will headline the fifth annual American Roots Music Festival at Caramoor, a family friendly celebration of acoustic music, on Saturday, June 27. Set on 90 acres of gardens and Italianate architecture in Katonah, Westchester County, NY – 40 miles northeast of New York City — the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is well known for its summer music festivals. AcousticMusicScene.com is delighted to again be a Cultural Partner of the festival and will have a presence there.

Opening for Williams in the evening program beginning at 7:30 p.m. will up-and-coming Oklahoma-based singer-songwriter Parker Millsap. Artists slated to perform during the afternoon (12-6 p.m.) include Kristin Andreassen Band, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Jessy Carolina & The Hot Mess, Mason Porter, Cole Quest and the City Pickers, Spuyten Duyvil, Matt Turk, and Walkabout Clearwater Chorus. Also scheduled is a social music hour — an old-time music workshop featuring some of the artists mentioned above and patterned after one that Spuyten Duyvil’s Mark Miller has led here and at other music festivals. Folks attending it are encouraged to bring their instruments or just gather round to learn about several old-time musicians and sing their songs.

“Caramoor is a nature paradise and the music takes place in several locations on the grounds so that folks can experience some of the environmental beauty as well,” says Maggi Landau, the festival organizer. She notes that during the daytime artists will be performing acoustic, unplugged sets in the Sunken Garden – “a quiet grove with the audience sitting on the ground literally at the feet of the artist” – as well as on the larger Friends Field. The evening concert featuring Lucinda Williams will take place inside the Venetian Theater for which there is reserved seating.

Daytime only tickets (excluding the evening performances) and full-festival tickets, (including reserved seating for the evening concert) may be ordered by calling (914) 232-1252 or visiting www.caramoor.org.

Attendees are advised to bring their own chairs/blankets for the daytime performances. Although limited food and beverages will be available for purchase, folks also can bring their own and enjoy picnicking on Caramoor’s spacious lawns.

The second annual Rockland-Bergen Music Festival takes place Saturday-Sunday, June 27 -28, at German Masonic Park, 120 Western Highway in Tappan. Gates open at 10 a.m., while music extends from 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. each night, rain or shine. Artists slated to perform over the weekend include Aztec Two-Step, Arlon Bennett Band, Bluebirds of Paradise, Jen Chapin, Tom Chapin Trio, Shawn Colvin, Guy Davis with Professor Louie, KJ Denhert, festival presenter Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan, John Eddie, Steve Forbert Jeffrey Gaines, Spook Handy, Garland Jeffreys, David Johansen, The Levins, James Maddock, Willie Nile, John Sebastian, Frank Tedesso, The The Band Band, and many others. For more information, visit www.rocklandmusicfestival.com.

AcousticMusicScene.com Hosts Mid-Summer Song Swaps at Huntington, Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals

And mark your calendars for these two upcoming festivals at which AcousticMusicScene.com will host pre-arranged unplugged song swaps: Huntington Folk Festival (Sunday, July 26 in Huntington) and Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (July 31-Aug. 2, with a pre-fest day July 30 in Hillsdale).

The free event, co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council, is part of the 50th Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival 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. More information, including a detailed schedule, will be posted on AcousticMusicScene.com next month, as well as on www.fmsh.org.

AcousticMusicScene.com will also host late-night song swaps under a big tent at Pirate Camp during the 27th Annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 31-Aug. 2 (with a music-filled pre-fest day on July 30). One of the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, Falcon Ridge takes place at Dodd’s Farm on Route 7D in Hillsdale, NY, located in the foothills of the Berkshires, near the tri-state corner of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Falcon Ridge features dozens of artists performing on several stages, a dance tent, children’s music and activities, and a wide array of crafts, food and other vendors. Among the artists performing this year will be Ray Bonneville, Brother Sun, Judy Collins, The Duhks, Ellis, IlyAIMY, Martyn Joseph, Jay Mankita, Nerissa & Katrina Nields, Pesky J. Nixon, Jim Photoglo, June Rich, Garnet Rogers, Roosevelt Dime, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Ralph Sweet, Annie Wenz, Susan Werner, George Marshall with Wild Asparagus, and the 2014 Emerging Artists Showcase performers voted “Most Wanted to Return”: Caitlyn Canty, Matt Nakoa, Hayley Reardon and Jean Rohe.

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

2015 marks the fourth year that AcousticMusicScene.com will partner with Pirate Camp, which was informally launched by Stuart Kabak and the late Jack Hardy more than a decade ago to provide a warm and welcoming haven for sharing music, food and camaraderie. Prior to 2012, AcousticMusicScene.com had for many years joined with Tribes Hill, a lower Hudson Valley-based nonprofit organization uniting musicians and their patrons, in hosting late-night music under a big white tent.

More information about Falcon Ridge and the AcousticMusicScene.com tent @ Pirate Camp will be posted in coming weeks.

Opening the evening concert on the Chapin Rainbow Stage, beginning at 8:30 p.m., will be Long Island’s own Marci Geller (a piano-based contemporary singer-songwriter with folk sensibilities) and singer-songwriter and guitarist Josh Joffen (a two-time Kerrville New Folk Winner and 2011 Great American Song Contest Winner). Marshal Rosenberg joins them on percussion.

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 them near canopy tents will be Acoustic Live! in New York City and Beyond and AcousticMusicScene.com.

Acoustic Live! (Emcee: Richard Cuccaro)

1:00 Joe Iadanza
1:15 Tony Denikos
1:30 John Sonntag
1:45 Steve Chizmadia
2:00 Susan Kane
2:15 The YaYas
2:30 Honor Finnegan
2:45 Paul Sachs
3:00 Ina May Wool
3:15 The Levins
3:30 David Goldman
3:45 Christopher Brown
4:00 Arlon Bennett
4:15 Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes
4:30 Jeremiah Birnbaum
4:45 Stuart Markus
5:00 Larry Kolker
5:15 Brad Cole
5:30 Drew Jacobs
5:45 Lois Morton

AcousticMusicScene.com (Emcee: Michael Kornfeld)

12:00 Island Songwriters Showcase: Suzanne Ernst, Walt Sargent
12:30 Long Island Fingerstyle Guitar Club: Dan Doll, Lisa Doll, Bill Scorzari
1:00 FMSH Members Showcase: Eli Maniscalco, John Taylor, Bob Westcott
1:30 Music From the Hive: Naomi Margolin & Mark Newman, Roger Silverberg, Ivette Torres-Albano
2:10 Kerrville New Folk Winners: Honor Finnegan, Paul Sachs
2:30 Tribes Hill-Hudson Valley Song Circle: Susan Kane, Judith Kass, Larry Kolker, The Levins, Lisa Jane Lipkin, South County
3:30 Brad Cole, Joe Iadanza
4:00 Funny Folk: Drew Jacobs, Lois Morton
4:30 Arlon Bennett, Tony Denikos, Hiroyo Tsukamoto
5:00 Peter Calo, Steve Chizmadia, Kat Quinn
5:30 Jeremiah Birnbaum, Sarah Blacker, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes

Co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington (www.fmsh.org) and the Huntington Arts Council (www.huntingtonarts.org), the Huntington Folk Festival is part of the 48th Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival presented by the Town of Huntington, 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.

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