Song of the Year honors went to Dan Navarro and Janiva Magness’ recording of “$20 Bill (for George Floyd) by the late singer-songwriter Tom Prasada-Rao. In accepting the award, Navarro (a singer-songwriter and voice actor perhaps best known for co-writing the hit song “We Belong”) noted that more than 100 artists recorded a version of Prasada-Rao’s song in 2020 “but because of the impact and the challenges of the pandemic, it never really had a proper release and we decided we would do something about that.“ Dedicating the award to Prasado-Rao, who died last year, Navarro said: “This is not just the song of the year; it’s the song of the century and the song of a lifetime.”

Here’s a link to view a video of Dan Navarro and Janiva Magness performing “$20 Bill (for George Floyd)”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeHdq817B7Y

Susan Werner’s Halfway to Houston was named Album of the Year. A prolific and versatile singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on both guitar and piano and is known for her sassy wit and classy Midwest charm, Werner was unable to be in Montreal to accept the award and sent a short video, while fellow singer-songwriter Dar Williams picked up the award on her behalf.

In addition to these FAI member-voted awards – which were open to recordings released between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 – a number of special awards and honors were presented.

The People’s Voice Award recognizing an artist who embraces social and political commentary in his/her songs was presented to Gina Chavez, an Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter who has helped to amplify the voices of the marginalized.

The River Roads Festival received The Clearwater Award, honoring a festival that — like its Pete Seeger-founded namesake –- exhibits sound leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainable event production. A one-day event presented by Dar Williams and held in Easthampton, Massachusetts for the past two years, the next River Roads Festival is set for July 5 at Heuser Park in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Williams said that she was “so excited” to accept the award. She noted that, like Seeger was, she is a resident of New York’s Hudson Valley and recalled being on Conan O’Brien’s late-night TV talk show with him in 1998. Said Williams: “Music is an incredible force … The culture around the music can be a powerful vehicle for justice.”

The Rising tide Award, which is bestowed on an emerging artist/act of an age, went to OKAN, a female-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo.

Spirit of Folk Awards recognizing people and organizations actively engaged in the promotion and preservation of folk music were presented to Annie Capps, Innu Nikamu festival, Tom Power, and Alice Randall. Capps is a Michigan-based singer-songwriter and a longtime leader with Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), who has served as both its board president and conference director. Innu Nikamu is a Quebec-based festival of Indigenous music and culture that has taken place for more than 30 years. Power, best known as the host of CBC Radio One’s Q program, is also a musician who performs and records with The Dardanelles, a Canadian folk band. Randall is a hit-making country music songwriter who has been a trailblazer in folk and country music. She’s also a college lecturer and the author of My Black Country, which she describes as both a memoir and a history.

“I owe my sanity to folk music,” said Randall in accepting the award. “In My Black Country, I tell the story of climbing out of the hell of being raped by holding on to the sound of John Prine singing “Angel From Montgomery.” Prine’s label, Oh Boy! Records, also released a collection of songs entitled My Black Country. Randall noted that her book “is about the Black folk, including Black folk musicians, who made country country.”

2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients included the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls (whose eponymous debut album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording 35 years ago), the late Black Appalachian musician Lesley Riddle, and the global roots magazine Songlines. During the awards show, singer-songwriters Rose Cousins and Mary Bragg performed “Galileo,” one of the Indigo Girls’ hit songs, in tribute to the duo, while Black indigenous Canadian singer-songwriter Julian Taylor performed “Red River Blues” in tribute to Riddle.

Accepting the Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Riddle, who died in 1980 at age 75, Randall referred to him as a founder of country music and a practitioner of folk who collected and taught the Carter Family a lot of songs. “Tonight, Folk Alliance corrects an almost 100 year-old wrong” by recognizing him.

“We need folk music now more than ever,” said the Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers in a pre-recorded video. “This Folk Alliance is a group that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and access for all. Folk music is the music of truth telling. Amy [Ray] and I are, especially in this time, particularly honored to accept this award.” Echoing her sentiments, Ray urged folks to “Please stand up with us and make your voices heard in these times … Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.”

Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Songlines, James Anderson-Hanney, its publisher, said: “I think we’re the last world music magazine on the planet.” The UK-based, glossy bimonthly that comes with CD is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.Leading Quebecois folk ensemble Le Vent Du Nord, a 2023 Songlines award recipient, performed in honor of the magazine.

Five Inducted Into Folk Radio Hall of Fame

Eight years ago, Folk Alliance International established a Folk Radio Hall of Fame in order to recognize folk DJs and music directors for the vital role that they play by sharing the music with their listeners. Wanda Fischer, Longtime host of The Hudson River Sampler on WAMC Radio in Albany, New York and herself an inductee in the Hall of Fame, recognized this year’s inductees, while a video featuring visuals and information about them was also screened. The 2025 inductees include Taylor Caffery, Matthew Finch, Archie Fisher, MarySue Twohy, and Chuck Wentworth.

Taylor Caffery, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been the host Hootenanny Power of WRKF Public Radio in Baton Rouge, LA since it began airing in 1981. He’s also been recognized with WRKF’s Founder’s Award (2022) and with the Kari Estrin Founding President’s Award during the 2024 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference.

Matthew Finch, who left our world unexpectedly in July 2024, was a beloved figure in New Mexico’s music scene, who devoted more than 20 years to KUNM in Albuquerque as its music director, and as a tireless advocate for local musicians. Through the programs Ear to the Ground and Studio 55, he created platforms for regional artists to share their music, showcasing live performances and celebrating the diversity of the state’s music community.

Archie Fisher hosted BBC Radio Scotland’s award-winning Traveling Folk program for 27 years – promoting artists and musicians of the folksong revival throughout the British Isles. A talented artist in his own right, he also hosted studio sessions and interviews with such notable American and Canadian artists as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, David Francey, and James Keelaghan. Queen Elizabeth II presented him with a MBE in 2006 for his services to music.

MarySue Twohy is a program director at SiriusXM, who currently manages The Village, its folk channel, among others. She conducts artist interviews and produces a wide array of radio programs. Formerly an artist herself, she moved into broadcasting by hosting a two-hour program 20 years ago and quickly rose to PD. She also served on the FAI board of directors for seven years and continues to serve on national music committees, and to participate in conference panels and as a songwriting contest judge.

Chuck Wentworth, who passed away last year, was a revered figure on the New England music scene – best known for his long-standing contributions as both a radio show host and a festival producer. He began hosting a folk radio show on WRIU-FM, the college radio station at the University of Rhode Island, while he was a student and Traditions aired for 38 years. He also served as the station’s folk and roots music director and expanded its folk programming from one show to five nights a week. Wentworth was also the founder and producer of the Rhythm & Roots Festival, a three-day music and dance festival in Rhode Island.

[Here’s a link to view the International Folk Music Awards Show, which also was livestreamed via YouTube and was available for viewing via Folk Alley and NPR Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVE29BZ6fBg

The International Folk Music Awards was just one part, albeit an important one, of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International Conference that extended from February 19-23 and drew nearly 2,500 attendees. In addition to more than 2,700 showcases featuring more than 700 acts (including 183 juried official showcases plus many more showcases extending into the early morning hours), the conference included a keynote conversation with Allison Russell and Ann Powers [see below], Black American Music and International Indigenous Music Summits, a one-day legal summit, 45 panel discussions and workshops, a number of affinity and peer group sessions, six film screenings and discussions, lobby jams, meetings of FAI’s regional affiliates, a town hall meeting on P2 Visas – Working Through Parity at the Canada/US Border, a popular Meet the Folk DJs session, morning yoga, an exhibit hall, agent-presenter speed networking sessions, and lots of other networking opportunities.

Artist & Activist Allison Russell Engages in Keynote Conversation with Music Journalist Anne Powers

Allison Russell — a widely acclaimed singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and activist –- returned to her hometown to engage in an hour-long keynote conversation with Anne Powers, a critic and correspondent for NPR Music. A soulful, Nashville, Tennessee-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian, Russell is the recipient of more than a dozen awards. These include a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Music Performance for Eve Was Black,” a single off of her sophomore solo recording, Returner released in September 2023), Juno Awards for Contemporary Album of the Year (for her solo debut, Outside Child – 2022) and Music Video of the Year (for “Demons,” 2024), six UK Americana Music Awards, four Canadian Folk Music Awards, and two Americana Music Honors & Awards. In 2022, Folk Alliance International members voted Russell’s solo debut as Album of the Year and her as Artist of the Year. Outside Child was also named Contemporary album of the Year in the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while she was named Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year in recognition of the emotion-laden album featuring 11 original songs “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family.”

Russell has previously spoken of the abuse and trauma that she faced in her youth and the major role that music has played in helping her to overcome it .In her conversation with Powers, she recalled how, at age 15, while unhoused, she slept in the pews at a church just a few blocks from Le Sheraton Centre.

Asked about her latest album, 2023’s The Returner, she noted how she had been a challenged, broken yet brave girl. “”We come from long, broken lines of survivors. We’re all miracles. We’re all returners. We are all overcoming things.”

Much of her on-stage conversation with Powers focused on her recent portrayal of Persephone in Anais Mitchell’s award-winning Broadway musical, Hadestown. Russell noted that it was her first professional acting role and that she had not acted since performing in a Shakespearean play while in high school.

Sharing her reflections on Hadestown just days after she concluded her 50-week run as Persephone and in keeping with the “Illuminate” theme of the conference, she said: Persephone is Hades’ only source of light, of illumination in the underworld. She was the light in his life.”

Playing a mythic goddess in this time took on new connotations, she acknowledged, citing “the current fear-mongering administration in Washington” and “the bigotry and bias that can really harm communities.”

Referring to herself as “a geriatric millennial,” Russell said: “When I came up 24 years ago, there weren’t too many others who looked liked me.” Acknowledging that “our [folk] community is growing more diverse,” she spoke of being a curator during the 2021 Newport Folk Festival tasked with featuring Black and Black & queer women and their allies in the center of a 90-minute set focused on roots and revolution. ”What could be more beautiful than to be conscious, to be mindful [woke],” said Russell, noting that she’s “a queer woman who somehow married a white man with a guitar.”

Prior to embarking on her solo career, Russell was a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po’ Girl.

[Here’s a link to view a video recording of the keynote conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ne2-baY8g.]

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.

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

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

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

It has been customary during the annual SWRFA conferences for all registered artists to be given a random song topic/prompt. They are expected to write about these during the weekend and perform their songs following Sunday brunch. SWRFA will seek to replicate this song-sharing event virtually on Sunday afternoon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Folk Alliance International Conference – Feb 23-27, 2022

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

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

Scheduled to perform (in order of performance) at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country on May 6, from 1 to 4 p.m. are Terry Penny (Newfoundland, Canada), Paula Held (Austin, TX), Alison Lumley (Austin, TX), Jon Troast (Nashville, TN), Andra Suchy (Minneapolis, MN), Burke Ingraffia (Point Clear, AL), Edie Carey (Chicago, IL), Whit Hill – The Postcards (Nashville, TN), Miranda Dawn (Austin, TX), Poor Mans Poison (Hanford, CA), Nicolette Good (San Antonio, TX), The Hems (Austin, TX), Daniel Makins (San Angelo, TX), Talia Segal (New York, NY), Robin Macy & Kentucky White (Belle Plaine, KS), and Lindsay May (Vancouver, BC, Canada).

New Folk Finalists slated to perform on May 27 include Lizzy Ross (Pittsboro, NC), JA Carter III (San Antonio, TX), Michael Jerome Browne (Montreal, QC, Canada), Mikaela Kahn (Denton, TX), The Sea The Sea (Madison, CT), Alicia McGovern (Salt Lake City, UT), The Selkies (Ipswich, MA), Paul Sachs (New York, NY), Scott Phegley (Nolensville, TN), Dan Weber (Vancouver, WA), Annie & Rod Capps (Chelsea, MI), J Wagner (Austin, TX), Anna Dagmar (New York, NY), Korby Lenker (Nashville, TN), The YaYas (Mohegan Lake, NY), and Michaela Anne (Brooklyn, NY).

After performing, six songwriters will be selected as 2012 New Folk Winners by judges Cary Cooper, Seth Glier and Nathan Hamilton. The six will receive cash honorariums and other prizes, as well as the opportunity to return the following weekend to perform during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Sunday, June 3.

Now in its 41st year and geared towards singer-songwriters of various musical styles and their fans, the Kerrville Folk Festival is the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America. In addition to concerts each evening, Kerrville features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, campfire jam sessions, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe trips on the Guadelupe River and Hill Country bike rides, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a three-day songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

The Kerrville Folk Festival runs for 18 straight days – Thursday, May 24– Sunday, June 10. For a complete festival schedule and additional information, visit www.kerrville-music.com.

Having experienced a growth in attendance over the past couple of years, FARM has moved to larger quarters this year and also extended the conference’s time frame. Like other regional conference, the annual FARM Gathering provides useful and enjoyable learning and networking opportunities, not to mention plenty of fine listening and performing opportunities for performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, folk DJs, folk societies and clubs, media, and others engaged in the folk music field; they are not intended for casual folk fans.

Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend these annual conferences, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those who they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections and building an acoustic community.

Official showcase artists performing at this year’s Gathering include Gloria Attoun, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, The Cattails, Debra Cowan, Curtis & Loretta, Amy Dixon-Kolar, Gregory Doyle-Andrews, Mark Dvorak, Tom Kastle, Eric Lambert, Doug Spears and Tangleweed. The showcases are slated for Friday and Saturday nights from 8-10 p.m.

In addition, Concerts In Your Home, which promotes the concept of house concerts to artists and music lovers across the U.S. and beyond, will present a special invitational showcase on Thursday night. Featured artists will include Jeanne T. Arrigo, Floyd King & the Bushwackers, The Edward Groves Band, Barb Barton, Claudia Schmidt, Jan Krist & Jim Bizer, Heather Styka, Beaucoup Shakti, Zach, Joe Jencks, and The Henhouse Prowlers. Artists not performing in juried showcases will be afforded opportunities to strut their stuff during Performance Lane, an open mic of sorts that takes place both during the afternoon and in the evening following the formal showcases. Requests for Performance Lane slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Late-night jamming and song circles, and daytime workshops and panel discussions also are on tap. Among the workshop and panel topics are “Bore No More: How to Add Snap, Crackle and Zing to Your Musical Performances,” “The Healing Power of Sad and Tragic Songs in Traditional and Original Music,” “Songs of Action in a Couch Potato World,” and “Wearing Two Hats: Performers as Presenters.” Annie Capps, who organized the panels and also serves on FARM’s board of directors, will help facilitate an open discussion on social networking. Fran Snyder, a Lawrence, Kansas-based singer-songwriter and founder of Concerts in Your Home, will be among the panelists discussing “The Growing Importance of House Concerts.”

Although there is no exhibition hall, attendees are welcome to display promotional materials (free of charge) in designated areas. Both a la carte (“Taste of FARM”) and all-inclusive conference registration is available. For more information and registration forms, visit www.farmfolk.org.

FARM is part of the larger Folk Alliance International, an association that aims to foster and promote multicultural, traditional and contemporary folk music, while strengthening and advancing organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.