“The Broward Folk Club is dedicated to keeping folk and acoustic music alive and vibrant into the future, and we’re confident that this virtual festival can do just that,” say festival organizers. Since its inception, the festival has been a combination of a music fest, family reunion, community gathering, and weekend musical retreat. Although it generally features nearly 50 Florida-based and national touring artists/acts performing and leading workshops on two stages, this year’s online festivities have been scaled back a bit. However, unlike past festivals, this virtual one is free to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Donations are welcome and appreciated.

Featured performers include (in alphabetical order, not order of appearance) The Currys (Port St. Joe, FL), Friction Farm (Greenville, SC), Dave Gunning (Pictou, Nova Scotia), Lara Herscovich (Durham, CT), Joe Jencks (Dekalb, IL), Zoe Lewis (Provincetown, MA), Cara Luft (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Rod MacDonald (Lake Worth, FL), Crys Matthews (Washington, DC), Deirdre McCalla (Atlanta, GA), Mean Mary (Nashville, TN), Sofia Talvik (Sweden and Spain), and Twin Flames (Ottawa, Ontario and Nunavik, Quebec).

“Some art forms can’t pivot to online the way music is able to,” Herscovitch continued. “A big silver lining is that being online makes it all more accessible; it has been fun and amazing to connect at my own and others’ concerts with people from around the globe, and those who aren’t able to attend in person for other reasons. So, I’m just going with it, learning my own corner of the studio technology as fast as I can, and witnessing the ways that the heart and soul of music can still be delivered though a wi-fi connection. I figure it’s all just perfectly imperfect.”

Christine Stay and Aidan Quinn of Friction Farm shared similar sentiments.“ The South Florida Folk Festival was the first festival that Friction Farm played as a duo. We were recovering from the dread of being in a rock band, and the South Florida folk community was, and continues to be, unbelievably supportive and nurturing,” Stay told AcousticMusicScene.com. “We will certainly miss the late night song circles, hugs, musical spontaneity and that inexplicable energy that surrounds live music. But we can’t wait to hear our friends perform online, to celebrate the songwriter competition winners, and to see the faces of our beloved Florida friends and fans. Plus, we won’t get rained out and there won’t be a line for the bathroom.”

The Festival’s 2020 Singer-Songwriter Competition Winners Will Also Perform

Also slated during the virtual festival is a winners’ round featuring the three winners of last year’s South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Compet ition: Pamela Machala (Boulder, CO), Aaron Nathans (Chester Heights, PA) and Karyn Oliver (Fort Worth, TX). They were selected by a panel of judges from among the 12 finalists who kicked-off last February’s musical festivities during the 2020 South Florida Folk Festival in Davie. Each received the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award, $200 cash prize and the opportunity to perform during this year’s event.

The songwriting competition is co-presented by Reba Heyman. Along with her late husband, Vic, Reba has been an integral part of the folk community in South Florida and nationally for many years. The couple, known for decades for their generous financial backing of folk festivals and artists, formerly ran a concert series in Rockville, Maryland known as Vic’s Music Corner. They also served on the boards of several music festivals and established a scholarship fund for performing artists.

The full schedule for the virtual 2021 South Florida Folk Festival appears on the Broward Folk Club’s Facebook page.

Local, national and international touring artists whose performances are slated to stream @ https://facebook.com/michiganirish over the extended weekend include (in alphabetical order) The Alt, An Dro, Blackthorn, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Bohola, Daimh, Doolin’, Ian Gould, Shane Hennessey, Seamus Kennedy, The Kreelers, One for the Foxes, Peat in the Creel, RUNA, Scythian, Sharon Shannon, Trout Steak Revival, and Uneven Ground. Singer-Songwriter Ashley Davis will host a songwriters circle featuring Dave Curley, Doolin’, Colin Farrell, and Shane Hennessey, while Shannon Lambert-Ryan, RUNA’s lead vocalist, will host a family-friendly presentation on “Baking with Babies.”

The schedule for the virtual festival appears below. Videos may also be posted on the festival’s Facebook page for replay later if you miss or want to see any of the acts again.

Thursday
5-7 pm Sounds Like Ireland Radio Program
8 pm Runa
9 pm Seamus Kennedy
10 pm An Dro

Friday
6 – 9 am Michael Patrick Shiels The Big Show radio show broadcast live from downtown Muskegon
5 pm Ruth and Max Bloomquist
6 pm Ian Gould
6:30 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashley Davis (featuring Colin Farrell and Dave Curley)
7 pm Dave Curley
7:50 pm Five Farms
8 pm Best of Scythian on Dan’s Wedding Day!
9 pm Shane Hennessy
10 pm The Kreellers

Saturday
12 pm Conklin Ceili Band
1 pm Peat in the Creel
1:30 pm Cathy Jo Smith Storyteller – Seanín the Piper
2 pm Kennedy’s Kitchen
2:30 Bob Harke with Kennedy’s Kitchen
3 pm Baking with Babies
4 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashley Davis (featuring Doolan’)
5 pm the Alt
5:30 pm Cathy Jo Smith – Questions about the Irish Wake
6 pm Friel Sisters
7 pm One for the Foxes
8 pm Daimh
9 pm Doolin’
10 pm CrossBow

Sunday
11 am Uneven Ground
11:30 am Deb O’Carroll’s Irish Magic Show
12 pm Runa featuring Eamonn and Cormac de Barra
1 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashely Davis (featuring Shane Hennessy)
2 pm Trout Steak Revival
3 pm Bohola
4 pm Best of Sharon Shannon
5 pm Blackthorn

“I am thrilled to work with Joy Bennett and the magnificent staff at Old Songs to bring this virtual festival to life [on FolkMusicNotebook.com],” said Olesko. “Old Songs has always held a special place in my heart. I go to a lot of different festivals, and each have a unique personality, but there is something extraordinary about Old Songs. The festival is held in a perfect setting at the Altamont Fairgrounds, just outside of Albany, New York. The grounds are a 4-H-style fair with various barns and buildings, so if it rains it is no big deal. The music is always diverse, drawing artists from all parts of the globe. They really abide by their motto of “music with roots,” and it is wonderful to discover the various cultures and the connections we share.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible to have the festival at the fairgrounds this year, Olesko was eager to capture the spirit of Old Songs “and I think we have done it.” New performances by many of the artists who were slated to play the festival this summer are the centerpiece of the broadcasts that will air on FolkMusicNotebook.com. “They have graciously recorded sets from their homes, and we will be presenting these performances [on] Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, said Olesko.

Archival performances by many of the artists who have previously graced the festival’s stages will be featured during the day on Saturday and Sunday. These include Christine Lavin, Martin Carthy, the Georgia Sea Island Singers, the Johnson Girls, and James Keelagnan among others. Olesko noted that Bennett, Old Songs executive director for the past two years, has shared these recordings from the nonprofit organization’s archives that have not been heard since they were originally performed. An hour of Sacred Harp sings also is set to air on Sunday morning.

Throughout the weekend, listeners also will hear from some of the people who have guided Old Songs over its first 40 years. Andy Spence, the founder who guided the festival for its first 38 years, will discuss the origins of the event, while Bennett will talk about her experiences and what the future may hold for Old Songs. “We will also speak to Phil Teumin, the president of the board of directors for Old Songs Inc., about the other events that Old Songs organizes throughout the year,” Olesko added.

For her part, Bennett said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Ron on this project to help bring these performers into your homes, and look forward to working again with him at the 40th festival in 2021.”

The 2020 Virtual Old Songs Festival begins on Friday night, June 26, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. A full schedule will be posted online at FolkMusicNotebook.com.

Old Songs (https://festival.oldsongs.org) is a family-friendly festival of folk, traditional, Celtic and regional music and dance, known for its relaxed atmosphere, interactive sessions and workshops, hands-on experiences and participatory nature. In addition to three evening concerts, it usually features more than 100 daytime workshops, dances and performances., as well as a juried craft show, food and instrument vendors, and a children’s activity area.

Launched on May 3, 2019 — the 100th anniversary of the birth of late folk music icon Pete Seeger — Folk Music Notebook is a 24/7 online folk music channel that also can be accessed via free apps and listened to through your smartphones, car speakers, and other Bluetooth streaming devices. In addition to Olesko, Folk Music Notebook features programs hosted by other folk DJs. Olesko views the channel as “a place to ‘discover’ new artists and songs as well as honor the established names who created this living tradition.”

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday, June 25:

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

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

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

Sunday, June 28:

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

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.

Called DelFest At Home and celebrating musical highlights from DelFests past that have taken place in western Maryland for more than a decade, the free online event will showcase the festival’s namesake and his family, along with notable bluegrass artists and jam bands such as the Trey Anastasio Band, Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck & Chris Thile, Greensky Bluegrass, Hot Rize, I’m With Her, The Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, Sierra Hull, Marty Stuart, The Wood Brothers, and more.

Like many festivals and other musical events this spring and summer, Delfest was cancelled due to public health concerns surrounding the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We’ve heard from many folks how much it’s going to hurt not being at DelFest this Memorial Day weekend, so we hope this helps a little,” says Ronnie McCoy, a mandolinist with the Del McCoury Band and The Travelin’ McCourys “We’re grateful to have a dedicated crew that has captured some great moments of DelFest through the years, and are looking forward to reliving some of these great moments with you ourselves.” Adds Rob McCoury, his brother—and banjo-playing bandmate in both ensembles: “We are so excited about this. It’s just a small way we can all feel connected this weekend. … We are going to pop onto Facebook Live from time to time between sets to say ‘hello.’”

DelFest At Home starts Thursday, May 21, at 4:30 p.m. EST and can be viewed on Nugs.tv and via DelFest’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Performances will air until 9:30 p.m EST. on May 21, and from 2:30-11:30 p.m. on May 22, 12:30 p.m. on May 23 – 1 a.m. on May 24, and from 11:30 a.m. on May 24 to 12:30 a.m. on May 25. Although there is no cost to view the virtual festival from the comfort of your own home, donations will be gratefully accepted throughout the holiday weekend that will go toward funding the DelFest Foundation, an organization that works with and supports nonprofit organizations throughout western Maryland.

Editor’s Note: Although I have not been to DelFest to date, I have had the pleasure of seeing Del McCoury perform live a few times — both with his sons and with David Grisman as Del & Dawg.