New Jersey based Rock/R&B/Funk duo Jonah Tolchin & Kevin Clifford, otherwise known as Dharmasoul, have confirmed the release of their debut album Lightning Kid, due June 1, 2018 via their own label, Dharmasoul Records.

The compelling 10-song set finds Tolchin (guitar/vocals) and Clifford (drums/vocals) exploring sonic spaces originally revealed by The Meters, D’Angelo, The Staples Singers, Stevie Wonder, Medeski Martin & Wood, John Scofield and more. The album features foot stompers “Chosen One” and “Taste So Sweet,” sitting astride the funky pleas of “Bless Your Children” and instrumentals such as “Vulgar.” Produced by Dharmasoul, Lightning Kid was recorded live, with minimal overdubs in August 2017 at Verdant Studios in Athens, VT by Pete Weiss.

Meeting as teenagers (Clifford remembers first seeing a barefoot Tolchin in denim overalls, a straw hat and carrying a cigar box full of harmonicas) the pair parted ways for a time as Tolchin hit the road for a solo career soon after graduating high school, eventually signing to Yep Roc Records where he released two albums, Clover Lane (2014) and Thousand Mile Night (2016). In that time Tolchin has shared stages with Gregg Allman, Tony Joe White, Dave & Phil Alvin, Justin Townes Earle, Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Paxton and others. He’s also produced albums for Julie Rhodes and Bill Scorzari. Tolchin. Since 2014 he has had success in the streaming world, racking up over 10 million plays on Spotify.

“Jonah’s experience and skill as a songwriter gives me added confidence to express myself,” says Clifford. “We united on a vision. The personal faith and love of one other enhances the feeling of this record. It’s rooted in our friendship.”

Clifford went on to graduate from Loyola University New Orleans with majors in Jazz Percussion and English. Experiencing music in New Orleans opened him to the worlds of hip-hop, neo-soul, traditional/modern jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban styles. He became in an in-demand multi-stylist drummer playing with gypsy jazz groups, electronic/hip-hop, indie-folk, and singer/songwriter acts, performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with the Loyola Jazz Band and later with Mikayla Braun.

“This project feels like something that’s been waiting for ten years,” comments Tolchin. “Yet it couldn’t have happened any sooner than it did.  Lightning Kid represents a culmination of our collective influences throughout our years as music appreciators and players, ranging from folk and world music to funk, jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop, R&B, and gospel.  Adds Clifford “We don’t think about fitting into specific genres. That’s what makes our partnership so special.  We have an openness and a clarity that respects and honors freedom of musical expression.”

Music Maker Relief Foundation – the non-profit organization that helps traditional, southern musicians who live in poverty and has been featured on PBS News Hour, CBS News, and NPR – will release a compilation celebrating its 25th anniversary entitled ‘Blue Muse’ on February 1. The album features contributions from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and 17-time GRAMMY winner Eric Clapton (in a previously unreleased track), Blues Hall of Famer, two-time GRAMMY winner, and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner Taj Mahal, “more than convincing” (NY Times) soul man and Dan Auerbach favorite Robert Finley, and GRAMMY-winner founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops Dom Flemons. In keeping with Music Maker’s mission to preserve the musical traditional of the south by supporting the musicians who make it, the album spans a range of living southern music culture and fans will hear blues, folk, songster, jump blues, soul, Appalachian, garage blues, and gospel musics here. The 21-track set features liner notes by Vogue and Guardian writer Rebecca Bengal.

Big Legal Mess Records has signed several Music Maker artists such as Finley, Willie Farmer, Ironing Board Sam, Sam Frazier, Jr., and Theotis Taylor. Other highlights include top 20 Billboard hit “Route 66,” performed here by Atlanta’s pianist and World War II veteran Eddie Tigner. Sam is a veteran of several performances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the 1970s and 2010s and at Lincoln Center. John Dee Holeman is a National Heritage Fellowship award winner. Boot Hanks has performed at Newport Folk Festival.

‘Blue Muse’ accompanies a photography book of the same name by Tim Duffy coming out February 25 on UNC press in association with the New Orleans Museum of Art; and an exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art premiering April 25.

Notable session musicians include guitar great Cool John Ferguson on Captain Luke’s “Old Black Buck,” Producer/artist Jimbo Mathus and former Al Green drummer Howard Grimes on “Age Don’t Mean a Thing” by Finley, GRAMMY-nominated bluesman Guy Davis on Flemons’ “Polly Put the Kettle On,” Mahal joining John Dee Holeman for “Hambone,” Will Sexton accompanying Farmer on “I Am The Lightnin,” and garage legend Jack Oblivian lends his guitar to Ironing Board Sam’s “Loose Diamonds.”

Music Maker has supported over 400 artists over the course of its 25-year history.

La Collegiale – The Grotto Sessions (featuring Guitar Gabriel, Ironing Board Sam, Etta Baker, Captain Luke, Alabama Slim, Neal Pattman)

Spike Driver Blues – Taj Mahal

Old Black Buck – Captain Luke

Route 66 – Eddie Tigner

I Got The Blues – Alabama Slim

Age Don’t Mean A Thing – Robert Finley

Polly Put The Kettle On – Dom Flemons

Hambone – John Dee Holeman

Snap Your Fingers – Algia Mae Hinton

I am the Lightning – Willie Farmer

D.O.C. Man – Dave McGrew

Sweet Valentine – Martha Spencer & Kelley Breiding

I Wanna Boogie – Boot Hanks w/ Dom Flemons

Mississippi Blues – Eric Clapton w/ Tim Duffy

Landlord Blues – Guitar Gabriel

Widow Woman – Drink Small

Cabbage Man – Sam Frazier, Jr.

Sing It Louder – Cary Morin

Loose Diamonds – Ironing Board Sam

I Know I’ve Been Changed – The Branchettes

Something Within Me – Theotis Taylor

Three-time Newport Folk Festival performers Spirit Family Reunion will release their new album ‘Ride Free’ August 9, their first album in four years. First single “One Way Ticket” is out today.

 “One Way Ticket” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/trac /3Chpm9YpKgP0lrAeLAMnfY?si=JJeB2P77Tumj2pAGUq8rjg

Fans will notice a wider variety of instrumentation on a number of songs, from electric guitar to a horn section on “Gradual Power,” though their signature harmonies, Maggie Carson’s banjo, and Stephen Weinheimer’s washboard are alive and well.

Banjo player Maggie Carson contributes lead vocals to the rousing old-time tune “When I Get Home” while washboard man Stephen Weinheimer sings vulnerably about a moment of self-doubt in “Moon In The Mirror.” The insightful “Gradual Power” finds the band exploring the cyclical nature of things. Nick Panken wrote “Come Our Way” towards the end of 2016, exploring the balance between individual action and acceptance on the course of events. The band continues its commitment to traditional folk music with a rousing interpretation of the cowboy classic “Whoopie Ti Yi To.”

Of the single, Panken says, “This is a song about self empowerment, solidarity among outcasts, a thirst for trespassing borders that uphold convention. Being alive is the only permission you need to be here. That is your one way ticket, and it’s as valid as the rest. Though our societies invent criteria that inflict very real suffering upon a multitude of beings, we are all entitled to claim dignified lives simply because we are here. Ultimately this is more real than any fabricated rule or restriction, and this song suggests that the validation you need is contained within you.”

Spirit Family Reunion has played Austin City Limits and headlined the Brooklyn Folk Fest; performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert; joined tours with Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Alabama Shakes, and Levon Helm; and been streamed well over two million times on Spotify.

One Way Ticket

Ease My Mind

Whoopie Ti Yi Yo

Come Our Way

When I Get Home

Midnight Train

Would you Would or Would You Won’t

Moon In The Mirror

Gradual Power

 Stay tuned for upcoming concert announcements.

Duke Performances partners with the Music Maker Relief Foundation to present Music Maker 25 at The Fruit, a 15,000 square foot community art space in Durham, NC, from December 4th – 8th.

Works from significant visual artists such as Lonnie Holley (The Met, MASS MoCA), Sam “The Dot Man” McMillan (SECCA), Freeman Vines, and Music Maker founder Timothy Duffy (NOMA, the Morris Museum of Art) will be on display alongside informational panels, listening stations and other interactive components telling the stories of Music Maker Relief Foundation and the blues, gospel, folk, and Native American musicians with which it has partnered in its 25-year history. Attendees will be able to walk through the exhibition before and after each thematic performance.

The stories of these musicians are uniquely shaped by the American experience, through song and immersive visual art experience, Music Maker 25: Honoring Our Musical Traditions will tell the story of these often-overlooked purveyors of our musical traditions.

“To experience a performance from any of the musicians set to play Music Maker 25 is powerful, to also have the physical experience of seeing their art and interacting with it will be transformative.” – Timothy Duffy (Founder, Music Maker Relief Foundation)

“Music Maker 25: Honoring Our Musical Traditions spotlights the powerful lineage of American roots music and a group of Southern artists who, against great odds, uphold these musical traditions and help preserve our cultural heritage. This exhibition introduces visitors to twenty-five years of Music Maker Relief Foundation and to some of the artists who have made the organization what it is today. Visitors will have a chance to listen to music passed down to and reinterpreted by artists who receive sustenance and professional opportunities through Music Maker programs. They will be able to explore some of these artists’ visual work, as well as meaningful artifacts connected to Music Maker history. An immersive storytelling experience, this exhibition will invite visitors to spend time in a curated lounge to enjoy a cocktail and learn more about how they can join the Music Maker community.” – Kimber Heinz & Joel Johnson (Exhibition Co-Curators)

In addition to the seven concerts and exhibitions, a film screening of Lonnie Holley’s Sundance selected short film I Snuck Off the Slave Ship will be hosted at Power Plant Gallery. A roundtable discussion will also take place at The Fruit, moderated by renowned folklorist, author, and former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities William R. Ferris. Panelists will include Music Maker founder Timothy Duffy, Fat Possum Records owner Bruce Watson; guitarist Alabama Slim, vocalist Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and singer-songwriter Pura Fé. Both the screening and roundtable discussions are free and open to the public.

“Not every root sprouts a straight stem, and these Memphis mofos tangle it all up on Mem Mods. Burrowing toward a sound somewhere between Al Green’s backing vocalists and a John Cassavetes soundtrack, the boys get downright funky, showing how far from the tree the vine can bloom.” –Robert Gordon, author of It Came From Memphis

“Masterful.” –Andria Lisle, author of Waking Up In Memphis

Steve Selvidge (The Hold Steady band member) is set to revive the famed Peabody Records label, home to Alex Chilton’s seminal Like Flies on Sherbet album as well as Memphis folk/blues legend Sid Selvidge. The label’s first release in its second life will be the vinyl/digital album MEM_MODS, Vol. 1 an instrumental trio of Memphis music consisting of:

* Selvidge (Big Ass Truck band member, credits with Bash & Pop, Jimbo Mathus, Cory Branan, Harlan T. Bobo) on guitar, bass, Rhodes, and drum machine; * Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars, credits with The Replacements, The Black Crowes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, RL Boyce, Bash & Pop), who has been nominated for three GRAMMYs for his solo albums on bass and various keyboards; * and, “Memphis favorite multi-instrumentalist” per the Memphis Flyer and MEM_MODS secret weapon Paul Taylor (leader of New Memphis Colorways, who has graced stages with Eric Gales, Ann Peebles, Kirk Whalum) contributes drums, percussion, omnichord, bass, fretless bass, washtub bass, synth pedals, and soundscapes.

The trio’s debut album MEM_MODS, Vol. 1 comes out February 24 with first single/video “Capricorn Catastrophe,” which takes classic Memphis soul to outer space, out today.

Despite the group having two bona fide guitar heroes, MEM_MODS choose a different path. This is groove music, funky, soulful, futuristic, fusion-adjacent, partly electronic, slightly psychedelic, and 100% Memphis. Vol. 1 is the work of three incredibly creative figures coming together on a collaboration thirty-plus years in the making, with all three growing up playing music together in Memphis, TN, all with legendary fathers: Paul reared by Pat Taylor and his stepfather a member of ‘70s cult band Zuider Zee; Steve with his folk-blues artist father Sid Selvidge; and Luther, of course, kin of the legendary Jim Dickinson. Luther and Steve are also both members of the Sons of Mudboy, which performs the music of Sid Selvidge and Jim Dickinson’s band Mudboy & The Neutrons; Paul and Steve have played with Luther in North Mississippi Allstars; and Steve and Luther have both played with Bash & Pop; Paul has played in Steve’s former band Big Ass Truck. Add in stints with Tommy Stinson, the Black Crowes, and Seasick Steve, and the branches grow heavier.

The three had discussed an album together for years but in 2020, with these booked-solid musicians suddenly facing empty calendars, it became apparent that the time had come. The problem? They were all sheltering in place, just like the rest of the world. No problem: the music was made long-distance, with tracks sent via email and thoughts sent via video messages on the app Marco Polo. That approach allowed each musician more of a clean slate to stretch out and follow off-kilter artistic impulses than they might have jamming together in person.

An utterly freeform survey of instrumental music, and a clarion call for the future of recording, MEM_MODS, Vol. 1 unfurls from the speakers like a reimagined Quincy Jones score screwed and chopped with Isaac Hayes’ landmark Shaft soundtrack. That is, if the core Stax unit was backed up by Sly Stone and the Beastie Boys, and John Shaft had been plucked from the streets of Harlem and dropped into the animation panels for Fantastic Planet.

The album’s opener, “Capricorn Catastrophe,” draws on equal parts Jean Michel Jarre and Booker T. & the MGs. Like Jarre’s breakthrough album Oxygene, surreal sounds bounce and bubble. However, the horn work and propulsive, emotive guitar hooks are innately Memphis. This is music for now – a buoyantly imaginative refutation of the reality of life as we know it, perhaps a film score to a long-lost retro-futuristic psychedelic cult classic that doesn’t exist. ”Harmolodica,” to be released December 6, joyously conjures up a mental image of Money Mark, Charles Stepney, and Augustus Pablo staggering and stuttering through outer space. The final single, midtempo, feel-good, Hi Records-influenced “Knotty Pine Kitchen,” lands January 17.

Memphis horn mainstays Marc Franklin (Don Bryant, The Bo-Keys, Robert Cray, Rev. Sekou, Wu-Tang Clan, Solomon Burke) contributes trumpet while Art Edmaiston (Amanda Shires, The Greyhounds, Cut Worms, Don Bryant, The Bo-Keys) adds saxophone. Selvidge mixed the record himself. Jeff Powell (Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Big Star, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Lucinda Williams, Al Green) cut the vinyl, which is being manufactured at Memphis Record Pressing in Memphis.

Selvidge has performed at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and on late-night shows with The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Jools Holland. As a session musician, he’s played guitar on more than sixty albums.

Folk Alliance International (FAI), the foremost global nonprofit for folk music and the producers of the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs), announced this year’s upcoming recipients and Best of 2022 nominees.

The live awards show will be held February 1 in Kansas City, MO, USA on the opening night of FAI’s 35th annual conference, and will be broadcast online. Appearances are confirmed by GRAMMY nominee and Folk Alliance International Conference keynote speaker Valerie June; “really cool” (NPR Music) duo The Milk Carton Kids; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings artist Leyla McCalla (who will also be honored at the IFMAs with the People’s Voice Award); and Mercury Prize nominee Sam Lee.

The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented each year to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic. This year’s honorees are ten-time GRAMMY nominee Janis Ian, whose fives decades in music are “marked by literary lyrics, social activism and major hits” (NY Times); the “master” (NY Times) Josh White; and John Prine-founded Oh Boy Records, which celebrated its fortieth anniversary last year.

The following are the finalists for the 2022 Album, Artist, and Song of the Year, including beloved songwriter Brandi Carlile; Hadestown visionary Anaïs Mitchell; 2023 GRAMMY nominee Molly Tuttle; Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, each of whom has won an Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award; five-time GRAMMY-winner Angélique Kidjo; Newport Folk Fest alum Aoife O'Donovan; Jake Blount, whose album was named one of the best of the year by The Guardian, NPR Music, and Rolling Stone; Marcus Mumford of the platinum-selling group Mumford & Sons; Prateek Kuhad, who has been “headlining festivals attended by tens of thousands" (Billboard) and compiled over 240 million streams; and more.

Album of the Year (sponsored by Rounder Records)

Marchita by Silvana Estrada

Queen Of Sheba by Angélique Kidjo and Ibrahim Maalouf

Get on Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee by Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder

Anaïs Mitchell by Anaïs Mitchell

Crooked Tree by Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Artist of the Year

Jake Blount

Janis Ian

Prateek Kuhad

Leyla McCalla

Aoife O'Donovan

Song of the Year (sponsored by Sound Royalties)

“Udhero Na” written by Arooj Aftab, performed by Arooj Aftab featuring Anoushka Shankar

“Vini Wè” written and performed by Leyla McCalla

“Bright Star” written and performed by Anaïs Mitchell

“How” written by Marcus Mumford and Brandi Carlile, performed by Marcus Mumford featuring Brandi Carlile

“B61” written and performed by Aoife O'Donovan

Final choices (nominees) for Album, Artist, and Song of the Year are compiled from US, Canadian, and international “best of” annual industry and media lists in addition to the year-end Folk DJ Charts. Award winners are determined by FAI’s voting membership with the ballot open until January 17, 2023. Winners will be announced at the International Folk Music Awards.

The People’s Voice Award is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers. Past recipients include Jason Mraz (2022), Jackson Browne (2021), Ani DiFranco (2020), and more. As an artist, People's Voice Award recipient Leyla McCalla has always traveled through time and space, opening the channels between lost or hidden touchstones of roots music and the present day. As a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters and in her solo work, the multi-instrumentalist and composer bring immediacy to long lost stories and shows how they survive and adapt through the flexible agents of rhythm, language, and intimate human connection. Her work is political and warmly welcoming, cerebral, and highly danceable. Based in New Orleans, LA after growing up in a Haitian family in New York, NY, McCalla makes music that adds detail to music's maps and gives voice to people whose struggles and triumphs define its diasporic evolution. In 2022 she released the album Breaking the Thermometer, the culmination of her most complex project yet — a multimedia performance telling the story of the first independent radio station in Haiti. Breaking the Thermometer made best of 2022 lists at NPR Music, PopMatters, and Mojo, in addition to former President Barack Obama's list of favorite music for 2022.

The Rising Tide Award was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice. Award recipient Alisa Amador points folk music toward its future — a future that's cosmopolitan, multifaceted, and multilingual; qualities that have in fact been at the community's heart all along. Amador, who comes from a folk music family, grew up in Boston, MA, Maine, Puerto Rico, and Argentina, and her songs show the influence of all of those places. A native Spanish speaker who's spent most of her life in the States, Amador moves easefully between the two languages in her songwriting. As a high schooler, she studied jazz, and is known for sometimes scatting during performances. Amador's ability to blend all of these influences within sharply rendered yet gently flowing songs helped her win NPR Music's prestigious Tiny Desk Contest; and Folk Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.

Shambala Festival will receive the Clearwater Award, which is sponsored by the Levitt Foundation. The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. Shambala Festival is a four-day contemporary performing arts festival in Northamptonshire, England, UK. The festival is completely and utterly committed to being sustainable, circular, regenerative, net positive, earth- and life-respecting, and future-thinking. They have reduced the festival’s carbon footprint by over 90%; achieved 100% renewable electricity; became meat, fish, and dairy-milk free; and eradicated single-use plastics. They’ve received many awards for their sustainability work, including the Innovation Award at the 2018 UK Festival Awards, the International A Greener Festival Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Creative Green Awards in 2017, and more. The festival is Creative Green Certified and has committed to measuring and transparently reporting all of its impacts to provide an honest evaluation of its efforts. They work with independent third parties like Julie’s Bicycle to assess their performance and carbon footprint.

The Spirit of Folk Awards are presented to honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, their community building, and their demonstrated leadership. The following are 2023 recipients:

Steve Edge has been presenting folk music in Vancouver as a DJ on CITR since 1985, and concerts and festivals throughout the city since 1986, initially independently, and then as a co-founder of The Rogue Folk Club in 1987 where he continues to present Celtic, folk, and roots music as its artistic director. Steve was an inaugural member of FAI in 1989, is an inductee into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Unsung Hero award from the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Amy Reitnouer Jacobs is the co-founder and executive director of The Bluegrass Situation, an online music magazine and promoter of roots, folk, and Americana music and culture. She joined the board of FAI in 2015 and was instrumental in refining and codifying the recruitment process for board elections as chair of the Nominations Committee. Amy served as board president through the pandemic, and supported FAI’s recent strategic plan and executive director transition.

Marcy Marxer is the creator of All Wigged Out, a poignant and witty musical theatre production (and now film) recounting her harrowing triumph over breast cancer. Painfully funny, it is an example of the power of music and humor to inform and heal. Marxer, along with her partner Cathy Fink, is a two-time GRAMMY Award winner and eleven-time nominee, and together they have been recognized with over 60 Washington Area Music Association Awards for their folk, bluegrass, and children’s music recordings.

Adrian Sabogal is an acclaimed musician, producer, and researcher who founded Marimbea, an organization dedicated to the well-being of the Afro-Colombian communities from the country’s South Pacific coast. By arranging music-centered cultural tourism excursions, Marimbea strives to generate alternative sources of income, knowledge exchanges, and support networks for artists in marginalized and remote communities. Adrian’s work has had an impact on the economic development in the region, and the preservation of a vibrant and unique musical tradition.

Pat Mitchell Worley is the President and CEO of the Memphis-based Soulsville Foundation, which oversees the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Stax Music Academy, and The Soulsville Charter School, all with a mission to perpetuate the soul of Stax Records. She is the long-time co-host of Beale Street Caravan, a syndicated roots radio show broadcast, and she regularly hosts artist Q&As for the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi and Oxford American. She is a former development director for the Memphis Music Foundation, and a past employee of the Blues Foundation.

The Folk DJ Hall of Fame was established to recognize radio DJs who have made an outstanding contribution to the preservation, promotion, and presentation of folk music, and who have demonstrated and inspired leadership in the broadcast field. Inducted DJs include the following:

Robert Resnik has been the host of All the Traditions, Vermont Public Radio's folk and world music program, since 1996. Hooked on music since the 1960s, Robert previously spent many years on-air at WRUV at the University of Vermont. All the Traditions is as eclectic as Robert's musical taste, but is dedicated to promoting music created by people living in the VPR broadcast area, which includes all of Vermont and parts of New Hampshire, New York, and Quebec. Robert also plays more than 25 instruments, and has performed and recorded CDs with a variety of musical combos for kids and adults.

Marilyn Rea Beyer hosted her first concert in junior high as the school band emcee. She got on board The Midnight Special listening to WFMT as a Chicago teenager. She has had careers in education, PR, and high tech. In 1995, Marilyn became on-air host and music director at Boston’s premiere folk station, WUMB-FM, and served on the board of the legendary Club Passim. Returning to Chicago, Marilyn joined WFMT in 2020, hosting The Midnight Special and now Folkstage. The Midnight Special launched in 1953 and maintained legendary status under Rich Warren's stewardship. She says that judicious risk-taking, nurturing artists, and falling in love with new music make the job fun.

John Platt has hosted the Sunday Supper (formerly Sunday Breakfast) for 25 years at WFUV New York, NY and has curated On Your Radar, a monthly showcase for emerging artists at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC for 17 years. He has founded the not-for-profit New Folk Initiative, which has extensive resources for the folk community at newfolk.org. He began his career at WMMR Philadelphia in 1969, programmed WXRT Chicago and WRVR New York, worked at WNEW-FM and WNYC, and produced national radio programs.

Harry B. Soria Jr. was known as a radio personality and walking encyclopedia of Hawaiian music history. The musicologist, award-winning liner notes writer, and record producer was the son of prominent local broadcaster and songwriter Harry B. Soria Sr. Ironically, Harry B.'s interest in Hawaiian music was sparked by hearing "cool" old records far from Hawaiian shores while at college in San Francisco. Upon returning to Hawai'i, he bonded with his dad over his vintage Hawaiian records. Harry B.'s passion for music from this period led to guest spots on KCCN in 1976 and his weekly "Territorial Airwaves" radio show of recordings from his personal collection. In 2019, Territorial Airwaves became the longest running Hawaiian music show in radio history. Soria's record collection and archives are being donated to the Hawaii State Archives.

Presenters at the ceremony will include acclaimed author and NPR Music critic Ann Powers and NPR Alt.Latino’s Catalina Maria Johnson as well as Ashley Shabankareh, Chris Porter, Sara Leishman, Ayappa Biddanda, Reid Wick, Michael Kornfeld, Laura Thomas, and Brandi Waller Pace, all Folk Alliance International Board of Directors members.

The Awards will take place at the Westin Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, MO, USA. Folk Alliance International had previously announced the lineup of Official Showcase performances at the conference: www.folk.org/programs/conference/2023-official-showcase-artists

About Folk Alliance International

Folk Alliance International (FAI) was founded in 1989 to connect folk music leaders aiming to sustain the community and genre. Today FAI is the leading international voice for folk music with a network of more than 3,000 members: a worldwide community of artists, agents, managers, labels, publicists, arts administrators, venues, festivals, and concert series presenters.

From its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, FAI produces the world’s largest conference for the folk music industry, the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs), an Artist in Residence program, the Folk ExChange market development program, the Ethno USA gathering (on behalf of JM International), community outreach, and a Finest Folk concert series.

FAI values diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, strives to ensure gender parity in all its programming, celebrates multiple languages and cultures, and actively welcomes participation from marginalized, disenfranchised, and underrepresented communities.

FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” (reflective of any community they are from), and programs a diverse array of sub genres including, but not limited to, Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.

Nora Brown—the Brooklyn, NY soon-to-be-eighteen-year-old banjoist/vocalist who has appeared at Newport Folk Festival, The Kennedy Center, Trans-Pecos Festival, globalFEST, and more—has teamed up with award-winning fiddle player and fellow Brooklynite Stephanie Coleman for a new EP Lady of the Lake, out July 28 on Jalopy Records. It’ll be released just three days before the duo tapes an NPR Tiny Desk Concert,

The chemistry and richness of Brown and Coleman’s musical partnership belies their twenty-year age difference and reflects the six years the duo has performed live together. The EP comes amidst more activity this year, two sold-out shows in London; festivals set for Canada, England, and Denmark; a spring Japanese tour; a recent appearance on WNYC’s tastemaker Soundcheck show; and the duo’s forthcoming west coast debut with concerts in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA.

Coleman learned the instrumental title track from a performance by Eric Merrill at the fiddle competition in West Virginia’s Appalachian String Band Music Festival, aka “Clifftop.” The song originated with Galax, VA fiddler Parley Parsons via the great fiddle and banjo player Paul Brown. It was released today as the first single from the EP.

Brown performed “Copper Kettle” at the Lincoln Center event Voices of a People’s History of the United States: Celebrating the Centenary of Howard Zinn alongside Claire Danes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and others. Here, Nora plays archtop acoustic guitar and Stephanie’s plaintive fiddle sets the scene.

Over the past two decades, fellow Brooklynite Stephanie has established herself as a highly respected and sought-after practitioner of traditional Appalachian and Midwestern style old-time fiddle. She holds the record for most ribbons won in the renowned fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, WV—where she first heard and learned the title track of the EP. Stephanie has recorded and toured internationally with artists such as trailblazing all-women stringband Uncle Earl, Watchhouse’s Andrew Marlin, GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, and clawhammer banjo virtuoso Adam Hurt.

The EP was produced, recorded, and mixed by the legendary Peter K. Siegel, who recorded Neil Young, Joseph Spence, and Doc Watson; recorded concerts that were later released by Mississippi John Hurt, Roscoe Holcomb, and Dock Boggs; taped an iconic Bob Dylan bootleg in the basement of Gerde’s Folk City; and has made vital field recordings on musicians from Indonesia, India, China, and Sweden.

Of the duo, Siegel said, “I was a big fan of both Nora and Steph when they were performing separately. Their new collaboration is more than the sum of its parts. They make their virtuosity so much fun to listen to. Their music is deeply rooted in American tradition, but the excitement of their performances is all theirs.”

Other upcoming releases on Jalopy Records include Cuatro Vidas by acclaimed New Mexican string band Lone Piñon and Secret Museum of Mankind: Atlas of Instruments – Fiddles, vol. 1 (various artists).

Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman Tour Dates

June 30 - Green Note - London, England (sold out)
July 2 - The Harrison - London, England (sold out)
July 3-7 - Fiddle Tunes - Port Townsend, WA
July 7-9 - Winnipeg Folk Festival, Canada
July 11 - Alberta Abbey – Portland, OR
July 12 - Ballard Homestead – Seattle, WA
July 13 - Boundary Bay Series Bellingham, WA
July 14-16 - Vancouver Island Music Festival, Canada
July 20 - Stone Church – Brattleboro, VT (Nora solo)
July 21 - Portsmouth Music Hall Lounge - Portsmouth, NH (Nora solo)
July 22 -  House Concert - Portland, ME (Nora solo)
July 23 - Crabtree Sessions - North Haven Island, ME (Nora solo)
Aug 11-13 - Edmonton Folk Music Festival - Alberta, Canada
Nov 11 - Brooklyn Folk Fest - Brooklyn, NY

Acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist Jonah Tolchin, whose songs have been streamed over 25 million times and have a current monthly listenership of 85,000-plus, released single “Save Me (From Myself)” today.

Tolchin joined forces with co-producer Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) to record his forthcoming album Dockside at the legendary Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, a favorite studio of artists including Dr. John, B.B. King, Levon Helm, Taj Mahal, Derek Trucks, Ani Difranco, and Mavis Staples. Its October 20 release date marks the first album to come out on Clover Music Group, Tolchin's newly established label, which will include other artists.

Of the single, Tolchin says, “"This is a song about being your own worst enemy... I struggle with intrusive thoughts and having my inner-dialogue cranked up to 11. I hope that others can get some catharsis from this rocker.”
 
First single “Searching For My Soul” was added by tastemaker stations WMOT (Nashville, TN) and KCSN (Los Angeles, CA). American Songwriter called the song “skillful blues-rock.”
 
“When Jonah told me he wanted New Orleans flavor with a destination studio,” says Dickinson, “Terence Higgins (drummer) and Dockside Studio were the obvious choices. The location and the chemistry was perfect for Jonah to rise up and fly! Recorded live in two days, the session was joyful and effortless.”
 
New Yorkers: heads up that Tolchin will perform with his band August 24 at Mercury Lounge.

As a blues-inspired album, Dockside brings Tolchin full-circle. Many know him as a powerful fingerpicking acoustic guitar troubadour but his first appreciation for roots music came via his father, who owned a record shop in the Mississippi Delta and exposed Jonah to blues early on. Jonah’s first stage appearance came in a guest spot as a teenager with four-time Blues Music Award-winning guitarist Ronnie Earl.
 
The first single from Dockside the Muscle Shoals-flavored "Searching For My Soul," is set to release this Friday, creating anticipation for the album's upcoming release on Oct 20, and demonstrating the album’s amalgam of roots musics: blues, soul, rock, folk, Americana, rhythm & blues, all forged together in the Louisiana heat. Dockside, recorded live with minimal overdubs, will be available on all major streaming platforms as well as limited pressing of LP’s and CD’s. Tolchin and Dickinson find new ways to explore blues and soul-based songs, with funky rhythms and new ideas on guitar. Fans of Ben Harper and Derek Trucks will find plenty to love in these grooves.

Along with original songs written or co-written by Tolchin, Dockside takes "Blues With A Feeling" by Little Walter//Rabon Tarrant (who was born in Louisiana) and carries it into North Mississippi.

Dockside showcases Tolchin's exceptional talent on lead guitar, harmonica, and vocals, with Dickinson on rhythm guitar. Joining them are Terence Higgins on drums (Warren Haynes) and Nic Coolidge on bass. The album also features guest appearances by Chris Joyner on keyboards (Ben Harper), Carey Frank on piano (Tedeschi Trucks Band), and Chavonne Stewart (Jackson Browne) guest starring on lead vocal for R&B/soul gut puncher, “Too Far Down”.
 
In the near decade since his recorded debut Clover Lane in 2014, Tolchin's music has been praised by press outlets such as NPR, Mojo, and No Depression; he has collaborated with renowned artists such as Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones, and Sara Watkins; and has shared the stage with bold-faced names like Tony Joe White, Dave Alvin, Gregg Allman, and Richard Thompson.
 
Tolchin’s previous album Thousand Mile Night has garnered over 12 million streams on Spotify alone. His music has also been featured on various editorial playlists and digital platforms including Spotify's Acoustic Grit, Blues & Roots Rock, New Retro, Apple's New Music Daily, and Amazon's Fresh Folk & Americana, among others.
 
The album was engineered by Justin Tockett with overdubs by Sheldon Gomberg (Ben Harper/Charlie Musselwhite) and Kevin Smith (Neil Young/Jackson Browne), mixed by Nic Coolidge in Providence, RI, and mastered by Pete Lyman (Brandi Carlile/Jason Isbell) in Nashville, TN.
 
For more information, please visit Jonah Tolchin's website at www.jonahtolchin.com.

Nora Brown—the Brooklyn, NY soon-to-be-eighteen-year-old banjoist/vocalist who has appeared at Newport Folk Festival, The Kennedy Center, Trans-Pecos Festival, globalFEST, and more—has teamed up with award-winning fiddle player and fellow Brooklynite Stephanie Coleman for a new EP Lady of the Lake, out today on Jalopy Records.
 
Songlines Magazine said, "Despite their twenty-year age difference, the chemistry and richness of Brown and Coleman’s musical partnership cannot be overstated, and it reflects the six years the duo have performed live together."
 
Oregon's Willamette Week said that the duo work at "returning the music instead to its roots as a source for social uplift and spiritual connection."
 
Folk Radio UK says that the EP "leaves you wanting more," continuing, "There is a shrewd exuberance in the way Nora and Stephanie play together on this EP, taking turns to lead and leaving plenty of space for each other to shine. They play with consistent flair and an audible mastery of their instruments."
 
World Music Central called Nora "a banjo prodigy."

Coleman learned the instrumental title track from a performance by Eric Merrill at the fiddle competition in West Virginia’s Appalachian String Band Music Festival, aka “Clifftop.” The song originated with Galax, VA fiddler Parley Parsons via the great fiddle and banjo player Paul Brown. It was released today as the first single from the EP (OK to share).
 
Brown performed “Copper Kettle” at the Lincoln Center event Voices of a People’s History of the United States: Celebrating the Centenary of Howard Zinn alongside Claire Danes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and others. Here, Nora plays archtop acoustic guitar and Stephanie’s plaintive fiddle sets the scene.
 
Over the past two decades, fellow Brooklynite Stephanie has established herself as a highly respected and sought-after practitioner of traditional Appalachian and Midwestern style old-time fiddle. She holds the record for most ribbons won in the renowned fiddle contest at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, WV—where she first heard and learned the title track of the EP. Stephanie has recorded and toured internationally with artists such as trailblazing all-women stringband Uncle Earl, Watchhouse’s Andrew Marlin, GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, and clawhammer banjo virtuoso Adam Hurt.
 
The EP was produced, recorded, and mixed by the legendary Peter K. Siegel, who recorded Neil Young, Joseph Spence, and Doc Watson; recorded concerts that were later released by Mississippi John Hurt, Roscoe Holcomb, and Dock Boggs; taped an iconic Bob Dylan bootleg in the basement of Gerde’s Folk City; and has made vital field recordings on musicians from Indonesia, India, China, and Sweden.
 
Of the duo, Siegel said, “I was a big fan of both Nora and Steph when they were performing separately. Their new collaboration is more than the sum of its parts. They make their virtuosity so much fun to listen to. Their music is deeply rooted in American tradition, but the excitement of their performances is all theirs.”
 
The EP comes amidst more activity this year, having played two sold-out shows in London; performed festivals in Canada, England, and Denmark; completed a spring, 2023 Japanese tour; a recent appearance on WNYC’s tastemaker Soundcheck show; and the duo’s west coast debuts with concerts in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA.
 
Other upcoming releases on Jalopy Records include Cuatro Vidas by acclaimed New Mexican string band Lone Piñon and Secret Museum of Mankind: Atlas of Instruments – Fiddles, vol. 1 (various artists).
 
Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman Tour Dates
 
August 4 - Cafe Wha - New York, NY (with Sarah Kate Morgan)
Aug 11-13 - Edmonton Folk Music Festival - Alberta, Canada
Nov 11 - Brooklyn Folk Fest - Brooklyn, NY

New Orleans-via-Belgium garage-blues artist/rock and roller Ghalia Volt made a pilgrimage to Joshua Tree, CA to make new album Shout Sister Shout! (out October 6 via Ruf Records). Producer and Queens of the Stone Age collaborator David Catching welcomed her to Rancho De La Luna, also the site of recordings by Iggy Pop, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, and PJ Harvey.
 
First single and music video for the title track are out today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGmzJErnmNY

Volt brought her own vibe and impressive credentials to Joshua Tree—and a batch of great songs that she wrote on her eighteen-state One Woman Band tour, done via Amtrak, for which she carried guitars, amps, and foot-drums herself. Her sound on Shout Sister Shout! has been likened to those of garage-rockers and psych-rockers such as Deap Vally, Mr. Airplane Man, Larkin Poe, Holly Golightly, and early music by The Kills. She has taped a video session with tastemaker series Jam In the Van. American Songwriter praised her “skill and savvy” and Guitar World agreed, saying that her music comes from a “scrappy background in punk, garage rock and psychobilly.”
 
Album opener “Every Cloud” kicks off like a road movie soundtrack, its jutting lick and battle cry vocal interrupted by a woozy organ freakout worthy of The Doors’ Ray Manzarek. “Can’t Afford To Die” pairs its propulsive rockabilly rattle with a sobering lyric about cost-of-living.
 
With its addictive beat and ghostly alt-gospel vocals, centerpiece “Shout Sister Shout!” demands to be heard. “It’s a song encouraging women to speak loud for what they deserve,” says Volt. “Fight back, stare back, scream back! It takes courage, but it's rewarding and we need this for future generations.”
 
“Insomnia” is a trip, its slow-burn psychedelia swirling from the speakers. The seething “Hell Is Not Gonna Deal With You” finds Volt spitting venom onto the mic, while “Po’ Boy John” is a cathouse rave-up.
 
The sounds of Shout Sister Shout! are bolstered by Lou Reed’s long-serving drummer Danny Frankel, who has also recorded with She & Him, Marianne Faithfull, Joan Jett, Social Distortion, Jim White, and Fiona Apple; Dr. John keys man Ben Alleman; and Catching himself grabbing a guitar on some tracks.
 
As for Volt, her unstoppable motion is palpable on the North Mississippi-flavored “No Happy Home,” which addresses the rambling, unrooted but rewarding life of a musician, and “Hop On A Ride,” co-written with Eddie 9V. The latter subtly name-checks the US music cities and record labels that have touched her musical journey. “It's really my story of young adulthood,” she says, “I visited all those cities, dug all those vinyls from those labels – and definitely hopped on a lot of trains.”
 
It's a journey that started in Brussels, Belgium, where she began her career as a street performer before moving to the States without a drivers license, traveling by train, bus, and even hitchhiking at times, ultimately settling in New Orleans some six years ago.
 
Her adopted hometown music mag OffBeat has raved about her “intriguing… charismatic... rebellious energy,” continuing, “When it came time to let her demons out, she made sure there was nothing left for an exorcism [via] Ghalia’s ability to move from an indie rasp to a keening howl in the space of a single phrase.” They characterized her sound by saying, “Ghalia’s secret weapon may be her love of pure rockabilly… Ghalia may have taught herself the blues, but there’s no reason to believe it’ll pin her down.”
 
Volt’s One Woman Band album placed in the Billboard Blues Chart top ten; collaborated on record with Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), GRAMMY-winner Boo Mitchell (Bruno Mars, Valerie June, John Mayer), and Cedric Burnside; become a favorite at festivals like Mississippi’s Juke Joint Fest and New Orleans’ French Quarter Fest; and opened shows for Burnside, Dragon Smoke (consisting of Ian Neville, Eric Lindell, Stanton Moore), Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, and soon, Eric Gales.
 
Shout Sister Shout! will be released via Ruf Records, home to albums by Spin Doctors, Luther Allison, his son Bernard Allison, Samantha Fish, Bette Smith, and Canned Heat.

Ghalia Volt Tour Dates:
 
Oct. 7 - Violet, LA - Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival
Oct. 12 - Biloxi, MS - Ground Zero
Oct. 13 - New Orleans, LA - Chickie Wah Wah
Oct. 14 - New Orleans, LA - Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival
Oct. 21- Nov. 6 - European tour
Nov. 14 - St. Louis, MO - BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups
Nov. 17 - Memphis, TN - Lafayette's
Dec. 6 - Boise, ID - The Sapphire Room

Shout Sister Shout! Track Listing:
 
1. Every Cloud
2. Changes
3. Can't Afford To Die
4. Insomnia
5. Shout Sister Shout
6. No Happy Home
7. She's Holdin' Back
8. Can't Have It All
9. Hell Is Not Gonna Deal With You
10. Hop on a Ride
11. Dog Ya Around
12. Po' Boy John

Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, will present a convening of some of the music industry's leading authorities and creators to address the ability of folk music to galvanize and catalyze movements to advance our world, at its 36th Annual Conference February 21-25, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. FAI has confirmed the International Folk Music Award (which are part of the conference) upcoming recipients and Best of 2023 nominees as well as the conference keynote presenters. In addition to the IFMAs and presentations, over 2,000 artist showcases will also take place under one roof.

Lifetime Achievement Awards will be granted to four-time GRAMMY Award-winner, thirteen-time GRAMMY nominee, and writer of a #1 Billboard Hot Country Song chart hit, Tracy Chapman; Chilean songwriter and activist Victor Jara; and McCabe’s Guitar Shop, which has been hosting concerts in Southern California for over 50 years. (The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented each year to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic.)
 
The People’s Voice Award is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers. This year’s recipient is Alynda Segarra (of Hurray For the Riff Raff, which has released nine albums).
 
The following are the finalists for the 2023 Album, Artist, and Song of the Year:
 
Album of the Year
Amatssou - Tinariwen (Wedge Records)
City Of Gold - Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (Nonesuch)
False Lankum - Lankum (Rough Trade)
Stand in the Joy - William Prince (Six Shooter Records)
Welcome to Whatever - Rainbow Girls (self-release)
 
Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame)
Billy Strings
Digging Roots
Gaby Moreno
Nickel Creek
Madi Diaz
 
Song of the Year
"Changes" written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun
"Keep It On A Burner" written and performed by Margo Cilker
"Tears Run Dry" written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander
"The Returner" written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell
"Workin' On A World" written and performed by Iris Dement

Among the Album of the Year nominees are 40+ year Tuareg group Tinariwen, whose album Amatssou was named the #1 Global Music album of the year by MOJO Magazine; 2023 GRAMMY Best New Artist nominee Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway; The Guardian’s #1 album of 2023, False Lankum, by the Dublin, Ireland band; William Prince, who has opened concerts for Neil Young and did an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 2023; and Bodega, CA trio Rainbow Girls.
 
Artist of the Year nominees are Billy Strings, whose most recent album Me/And/Dad hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, #1 on the Billboard Emerging Chart, and #37 on the Billboard Top 200; Turtle Island, Canada’s Digging Roots, an electrifying husband-and-wife duo of the Anishinabe Onkwehonwe nation and two-time JUNO Award winners; Guatemalan singer-song Gaby Moreno, who has earned four GRAMMY nominations and is based in Los Angeles; Madi Diaz, who has opened concerts for Harry Styles and about whom Rolling Stone said, “Get ready for the year of Madi”; and beloved trio Nickel Creek, consisting of Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins.
 
Song of the Year Nominations come for Joy Oladokun, who was profiled by CBS This Morning last year; “subtly spectacular” (Stereogum) Margo Cilker; son of Nigerian immigrants in Greece then America, Abraham Alexander, subject of an interview on NPR All Things Considered last year; the legendary Iris Dement; and longtime collaborators JT Nero and 2022 IFMA Artist of the Year Allison Russell with Drew Lindsy.

NPR’s World Café will exclusively live-stream the International Folk Music Awards tomorrow night at 7:30pm Central: HERE

Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music, is presenting a convening of some of the music industry's leading authorities and creators to address the ability of folk music to galvanize and catalyze movements to advance our world, at its 36th Annual Conference February 21-25, 2024 in Kansas City, MO, of which the Awards are a part. FAI has confirmed the following performances at the awards: The Steel Wheels (also the house band); “star in the making” (Folk Alley) Kaia Kater; Joy Clark, whose music is “pure magic to watch and hear” (Tracy Chapman tribute); Latin GRAMMY winner Mireya Ramos (Victor Jara tribute); and founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, Willie Watson and Malena Cadiz, who “has a voice that grabs you within seconds” (NPR), (McCabe’s tribute).

FAI has confirmed the International Folk Music Award (which are part of the conference) upcoming recipients and Best of 2023 nominees as well as the conference keynote presenters. In addition to the IFMAs and presentations, over 2,000 artist showcases will also take place under one roof.

Lifetime Achievement Awards will be granted to four-time GRAMMY Award-winner, thirteen-time GRAMMY nominee, and writer of a #1 Billboard Hot Country Song chart hit, Tracy Chapman; Chilean songwriter and activist Victor Jara; and McCabe’s Guitar Shop, which has been hosting concerts in Southern California for over 50 years. (The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented each year to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic.)

The People’s Voice Award is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers. This year’s recipient is Alynda Segarra (of Hurray For the Riff Raff, which has released nine albums).

The following are the finalists for the 2023 Album, Artist, and Song of the Year:
 
Album of the Year
Amatssou - Tinariwen (Wedge Records)
City Of Gold - Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (Nonesuch)
False Lankum - Lankum (Rough Trade)
Stand in the Joy - William Prince (Six Shooter Records)
Welcome to Whatever - Rainbow Girls (self-release)
 
Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame)
Billy Strings
Digging Roots
Gaby Moreno
Nickel Creek
Madi Diaz
 
Song of the Year
"Changes" written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun
"Keep It On A Burner" written and performed by Margo Cilker
"Tears Run Dry" written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander
"The Returner" written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell
"Workin' On A World" written and performed by Iris Dement
 
Among the Album of the Year nominees are 40+ year Tuareg group Tinariwen, whose album Amatssou was named the #1 Global Music album of the year by MOJO Magazine; 2023 GRAMMY Best New Artist nominee Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway; The Guardian’s #1 album of 2023, False Lankum, by the Dublin, Ireland band; William Prince, who has opened concerts for Neil Young and did an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 2023; and Bodega, CA trio Rainbow Girls.
 
Artist of the Year nominees are Billy Strings, whose most recent album Me/And/Dad hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, #1 on the Billboard Emerging Chart, and #37 on the Billboard Top 200; Turtle Island, Canada’s Digging Roots, an electrifying husband-and-wife duo of the Anishinabe and Onkwehonwe nations and two-time JUNO Award winners; Guatemalan singer-song Gaby Moreno, who has earned four GRAMMY nominations and is based in Los Angeles; Madi Diaz, who has opened concerts for Harry Styles and about whom Rolling Stone said, “Get ready for the year of Madi”; and beloved trio Nickel Creek, consisting of Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins.
 
Song of the Year Nominations come for Joy Oladokun, who was profiled by CBS This Morning last year; “subtly spectacular” (Stereogum) Margo Cilker; son of Nigerian immigrants in Greece then America, Abraham Alexander, subject of an interview on NPR All Things Considered last year; the legendary Iris Dement; and longtime collaborators JT Nero and 2022 IFMA Artist of the Year Allison Russell with Drew Lindsy.
 
(Final nominees for Album, Artist, and Song of the Year are compiled from US, Canadian, and international “best of” annual industry and media lists in addition to the year-end Folk DJ Charts. Award winners are determined by FAI’s voting membership. Winners will be announced at the International Folk Music Awards on February 21, 2024.)
 
The IFMA house band will be Virginia’s The Steel Wheels, founders of the Red Wing Roots Music Festival.
 
All conference attendees will have access to attend the IFMAs.
 
For The Rising Tide Award (sponsored by Levitt Foundation), FAI will tap Guatemalan songwriter, vocalist, and activist in defense of women's and indigenous people's rights, Sara Curruchich, who is the first musician to use Kaqchikel language of her people in popular music for an international audience. The Rising Tide Award was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
 
FAI has also announced the recipient of the Clearwater Award, Spirit of Folk Awards, and inductees to the Folk Radio Hall of Fame. The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production and this year will go to LEAF Global Arts Festival. The Spirit of Folk Awards will go to Lead Belly Estate’s Terika Dean; artist from the Métis Nation of Ontario, Amanda Rheaume; Jim Fleming, founder of the booking agency Fleming Artists; and FAI’s own Jerod Rivers, who has served in the organization for eleven years in a number of roles, presently as Conference Director. The Spirit of Folk Awards are presented to honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, their community building, and their demonstrated leadership.
 
Newly minted Folk Radio Hall of Famers include Folk Alley’s Linda Fahey; forty-plus year veteran Jan Vanderhorst; Mountain Stage founder Larry Groce; Bob Sherman, whose “Woody’s Children” show graced NYC’s airwaves for nearly 55 years; and Celtic music ambassador Brian O’Donovan. The Folk Radio Hall of Fame was established to recognize radio DJs who have made an outstanding contribution to the preservation, promotion, and presentation of folk music, and who have demonstrated and inspired leadership in the broadcast field.

The International Folk Music Awards – presented by Folk Alliance International (FAI), a 501(c)3 and the foremost global nonprofit for folk music— took place last night as part of the opening of the conference and Best of 2023 awards were won by Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (Album of the Year); Billy Strings (Artist of the Year); and Iris Dement (Song of the Year). NPR Music and World Cafe live-streamed the awards show.

The following have won awards at the ceremony (with the nominees listed), in addition to the below:
 
Album of the Year
Amatssou - Tinariwen (Wedge Records)
City Of Gold - Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (Nonesuch)
False Lankum - Lankum (Rough Trade)
Stand in the Joy - William Prince (Six Shooter Records)
Welcome to Whatever - Rainbow Girls (self-release)
 
Artist of the Year (sponsored by the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame)
Billy Strings
Digging Roots
Gaby Moreno
Nickel Creek
Madi Diaz
 
Song of the Year
"Changes" written by Joy Oladokun & Dan Wilson, performed by Joy Oladokun
"Keep It On A Burner" written and performed by Margo Cilker
"Tears Run Dry" written by Abraham Alexander, Ian Barter, Leo Stannard, performed by Abraham Alexander
"The Returner" written by Allison Russell, Drew Lindsay, & JT Nero, performed by Allison Russell
"Workin' On A World" written and performed by Iris Dement
 
Strings said, “I’m incredibly honored... The fact that my name even comes up in conversation with the other nominees just blows my mind. I made so many great friends at FAI in 2013-14 when I was ripping showcases and pickin' all up and down them hallways and hotel rooms. I'd like to say thanks to Folk Alliance for giving us artists a place to come together and make lifelong friends, showcase our music, bump elbows, meet the right people, and start to grow our careers in an organic and natural way."
 
Tuttle said, “I feel so lucky to be part of this folk music community. I draw so much inspiration from the folk tradition when I was writing this album, I imagined these songs being played by folks around the campfire. Music really is my City of Gold. I wish I was there with you all in Kansas City. I know we’d have a great time.”
 
The People’s Voice Award is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers. This year’s recipient is Alynda Segarra (of Hurray For the Riff Raff, which has released nine albums).

Segarra said, “I started writing songs as a way to have power in this world. I started a band to create a family. Since my first days playing music on the street in New Orleans, I’ve turned to the mysteries of songwriting to document, honor, and defend the people on the outskirts of society. Folk music drew me in because it tells the truth, it disgraces the warmongers, and it defends the innocent. It’s been enlivening to watch folk music become more visibly queer and radical.”
 
She then added, “I want to use this platform for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to the occupation in Palestine.”
 
Lifetime Achievement Awards were granted to four-time GRAMMY Award-winner, thirteen-time GRAMMY nominee, and writer of a #1 Billboard Hot Country Song chart hit, Tracy Chapman; Chilean songwriter and activist Victor Jara; and McCabe’s Guitar Shop, which has been hosting concerts in southern California for over 50 years. (The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented each year to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic.)
 
Walt McGraw of McCabe’s called for adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.

In Rutherford County’s Forest City, NC growing up, a young Wyndham Baird heard his mother and grandmother sing old Baptist hymns like “Abide With Me,” arranged in four-part harmony in church. But his life changed when he saw Doc Watson in concert at MerleFest at twelve years old. At that moment, he saw a world of folk and blues music before him. That path, which took him around the US playing on the streets for years, has now led him to Brooklyn, NY’s fertile roots music scene; he’s become a favorite at the Brooklyn Folk Fest and Washington Square Folk Fest and a pillar of the Jalopy Theater scene.

Baird’s beautiful debut album After the Morning was recorded at Jalopy Theater in Red Hook, Brooklyn, as well as in producer Eli Smith’s kitchen upstairs, bridging folk and blues songs; tunes by the likes of Randy Newman and Merle Haggard; and songs from the repertoires of Eric Von Schmidt, The Dubliners, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family. With a repertoire numbering deep in the hundreds, Baird would play whatever came to him during the sessions. First single “Meet Me In the Moonlight, Alone,” featuring harmonies by Samoa Wilson and autoharp by Smith, is out today. The New York Times has called her singing “sweet, effortless.”
 
Baird’s journey between North Carolina and Brooklyn was a circuitous one. Having started college during the financial crisis and observing singers playing for tips in Asheville, NC while his own student loans piled up, he made a decision. “I wasn’t happy doing that. Trying to conform to the way society was set up, I just wasn’t buying into it. I quit school,” he recalls, continuing, “I knew that I would be happy playing music and was otherwise struggling to feel alright.”
 
Inspired by Bob Dylan and the beat writers, bought a bus ticket to a city in Georgia where Dylan was playing. Baird set up his guitar and opened his case in the parking lot, then started singing, scoring a ticket to the show and a place to sleep that night. “I realized that I could at least survive,” he says. “I would busk and travel around. They’d drop money in your case and you’d go and get a sandwich. That was a real, palpable thing.” This went on for about three years.
 
While busking in Cambridge, MA, he heard about the Jalopy Theater community in Brooklyn. “It’s been my home away from home. The currency is songs. People accept you based on the songs you know. Whenever I heard stories about people arriving in the Village in the ‘60s and not having any money and not having a place to stay, there was a sense of community. One can get up on stage at Jalopy and sing a song and ask if anyone has a place to stay. There, that was acceptable, that question.”
 
Some of the songs he’s absorbed via the Jalopy community, via recordings, and in his travel have made their way to After the Morning. “I need to catalog my repertoire. There’s so many songs. They’re all there somewhere. You don’t even remember that you know them,” he says.
 
Baird first heard “Joshua Gone Barbados” on a Bob Dylan bootleg while “Girl From the Greenbriar Shore” comes from the Carter Family. He first learned the tender album opener, Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” at his mother’s request. The song comes out as the second single April 30.
 
After the Morning producer and Brooklyn Folk Fest founder and producer Eli Smith called Baird, “A rare musician and first class folk singer. Wyndham imbues the old songs with all the emotive power to which they are due.”
 
Baird first learned fingerpicking via learning “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” Doc Watson’s “Deep River Blues,” and Dave Van Ronk’s version of “Hesitation Blues.” He plays a Blue Ridge BR143 and a Martin 00015M.
 
Preorder: https://wyndhambaird.bandcamp.com/album/after-the-morning