NERFA NEWS HEADLINES
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Boston Area One-Day Mini-Conference
Workshop Schedule Published
Click on Boston Area -> Workshop Schedule Menu Link At Left
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NERFA Community Forum Now Available
Click on FORUM Link Above.
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The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) invites the public to attend a 75-minute, hootenanny-style Musical Tribute to Woody Guthrie and a series of 15-minute artist showcases that will take place on Saturday, June 2, from 3-7 p.m., at the Lipke Auditorium on the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. These special events, for which $10 tickets will be available at the door, are part of a day-long mini-conference featuring workshops and panel discussions that the nonprofit organization is hosting to give artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in the folk music scene a small taste of what takes place during its annual conference in The Catskills each fall. Proceeds from the events will be shared with WUMB, Boston’s NPR Music Station, with which NERFA is collaborating to open them to the public.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth this summer, NERFA has invited Hope Machine and Alastair Moock to perform his songs in a high-spirited, hootenanny-style with special guests Ethan Baird (of the up-and-coming Boston area folk and Americana group Pesky J. Nixon) and Boston mandolin master Jimmy Ryan, as well as audience participation.
Hope Machine is a group of coal-holders; keepers of the flame; messengers; foot-stompin',
We are pleased to announce the showcase artists who have been selected to perform during the NERFA One-Day Mini-Conference in Boston on June 2, and also to share more details of the day’s events and an exciting partnership with WUMB, Boston’s NPR Music Station.
From among 70 artists/acts who applied to showcase their talents, our panel of judges chose the following:
- Richard Berman
- Karin Blaine
- Sam Chase
- Beth DeSombre
- Honor Finnegan
- Sharon Goldman
- Loretta Hagen
- Phil Henry
- Long Time Courting
- Claudia Nygaard
- Alternate: Nancy Beaudette
Showcase Judges: Robyn Kaleta (the Alternate Root), Geof & Celene Lyon (Old Sloop Coffeehouse) and Jay Moberg (WUMB).
Thanks to all who applied and to our judges who informed us that choosing from among you was a very difficult task. In the process, they discovered a number of artists who were new to them and whose careers may get a boost as a result (via possible future bookings, radio airplay and media coverage).
NERFA is happy to announce that the following artists have been selected to perform in the Washington Area One-Day Mini-Conference Showcase on Saturday May 5, 2012:
- ilyAIMY
- Rob Lytle
- Andrew McKnight
- MSG
- Kevin Neidig
- Claudia Nygaard
- Karyn Oliver
- Chana Rothman
- Sally Spring
- LisaBeth Weber
Alternates:Angelo M. and Barbara Phaneuf
Showcase Committee: Steve Gnadt, Cheryl Kagan, Jay Kohn and Joel Pomerantz
We received more than 60 submissions for the Washington Area One-Day Mini-Conference Showcase. What a great group! Thanks to all that applied. While trying to pare the list, showcase committee members discovered a number of new-to-them talents, and those folks may soon reap additional benefits (i.e. bookings!).
We look forward to seeing the performers listed above at the showcase on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Scott Moore
Washington Area One-Day Mini-Conference Coordinator
WASHINGTON, DC AREA ONE-DAY MINI NERFA CONFERENCE
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
HOTEL - For out- of- towners, we have arranged for a NERFA rate of $89 per night (single or double) at the American Inn of Bethesda, located just 4 blocks away. Wi-fi, continental breakfast and free parking included.
American Inn of Bethesda
8130 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-656-9300
The DC committee is also working on a Happy Hour/unofficial Guerrilla Showcase opportunity Saturday night after the mini-conference. Details TBA.
WORKSHOPS - There are six workshops -- with two options during each of three 75-minute sessions.
Based on the success of our first one-day mini-conference in Massachusetts last April, which drew more than 175 people, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) has scheduled two such events for this spring in different parts of our region. One is slated for Saturday, May 5, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while the other is set for Saturday, June 2, at the University of Massachusetts-Boston campus –- where the 15th annual WUMB Music Fest, featuring an array of talented singer-songwriters and groups, also takes place the next day.

Designed especially to give artists, presenters, DJs, agents and others engaged in the folk music scene a small taste of what takes place during our annual conference each fall, these one-day
By Michael Kornfeld (editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com and vice president of the NERFA board)
The annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference drew nearly 750 people to the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 10-13. Performers, presenters, promoters, folk DJs, agents and managers, and others actively engaged in the folk and acoustic music scene enjoyed three jam-packed days and nights of music showcases, open mics, song swaps and informal jam sessions; informative panel discussions and workshops; private mentoring and peer group sessions; a large trade show-like exhibit hall;communal meals in the dining room; a welcoming party and happy hours; and lots of informal conversation and networking. The conference also featured a keynote speaker for the first time in its 17-year history. Suzanne Vega, a New York-based singer songwriter and a leading figure in the 1980s contemporary folk revival, addressed attendees and performed a couple of songs after dinner on Friday night. The 2011 NERFA Conference featured ten more juried showcases than in previous years, while a new Saturday afternoon showcase sponsored by True North Records highlighted artists from all over Canada.

