Katie Dahl (Baileys Harbor, WI), Martin Gilmore (Denver, CO), Sara Beth Go (Nashville, TN), Cindy Kalmenson (Ojai, CA), Abigayle Oakley (Nashville, TN), and Madeleine Roger (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) will each perform 20-minute sets during a Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners concert at the festival on Saturday afternoon, May 31. The concert will also be livestreamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website (kerrvillefolkfestival.org) and Facebook page, as well as on the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation’s YouTube channel.

This year’s Kerrville New Folk competition drew a record-breaking 1341 entries. The six performing songwriters named as 2025 New Folk Winners were selected by judges Adeem the Artist, Rj Cowdery, Matt Nakoa, Raina Rose, and J Wagner. Their songs were evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft. In addition to receiving $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2025 “Welcome Home” Fest in the fall, the winners are also invited to participate in a New Folk Concert Series tour in the spring prior to next year’s festival. Being named as a Kerrville New Folk Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor in singer-songwriter circles.

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.

Now in its 55th year, the Kerrville Folk Festival extends through Sunday, June 8, and features more than 100 artists and acts. Besides concerts each evening, it features “Ballad Tree” song-sharing sessions, late-night and afternoon song circles and jam sessions at various campsites, concerts and activities for children, organized canoe and kayak trips on the Guadelupe River, Hill Country bike rides, guided nature walks, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

A listing of all of this year’s New Folk Finalists was included in a previously posted article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2025/04/19/finalists-named-in-2025-kerrville-new-folk-competition/

Here are links to view the New Folk Concerts that took place on May 24 and 25:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a99XF8DZrRQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-zPMCRHcps

This year’s Kerrville New Folk Finalists are AJAYE (Nashville, TN), Malena Cadiz (Los Angeles, CA), Katie Dahl (Baileys Harbor, WI), Sophia DeLeo (New York, NY), Jeremy Facknitz (Colorado Springs, CA), Jessica Willis Fisher (Nashville, TN), Abbie Gardner (Nashville, TN), Martin Gilmore (Denver, CO), Sara Beth Go (Nashville, TN), Helena Hallberg (Zurich, Switzerland/Nashville, TN), Brian Johannesen (Iowa City, IA), Cindy Kalmenson (Ojai, CA), Holly Lovell (Denver, CO), Hudson Mueller ((Houston, TX), Abigayle Oakley (Nashville, TN), Racyne Parker (Everett, WA), Morgan Lee Power (Waco, TX), Reckless Saints (Fort Myers, FL), Madeleine Roger (Winnipeg, MB Canada), Stephanie Sammor (Farmers Branch, TX), Tai Shan (Madison, TN), Isabel Shaye (Arlington, VA), Mike Vitale (Los Angeles, CA), and Christopher Worth (Portland, OR). They will showcase their talents and songwriting skills at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio, beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT. The New Folk Concerts may also be livestreamed on the Kerrville Folk Festival’s website [kerrvillefolkfestival.org] and Facebook page, as well as on the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation’s YouTube channel.

After performing the two songs that they submitted during the New Folk Concerts, six songwriters will be selected as 2025 New Folk Winners by a panel of judges that includes Adeem the Artist, RJ Cowdery, Matt Nakoa, Raina Rose, and J Wagner. As in the first round, the finalists’ songs will be evaluated based on originality, lyrics, melody, harmonic structure, and other elements of song-craft. Each of the six performing songwriters chosen as 2025 New Folk Award Winners, to be announced during the evening concert on May 25, will be invited to perform a 20-minute set as part of a New Folk Award Winners Concert on Saturday, May 31 that also will be livestreamed.

Established in 1972 at the urging of the late Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, 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 $750 cash awards and two wristbands each for Kerrville’s 2025 fall “Welcome Home” Fest, being named as a New Folk Award Winner is regarded as a very prestigious honor. Kerrville New Folk winners also are invited to participate in a New Folk Concert Series tour in the spring prior to the festival.

Extending for 18 days, the Kerrville Folk Festival is set for May 22-June 8 and will feature more than 100 artists and acts. Besides concerts each evening, it 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, guided nature walks, yoga, beer and wine seminars, a Young Artists’ Performance Incubator, a professional development program for teachers, as well as a songwriters school and instrumental workshops.

Finalists Named in Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest

Ten finalists also have been named this month in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest and have been invited to showcase their talents during the 2025 Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival that takes place May 16-18 at the Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas — located just a few minutes north of Dallas. The finalists slated perform on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT, include Chris Baron (Portland, Oregon), Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Daniel Boling (Albuquerque, NM), Mary Broussard (Scott, LA), Linda Dunnavant (Nashville, TN), Jesse Garcia (Glorietta, NM), Christine Hand (Dallas, TX), Michelle Rayburn (Nashville, TN), Erin Ash Sullivan (Harvard, MA), and Lindsay White (San Diego, CA).

Using a blind-screening process, a panel of judges chose the finalists who will perform two songs each on the Singer-Songwriter Stage inside the Eisemann Center during the annual event that is billed as North Texas’ largest music festival. The 10 finalists will compete for cash prizes and be judged based equally on the quality and presentation of their songs – with originality, lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure among the criteria.
Each of the finalists also will be afforded an opportunity to perform a set of songs on another stage as well during the festival. Visit wwildflowerfestival.com for more information.

Extending from 12 noon-7 p.m. EST each day on ConcertWindow.com, The Ladies in the House Online Music Festival will feature female-driven music from two-dozen GoGirlsMusic and or Folk Alliance International members. Ariel Hyatt, founder of CyberPR, will present a 30-minute workshop on social media on Saturday afternoon, while singer-songwriter Tracy Grammer will present one on songwriting on Sunday.

Folks can logon to The Ladies in the House Online Music Festival via www.concertwindow.com. Although the festival is free, participating artists and workshop presenters will be accepting tips and are being encouraged by the festival’s organizers to offer fun tip rewards for generous festivalgoers. While participating artists will be setting up shows on their own channels (direct Concert Window links), all of the showcases and workshops will be tagged #LITHfestival. A complete schedule for the online music festival may be found by searching that hashtag on ConcertWindow.com, as well as at www.facebook.com/events/1650406141656101/. Festival organizers also will be in the chat room throughout the event to direct folks to the next showcase or workshop.

“GoGirlsMusic is thrilled to be partnering with NERFA and ConcertWindow for our second annual online music festival,” said Rorie Kelly, co-executive director of the online community that was launched in 1996 to promote, support and empower independent women musicians from around the world through networking and events. “Recently there has been a lot in the news about music festivals being very male dominated, and we at GoGirls want to turn the tables on that by producing a female-centered music festival,” the New York-based singer-songwriter and fiery acoustic rocker added. “If you’ve never attended an online music festival before, think of it like a pub crawl that you can attend in your pajamas without ever leaving your home. It’s a ton of fun and we can’t wait to beam two full days of female-powered music into your homes!”

GoGirlsMusic.com has previously produced such annual events as the GoGirlsMusicFest and Invasion of the GoGirls during SXSW, and it has hosted showcases at Folk Alliance International conferences that also were streamed around the world.

With geographic boundaries that extend from the northern Virginia suburbs to the eastern Canadian provinces, NERFA is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, a Kansas City, MO-based nonprofit organization that seeks to engage and empower the international folk music community through education, advocacy and performance. NERFA hosts an annual conference in Stamford, Connecticut in November and is increasingly seeking to engage in activities year-round that are beneficial to FAI members in its region and to the “folk” community more broadly speaking.

“We’ve partnered with festivals, venues and presenting organizations in the U.S. and Canada in recent years in hosting showcases and workshops,” said Michael Kornfeld, president of NERFA’s board of directors. “This online music festival is a natural extension of those efforts, as well as a way to embrace technology, provide a new platform for artists to expand their audiences, and expose people to a lot of talented musicians in the comfort of their own homes.” He expressed thanks to Cheryl Prashker, his predecessor as NERFA’s board president; Jessica Wrubel, NERFA’s board secretary; and Rorie Kelly and Delia Stanley, GoGirlsMusic’s co-executive director, for their efforts in helping to organize the online event.

“Concert Window has been a wonderful way for us to connect more deeply and really support each other’s music,” said Kelly, noting that GoGirls is an international community. “We love what they do and have been advocating for our members to use Concert Window since it first started up,” she continued. “For me personally, as a regional musician, it has really allowed me to expand my reach and perform for fans and friends around the globe who would otherwise not get to see me.”

Dan Gurney, Concert Window’s CEO, engaged in a Q & A session with GoGirls members during a weekly #ggchat on Twitter early last year. The chat was the brainchild of GoGirls founder Madalyn Sklar, a music business coach and consultant and noted social media maven. “We also interviewed him for our blog and got him to share his thoughts on how musicians could make the best use of the medium [that interview can be found at http://bit.ly/1ZJgWsa],” said Kelly.

The ten finalists selected by a panel of judges, based on both their songwriting craft and the presentation of their songs, are Hannah Bethel (Tennessee), Kevin Chambers (Tennessee), Nathan Evans Fox (Texas), Mike Laureanno (Rhode Island), Heather Mae (Washington, DC), Tom Meny (Texas), Emmeline Miles (Texas), Emily Scott Robinson (Texas), Marilyn Rucker (Texas), and Mike P. Ryan (Virginia).

After showcasing their talents on Saturday, May 20, four of the finalists will receive $500 each and will perform in a 75-minute spotlight round on Sunday afternoon, while $100 will be awarded to the remaining six. All ten finalists will also be invited to perform sets on the festival’s Courtyard Stage.

Other artists slated to perform on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the festival include Albert and Gage, Rj Cowdery, Joe Crookston (who also presents a day-long songwriting workshop on Friday that’s limited to 30 students), Jon Christopher Davis, Justin Farren, The Flyin’ A’s, John Fullbright, Butch Hancock, Shake Russell and Michael Hearne with Mike Roberts, Ryanhood, 2-Bit Palomino, and Beth Wood.

In addition to its Singer Songwriter and Courtyard Stages, Wildflower! will feature several other stages with an eclectic array of musical artists (ranging from rockers The B-52s and Lynyrd Skynrd to southern country rockers The Outlaws, folk-rockers Orleans, and soulful blues and folk singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster), as well as the Wild! Marketplace, a Taste of Texas Food Garden, a Kidz Korner family area and petting zoo, strolling entertainers, and more.

Three-day festival passes may be purchased online for $65, while single-day adult tickets are available for $30 online and $40 at the gate. For more information, including performance schedules and a ticket link, visit www.wildflowerfestival.com.

The ten finalists selected by a panel of judges, based on both their songwriting craft and the presentation of their songs, are Richard Berman (MA), Cherie Call (UT), John Carroll (TN), Brad Colerick (CA), Angela Easterling (SC), Annalise Emerick (TN), George Ensle (TX), Frank Martin Gilligan (TX), Lola Toben (MO), and Crystal Yates (TX).

After showcasing their talents on Saturday, May 16, four of the finalists will receive $500 each and will perform in a 75-minute winners’ round on Sunday afternoon, while each of the other six will each receive $100. All ten finalists will also perform hour-long sets on the Courtyard Stage, on which several Dallas Songwriters Association Spotlights also take place over the weekend.

Last year’s Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest winners were Marc Douglas Berardo (RI), Carolyn Currie (ME), Drew Kennedy (TX), and Ellen Tipper (ME).

Other artists slated to perform on the Singer Songwriter Stage during the festival include Phoebe Hart Trio, Bill Ward/2-Bit Palomino, and Tom Prasada-Rao on Friday. Jacob Johnson, Rj Cowdery, Danny Schmidt, Carrie Elkin, Cliff Eberhardt, Louise Mosrie, Jonathan Byrd and the Pickup Cowboys, and Trout Fishing in America perform on Saturday. Cowdery, Mosrie and Ian Dickson – – previous contest winners in 2011, 2010 and 2005, respectively – take part in a Sunday afternoon song swap, while Zane Williams closes out the stage with a set beginning at 5:30 p.m.

In addition to its Singer Songwriter and Courtyard Stages, Wildflower! will feature several other stages with an eclectic array of musical artists (ranging from rockers Pat Benatar, Kansas and 38 Special to noted Texas singer-songwriters Joe Ely and Gary P. Nunn), as well as the Wild! Marketplace, a Taste of Texas Food Garden, a Kidz Korner family area and petting zoo, strolling entertainers, and more.

Three-day festival passes may be purchased online via ClicknPrintTickets and at Tom Thumb stores around the Metroplex for $30 through 5:30 p.m. on May 15, while single-day adult tickets will be available for $20 at the gate and online. For more information, including performance schedules, visit www.wildflowerfestival.com.

More than 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 13-16, 2014, for the 20th Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day.

The NERFA Conference will feature several jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions, informative panel discussions and workshops, a keynote by acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram, one-on-one and group mentoring 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 NERFA Conference, and many presenters and folk DJs do scout out new artists and those whom they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections, building community, and attending workshops and seminars to learn about options to further careers, promote the music, and attract audiences and listeners.

Taking center stage during this year’s conference will be 15 artists/acts selected by a panel of judges, with each to perform a 15-minute formal showcase set in the resort’s theater on Friday and Saturday nights. Slated to perform on Friday are Bobtown, Claudia Schmidt, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Guy Mendilow Ensemble, Harpeth Rising, Dave Gunning, and David Jacobs-Strain. Saturday’s Formal Showcase lineup features Shtreimi & Ismail Fencioglu, SONiA disappear fear, Modern Man, Burning Bridget Cleary, No Fuss & Feathers Roadshow, Jory Nash, The Don Juans, and Tim Grimm Band.

After the formal showcases, attendees will shuffle between four conference rooms to catch short sets by 40 additional artists who were selected by a different set of judges. Performing in Quad Showcases on Friday night are Kristin Andreassen, Brothers McCann, Ellen Bukstel, Bumper Jacksons, Kate Callahan, Roger Street Friedman, Connor Garvey, Loretta Hagen, Phil Henry, Lara Herscovitch, JEWMONGOUS, Libby Koch, Mara Levine, Lords of Liechtenstein, Lois Morton, Hannah Shira Naiman, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes, and Young Novelists. Saturday’s Quad Showcase artists include Beaucoup Blue, Nancy Beaudette, Jeff Black, Chasing June, RJ Cowdery, Doll Sisters, Driftwood, Folk Goddesses, Matt Harlan, Jesse Stuart Few, Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards, Matt Nakoa, No Good Sister, Rose Sheehan & Colin de la Barre, John Sherman & Randy Clepper, Lyal Strickland, Jesse Terry, Ernest Troost, and Victor & Penny.

Following the juried showcases each evening (as well as during the afternoons), AcousticMusicScene.com will join dozens of presenters, performers and others in hosting guerilla showcases in their hotel rooms that extend through the early morning hours. Open mics, informal jam sessions, private showcases, thematic song circles and round-robin song swaps round out the musical mix. It’s not unusual to see musicians staking out other areas of the hotel and jamming until 4 or 5 a.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot Features Artists and Singing Folk DJs

An overflow crowd will likely again descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com room (1506) on Thursday overnight for its popular Midnight Hoot. Following the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase and extending from 11:45 p.m. to 3 a.m., the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Barbara and Graham Dean, Wanda Fischer and Jon Stein) and some three-dozen of artists/acts – each of whom will perform one song.

Now in its eighth 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. It also enables artists to enjoy each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday (although since increasingly more people have been arriving on Thursday, some intensive workshops will take place that afternoon).

A house band comprised of David Buskin (keyboards), Mark Dann (bass) and Marshal Rosenberg (percussion) also will be there for anyone who desires accompaniment.

Schedules for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases appear below. Craft beers and wine are being graciously provided by Blue Point Brewing Company (Patchogue, NY) and Clovis Point (a boutique winery on Long Island’s North Fork).

Thursday Night 11:45 p.m. – 3 a.m.

AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot

Featuring one song by each of the following (not listed in order of appearance)

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

Artists: Annika, Robert Sarazin Blake, Robert Bruey, Ellen Bukstel, Burning Bridget Cleary, Dan and Faith, Gathering Time, Marci Geller, Generations: Mike & Aleksi Glick, Rick Gottlieb, Loretta Hagen, Christopher Mark Jones, Stuart Kabak, Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Savannah King, Terry Kitchen, Libby Koch, Mara Levine, Bernice Lewis, Rob Lytle, Lois Morton, Zoe Mulford, Jory Nash, Aaron Nathans, Dan Navarro, Hugh O’ Doherty, Karyn Oliver, Amanda Pearcy, Glen Roethel, Elaine Romanelli, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, Sorcha Cribben-Merrill, Hank Stone, Chuck Williams

House Band: David Buskin (keyboards), Mark Dann (bass), Marshal Rosenberg (percussion)

Friday Afternoon

12:15 Lower Hudson Valley Songsters: Susan Kane, Judy Kass, Glen Roethel
12:45 I’m From New Jersey: Christine DeLeon, Loretta Hagen, Kathy Moser, John
Sonntag
1:30 Brooklyn in da House: The Lords of Liechtenstein, Alex Mallett, Matt Nakoa
2:00 Texas Troubadours: Matt Harlan, Libby Koch & Amanda Pearcy
2:30 Long Island Sounds: He-Bird, She-Bird, Hank Stone, The Folk Goddesses
3:15 Long Island Sounds: Robert Bruey, Jerry DeMeo, Gathering Time, Rorie Kelly

Friday Night

11:45 Dan Navarro

12:00 Funny Folk: JEWMONGOUS featuring Sean Altman, Mark Berube, Lois Morton

12:30 Harmonic Convergence: Gathering Time, Mara Levine, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado

1:00 The Wisch List: Robert Bruey, Jenai Huff, Eugene Ruffolo
1:30 Folk You Should Know: Kristin Andreassen, Rob Lytle, Teresa Storch

2:00 Mass. Appeal: Brothers McCann, Danielle Miraglia, Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday Afternoon

1:45 Pirate Camp: Monty Delaney, Laura Joy, Stuart Kabak, Mike Laureanno

2:30: Salty Songs & Sailor Slang: Stuart Markus & Robin Greenstein

2:45 Pirate Camp Part II: Mya Byrne, Elaine Romanelli, Hank Stone, Jesse Terry

3:30 New Englanders of Note: Marc Douglas Berardo. Heather Pierson, The Boxcar Lilies

Saturday Evening

11:45 Burning Bridget Cleary

12:00 Funny Folk II: Modern Man and Lois Morton

12:30 POSItively Good Music: Freebo, Glen Roethel, David Roth

1:00 CT State Troubadours: Kristen Graves and Lara Herscovitch

1:30 Folk You Should Know: Friction Farm, Robinson Treacher, Laura Zucker

2:00 O’ Canada: Shawna Caspi, Irish Mythen, Young Novelists: Graydon James & Laura Spink, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Manitoba Hal, Jory Nash, David Newland, Cheryl Prashker

NERFA (www.nerfa.org) is a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, an association that seeks to foster and promote contemporary, traditional and multicultural folk music.

Editor’s Note: My thanks to Stuart Kabak, with whom I partner in hosting late-night song swaps and open circles under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, for providing a carpeted wooden platform stage and stage lights for this year’s AcousticMusicScene.com showcases. Thanks also are due to him and fellow singer-songwriters Glen Roethel and Hank Stone for graciously offering to host afternoon showcases, and to Amy Blake, Sybil Moser and Gary Schoenberger for the loan of folding chairs.

In addition to hosting the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot and other showcases during the NERFA Conference, I will be participating in a panel discussion on social media and offering some group mentoring sessions focused on artist bios and one-sheets, electronic press kits (EPKs), media relations, social media, website content, and what presenters look for when considering artists for their concert series and festivals. I also serve on the board of directors for both Folk Alliance International and NERFA.

The one-day mini-conference is designed to give artists, presenters, folk DJs, agents and others engaged in the business of folk music a small taste of what takes place during the organizations’ respective annual multi-day conferences. The day will feature workshops, panel discussions, networking, and a 10-act juried showcase. Registration for the day is $50, and includes all activities as well as lunch and snacks. Admission to the showcase only is $15.

A panel of folk DJs and concert presenters selected the following showcase artists: Beggar’s Ride, RJ Cowdery, Lynda Dawson & Pattie Hopkins, Friction Farm, Susan Greenbaum Duo, Jacob Johnson, Lulu’s Fate, Kipyn Martin, Grant Peeples, and Simple Gifts. Each will perform a 15-minute set. Rob Lytle and Hiroya Tsukamoto were named as alternates, and Lytle also will perform a short set.

Prior to the showcases, attendees will participate in a morning speed-networking session and then choose from among an array of five afternoon workshops and panel discussions.

Registration forms for the conference are posted in the Regional One-Day Conferences drop-down menu that appears on the left side of the NERFA website (www.nerfa.org). Admission to the juried showcases only will be payable at the door by cash or check.

Here’s the day’s lineup:

9 a.m Registration and Continental Breakfast

10 a.m. Welcoming Remarks and Introductions

10:15 a.m. Speed Networking

Have your elevator speech ready as you move around the room to interact with an array of music leaders. This fun, structured process facilitates introductions and short conversations between people who don’t know each other. It also enables you to get answers to your most pressing questions regarding booking, promoting, recording, and other aspects of the folk music business.

11:45 a.m. Two concurrent 75-minute sessions

Blues, Banjos and Ballads: A Musical Conversation on Regional Folk Traditions: North Carolina-based singer-songwriter and Piedmont Blues picker Jon Shain and Virginia-based multi-instrumentalist and historian Gregg Kimball will lead a conversation/demonstration on some of the region’s classic folk traditions and their evolution in America — including balladry, old-time country and Piedmont Blues.

On The Griddle: Folk DJs Peter Jones (WTJU-FM, Charlottesville) and Anne Williams (WNRN-FM, Charlottesville), along with presenters Michael Jaworek (The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA) and Scott Moore (Focus Music) will serve as panelists during an instant critique session. Attendees will get a sense of how a radio DJ decides which recordings to add for airplay and why a presenter picks one artist instead of another. Prior to the session, interested artists will provide conference volunteers with copies of their latest CD emblazoned with a sticky note indicating the track that they want evaluated. In rapid-fire fashion, the CDs will be played in the order in which they were received and panelists will share their thoughts after listening to the first 60 seconds of a song.

1 p.m. Lunch (included with registration)

2 p.m. Three concurrent 90-minute sessions

Online Communications and Promotion: Michael Kornfeld, a veteran New York-based communications and public relations strategist, leads a highly participatory discussion that will delve into such topics as electronic press kits (EPKs), netiquette, social media, websites, and how artists and presenters can partner on concert promotion.

Presenters’ Forum: Scott Moore of Focus Music facilitates a free-flowing conversation among presenters — including those from volunteer-run coffeehouse and concert series, house concert hosts and for-profit venues — on various topics of interest to them. Panelists will include Michael Jaworek of The Birchmere and Jeremiah Jenkins of Red Wing Roots Festival, among others.

Why FREE Pays: Michael Johnathon, a Kentucky-based singer-songwriter and host of the widely syndicated “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” recognizes that we live in a world in which many artists tour extensively and make tens and tens of dollars. He urges artists to employ a new “free” business model to reach a larger audience with their music. In this workshop, he’ll suggest ways that artists can think differently and take their cues from Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube — all of which give their product away and, in return, reap huge profits.

3:30 p.m. Networking and Snack Break

4 p.m. Juried showcases (15-minutes per artist/act)

More information about NERFA, SERFA and Folk Alliance International is available online at nerfa.org, serfa.org and folk.org, respectively.

Editor’s Note: Besides presenting a session on online communications and promotion, I am coordinating this conference with the much-valued assistance of a small steering committee. I’m also an elected board member of both Folk Alliance International and NERFA.

The newest of the five regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, SERFA (www.serfa.org) exists to promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts in the Southeastern United States. Its annual conference is a primary means of doing that. This is the third consecutive year that it is being held at the same location, a beautiful and tranquil spot nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This year’s conference opens with workshops, followed by dinner and a three-hour open mic on Thursday and concludes on Sunday morning with a continental breakfast and a special performance by composer and songwriter B.J. Leiderman, best known for creating themes for NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Weekend Edition,” and “Marketplace.”

Workshops on a variety of topics will be offered each day. Among the subjects to be covered are booking and performing at senior centers, constructive critique, DIY tour booking, doing music and doing good, fair trade music, funny songs, help me say yes to your booking request, house concert etiquette for the musician, the next generation of folk music, releasing your inner geek: getting yourself out there and the tools to do it, the power of your newsletter, the roots of songwriting, social media, successful kickstarter campaigns, ”Wisdom of the Elders” (featuring Sonny Ochs, Ralph Lewis and his sons), and zen and the art of performing. Also scheduled are several workshops geared towards guitarists and a vocal class, as well as peer group meeting for house concert presenters and an American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 1000 meeting. In addition, a series of one-on-one mentoring sessions are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

A number of artists have been selected by a panel of judges to present official showcases from 7- 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Slated to perform are Caroline Aiken, Beggar’s Ride, Marc Black and Amy Fradon, Rj Cowdery, Robin Greenstein, Spook Handy, Susan Herndon, Lara Herscovitch, The Hollands, The Billy Jonas Band, Alicia McGovern, Buddy Mondlock, Darryl Purpose, David Russell, Lyal Strickland, Sultans of String, Hiroya Tsukamoto, and Mike Vial & The Great Lake Effect.

Following the official showcases, late-night guerilla showcases and AFM Local 1000 Song Circles will take place in various meeting rooms between 10:45 p.m. and 2 a.m. Although AcousticMusicScene.com has had a presence at the SERFA Conference for the past two years, it will host late-night showcases at one for the first time this spring. As at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conferences each November since 2007, the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase at Montreat will be done in the form of song swaps. These will take place on Thursday, May 16, overnight in Room 334.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule:

10:40: Sandy Andina, Robin Greenstein, Elaine Mahon
11:00: Rj Cowdery, Claudia Nygaard, Jeff Talmadge
11:30: Beggar’s Ride, Marc Black & Amy Fradon, Friction Farm
12:00 Rob Lytle, Alicia McGovern, Buddy Mondlock
12:30: Todd Hoke, Lauren Lapointe, Kim Richardson
1:00 Robert Bobby, Tony Denikos, Linda McRae
1:30 Jon Shain, Sally Spring

The conference registration rate rises from $125 to $145 on May 13, although the last day to register and be listed in the program book is May 5. Persons not registered for the conference can attend these showcases on Friday and Saturday for $10 each night.

Editor’s Note: In addition to hosting an AcousticMusicScene.com showcase, I will be part of a panel discussion on social media and will again be a mentor offering my insights on public relations, strategic communications, websites and social media, and other topics of interest to performing artists and presenters.

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, informative panel discussions and workshops (including two on social media moderated by AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld), one-on-one mentoring and peer group 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.

Coming as it does less than two weeks after superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on many East Coast communities, the NERFA Conference is a particularly welcome release for many among the record number of registrants – including this writer, who coped without power and heat for a week on Long Island in the wake of the storm.

An extensive preview of the conference that is produced by NERFA (www.nerfa.org), the northeast regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, was posted on AcousticMusicScene.com last month. This article focuses on the artist showcases that this online publication for the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities will be hosting.

Following the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase on Thursday overnight, an overflow crowd will likely again descend on the AcousticMusicScene.com room for its popular Midnight Hoot. Extending from midnight to 3 a.m., the AcousticMusicScene.com Midnight Hoot is a pre-arranged, round-robin song swap featuring several singing folk DJs (Jim Colbert, Barbara & Graham Dean, Wanda Fischer, Mike Holliday and Jon Stein) and a host of artists — each of whom will perform one song. Now in its sixth year, the Midnight Hoot is intended to provide folk DJs, 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. It also enables artists to enjoy each other’s company and music before the conference really gets into full swing on Friday. Artists slated to perform include Marc Black, Robert Bobby, Robert Bruey, Ellen Bukstel, Caitlin Canty, Jane Fallon, Freebo, Friction Farm, Connor Garvey, Marci Geller, Loretta Hagen, Heather Mae, Laura Joy, Stuart Kabak, Brian Kalinec, Susan Kane, Jake Klar, Chris LaVancher, Mara Levine, Rebecca Loebe, Gilles Malkine, Stuart Markus, Robert Mattson, Michaela Anne, Lois Morton, Hugh O’Doherty, Pesky J. Nixon, Putnam Smith, Amy Speace, Sally Spring, Hank Stone, Martin Swinger, Tall Heights, Jesse Terry, Ernest Troost, Twangtown Paramours, and Chuck Williams.

Since the Midnight Hoot can only last so long, a Midday Hoot will pick up on Friday afternoon, from 2-3:30 p.m., to afford 18 more artists/acts an opportunity to perform a song. They are Suzie Brown, Brad Cole, Marybeth D’Amico, Jerry DeMeo, Dove Tail, James Durst, Carrie Ferguson, Hannah & Maggie, Larry Kolker, Bernice Lewis, Dennis Mc Do No Ugh, Heather Pierson, Elaine Romanelli, Michael Ronstadt & Aaron Nathans, Paul Sachs, Erin Sax, Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes.

Following the Midday Hoot, singer-songwriters Josh Joffen and Stuart Kabak will host a very special song circle entitled Remembering Jack Hardy, Richard Meyer and Fast Folk. AcousticMusicScene.com also is grateful to Kabak – with whom its editor partnered in hosting late-night song swaps and open circles at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival last summer — for providing a wooden platform stage and stage lights for its showcase this year. Thanks also are due to singer-songwriters Putnam Smith and Hank Stone for graciously offering to guest host Saturday afternoon showcases, to Amy Blake and Sybil Moser for the loan of folding chairs, to Sherwood House Vineyards on Long Island’s North Fork for graciously providing a carton of wine and to singer-songwriter Robert Bruey for arranging that.

A complete schedule for the AcousticMusicScene.com showcases, other than the hoots, appears below.

Friday Afternoon

3:30: Remembering Jack Hardy, Richard Meyer & Fast Folk

Jeremiah Birnbaum, Marci Geller, Josh Joffen, Stuart Kabak, Keith Kelly, Frank
Tedesso, Judith Zweiman

Friday Evening

11:45 All Keyed-Up: Jeffrey Paul Bobrick, Anna Dagmar, Marci Geller, Avi Wisnia

12:30 A Pair of Trios: The Boxcar Lilies, The YaYas

1:00 Folk You Should Know: Marc Douglas Berardo, Katie Pearlman,
Sloan Wainwright

1:30 Funny Folk: Zoe Lewis, Lois Morton

2:00 Texas Troubadours: Cary Cooper, Brian Kalinec

2:00 Long Island Sounds: Robert Bruey, Marci Geller, Miles to Dayton, Katie Pearlman

2:45 Long Island Sounds II: Jerry DeMeo, Josh Joffen, Stuart Markus, Lois Morton, Hank Stone

3:30 Maine Stage: Caroline Cotter, Connor Garvey, Martin Swinger

4:00 Maine Stage II: Sorcha Cribben Merrill and Johanna Sorrell, Putnam Smith, Darlin’ Corey