We’ll wrap up our Folk Alliance International coverage with a collection of videos from this year’s conference. Most of these performances are from the official performances that took place in hotel ballrooms but you’ll see a few from the late night hotel room showcases. This video playlist includes Colter Wall, John Gorka, Jaimee Harris, John […]
Folk Alliance 2018 – Say What?!
One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s Folk Alliance Conference. It’s my first time at Folk Alliance, I was wondering if it was because my background is tainted by that rock and […]
Folk Alliance 2018 – Shawn’s Picks
With over 3000 showcases in 4 nights, and perhaps an average of 5 gigs/musician, it was of course impossible to see the roughly 600 acts that works out from that math. So when I say these were my favorites, it’s from a relatively small sampling. Nonetheless, I saw some great music. What’s Old Is New […]
Folk Alliance 2018 – Mayer’s Picks, Part 2
Ruby Boots Nashville by way of Australia singer-songwriter Ruby Boots was celebrating the release of her just released Bloodshot Records debut. She brought together an infectious enthusiasm with stellar songs, mostly about relationships, that matched catchy melodies with lyrical fervor. Una and Bob Walkenhorst There aren’t many father-daughter duos in music. Then again, there aren’t […]
Folk Alliance 2018 – Mayer’s Picks, Part 1
The Accidentals I first saw this young trio from Michigan at Folk Alliance a few years ago. They were certainly talented then but several more years of writing and performing have propelled them into another musical stratosphere. I caught them several times — at least once a day — during the course of the conference, […]
Folk Alliance International – The Best Music Festival You’ve Never Heard About
With slightly less than 4000 attendees, the annual gathering of Folk Alliance International is still small enough to be held in a hotel. It doesn’t have a stadium-draw headliner, but other than that and lack of a campground, there’s everything else you’d want in a music festival. And most of it is done better than […]
2017 Folk Alliance International – Favorite Sets
Having given a bit of flavor on the overall vibe of the annual Folk Alliance International conference, it’s time to rewind through some of my favorite sets of the week. Setting A High Bar A lot of performers at FAI have been making a living playing music for decades. They’re not lucky, they’re just good. Trout Fishing […]
2017 Folk Alliance International – Overall Conference Highlights
Back from the 2017 Folk Alliance International conference and nearly caught up on sleep (more on that later), let’s start coverage with a look at the overall event. Not surprisingly, there are seminars on the music business, musical performances, and an awards show. There are also a lot of things catering to the musicians themselves, […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – The Video Companion
Actual videos of our fave Folk Alliance performances are hard to come by, well at least good quality ones. So we decided to go with the next best thing – videos of these performers captured in other, sometimes unique, locations. Featured in this video playlist are: The Show Ponies, Parsonsfield, Aoife O’Donovan, Session Americana, Bob […]
Folk Alliance 2016 – Say What?!
One of my favorite things about attending music conferences and festivals are the crazy comments that you hear along the way. Here are a few choice selections from this year’s Folk Alliance Conference. It’s no fun listening to someone tune a banjo, but it’s even less fun listening to an out of tune one. Parsonsfield […]