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.

Streaming online from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the virtual festival will feature storytelling, activism, education and celebration, in addition to lots of musiic. Among the featured performers are Scott Ainslie, David Amram, Andes Manta, David & Jacob Bernz, David Celia, The Chapin Sisters, Tom Chapin, Judy Collins, Guy Davis, Emma’s Revolution, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Gangstagrass. Abbie Gardner, Fred Gillen, Jr., Lisa Gutkin, Bill Harley, Reggie Harris, Jaeger & Reid, Joe Jencks, Geoff Kaufman, Amythyst Kiah, James Maddock, Magpie, The Mammals/Mike & Ruthy, John McEuen, John McCutcheon, Tom Paxton, The Rix, Tommy Sands, The Scooches, Noel Paul Stookey, Matt Turk, Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, Peter Yarrow, and Dan and Claudia Zanes.

A number of folk radio DJs will serve as emcees. These include Jimmy Buff (Host of Jimmy Buff Loves You airing weekdays on WKNY Radio Kingston in upstate New York), Wanda Fischer (host of the long-running Hudson River Sampler on WAMC in New York’s Capitol Region), Sonny Ochs (host of Folk Music & Other Stuff on WIOX in New York’s Catskills Region and on Folk Music Notebook), Ron Olesko (creator of Folk Music Notebook, a 24-7 online music channel and longtime host of Traditions on WFDU in Teaneck, NJ), Rik Palieri (host of Folk Talk with Rik Palieri on WBTV in Burlington, VT and also on Folk Music Notebook), John Platt (host of Sunday Supper on WFUV in New York City) and Bob Sherman (longtime host of Woody’s Children that now precedes Platt’s Sunday Supper on WFUV).

The live stream may be viewed on either https://clearwaterfestival.org (where more information also can be found about it), https://youtube.com/user/HRSloopClearwater or https://facebook.com/sloopclearwater/. Although the virtual festival is free, donations will be gratefully accepted. Funds raised will help keep the sloop Clearwater afloat and support the ongoing work of 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.

Clearwater’s 2020 Virtual Revival will be available for viewing for about six months so you can watch the parts you missed or re-watch those that you loved.

Visibly moved and overwhelmed, after having himself just presented NERFA’s first Album of the Year Award to singer-songwriter Ellis Paul for The Storyteller’s Suitcase. Olesko accepted the award in front of some 700 conference attendees during a Friday night dinner and awards ceremony in the Stamford Crowne Plaza’s International Ballroom.

“It is because of NERFA and the spirit it creates that I am able to find the motivation and support to organize this channel,” asserts Olesko. “You are all my family and the art created by this community keeps me going. I will continue to work this labor of love until my last breath. Thank you all for the love you’ve shown me.”

Folk Music Notebook launched on May 3, 2019 – the 100th anniversary of the birth of folk music icon Pete Seeger. Olesko envisions it as a gathering spot for the folk community and all the fans of our music –- a place to ‘discover’ new artists ad songs as well as honor the established names who created this living tradition.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com [https://acousticmusicscene.com/2019/05/02/folk-music-notebook-a-247-music-channel-launches-online-and-is-available-via-free-apps/], Folk Music Notebook offers up a curated playlist focusing on the diverse contemporary folk music community, while also incorporating the folk revival artists who drew many people to this genre. Interspersed with the music are brief but informative DJ announcements, recorded stories behind the songs from the artists themselves, as well as commentary, news and other special features. The channel broadcast juried official showcases, as well as its own curated artist showcases, live from the conference.

Folk Music Notebook engages listeners by showing the connections between songs and styles – keeping them engrossed throughout the day without constant badgering from hosts, endless strings of commercials, or repetitive automated playlists.

“I was stunned to receive such a recognition and proud of what has been accomplished by all the wonderful program hosts and correspondents that make Folk Music Notebook possible,” Olesko posted on his Facebook page. “I almost lost it when I walked onstage to accept the award and saw people starting to give me a standing ovation … It was a moment I won’t forget, to be recognized by this wonderful family of folkies!”

Olesko noted that he shares the award “with all of our hosts, everyone who contributed to our Kickstarter campaign that enabled us to launch, the artists whose music we share, and [with] everyone who tunes in to our 24-hour service. I am very proud what we have created together!” He expressed thanks to the NERFA board of directors for recognizing Folk Music Notebook and what it has accomplished so far. “We have some exciting new shows and plans for the future, and I think you will enjoy what we are going to be adding at www.FolkMusicNotebook.com – your home for great folk songs old and new, 24 hours a day!”

An active participant in NERFA conferences for many years, Olesko served as a moderator and panelist during this year’s event, and was part of the judging panel that selected the official showcase artists. He joined Sonny Ochs (an upstate New York-based folk DJ who also has a show that airs on Folk Music Notebook) in moderating a Wisdom of the Elders session featuring fellow folk DJs Wanda Adams Fischer (host of Hudson River Sampler on WAMC in Albany, NY), John Platt (host of Sunday Supper on WFUV in the Bronx, NY), and Rich Warren (host of the nationally syndicated Midnight Special that emanates from WFMT in Chicago, IL). Olesko also joined Platt and folk DJs Jess Phaneuf (MVY Radio on Martha’s Vineyard, MA), Joe Pszonek (who hosts shows on WNTI in NJ and on Blues & Roots Radio), and Greg Torrington (Stingray Digital) in a panel discussion entitled Ride The Wave: Radio, Podcasts, Satellite, Terrestrial & New Media Platforms, as well as Pszonek, AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld, and artists Mara Levine and Stuart Markus on a panel exploring Self-Promoting Your Project To The Folk DJ Chart – Is It For You?

Conference attendees included performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music. They enjoyed and were inspired by jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, song swaps/in-the-rounds, open mics and informal jam sessions, a children’s concert, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, communal meals, an exhibit hall, a community meeting with NERFA’s board of directors, a community sing, a welcoming party, a 25th anniversary celebration, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking.

Courtney Rodland, NERFA’s conference director, presented the organization’s first Lifetime Achievement Award to Dianne Tankle, NERFA’s founder and its conference director from its inception until stepping down last fall.

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.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to my NERFA board colleagues for their ongoing commitment and dedication to our organization and the community that we serve, and for re-electing me to another term as president during our reorganization meeting that took place just prior to the start of the conference. It was my pleasure to present NERFA’s first Creator of the Year Award to Ron Olesko, as well as to participate on two panels and host late-night showcases under the banner of AcousticMusicScene.com during the conference.

While in Berkeley, California in 1957, she met her soon-to-be husband, Sandy (1929-2009). After traveling cross-country, singing songs, the couple sailed to the British Isles, where they performed in pubs and coffeehouses for a year –accompanying themselves on guitar, dulcimer and autoharp. After meeting noted collectors Hamish Henderson and Jeannie Robertson, they began collecting and learning traditional folk songs and old ballads themselves. Upon returning stateside, the Patons settled briefly in the Midwest along with their two young sons.

The couple moved to New England in the early 1960s, and, in 1961, at the urging of Haggerty, whom they had met in Chicago, and with financial support from him and his sister, launched Folk-Legacy Records to release their own recordings of traditional folk music and to make “available to the discerning public good field recordings of authentic traditional artists.” The label’s first release was a collection of field recordings that the Patons had collected from North Carolina-based banjo player and singer Frank Proffitt (Although he didn’t write it, Profitt is credited as the source of “Tom Dooley”).

Among the more than 120 recordings released by Folk-Legacy were albums by songwriters Gordon Bok, Michael Cooney, Skip Gorman, The Johnson Girls, Cindy Kallet, Jean Redpath, Ian Robb, Rosalie Sorrels and Bill Staines. Of course, the Patons also released their own recordings on the label. Besides being sold to and enjoyed by the general public, many of the label’s recordings have been used in college folklore courses. For decades, Folk-Legacy operated out of the Paton’s home — a large, remodeled barn on a rural hillside in Sharon, CT – to which they had moved from rural Huntington, Vermont in 1967 and in which they also had a recording studio. Folk-Legacy Records was acquired last November by the Smithsonian Institution (also home to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings), which will continue to make the music available and keep the legacy alive.

As performing artists, and in keeping with the folk tradition, the Patons encouraged folks during their own concerts to sing-along on choruses and be active participants in the folk music experience, preferring, as they put it, “to sing with people, rather than at them.” In 1993, the Patons were named Connecticut’s State Troubadours. The California Traditional Music Society, the Memphis Dulcimer Festival in Tennessee, and the Eisteddfod Folk Festival at the University of Massachusetts in North Dartmouth also honored them.

Noting that Caroline lived in WAMC’s terrestrial listening area, Fischer told AcousticMusicScene.com: “One of my favorite things was to get a handwritten note from her, on Folk-Legacy stationery, with the Green Man Folk-Legacy logo on top. She would send me little anecdotes about having met certain artists and thank me for introducing her to new artists. Thank ME? Seriously? After all the wonderful people she and Sandy had introduced ME to, over the years?”

Fischer expressed thanks to Caroline and Sandy Paton “for their gifts of music and introducing so many people to the music we love, inspiring people to sing and sing along… Caroline was an extraordinary person–kind, gracious, soft-spoken, and yet, a walking encyclopedia of music. If there’s a heaven, she, Sandy and my other wonderful friend who left us a couple of weeks ago, Bill Spence [hammered dulcimer player, Fennig’s All-Stars], are having an enormously great time together.”

A memorial service for Caroline Paton is being planned for Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m. near Sharon, CT. Updates about that will be posted online at www.folklegacyweekend.com.

Prior to the showcases, conference attendees will have an opportunity to choose from among an array of morning and afternoon workshop sessions and to enjoy networking over lunch. Booking agents Robyn Boyd (Wooden Ship Productions) and Mary Granata (The Granata Agency), along with singer-songwriter Carolann Solebello, will discuss the nuts and bolts of “Booking and Touring.” Folk DJs Wanda Fischer (host of “Hudson River Sampler” on the Albany, NY-based WAMC Radio Network), Ron Olesko (host of “Traditions” on WFDU in Teaneck, NJ) and Joltin Joe Pszonek (host of “Radio Nowhere” on WMSC in Montclair, NJ) are among the panelists for “Get It Played – How to Get Radio Airplay for Your Music.” Wendy Keilin (The Prosperous Artist Revolution) and others will explore “Making Music AND Money.” Michael Kornfeld (communications & PR strategist, editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com) and Jessica Wrubel (Razzi Entertainment) will delve into “Marketing and Promotion for Artists and Venues.” NJ-based presenters Gina Auriemma (Outpost in the Burbs), Sara Gallman (Music at the Mission) and Scott Sheldon (Sanctuary Concerts) will discuss “Taking Your Coffeehouse to the Next Level.” Mary Granata moderates NERFA’s popular “On the Griddle” instant critique session, during which Bill Brandenburg (Outpost in the Burbs), Scott Moore (Focus Music) and WFDU’s Ron Olesko will share their thoughts in rapid-fire fashion after listening to the first 60 seconds of a song as submitted on CDs with sticky notes by interested artists prior to the start of the session.

In addition, “The Interview Room” will provide up to 20 ten-minute slots to performing artists who have not been chosen for the juried showcases, during which they will be interviewed by a folk DJ or journalist and perform one song live. The performances and interviews will be recorded so that artists can use their session for website/marketing/promotion purposes, says Joe Pszonek. DJs can also use the audio for their shows if they choose, he adds. Interested performing artists may apply by visiting the Facebook group: NJ NERFA Music Conference Artist Interview Room and requesting to join. Once added, you can, post a link to a brief bio and one mp3 of the song that you plan to perform if selected. Friday, March 14 is the deadline to post the link. Participating folk DJs and/or journalists will select their interview choice(s) starting on that date, and applicants will be notified by March 26.

An online registration form for the NERFA New Jersey Area One-Day Mini-Conference appears in the drop-down menu on the left side of the organization’s website. Conference registration is $40 through March 15 and $50 after that date. The juried showcases, beginning at 4 p.m., also will be open to the public for a nominal fee.

NERFA 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.

More than 750 people from throughout the U.S. and Canada are expected to converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, NY, Nov. 8-11, 2012, for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. Performers, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music scene will enjoy three jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions, informative panel discussions and workshops, one-on-one mentoring and peer group sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, tasty 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 annual 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 your careers.

Workshops, Panel Discussions Inform and Enlighten Attendees

A wide array of workshops, panel discussions and professional development seminars will be offered during the day. ”NERFA for All it is Worth” orientation sessions, designed to give first-timers a sense of what goes on during the conference, are slated for both Thursday and Friday afternoons. Also back again will be the popular “On the Griddle” instant critique sessions, during which panels comprised of folk DJs and music industry professionals will, in rapid-fire fashion, play CDs provided by attending artists and share their thoughts after listening to the first 60 seconds of a tune. Also on tap is another special extended two-hour “Wisdom of the Elders” panel designed to enable a small group of folk music pioneers and community leaders to interact and share stories and perspectives about our music and community. Participating in this year’s panel, organized by longtime folk DJ Sonny Ochs, will be Josh Dunson, Bob Fass and Happy Traum – all of whom were very active in the folk scene around Washington Square Park in New York’s Greenwich Village during the 1960s.

Other workshops will explore such topics as DIY booking and management, branding (and merch), doing music for kids, keeping healthy on the road, recording, social media, and vocal performance. Peer groups sessions for folk DJs and house concert presenters also are on tap, as is one on speed mentoring for venues. Louis Meyers, executive director of Folk Alliance International, moderates a panel entitled “Banjos, Banjos, Banjos” that will feature several banjo players. Julie Gold, Garnet Rogers and Jon Vezner will provide some insider tips on songwriting. In honor of Veteran’s Day, Diane Crowe of the People’s Music Network, has assembled a group of conference attendees who will sing songs inspired by the day or focusing on issues of war and peace.

14 Artists/Acts Selected for Formal Showcases

Brother Sun
Honor Finnegan
Connor Garvey
Ariana Gillis
Greg Klyma
Gypsophilia
ilyAIMY
Zoe Lewis
Molasses Creek
Putnam Smith Trio
The Stray Birds
The Tres Amigos
Suzie Vinnick
Carolyn Waters.

Named as alternates were Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, and Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys.

”I speak for the judges when I say that there is no such thing as a losing
submission to a NERFA formal showcase,” says Ron Olesko (WFDU-FM, Teaneck, NJ), who coordinated the judging panels. “Everyone who submitted [applications] had their
music heard by the entire panel, and there are now a number of new artists
who will be heard on the radio and be considered for bookings at venues.”

Quad Showcases Feature 40 Artists/Acts

Clint Alphin
Beaucoup Blue
Bettman & Halpin
Ruth and Max Bloomquist
Bobtown
Michael Jerome Browne
Ellen Bukstel
Burns & Kristy
Ellen Cherry
Brad Cole
Caroline Cotter
Anna Dagmar
John Francis
Freebo
Tret Fure
Jim Gaudet & The Railroad Boys

Named as Alternates were Peter Alsop, Gillian Grassie, Jean Rohe Band and Chana Rothman.

A series of 15-minute showcases set for Friday and Saturday evenings, between 9:45 and 11:30, four Quad Showcases take place concurrently in nearby conference rooms equipped with professional sound and production services. Like the Formal Showcases that immediately precede them, nothing else is allowed to compete with the Quad Showcases during the conference.

Following these official NERFA showcases, informal late-night ‘guerilla showcases take place in some three-dozen hotel rooms until the early morning hours, while musicians also stake out other areas of the hotel and engage in jam sessions that often last until 4 or 5 a.m.

Here’s a link to a video montage of images captured by Neale Eckstein (Fox Run Studio) during the 2011 NERFA Conference, set to the music of singer-songwriter Bethel Steele:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_olB3T5-Sxs

Artists Chosen for 2012 Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase

Twenty folk DJs who will be attending the NERFA Conference in November have selected artists to perform in this year’s Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase on Thursday evening, Nov. 8.
For the past eight years, these and other folk DJs have presented artists who they consider to be worthy of more attention for the listening enjoyment of their fellow DJs, presenters and others during a Folk DJ Showcase. “The original philosophy of the showcase when Suzi Wollenberg and I conceived it was that folk radio DJs (and I suppose now credible Internet DJs as well) hear all the newest talent, often long before the rest of the folk community becomes aware of these rising artists,” says Rich Warren, host of the nationally syndicated “The Midnight Special” and “Folkstage” on Chicago’s WFMT-FM. “Part of our pleasure (and job) as DJs is listening to new music,” he continues. “Also, DJs often attend folk festivals and a number of Folk Alliance conferences looking for new voices. So Suzi (who passed away unexpectedly a few years ago) and I envisioned creating an environment where folk DJs could share their new discoveries with one another. Thus was born the NERFA Folk DJ Showcase, which has been emulated by a couple of other regional FA conferences.”

The artists selected for Thursday night’s showcase will perform in alphabetical order by the radio station call letters of the folk DJ who nominated them. If listed, an alternate will only perform if the primary nominee becomes unavailable.

8:00- 8:04: Welcome and introductions

8:04-8:16: Paul Sachs
Presented by Wanda Fischer, The Hudson River Sampler
WAMC, Albany, NY
Alternate: Chris Lavancher

8:18-8:28: Susan Greenbaum
Presented by Mary Cliff, Traditions
WAMU, Washington, DC

8:30-8:40: Anna Dagmar
Presented by Graham & Barbara Dean, Common Sense Songs
WBCR-LPFM, Great Barrington, MA
Alternate: Christine DeLeon

8:42-8:52: Boxcar Lilies
Presented by Ron Olesko, Traditions
WFDU, Teaneck, NJ
Alternate: Meg Braun

8:54-9:04: Stephanie Bettman & Luke Halpin
Presented by Rich Warren, The Midnight Special & Folkstage
WFMT, Chicago and syndicated
Alternate: Matt Harlan

9:06-9:16: The Whispering Tree
Presented by John Platt, Sunday Breakfast
WFUV, New York, NY
Alternate: Beggars Ride

9:18- 9:28: Pat Lamanna
Presented by Sonny Ochs, Mostly Folk
WIOX, Roxbury, NY

9:30-9:40 Bobtown
Presented by Angela Page, Folk Plus
WJFF and syndicated

9:42-9:52: Ben Grosscup
Presented by Diana Crowe, Music of the People
WMCB-LPFM , Greenfield MA
Alternate: Arujuna Greist

9:54-10:04: Brittany Ann
Presented by Joe Pszonek, Radio Nowhere
WMSC, Upper Montclair, NJ

10:06-10:16: Scott Cook
Presented by Sue Kessell, The Folk Show
WNUR, Evanston-Chicago

10:18-10:28: Crys Mattews
Presented by Pamela A. Smith, Amazon Radio
WPKN, New Haven, CT

10:30-10:40: Paul Pasch
Presented by Jane Falvey, The Kingston Coffeehouse
WRUI, Kingston, RI

10:42-10:52: Caitlin Canty
Presented by Mark Corso, Homemade Music
WRSU, New Brunswick, NJ
Altenate: Frank Tedesso

10:54-11:04: Matt Turk
Presented by Jon Stein, The Hootenanny Cafe
WTBQ, Orange County, NY
Alternate: Brian Kalinec

11:06-11:16: Martin Swinger
Presented by Dave Palmater
WUMB, Boston, MA

11:18-11:28: Heather Styka
Presented by Al Kniola, The Back Porch
WVPE, South Bend, IN

11:30-11:40: Broken Fences
Presented by Gene Shay, Folk Music with Gene Shay
WXPN, Philadelphia, PA

11:42-11:52: Roy Schneider with Kimberly Mayfield
Presented by: Ken Batista, An American Sampler
WYEP, Pittsburgh, PA
Alternate: Emily Pinkerton

A popular AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot featuring a few singing folk DJs (Jim Colbert, Barbara and Graham Dean, Wanda Fischer, Mike Holliday and Jon Stein) and some three-dozen artists follows the Folk DJ Showcase, as do other guerilla showcases.

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

Editor’s Note: In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases during the NERFA Conference, I will be moderating two panel discussions focusing on social media.Another article about the conference will be posted later this fall. I also serve as vice president of NERFA’s board of directors.

As in years past, the NERFA conference will feature a diverse mix of folk and acoustic music presented by artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada, workshops and panel discussions, mentoring sessions, a large trade show-like exhibit hall, communal meals, and lots of opportunities for schmoozing and networking. If past conferences are an indication, sleep-deprived attendees should enjoy a wonderful spirit of community.

This marks the second year of record attendance for the conference that is produced by NERFA (www.nerfa.org), the northeast regional affiliate of 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.

Folk DJ Showcase and AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Set for Thursday Night

A Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase on Thursday night, Nov. 11, starting at 8:30 p.m., marks the unofficial kick-off of the conference. Artists selected to perform this year by DJs who consider them worthy of more attention include Ben Bedford, Jim Bizer & Jan Krist, Ellen Bukstel, Chasing Jane, Confluence, Jane Fallon, Josh Joffen, Brian Ashley Jones, Chris Kokesh, David LaFleur, Rebecca Loebe, Madison Violet, Spuyten Duyvil, Twangtown Paramours and The Winterlings.

An AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot – a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs and a host of performing artists — follows. Extending from 11:45 p.m. to 3 a.m., The Midnight Hoot is designed to be like a late-night campfire during a festival, only without a fire and in the cozier confines of a hotel room. It is intended to provide early-arriving folk DJs and presenters with an opportunity to get a small sampling of the music of a lot of artists in a short period of time. More than 700 performers, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk music societies and clubs, and others actively engaged in traditional and contemporary folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 11-14, 2010, for the16th annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, a CD release party and wine tasting, its popular Midnight Hoot and a new Midday Hoot.

The growing popularity of the midnight hoot and a desire to include more artists in it has prompted AcousticMusicScene to add a midday hoot on Friday that will be hosted by singer-songwriters Joe Iadanza and Karyn Oliver. A list of the artists performing in that appears in a showcase schedule at the end of this article.

Informative Workshops and Panel Discussions Abound

NERFA Conference programming begins with an array of workshops on Friday morning. A family music track also is slated for Friday, with performer showcases and special workshops geared for those engaged or interested in children’s and family music. Two of Kind (David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans) host a family music showcase that is co-sponsored by the Children’s Music Network. That will feature Kim & Reggie Harris, Mifflin Lowe, Jeremy Lyons, Miss Amy and Chris McKhool’s Fiddle Fire! performing before an audience of children and adults.

Twenty daytime workshops and panel discussions will be offered Friday through Sunday. AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld moderates a panel discussion on Social Networking and Building Your Online Presence, featuring music journalist Tara Murtha and singer-songwriters Joe Iadanza and Sharon Goldman (who also publishes the blog, SongwritingScene.com). Siobhan Quinn will again lead a master class/vocal clinic, while there will be two On the Griddle sessions in which a number of songs are critiqued by a panel based on listening to the first 60 seconds of each song.

(Editor’s Note: Bikel has previously been profiled on AcousticMusicScene.com in honor of his 85th birthday. Brand will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame later this month.)

Other workshops will cover such topics as Arranging the Song, Booking & Touring 101, Care & Feeding of Guitars, Getting the Most out of Your Home Studio, Festivals Moving Forward, Inspiring Change: Activist Artists and the Legacy of Phil Ochs and Niche Marketing.

Formal and Tricentric Showcases Feature a Diverse Array of Artists

Formal showcases take place on Friday and Saturday evenings in the resort’s theater, and no other activities are scheduled at the same time. Following those, folks will shuffle between three conference rooms to catch short sets by various artists during what are known as tricentric showcases.

Following the formal showcases, folks can catch 15-minute sets by various artists from throughout the U.S. and Canada during the tricentric showcases. Artists slated to perform tricentrics on Friday night include Beaucoup Blue, Datri Bean, Ben Bedford, Burning Bridget Cleary, Tim Grimm, Layah Jane, Madison Violet, Lynn Miles, Danielle Miraglia, Jory Nash, Joel Rafael, A.J. Roach, Peter Siegel, Ryan Tennis and Tripping Lilly. Saturday night’s tricentric lineup features Clint Alphin, Barnaby Bright, Brittany Ann, Chuck E. Costa, Gathering Time, Jim Gaudet & RR Boys, Chris Kokesh, Tom Pacheco, Jean Rohe Trio, RUNA, Kevin So, Frank Sollivan & Dirty Kitchen, Suzie Vinnick, We’re About 9 and The Winterlings.

Late-Night and Afternoon Guerilla Showcases Add to the Musical Mix

After the tricentric showcases each evening, AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting so-called “guerilla showcases” in their hotel rooms through the wee hours of the morning, while other musicians will stake out parts of the lobby for informal jam sessions that may last as late (or early, depending on your vantage point) as 6 a.m. Open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the mix.

A number of guerilla showcases also take place during the afternoons. In addition to The Midday Hoot on Friday, AcousticMusicScene.com will host a song swap entitled Songs of Hope, Freedom & Spirit and featuring folk harmony trio Gathering Time and Kim & Reggie Harris. On Saturday afternoon, a CD Release Party & Wine Tasting for two-time Kerrville New Folk winner Josh Joffen and The YaYas (whose new CD, Paper Boats, has already broken into the top 10 on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart) will take place in the AcousticMusicScene.com room. Following that will be Brews & Roots (For All that Ales You), featuring alt. roots band Spuyten Duyvil, along with Pesky J. Nixon and Putnam Smith.

A complete AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 & 13, follows. A printable flyer appears below it.

Friday Afternoon:

AcousticMusicScene.com Midday Hoot
(Hosted by Joe Iadanza and Karyn Oliver)

2:15: Gillen and Turk & Tribes Hill Chorus
2:20: Carolann Solebello
2:25: Loretta Hagen
2:30: Phil Minissale
2:35: Brittany Ann
2:40: Jenee Halstead
2:45: Pesky J. Nixon
2:50: Lara Herscovitch
2:55 : Kayrn Oliver
3:00: Meg Braun
3:05: Robert Bruey
3:10: Bethel Steele
3:15: The Boxcar Lillies
3:20: Rob Lytle
3:25: Elaine Romanelli
3:30: Phil Henry
3:35: Joe Iadanza

3:40-4:20 p.m. Songs of Hope, Freedom and Spirit: Gathering Time, Kim & Reggie Harris

Friday Night :

AcousticMusicScene.com
(Hosted by Michael Kornfeld and Karen Finkenberg)

11:45-Midnight: Transatlantic Singer-Songwriter: Zoe Mulford

12:00-12:30: Harmonic Convergence: Gathering Time, Joe Jencks, Mara Levine & Caroline Cutroneo

12:30-1:00: An Americana Sampler: Loretta Hagen & Band, Brian Ashley Jones & Tisha Simeral, Greg Loftus

1:00-1:30: All Keyed Up: Anna Dagmar, Lucky 13, Allison Tartalia

1:30-2:00: Brooklyn in da House: Meg Braun, Jean Rohe, Carolann Solebello

2:00-3:00: Funny Folk: Mark Allen Berube, Lois Morton, Barry Rabin, Carla Ulbrich

Saturday Afternoon:

2:00-3:00: MichaelKornfeld.com presents …

A CD Release Party and Wine Tasting for Josh Joffen and The YaYas
(with special guests Gathering Time)
.
3:30-4:30: Brews & Roots (For All that Ales You): Spuyten Duyvil, Pesky J. Nixon, Putnam Smith

Saturday Night:

11:45-12:30: Kerrville New Folk Winners: Nels Andrews, RJ Cowdery, Robby Hecht, Josh Joffen

12:30-1:00: Blue Roots: Brendan Hogan, Spuyten Duyvil, Ken Whiteley

1:00-1:30: A Trio of Duos: Buskin & Batteau, Annie & Rod Capps, Friction Farm

1:30-2:00: Folk You Should Know: Marc Douglas Berardo, The Laws, Randall Williams

2:00-2:30: J Note: Joe Crookston, Joe Iadanza, Jeff Talmadge

2:30-3:00: An Irish Set: Burning Bridget Cleary, RUNA

Click on the image to the left to view and print a full-size program schedule.

Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend the annual NERFA conference, now in its 15th year, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to 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 and building community.

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between three conference rooms to catch short sets by 30 additional artists, pre-selected from among some 170 applicants, in what are known as tricentric showcases. Participating artists on Friday night include Nels Andrews, Carsie Blanton, Ellen Bukstel, Annie & Rod Capps, K.C. Clifford, Anna Dagmar, Ellis, Gathering Time, Lara Herscovitch, Joe Iadanza and His Beautiful Band , Drew Nelson, A.J. Roach, Kevin So and Vanessa Torres. Slated to perform on Saturday night are Lisa Bigwood, Marc Black, Bread and Bones, RJ Cowdery, Beth DeSombre, John Flynn, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Hickory Project, Michael McNevin, Angelo M, The Rhythm Angels, Jude Roberts, BettySoo, Sally Spring Group and Carla Ulbrich.

Following the formal and tricentric showcases, so-called late-night ‘guerilla showcases’ take place in nearly three dozen hotel rooms until the wee hours of the morning, while other musicians stake out corners of the lobby for informal jam sessions that often last until 4 or 5 a.m. A handful of guerilla showcases also are on tap for Friday and Saturday afternoon, following a series of workshops and panel discussions.

AcousticMusicScene.com creator Michael Kornfeld, who also is a longtime communications and public relations strategist and serves on the boards of two presenting organizations and NERFA, will be part of a two-hour panel discussion entitled “Getting the Word Out, Getting the Audience In – PR for Venues.” Singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert conducts his popular performance clinic and critique while Siobahn Quinn leads a voice coaching workshop. Among the other topics to be covered in workshops and panel discussions are folk music for non-folk audiences, humor in songs, house concerts, tips and techniques to maximize grant awards, mastering the art of merchandising, and topical music in a changing world.

A family music track that was added to the schedule for last year’s conference will take place on Friday, with performer showcases and workshops geared for those engaged or interested in children’s and family music. The Funky Mamas, Paul Helou, Paul Kaplan, Erin Lee & Marci, and Vanessa Trien will perform in front of a live audience comprised of children from local schools as well as presenters.

AcousticMusicScene.com Showcases Set for Thursday – Saturday

Artists slated to participate in the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot include Marc Black, Meg Braun, Robert Bruey, Buskin & Batteau, K.C. Clifford, Todd Coyle, RJ Cowdery, Wyatt Easterling, John Flynn, Friction Farm, Gathering Time, Jenny Goodspeed, Melissa Greener, Loretta Hagen, Jenee Halstead, Lara Herscovitch, Brendan Hogan, Joe Iadanza, Joe Jencks, Brian Ashley Jones, John Kribs, David LaFleur, Robyn Landis, Layah Jane, Mara Levine, Allison Lickley, Lucky 13, Jaime Michaels, Danielle Miraglia, Kathy Moser, Karyn Oliver, Roger Silverberg, Hank Stone, Joe Stone, Reed Waddle, Shannon Wurst, and Brad Yoder.

Artist lineups for the November 13 and 14 AcousticMusicScene.com showcases follow:

Friday, Nov. 13 (Evening)

Hosted by Michael Kornfeld

11:45 MMM Good Blues: Beaucoup Blue (Adrian & David Mowry), Angelo M,
Danielle Miraglia, Phil Minissale

12:30 Brooklyn in da House: Marc Allen Berube, Meg Braun, Sweet Bitters

1:00 Women of Note: K.C. Clifford, Jenee Halstead, Betty Soo

1:30 Two Duos & a Trio: Annie & Rod Capps, Friction Farm, The YaYas

2:00 A Mix of Styles: Gathering Time, Danny Gotham and John Kribs, Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday, Nov. 14 (Evening)

Hosted by Michael Kornfeld

11:45 Three Jo(h)ns: John Flynn, John Wort Hannam, Jon Vezner

12:30 A Coupla Joes: Joe Crookston, Joe Iadanza

1:00 New England Songbirds: Jenny Goodspeed, Jenee Halstead

1:30 Folk You Should Know: RJ Cowdery, Jaime Michaels, Ken Whiteley

2:00 No Guitars Here: Acoustic Eidolon, David LaFleur, Treasa Levasseur, Putnam Smith

Saturday, Nov. 14 (Afternoon) 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Long Island Sound Showcase & Wine Tasting
Pairing artists who live on or near the Long Island Sound with fine LI wines courtesy of Martha Clara Vineyards. Whole Foods Market is providing snacks.

Guest Hosts: Joe Iadanza and Karen Finkenberg

2:00 Robert Bruey
2:10 Stuart Markus and Hillary Foxsong of Gathering Time
2:20 Joe Iadanza & His Beautiful Band
2:30 Caroline Doctorow
2:40 Lara Herscovitch
2:50 Hank Stone
3:00 Phil Minissale
3:10 Susan Kane
3:20 Lucky 13
3:30 David Bailey
3:40 Josh Joffen
3:50 My Dad’s Truck
4:00 Roger Silverberg
4:10 Joe Stone
4:20 Spuyten Duyvil

As part of Folk Alliance International, NERFA (www.nerfa.org) 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.