The February 2025 top albums, songs and artists charts are based on 9, 809 airplays reported on 383 playlists submitted by 98 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

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.

Top Albums of February 2025

1. Live by Alice Howe and Freebo (90)
2. Field of Stars by John McCutcheon (83)
3. Reclamation by Crys Matthews (78)
4. Looking for the Thread by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis,
Karine Polwart (54)
4. The Wind Will Change Again by The Twangtown Paramours (54)
6. Beneath Your Skin by Kim Beggs (40)
7. We Were Wood by Barry Oreck and Friends (34)
8. Gold in Your Pocket by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms (32)
9. Look Up by Ringo Starr (31)
10. Glimmer by Carol Crittenden (27)
11. Be Real With Me by Chatham Rabbits (24)
12. If the Sky Fell by Michael Henchman (23)
13. Songs to a Wild God by Mallory Chipman (22)
13. Woodland by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (22)
15. Remains to Be Scene by The Seldom Scene (21)
16. Union Station by Collide (20)
17. Beacons by Nefesh Mountain (19)
17. The Lucy Story: Unreleased and Rare Tracks 1976-2023 [Disc 1] by
Lucy Kaplansky (19)
19. Exploding Star by Heather Maloney (18)
19. Ride in the Light by Cindy Kallet (18)
21. Earl Jam by Tony Trischka (17)
21. Trail of Flowers by Sierra Ferrell (17)
21. Now, O Now by Rakish (17)
21. Life Is a Wonder by Kevin Whalen (17)
25. The American Dream by Amy Speace (16)
25. Hear My Call by Cristina Vane (16)
25. Manos Pan Americanos by Larry and Joe (16)
28. Things Done Changed by Jerron Paxton (15)
28. Arcadia by Alison Krauss and Union Station (15)
28. Dark Moon by Holly Cole (15)
31. Quiet Town by Mindy Smith (13)
32. Take It Easy Greasy by Jim Brewer (12)
32. Flee Though None Pursue by Ed Alstrom (12)
32. All Hat No Cattle by The Doohickeys (12)
32. On Solid Ground by Reggie Harris (12)
32. Let the Longing Run Wild and Free by Robert Sarazin Blake (12)
32. Girl Dinner by Big Richard (12)
32. Up From the Mud by Diane Coll (12)
39. Waiting for Inspiration by Socks in the Frying Pan (11)
39. The Legend of Sugarbelly by Guy Davis (11)
39. Edge of America by Crowes Pasture (11)
39. Winterbirds by Boreal (11)
39. Loudon Live in London by Loudon Wainwright Iii (11)
39. Cher Reve by Miss Tess (11)
45. Presidential Campaign Songs 1789 – 1996 by Oscar Brand (10)
45. In the Real World by Eric Bibb (10)
45. A Complete Unknown (Original Motion Picture Sound Track) by
Timothee Chalamet (10)
45. The Purple Bird by Bonnie Prince Billy (10)
45. Mileage by Ruthie Foster (10)
45. Anything but Ordinary by Jan Aldridge Clark (10)
45. Daggomit! by Max Wareham (10)
45. Lonely as It Gets by Wilson Banjo Co (10)
45. Don’t Play Guitar Boy by Geoff Achison (10)
45. Into the Wild by Golden Highway and Molly Tuttle (10)

Top Songs of February 2025

[Here’s a link to view the official lyric video for “Looks Like the End of the Road” by Allison Krauss and Union Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQNPvSNMEyo.]

1. “Looks Like the End of the Road” by Alison Krauss and Union Station (15)
2. “Twilight” by Alice Howe and Freebo (14)
3. “Field of Stars” by John McCutcheon (13)
3. “Angel From Montgomery” by Alice Howe and Freebo (13)
5. “Oklahoma Sunset” by Crys Matthews (12)
5. “Travelin’ Soul” by Alice Howe and Freebo (12)
5. “A Heart That Never Closes” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis,
Karine Polwart (12)
8. “Farewell Angelina” by The Seldom Scene (11)
8. “Catch the Wind” by Crowes Pasture (11)
8. “A Case of You” by Alice Howe and Freebo (11)
8. “At the End of the Day” by John McCutcheon (11)
8. “Like Jesus Would” by Crys Matthews (11)
13. “We Were Wood” by Barry Oreck and Friends (9)
13. “Old Friends” by The Twangtown Paramours (9)
13. “Last of the Steam Powered Trains” by The Seldom Scene (9)
16. “Somebody’s New Lover Now” by Alice Howe and Freebo (8)
16. “Send Love” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart (8)
16. “Only Ones Dancing” by John McCutcheon (8)
16. “American Dreaming” by Sierra Ferrell (8)
16. “Build Me a City: The Ballad of Robert Moses” by Barry Oreck and Friends (8)
16. “$20 Bill (For George Floyd)” by Kim Moberg (8)
16. “Ms St. Louis” by John McCutcheon (8)
16. “Rebecca” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart (8)
16. “Winter Birds” by Heather Hurlock (8)
16. “The Genius Bar” by Julie Gold (8)
16. “Bury Me Inside Your Heart” by Kim Beggs (8)
16. “The Difference Between” by Crys Matthews (8)
16. “Cancel Culture” by Crys Matthews (8)

Top Artists of February 2025

1. John McCutcheon (94)
2. Crys Matthews (92)
3. Alice Howe and Freebo (90)
4. The Twangtown Paramours (55)
5. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart (54)
6. Kim Beggs (41)
7. Barry Oreck and Friends (34)
8. Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms (33)
9. Ringo Starr (31)
10. Pete Seeger (30)
10. Paul and Mary Peter (30)
12. Bob Dylan (29)
12. Lucy Kaplansky (29)
12. The Band (29)
15. Rhiannon Giddens (28)
16. Carol Crittenden (27)
16. Tony Trischka (27)
18. Cindy Kallet (25)
19. Chatham Rabbits (24)
19. The Seldom Scene (24)
21. Michael Henchman (23)
22. Reggie Harris (22)
22. Nina Simone (22)
22. Billy Strings (22)
22. John Roberts and Tony Barrand (22)
22. Mallory Chipman (22)
22. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (22)
22. Highwaymen (22)
29. Larry and Joe (21)
30. Amy Speace (20)
30. Guy Davis (20)
30. Collide (20)
30. Marianne Faithfull (20)
34. Ruthie Foster (19)
34. Nefesh Mountain (19)
34. Alison Krauss and Union Station (19)
34. Tim Grimm (19)
34. Sierra Ferrell (19)
39. Heather Maloney (18)
39. Willie Nelson (18)
39. Mary Chapin Carpenter (18)
39. Rakish (18)

The popular festival, which will feature four stages of music, officially kicks off on Friday, July 28 at noon. That’s when 15 artists/acts have been invited to perform in the 2023 Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase on the festival’s Mainstage. Appearing in this year’s showcase are (listed alphabetically by last name or name of group, not in order of appearance) are Sandy Cash, Katie Dahl, Leslie Evers, The Honey Badgers, Eric Kilburn, Latin Americana, Chris LaVancher, Juliet Lloyd, Carol Ann Montag, Halley Neal, Kevin Neidig, Noble Dust, Andy Sydow, and Tiffany Williams. Kemp Harris is the first alternate. Although there is no compensation for showcasing artists, each will receive full admission, on-site camping and meals for the festival, plus one guest pass per act.

The Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase is not a contest, and artists won’t be judged per se during the festival, although the audience is surveyed as to which showcase artists they’d like to see return the following year to participate in a Most Wanted Song Swap. In evaluating submissions, a panel of three judges looked for high-quality performances of interesting, well-crafted, acoustic-based material. This year’s judges were Susan Forbes Hansen (a folk DJ on WWUH and WHUS in Connecticut), Bruce Martin (from Blues Café in Southbury, CT) and Barbara Shiller (former president of CT Folk). “This year’s judges all said [that] it was extremely difficult to choose the final slate,” said Anne Saunders, the festival’s artistic director. “The level of talent and quality of the submissions was all pretty high — and much of it from newbies they did not know previously. We do so love when that happens.”

Phil Henry, Grace Morrison, Sam Robbins, and Erin Ash Sullivan will showcase their talents during this year’s Most Wanted Song Swap. In addition,the four are participating in a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Presents The “Most Wanted” Tour leading up to the festival. They will showcase their talents at SolarFest in Brandon, VT (July 15), Club Passim in Cambridge, MA (July 16), The Listening Booth in Lewes, DE (July 21), Moore Music in Rockville, MD (July 22), and Earp’s Ordinary in Fairfax, VA (July 23).

During the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, an Activities 4 Kids program, Circle of Song acoustic stage, Family Stage and Workshop Stage also will begin on Friday afternoon, July 28, while evening Mainstage performances and nightly dancing are slated to follow the daytime programming. Mainstage performances extend until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights (followed by late-night musical revelry at the campgrounds featuring informal jams, artist showcases and song circles). Sunday’s musical festivities wrap up at 6 p.m. For those camping on the fairgrounds, there will be some late-night musical revelry featuring an array of informal jams, artist showcases and song circles that help foster a sense of “folk” community and a different kind of festival experience.

“We are very happy to be bringing back both DANCE and our Thursday Tastings and Farmers Market program,” said Saunders. While acknowledging that both will be smaller than in the pre-pandemic years when the festival took place on a farm in upstate New York, she noted “but that’s as expected; the important thing is that they are back.” So too will be a full array of craft and food vendors.

Prior to the start of the actual festival, the aforementioned Pre-Fest Tastings & Farmers Market will take place on Thursday afternoon, while a Thursday Night Music Stage will be hosted by Scotten Jones (a co-founder of the Lounge Stage that hosted live music on Thursdays for many years) and Kathy Sands-Boehmer of Harbortown Music beginning at 4 p.m. Artists slated to appear include Lisa Bastoni, Marc Douglas Berardo, Joe Crookston, Kirsten Maxwell, No Fuss and Feathers, Rod Picott, RaSkull Flagg, Robinson & Rohe, Rachael Sage, Tom Smith, and Rachel Sumner.

[Here’s a link to a Spotify playlist that Kathy Sand-Boehmer compiled featuring songs by artists who are part of the Thursday Night Music Stage lineup.

Three-day festival tickets are $240 with camping or $165 without camping. Single -day tickets also are available for $60. All three-day tickets include Pre-Fest Thursday admission, while tickets for Pre-Fest Thursday also can be purchased for $20 at the gate. Children 12 and under will be admitted free, while tickets are heavily discounted for teens. The campgrounds will open by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26. More information on the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival can be found at falconridgefolk.com.

The concert sets can be viewed on both of the festival’s Facebook pages: https://facebook.com/KateWolfMusicFestival/ and
https://facebook.com/events/601470337259671/

In addition, yoga and Pilates classes will take place via zoom. A schedule appears below, while any updates and additional information maybe found on the festival’s Facebook pages.

Festival organizers expressed gratitude to the performing artists and teachers who are donating their time and noted that there will be links directly to both the performers and teachers for those who would like to donate to them. Although there is no charge to view the festival, online tip jars will be available through which donations may be made to two food banks.

The Kate Wolf Music Festival began as a one-day, one-time event. An enjoyable and successful Kate Wolf Retrospective Concert in June 2016 prompted organizers to make it an annual event. In recent years, it has evolved into a four-day, four-night event with camping at a sprawling ranch in Mendocino County, three hours north of San Francisco.

Virtual Festival Schedule – Times listed are in Pacific Daylight Time.

Thursday, June 25:

– Coffis Brothers – 6 pm (60 minutes – livestream)
– David Jacobs-Strain (w/Bob Beach) – 8 pm (50-90 minutes – livestream)

Friday, June 26:
:
– The Mammals – 5 pm (90 -120 minutes – livestream)
– AJ Lee & Blue Summit – 8:00 pm (60 minutes – pre-recorded)

Saturday, June 27:
:
– Pilates Zoom class with Roxann Guthman – 10 am (50 minutes)
– Zoom Meeting – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86826304212
Meeting ID: 868 2630 4212
– The Black Feathers – 1 pm (40 minutes – livestream)
– Sam Chase (solo) – 4 pm (90 minutes – livestream)
– Berkley Hart – 6 pm (75 minutes – livestream)
– Josh Brough & Jason Beard (of Poor Man’s Whiskey) with the Whiskey Family Band – 8 pm Kate Wolf tribute set (60 minutes – pre-recorded)

Sunday, June 28:

– Yoga Zoom class with Devorah Blum – 11 am (90 minutes)
Zoom Meeting – https://us04web.zoom.us/j/9039317255
Meeting ID: 903 931 7255
Password: DEVORAH
– Freebo – 1 pm (30 minutes – livestream)
– Alice Howe – 1:40 pm (40 minutes – livestream)
– Aviva le Fey – 3 pm (30 – 45 minutes – pre-recorded)
– John Zipperer – 4:15 pm (75 – 90 minutes – pre-recorded)
– Jimbo Scott – 6 pm (60 minutes – livestream)
– Laurie Lewis & Nina Gerber – 7:30 pm (20 – 30 minutes – pre-recorded)

Besides several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps/in-the-rounds, open mics and informal jam sessions, the NERFA conference will also feature a children’s concert, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, communal meals, awards presentations, an exhibit hall, a community meeting with NERFA’s volunteer board of directors, a community sing, a welcoming party, a 25th anniversary celebration, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. Singer-songwriter Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) will be the conference’s keynote speaker.

Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the 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 taking advantage of learning opportunities that can help enhance and enrich their professional and personal lives.

Workshops and Panel Discussions Abound

The conference’s programming committee, under the leadership of Ethan Baird, NERFA’s board secretary, has arranged a diverse array of workshops and panel discussions. Recognizing the popularity of its On the Griddle instant critique sessions during which a panel of folk DJs and presenters listen to the first 60 seconds of a number of songs and provides snap feedback, NERFA will offer two new panels inspired by them and focusing on artist blurbs/bios and videos.

Among some two-dozen other scheduled workshops and panel discussions are A-OK: Mental Health & Well-Being for Working Artists, A Dynamic Duo! – Artists & Venues Working Together to Create Unforgettable Shows, F rom Cents to Sense: Smart Financial Planning for the Independent Artist, Gold Records! – Learn from he Masters & Produce Dynamic Audio Projects that Shimmer & Shine, Good Vibrations: Your Voice, Singing & Powerful Vocal Techniques, Home Sweet Home: Best-Laid Plans to Create Magical & Successful House Concerts, The Insider’s Guide to Music Management, The Jack Hardy Songwriter’s Method, Start a Creative Revolution! – Using the Arts to Start Creative Change, Vance Gilbert’s Famous Performance Critique, and Women in Folk: A Multigenerational Reflection. Sonny Ochs, a longtime folk DJ and sister of the late troubadour and activist Phil Ochs, will again host a Wisdom of the Elders session; this time it will feature veteran folk DJs Wanda Fischer, John Platt and Rich Warren. Yoga sessions also will be offered each morning, while MusiCares will be on site again to fit folks for custom earplugs.

Noel Paul Stookey Keynotes the Conference on Saturday Night

Today, Noel still performs occasionally with Peter Yarrow (Mary passed away in 2009), as well as doing solo shows in which he continually introduces new songs that deal specifically with major issues facing us in these times. He also invests time and energy in his national nonprofit organization, Music to Life, founded with his daughter, Liz Stookey Sunde, which connects activist artists of all genres with the resources they need to revitalize their communities through music. In reference to the well-known Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times,’ Noel laughs: “Well baby, we are there. We communicate
these days through social media about those.

Juried Showcases Slated for Friday and Saturday Nights

Taking center stage during the conference will be 14 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges – with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set on Friday and Saturday nights – the most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Friday night’s lineup includes (in order of appearance) The New Students, Meghan Cary, Tui, Corey Laitman Trio, Les Royal Pickles, Roger Street Friedman, and Megan Burtt. Slated to showcase their talents on Saturday night are Damn Tall Buildings, Annie Sumi, Alastair Moock, Sophie Buskin, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, Alisa Amador, and Matt Nakoa Trio.

Following the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference ballrooms in close proximity to one another to catch short sets by 30 additional artists/acts who also were selected by the judges. Performing in these semi-formal showcases on Friday night are (in alphabetical order) Marc Berger, Blue Plate Special, The Bombadils, Katie Dahl, Marion Halliday, Lily Henley, JANTURAN, Mara Levine, James Maddock, Jeffrey Martin, Peter Mulvey, Kalyna Rakel, Martin Swinger, Tragedy Ann, and Rupert Wates. Saturday’s semi-formal showcase artists include Jeremy Aaron, Cricket Blue, Kala Farnham, Kora Feder, Matt Harlan, Lynne Hanson, Diana Jones, MOSA, David Newland with Siqiniup Qilauta/Sunsdrum, Ordinary Elephant, Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints, Piper & Carson, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Katherine Rondeau, and Ken Tizzard. Like the formal showcases that immediately precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the semi-formal showcases during the conference.

On Thursday evening, the conference’s opening night, the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase will feature short performances by 16 artists/acts chosen by DJs. Listed in order of appearance, they are The Scooches, Kalyna Rakel, Willa Mamet, The Promise Is Hope, Scot Krokoff, Mark & Jill, Nico Padden, John John Brown, Heather Mae, Robinson & Rohe, Eli Smith, Kathleen Healy, Dan Whitener, Jenner Fox, Carol Crittenden, and Mark Stepakoff.

Judges for this year’s official juried showcases were Sarah Craig (Caffe Lena), Dan Gottfried (Voices in the Heights), Joe Mercadante (Steeple Coffeehouse), Ron Olesko (Folk Music Notebook), Jess Razzi (Razzi Entertainment), Kimberly Sinclair (SpinCount), and Matt Smith (Passim).

Following the juried and folk DJ showcases each evening, 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. Some guerilla showcases also are slated for Friday and Saturday afternoons. Musicians also may well stake out other areas of the hotel and jam.


AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Nearly 50 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. Extending from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., this hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Wanda Fischer, Ellen Stanley and Jon Stein) and some 45 artists/acts – each performing one song.

Now in its 13th 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 Bob Beach (harmonica), Mark Dann (bass), Genevieve (keyboards), Lily Henley (fiddle), ad Nick Russo (banjo and other instruments) will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

While Michael Kornfeld, AcousticMusicScene.com’s editor & publisher, hosts the Thursday-Saturday overnight showcases, his friends Mira Shapiro and Hank Stone will serve as guest hosts on Friday afternoon. A series of song swaps on Friday overnight will be topped off by a Long Island Sounds celebration featuring performances by nearly a dozen LI-based artists. As in recent years, the musical festivities in the AcousticMusicScene.com suite 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 and acts will march into the room at 2 a.m. singing their national anthem.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot (Room 2031)

Thursday Night 11 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

(One song per artist/act and folk DJ, not listed in order of appearance.)

Host: Michael Kornfeld

Artists: Jeremy Aaron, Andy & Judy, Jordi Baizan, Bob Beach, Carol Crittenden, Alyssa Dann, Amy Dee, Neale Eckstein, Jane Fallon, Lindsay Foote, Gina Forsyth, Jenner Fox, Freebo, Gathering Time, Genevieve, Claudia Gibson, Kyle Hancharick, Matt Harlan, Gerry Hazel, Lily Henley, Gina Holsopple, Alice Howe, Brian Kalinec, Fiora Laina, Corey Laitman, Peter Lehndorf, Mara Levine, Rob Lytle, Kipyn Martin, Mosa, Mother Banjo, Dan Navarro, The Promise Is Hope, The Rix, Stephen Robinson, Tina Ross, Rachael Sage, Eric Schwartz, The Scooches, Hank Stone, Garret Swayne, Kristina Vaughn, Rupert Wates, Dan Whitener & Blue Plate Special, Billy Woodward

Folk DJs: Wanda Fischer, Ellen Stanley, Jon Stein

House Band: Bob Beach (harmonica), Mark Dann (bass), Genevieve (keyboards), Lily Henley (fiddle), Nick Russo (banjo & other instruments)

Hosts: Mira Shapiro and Hank Stone

2:00 Marc Berger
]2:15 Nathans & Ronstadt
2:30 Lily Henley
2:45 Connor Garvey
3:00 The Rix
3:15 Lea Morris
3:30 Steve Robinson and Hank Stone
4:00 Alice Howe
4:15 Rob Lytle
4:30 The Malvinas
4:45 Freebo

Friday Night

Host: Michael Kornfeld

11:45 MMM Good Music: Meghan Cary, Gathering Time, Marion Halliday, Mara Levine

12:30 Texas Troubadours: Jordi Baizan, Matt Harlan, Brian Kalinec

1:00 A Trio of Duos: Gathering Sparks, The Levins, The Promise Is Hope

1:30 British New Yorkers: James Maddock, Rupert Wates

2:00 Long Island Sounds: Roger Street Friedman, Scott Krokoff, Ray Lambiase, Nico Padden, Matt Ponsot, Quarter Horse, Steve Robinson, Nick Russell, Hank Stone, Linda Sussman, Christine Sweeney

Saturday Night

Host: Michael Kornfeld

11:45 All Keyed Up: Genevieve, Matt Nakoa, Rachael Sage, Eric Schwartz

12:30 A Pair of Duos: The Early Risers, Ordinary Elephant

1:00 Banjocentric: Banjo Nickaru & The Scooches, Mother Banjo, Dan Whitener

1:30 Women’s Voices: Abbie Gardner, Sharon Goldman, Grace Pettis

2:00 O Canada: Noah Derksen, Ken Dunn, Gathering Sparks, James Gordon, Lynne Hanson, Graham Lindsey, John Muirhead, David Newland, Piper & Carson, Kalyna Rakel, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Saffron A, Angela Saini, Siqniup Qilauta/Sunsdrum, Greg Smith, Annie Sumi, Ken Tizzard

“I hope that attendees will share a meal and/or a song with new friends they don’t yet know, embrace the spirit of community that NERFA represents, and have a great conference experience,” said Michael Kornfeld, president of NERFA’s board of directors and editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com. He expressed thanks to Courtney Rodland, who assumed the role of interim conference director one year ago when Dianne Tankle, NERFA’s founder and conference director since its inception, stepped down. “Aided by a core group of key volunteers, Courtney has sought to create a conference that builds upon what has been successful in the past, while moving NERFA into our second quarter-century,” he said.

[Here’s a link to a short song video by Neale Eckstein featuring images and scenes from the 2017 NERFA Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt-A_DnX1OY.]

NERFA (www.nerfa.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. More extensive information on the organization and its annual conference may be found online at www.nerfa.org.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Hank Stone for his assistance in setting up the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase room and for guest-hosting Friday afternoon song swaps, along with Mira Shapiro — and to Amy Blake, Arpie Maros and Sybil Moser for the loan of folding chairs.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases and leading a community meeting with the NERFA board of directors as its president, I will moderate a workshop entitled Write It Right, Alright? – Blurbs On The Griddle and participate in a panel discussion on self-promoting your project to the Folk DJ Chart. New this year, I also was among a small group of people offering pre-conference mentoring sessions via phone for conference attendees. Mine focused on strategic communications and public relations topics for artists, as well as how to get the most out of the conference.

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on Saturday, May 25, from 1-4 p.m., are Scott Sean White (Terrell, TX), Lynne Hanson (Ottawa, Ont, Canada), Lisa Bastoni (Northampton, MA), John Louis (Minneapolis, MN), Cari Ray (Nashville, TN), Angela Parish (Los Angeles, CA), Jordi Baizan (Houston, TX), Lyndy Butler (Hurricane, UT), Nancy Beaudette (Shirley, MA), Aaron Smith (Harrison, AR), Tia McGraff (Port Rowan, Ont, Canada), Scott Mulvahill (Nashville, TN), Liv Greene (Washington, DC), D.B. Rielly (New York, NY), Katy Vanderwood (Minneapolis, MN), and Eric Kilburn (Acton, MA).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on Sunday afternoon, May 26, include Michael Braunfeld (Philadelphia, PA), Avery Hill (Portland, OR), Amanda Pascali (Houston, TX), Claudia Gibson (Wimberley, TX), Daniel Neihoff (Paducah, KY), Rick Frydman (Lawrence, KS), Hope Dunbar (Utica, NE), Karen Dahlstrom (Brooklyn, NY), Beth Snapp (Kingsport, TN), Sophie Buskin (Brooklyn, NY), James Wyatt Martin (Austin, TX), Clementine Volker (Holland), Gordon & Christy McLeod (Garland, TX), Alice Howe (Newton, MA), Kyle Donovan (Boulder, CO), and Sarah Jane Nelson (Star City, AR).

Named as alternates were Joanna Howeron & Mike Cross (Austin, TX), Leah Gams Johnson (Nashville, TN), Arlon Bennett (Tappan, NY), and Lisa Nicole Grace (Edmonton, Alb, Canada).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2019 New Folk Winners by songwriters Joe Crookston, Ellis Delaney and Rebecca Loebe who are serving as judges. The six, to be announced during the evening concert on May 26, will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Award Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 2.

Established in 1972 at the urging of Peter Yarrow, the Kerrville New Folk Concerts have become a highlight of the annual festival that is geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to receiving cash awards and additional performance opportunities, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor.

‘New Folk is our way of finding new, exciting, excellent songwriters from around the world,” said Dalis Allen, producer of the Kerrville Folk Festival. “Our line-up every year is full of artists who have remained a part of the festival long after their first introduction in the competition.”

Besides concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops. The festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 23– Sunday, June 9.

The finalists, listed alphabetically, are Suzie Brown (Nashville, TN), Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers (Nashville, TN), Liz Frame and the Kickers (Boston, MA), Alice Howe (Chestnut Hill, MA), Kaiti Jones (Cambridge, MA), Carly Taich (Asheville, NC -2018 Leaf Festival contest winner), Tobias the Owl (Seattle, WA), and Alex Wong (Nashville, TN).

Now in its 17th year, the competition showcases emerging performing songwriters. NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience.

This year’s grand-prize-winner will receive an all-expense paid six-song EP, mixed and recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios, and released on the NewSong Recordings label. S/he will also receive a performance showcase during the 2019 ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival (Jan 24-Feb 3, 2019) in Park City, Utah. All finalists will receive a Shure microphone and will be strongly considered for future ‘NewSong Presents’ paid performances across the United States.

Back by popular demand, after a much lamented one-year absence, two open mics are again on the schedule; Rob Hinkal of IlyAIMY hosts the Friday and Saturday afternoon sessions.

Booking gigs may be the primary objective of some performers who attend the 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, attract audiences and listeners, ad enrich our lives.

Among some 40 scheduled workshops and panel discussions are several focusing on social media and websites. Sonny Ochs, a longtime folk DJ and sister of the late troubadour and activist Phil Ochs, will moderate “Singing The Truth: Activism and 35 Years of Phil Ochs Song Nights,” featuring performing panelists Greg Greenway, Reggie Harris, Joe Jencks, Colleen Kattau, and Pat Wictor. Among the artist-centric offerings are the popular “On the Griddle” instant critique session and ones on crowd-funding, DIY video, financial planning for artists, “Making the Most of Your Release,” “Mental Health Survival Kit for Musicians,” “Navigating Social Issues with Music and Story,” “Step-By-Step Streaming Success,” and “Womenfolk: Fostering Equity, Safety and Success.” Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt will conduct a vocal harmony how-to session. For presenters, there will be sessions on finding the funds for your venue and sound reinforcement, as well as one entitled “Keep the Fire Bright: Preventing Burnout in Presenting Organizations. “

Morning yoga sessions will again be led by singer-songwriter Caroline Cotter, while MusiCares will be on site again to fit folks for custom earplugs.

Juried Showcases Slated for Friday and Saturday Nights

Following the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three rooms in close proximity to one another to catch short sets by 30 additional artists/acts who were selected by a different set of judges. Performing in these semi-formal showcases on Friday night are (in alphabetical order) Asaran Earth Trio, Quentin Callewaert, Noah Derksen, Josh Harty, House of Hamill, Rachael Kilgour, Low Lily, Kipyn Martin, Nathans & Ronstadt, Next Generation Leahy, Kerri Powers, Monica Rizzio, Annie Sumi, and UPSTATE. Saturday’s semi-formal showcase artists include Rod Abernethy, Big Little Lions, C. Daniel Boling, Ellen Bukstel, Susan Cattaneo Band, Emerald Rae, Roger Street Friedman, Cassandra House, Joe Jencks, Kolonien, Moonfruits, Diane Perry, The Promise is Hope, Quarter Horse, and Suzie Vinnick. Like the formal showcases that immediately precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the semi-formal showcases during the conference.

On Thursday evening, the conference’s opening night, the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase will feature short performances by 15 artists/acts chosen by DJs. Listed in order of appearance, they are Sweet Corn & Sunflower (Annie Sumi & Tannis Slimmon), Bruce Foley & Mary Coogan, Bill Baker, Letitita VanSant, All Types of Kinds, Katie Dahl, Grace Morrison, Eric Lee, Sam Steffen, Susan Shann, Marian Halliday, Sue Horowitz, Belle of the Fall, and Plywood Cowboy.

Following the juried and folk DJ showcases each evening, 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. Some guerilla showcases also are slated for Friday and Saturday afternoons. Musicians may well stake out other areas of the hotel and jam until 4 or 5 a.m.


AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Artists, Singing Folk DJs


An overflow crowd will likely descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com suite (2031) on Thursday overnight for its popular Midnight Hoot. Extending from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., this hoot is a pre-arranged, round robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Jim Colbert, Barbara and Graham Dean, and Jon Stein) and some three-dozen artists/acts – each performing one song.

Now in its 12th 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), Jagoda (percussion), and Eric Lee (fiddle/violin) will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

While Michael Kornfeld, AcousticMusicScene.com’s editor & publisher, hosts the Thursday-Saturday overnight showcases, his friends Mira Shapiro and Hank Stone will serve as guest hosts on Friday afternoon. Closing out the afternoon will be performance of Si Kahn’s Mother Jones in Heaven, a musical play about the legendary labor organizer (starring Viv Nesbitt, with John Dillon on guitar).More information and a short video about the musical play may be found online at www.motherjonesinheaven.com.

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 and acts will march into the room at 2 a.m. singing their national anthem.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot (Room 2031)

Thursday Night 11 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

(One song per artist/act and folk DJ, not listed in order of appearance.)

Host: Michael Kornfeld

Folk DJs: Jim Colbert, Graham & Barbara Dean, Jon Stein

Artists:

Rod Abernethy, Mike Agranoff, Antonio Andrade, Lisa Bastoni, Belle of the Fall, Shawna Caspi, Crowes Pasture, Alyssa Dann, Diamonds in the Rust, Neale Eckstein, Kala Farnham, Roger Street Friedman, Gathering Time, Gina Holsopple, Joe Iadanza, ilyAIMY, Joe Jencks, Stuart Kabak, Brian Kalinec, Rachael Kilgour, Eric Lee, Mara Levine, Pete Mancini , Kirsten Maxwell, Hugh O’Doherty, Andrea Randa, Monica Rizzio, Mike P. Ryan, Susan Shann, Carolann Solebello, Hank Stone, Linda Sussman, Jesse Terry, The Royal Yard, and Letitita VanSant

House Band: Mark Dann, Jagoda, Eric Lee

Friday Afternoon Hosts: Mira Shapiro, Hank Stone, John Dillon and Viv Nesbitt

2:00 Mass. Appeal: Amy Kucharik, Eric Lee, Rob Lytle
2:30 Marylanders: Heather Aubrey Lloyd, Kipyn Martin, Letitita Van Sant
3:00 Fab Folk: Sophie Buskin, Rachael Kilgour, Nathans & Ronstadt
3:30 More Fab Folk: Gina Holsopple, Mike Laureanno, Hank Stone
4:00 Si Kahn’s Mother Jones in Heaven, a musical play about the legendary labor organizer (starring Viv Nesbitt, with John Dillon on guitar): 55 minutes.

Friday Night Host: Michael Kornfeld

Saturday Night Host: Michael Kornfeld

11:45 Long Island Sounds: Gathering Time, Joe Iadanza, Rorie Kelly & Nico Padden,
and Hank Stone
12:30 Blues & Roots: Jon Shain & FJ Ventre and Pat Wictor
1:00 Two Duos & A Trio: Gathering Sparks, Deeper Than The Skin: Reggie Harris & Greg Greenway, and The Malvinas
1:30 Celtic Set: Emerald Rae and House of Hamill
2:00 O Canada: Big Little Lions, Melanie Brulee, Shawna Caspi, Scott Cook, Ken Dunn, Gathering Sparks, Piper Hayes, Moonfruits, Gillian Nicola, Cheryl Prashker (percussion), Corin Raymond, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Tannis Slimmon, Annie Sumi, and Lucie Blue Tremblay

“I hope that attendees will share a meal and/or a song with new friends they don’t yet know, embrace the spirit of community that NERFA represents, and have a great conference experience,” said Michael Kornfeld, president of NERFA’s board of directors and editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com. He expressed thanks to Dianne Tankle, NERFA’s founder and conference director since its inception, and her team of volunteers for all of their efforts in arranging the event. Tankle will be stepping down from her leadership role following this year’s conference.

Here’s a link to a video montage that Neale Eckstein created following the 2016 NERFA Conference: https://www.facebook.com/neale.eckstein/videos/10154271098733893/

NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), 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. NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. More extensive information on the organization and its annual conference may be found online at www.nerfa.org.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Hank Stone for his assistance in setting up the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase room and for guest-hosting Friday afternoon song swaps– along with Mira Shapiro, Viv Nesbitt and John Dillon — to Amy Blake, Arpie Maros and Sybil Moser for the loan of folding chairs, and to Stuart Kabak for the loan of stage and decorative lights that help to create a listening room ambiance in the suite.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases and leading a community meeting with the NERFA board of directors as its president, I will moderate a panel discussion on artists ‘website and social media and offer mentoring sessions on strategic communications and public relations topics during the conference.

“What began as a way to fill a tough booking weekend in 1998 has become the single–biggest way that we help develop new talent and celebrate the Boston-Cambridge area’s amazing music scene,” said Matt Smith, managing director of Club Passim and founder of the semi-annual Campfire Festival. Another edition takes place over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Originally called the Cutting Edge of the Campfire, the festival combined the idea of artists sitting around the campfire playing music with our commitment to bringing new talent to Club Passim’s attentive listening audience, according to Smith. Among the artists who played the festival prior to becoming more established in folk and roots music circles are Lake Street Dive, Anais Mitchell, Ryan Montbleu, Josh Ritter, and Regina Spektor.

“Today, Campfire. is as much about the community as it is about the music,” said Smith, noting the communitarian spirit that the event has helped to foster among artists and audiences alike. Although solo and band sets are sprinkled throughout the course of each day and night of the festival, in-the-round performances featuring several songwriters swapping tunes have become a highlight of the event. These songwriter rounds can lead to spontaneous collaborations, friendships and gig-sharing among artists who previously didn’t know each other, while also providing unique musical moments for audiences and exposing them to a few different artists in a short span of time. Smith also noted that singer-songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen of The Weepies met at a Campfire.

Among the notable artists who will be performing during he 2018 Labor Day Weekend edition of Campfire. Festival, for which tickets are $10/day or $25 for a weekend pass, are Lisa Bastoni, Daniel Champagne, Yann Falquet (from the Quebecois trad folk group Genticorum), Ian Fitzgerald, Jefferson Hamer, Alice Howe, Jim Infantino, Kate Klim, Rose Polenzani, Hayley Sabella, Ashley Storrow, Dietrich Strause, Lloyd Thayer, and Jim Trick. Closing out the musical festivities on Monday night will be The Singer and The Songwriter, an indie jazz-folk duo from Los Angeles.

The full line-up appears below and also can be found, along with links to artist pages, online at
https://www.passim.org/live-music/club-passim/campfire-festival/. To watch the musical festivities at Campfire online, visit https://www.concertwindow.com/clubpassim.

Although it didn’t adopt its current name until incorporating as a nonprofit in 1994, Club Passim has its roots in what was then Club 47, a folk club that opened its doors at another Cambridge location in 1958 before moving to its current location on Palmer Street five years later and changing its name to Club Passim in 1969. It has been a cornerstone of the arts community of New England for more than half a century. Club Passim is one of the few “listening rooms” in the greater Boston-Cambridge area. It’s a place where audiences and artists can interact with one another in an intimate setting. More than 400 shows are presented each year, featuring artists from a broad range of musical genres. A musical Mecca for the folk and singer-songwriter scene since its early days, Club Passim retains a folk aesthetic. Among the folk luminaries who have graced its stage are Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, and Suzanne Vega.

With only 14 artists/acts chosen for 15-minute slots on Friday and Saturday nights, the Formal Showcase is the premiere and most coveted performance opportunity at the conference. Featured in these showcases will be (listed in alphabetical order by last name or group name) The Black Feathers, Jonathan Byrd, Scott Cook, Ronny Cox, Reggie Harris and Greg Greenway: Deeper Than The Skin, Alice Howe, Louise Mosrie, Zoe Mulford, Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt, Screaming Orphans, Robinson Treacher, Kenny White, and Windborne. Named as alternates were Quentin Callewaert, Low Lily, and Kolonien.

Note: Alternates are automatically given a Semi-Formal Showcase performance slot unless selected to take the place of any Formal Showcase artists who are unable to perform.

Immediately following the Formal Showcases on Friday and Saturday nights, conference attendees will shuffle between three rooms in close proximity to one another to enjoy juried 15-minute Semi-Formal Showcases (formerly known as tricentrics and quadcentrics). Artists selected by a separate jury for these showcases include Rod Abernethy, Asaran Earth Trio, Big Little Lions, C. Daniel Boling, Ellen Bukstel, Susan Cattaneo Band, Noah Derksen, Emerald Rae, Josh Harty, Cassandra House, House of Hamill, Joe Jencks, Rachael Kilgour, Erika Kulnys, Kipyn Martin, The Next Generation Leahy, Moonfruits, Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt, Diane Perry, Kerri Powers, The Promise Is Hope, Quarter Horse, Monica Rizzio, Annie Sumi, Jesse Terry, UPSTATE (formerly Upstate Rubdown), and Suzie Vinnick. Named as alternates were Roger Street Friedman, Mike P. Ryan, and All Types of Kinds. Like the Formal Showcases that precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the Semi-Formal Showcases during the conference.

After the juried showcases each evening, 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. The Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase, informal jam sessions, thematic song circles, round-robin song swaps, and community sings round out the musical mix.

[Here’s a link to a short song video by Neale Eckstein featuring images and scenes from the 2017 NERFA Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt-A_DnX1OY.]

As in years past, besides several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, the NERFA conference, also will feature informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, communal meals, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, a welcoming party, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. Singer-songwriter Dar Williams will be the conference’s keynote speaker.

NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), 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.

NERFA’s geographic boundaries extend from the eastern provinces of Canada south to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Last year, its annual conference drew nearly 750 performing artists, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others engaged more than peripherally in the world of folk and acoustic music. The conference is designed to help them forge connections, build community, and learn things that can help enhance and enrich their professional and personal lives. For more information and to register to attend the conference, visit www.nerfa.org.

Editor’s Note: I am president of the NERFA board of directors and also serve on the Folk Alliance International board. In addition to hosting late-night showcases under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com, I will moderate a panel discussion on social media and your online presence and offer mentoring sessions on strategic communications, PR and other topics during the conference.

Being held in Stamford for the second consecutive year after outgrowing its previous location in the Catskills of upstate New York, the NERFA conference will feature several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps, informal jam sessions, panel discussions and workshops, a keynote by singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert, a Wisdom of the Elders session, a children’s concert, short performances by Connecticut State Troubadours, one-on-one mentoring sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, communal meals, 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 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.

Singer-Songwriter Vance Gilbert Keynotes the Event

Gilbert – who embarks on a 22-date eastern Australia tour immediately following the conference — enthralls concert and festival audiences with his moving lyrics and his strong tenor voice that can morph into falsetto when needed, as well as his stand-up riffs on contemporary societal mores. His songwriting and performance clinics at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, NERFA conferences, and the Rocky Mountain Song School also have drawn rave reviews from attendees.

54 Artists/Acts Perform in Juried Showcases on Friday and Saturday Nights

In addition to his keynote, Gilbert will present two performance workshops and showcase his own musical talents during the conference. His “Collision Course” workshops are among some two-dozen featured workshops and panel discussions. Other workshops will focus on such topics as activist artists in tumultuous times, budgeting and business planning for venues, diversifying the community, the DIY artist, engaging the next generation, a guitar master class, teaching while touring, venue marketing, and writing the funny song. The popular “On the Griddle” instant critique session, also returns. Also slated are morning yoga sessions led by singer-songwriter Caroline Cotter, while MusiCares will fit folks for custom earplugs.

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between four conference ballrooms to catch short sets by 40 additional artists who were selected by a different set of judges. Performing in these semi-formal showcases on Friday night are (in alphabetical order) Clint Alphin, Emily Barnes, Bethlehem & Sad Patrick, The Black Feathers, Shawna Caspi, Dave Curley, Friction Farm, Abbie Gardner, Sharon Goldman, Hoot & Holler, Greg Klyma, Abigail Lapell, Paddy Mills, Emily Mure, Musique a bouches, Piedmont Bluz, Poor Man’s Gambit, Katherine Rondeau & The Show, Robinson Treacher, and Josh White Jr. Saturday’s semi-formal Showcase artists include Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, Lisa Bastoni, Rachel Beck, Sophie Buskin, Meghan Cary, Dunham Shoe Factory, Vance Gilbert, Alice Howe, Rod MacDonald & Mark Dann, Austin MacRae, Mama’s Broke, Mike McKenna Jr, Zoe Mulford, No Good Sister, NUA, Elaine Romanelli, The Small Glories, Christine Sweeney, Ernest Troost, and Brad Yoder.

Following the juried showcases each evening, AcousticMusicScene.com and some three-dozen presenters, performers and others will host guerilla showcases in their hotel rooms that extend through the early morning hours. Community sings, informal jam sessions, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the musical mix. Musicians are also apt to stake out other areas of the hotel and jam into the early morning hours. Some guerilla showcases also are slated for Friday and Saturday afternoons.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Artists and Singing Folk DJs

An overflow crowd will likely descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com suite on Thursday overnight for its popular Midnight Hoot. Extending from 11:30-2:30 a.m., the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged, round robin song swap featuring a few singing folk DJs and some three-dozen artists/acts – each of whom will perform one song. A house band also will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

Now in its 11th 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.

As in recent years, the musical festivities in the AcousticMusicScene.com suite 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:

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017 11:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

(One song per artist and folk DJ, not in order of appearance)

Host: Michael Kornfeld

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

Artists: Clint Alphin, Antonio Andrade, Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, Orly Bendavid & the Mona Dahls, Sophie Buskin, Quentin Callewaert, Susan Cattaneo, Sara Chodak, Greg Cornell, Dave Curley, Alyssa Dann, Nancy Dillon, Freebo, Friction Farm, Tret Fure, Gathering Time, Gina Holsopple, Alice Howe, Jaeger & Reid, Brian Kalinec, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Mara Levine, Eric Lee, Rob Lytle, Pete Mancini, Kirsten Maxwell, Millpond Moon, Kim Moberg, Annie Moscow, Andrea Nardy, Nico Padden, The Renfrees, Patty Reese, Hank Stone, Taylor Pie, Toby Tobias

House Band: Greg Cornell (guitar), Mark Dann (bass), Jagoda (percussion), Eric Lee (violin), Nick Russo (banjo).

2:00 Long Island Sounds: Bryan Gallo, He-Bird, She-Bird, Hank Stone

2:30 Long Island Sounds: Scott Krokoff, Christine Sweeney, Toby Tobias

3:00 Hudson Valley Songsters: Steve Chizmadia, Susan Kane, Judy Kass

3:30 Voices of Upstate New York: Marc Black, Gina Holsopple, Colleen Kattau

4:00 Jersey Gals: Loretta Hagen, Katherine Rondeau

4:30 Sea Shanty Sing with The Royal Yard (Stuart Markus & Robin Greenstein)

Friday Night, Nov 10, 2017

11:45 Greg Cornell

12:00 STEADY ON: Celebrating Lilith Fair at 20: Sharon Goldman, Amy Soucy, Sloan Wainwright (with Stephen Murphy)

12:30 Harmonic Convergence: Gathering Time, KC Groves, Mara Levine

1:00 Keystone Staters: Antonio Andrade, Meghan Cary, No Good Sister

1:30 Two Trios: The Belle Hollows & The Early Mays

Saturday Night, November 11, 2017

11:45 Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches

12:00 Songswarm: Peter Calo, Brian Kalinec, Taylor Pie

12:30 A Trio of Duos: Friction Farm, The Levins, Miles & Mafale

1:00 Two Gals and a Geezer: Freebo, Alice Howe, Kirsten Maxwell

1:30 Three Guys from New England: Marc Douglas Berardo, Jud Caswell, Rob Lytle

2 :00 O Canada: Rachel Beck, Matthew Byrne, Shawna Caspi, Andrew Collins Trio, Elage Diouf, Gathering Sparks, Martin Kerr, Abigail Lapell, Mama’s Broke, David Newland (guest emcee), Cheryl Prashker (percussion), Benjamin Dakota Rogers

“We hope that all of our attendees will share a meal and/or a song with new friends they don’t yet know, embrace the spirit of community that NERFA represents, and have a great conference experience,” said Michael Kornfeld, president of NERFA’s board of directors and editor and publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com. He expressed thanks to Dianne Tankle, NERFA’s longtime conference director, and her team of volunteers for all of their efforts in arranging the event.

Here’s a link to a video montage that Neale Eckstein created following the 2016 NERFA Conference: https://www.facebook.com/neale.eckstein/videos/10154271098733893/

NERFA (www.nerfa.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a Kansas City, MO-based 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.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Hank Stone for his assistance in setting up the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase room and for guest-hosting Friday afternoon song swaps along with fellow singer-songwriters Stuart Markus and Toby Tobias, and to Amy Blake, Arpie Maros and Sybil Moser for the loan of folding chairs.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases, leading a community meeting with the NERFA board of directors as its president, and assisting a few artist clients who will be showcasing their talents during the conference, I will be doing some mentoring on various public relations and strategic communications topics.