From Devon Sproule’s email newsletter:
I’ve got a record coming out this month. My first live record! And my first live DVD! The two are rolled up into one handsome little 2-disc package. (Alright, so I’ve only seen the actual physical thing over Skype, but it did look dang good.)
The record comes out in the Netherlands on Sep 14th and the UK/Europe on Sep 26th.
…
As usual, things are running slower in the US, on the release front. Stay tuned!
One of the more important and influential magazines covering the folk music community has been Dirty Linen. I just found out that Dirty Linen has ceased publication; however, it appears that much of the editorial staff will be involved with an online magazine called Driftwood. So, there’s one more destination for your folk news and information bookmarks.
I know, I know, it’s shameless self-promotion, but if I don’t do it, nobody else will, right?
So – here’s what I’m trying to accomplish with my Festival Radio Twitter feed:
- I post when I update the playlist, generally listing the new music I’m adding
- I post when I find a news article about a folk artist that interests me
- I post when I find something interesting to listen to that might interest the people who listen to my station (new artists, interesting podcasts, etc.)
- I auto-post when I update the blog (like, for instance, now).
I won’t bore you with what I’m having for lunch. At least not on the FestivalRadio feed.
I have created a separate feed where I talk about other things that interest me (Cleveland sports, politics, snarky observations on life, the universe and everything, etc. ) and I have been doing a better job keeping them separate lately, at least since the LeBron James leaving Cleveland debacle. Sorry about that – it still hurts but I’m recovering.
In case you’re wondering why I include the weekly Twitter updates on my blog, I think blog readers are interested in the articles and news I find about folk musicians as well as the updates on what I’m previewing for the station. I could be wrong.
News on Amy Speace, Ben Sollee and The Clumsy Lovers from my inbox over the last couple weeks:
If you like guitars formerly owned and operated by the moderately famous, Amy Speace has a guitar for sale:
FOR SALE: Very very gently (like as in barely touched) used 2006 Taylor GS Western Red Cedar/Indian Rosewood with Taylor’s wonderful Expression II pickup system installed. Original hardshell (brown faux alligatorish leather) case and original paperwork included. I love this guitar and bought it just as the GS (Grand Symphony) model was debuted. Its a bigger body than a dreadnought, small waist, gorgeous sounding guitar for you fingerpickers out there. The only markings on the guitar itself are a few small pick scratches underneath the strings. The guitar didn’t come with a pickguard as I didn’t want one to mess up the beauty of the cedar top. I used this guitar on a few songs from “Killer In Me” and I’m selling it because I am just downsizing my collection and this is one guitar I just don’t play as much as my others. I’d love her to go into the hands of someone who will play her more than currently am.
If interested, email me at amy@amyspeace.com and I’ll let you know about the price and can forward you photos. The guitar sells new for about $2400.
Continue reading Clearing out the Folk News Inbox
How did I not know that several of my favorite singer/songwriters were getting together and doing a song workshop style podcast where they brought works in progress? I put Kate Jacobs on the iPod this morning and then thought I’d check out her website and found a link to this glorious site.
Kate Jacobs, Victoria Williams, Dave Schramm, Peter Holsapple, Laura Cantrell, Freedy Johnston and more, all at Radio Free Song Club.
This is your awesome of the day, folks.
If you can’t be there, you can still listen via NPR.
Folk singer Chuck McCabe has died at age 65 of pancreatic cancer. More information at his website.
woodsmeister’s note – Another great article from Sue Barrett, our Australian correspondent. This article is posted with permission from Sue Barrett, and all rights are reserved to her.
By Sue Barrett
Heavy traffic, too much traffic/
In your house and on the phone/
In my mind and on the road/
And there’s no time between/
(Kym Pitman, ‘Spaces Between’)
In pursuing sporting glory, athletes build physical fitness, develop technical skills and undertake endless mental rehearsal, in a landscape pitted with injuries, bad luck and the vagaries of form. And in pursuing artistic creativity, songwriters look to merge words and music into new songs that will withstand personal criticism and public scrutiny, in a life that can be full of “heavy traffic, too much traffic” and with “no time between”.
For some songwriters, their creations emerge year after year, using a “9 to 5” working day routine. Other songwriters fit song writing into a touring life, writing between gigs or in precious time off the road. A further group of songwriters has a creativity that co-exists with, and perhaps feeds upon having, another profession.
If you read The New York Times best seller lists, you may well find a novel by Jeffery Deaver – the same Jeffery Deaver who trained as a lawyer and who, as a singer-songwriter, “performed and taught music in clubs in the San Francisco Bay area and Chicago.”
If you attended a gig in Milton, New South Wales in April, you might have got to see Paul Greene – the same Paul Greene who represented Australia in track at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
And if you go to church at First Parish, Cambridge, Massachusetts, you could hear the preachings of Fred Small – the same Fred Small who worked as a lawyer for the Conservation Law Foundation, before becoming a full-time singer-songwriter, then a minister.
FolkBlog now explores the lives of five people for whom song writing is just one of the things they do, five people who are more than a songwriter…
- Emma Royle (Australia) – singer-songwriter/ carpenter
- Deborah Romeyn (Canada) – singer-songwriter/ massage therapist/ high school teacher
- Nedra Johnson (New York City, USA) – singer-songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist/ website designer
- Ana Christensen (Tennessee, USA) – singer-songwriter/ veterinary assistant/ photojournalist
- Vicki Bennett (Australia) – songwriter/ performer/ doctor
 Continue reading More Than a Songwriter
One of my favorite bands, Red Molly, is undergoing personnel transition. Just got this e-mail from the band:
Hello Everybody:
Many of you have commented on how much Red Molly is growing – playing larger venues, touring nationally, etc. It’s true we’re getting lots of nice offers, and are eager to see how far we can go! As Red Molly’s calendar shifts toward extended national tours, Carolann will no longer perform with the band, but will instead pursue solo opportunities that allow for greater balance between the two loves of her life – family and music. Her final appearance with Red Molly will be in late July, at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Carolann invites anyone who wishes to stay in touch, or sign up on her e-mail list, to visit www.carolannsolebello.com.
We’re excited to announce that Austin-based singer/songwriter Molly Venter will be joining Red Molly! Molly first caught Abbie’s attention as a New Folk Finalist at the 2008 Kerrville Folk Festival. Laurie and Carolann met Molly for the first time in June 2008, when Molly opened for Red Molly in Arlington, VA, and both were stunned by the beauty and power of her voice. That first opening slot led to eight more opening slots (in GA, AL, MI, OH, and MA), where Molly won over Red Molly’s audiences night after night, with her gorgeous singing and undeniable charm.
We are deeply grateful for all the support and love our fans have shown us over the years. Words can’t even describe how appreciative we are and how lucky we feel! We’re so excited for what the future may hold, and hope you will welcome Molly warmly, the way you have always welcomed us. Her first show with us will be on August 6, at the Lunenburg Folk Festival in Nova Scotia.
See you soon,
Laurie, Abbie & Carolann
I was actually at one of the shows that Molly Venter opened for the band and she is exceptionally talented. I wish nothing but the best for both Carolann and Red Molly in the future and trust that they will both make great music in the future.
Here’s the press release from Compass. Apparently Celtic CDs are not part of the deal, but Compass has lots of great Americana, bluegrass and folk in their catalog.
May 13 – May 18
- All Bluegrass, Folk & Americana CDs will be on sale for $11.99
- $5 of every CD sold will be donated to Bluegrass Trust Fund.
- Buy three or more CDs and receive free domestic shipping.
While work goes on as usual here at the Compass Records Group headquarters
on Music Row, evidence of flood damage is all around us. So, as we were
getting ready to send out our annual bluegrass sale alert, we decided we
wanted to do something to help – and to give you a chance to lend a hand
too.
This year, our bluegrass sale has an added twist. In an effort to help the
bluegrass musicians who have suffered losses due to the floods, we will
donate $5 from the sale of EACH cd to the Bluegrass Trust Fund.
The Bluegrass Trust Fund was established in 1987 to offer financial
assistance to bluegrass music professionals in time of emergency need.
Patterned after similar entities in the music world, the Trust is a
501(c)(3) non-profit charitable institution governed by an autonomous
five-person board of trustees appointed by the International Bluegrass Music
Association. To learn more about the Bluegrass Trust Fund, please visit www.IBMA.org.
Please help us to help those whose music brings such joy year round. And
please share this offer with your friends.
With thanks and appreciation from soggy Nashville,
The Compass Records Group
For more details, please visit www.compassrecords.com or call (800)757-2277
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Recent Posts
- Devon Sproule to Release New Live CD/DVD
- Top 29, August 2010, Festival Radio
- Goodbye Dirty Linen, Hello Driftwood
- Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-29
- Why You Might Subscribe to My Twitter Feed
- Clearing out the Folk News Inbox
- So Long, Myspace
- New Adds, Festival Radio, August 22, 2010
- Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-22
- Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-15
- Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08
- Radio Free Song Club
- Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01
- Complete Playlist – Festival Radio – July 31, 2010
- New Adds, Festival Radio – July 31, 2010
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