We're in Memphis

February 21st, 2008

Chris, Jim & I arrived in Memphis for this year’s Annual Folk Alliance Conference last night, but sadly not in time to attend the Folk Music Awards Show. The first leg of my flight, from Albany to Detroit, started off in true Northwest Airlines fashion with an unexplained 45 minute delay and a missed connection. Bummer…but we did attended a very nice post-award show reception in the Susan Werner Suite – this year’s Contemporary Folk Artist of the Year!

Congratulations to all of the 2008 Folk Music Award winners:

Song of the Year: "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall" - Tom Russell
Album of the Year: Waterloo, Tennessee - Uncle Earl
Legacy Recording: The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949
Traditional Artist: Levon Helm
Contemporary Artist: Susan Werner
World Music Recording: Loreena McKennitt
Emerging Artist: Carolina Chocolate Drops
Booking Agency: The Roots Agency
Broadcaster: Rich Warren, WFMT
Small Folk Venue: Café Lena and The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse (tie)
Large Folk Venue: The Ark
Folk Festival: Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Folk Alley's Jim Blum with Susan Werner - 2008 Contemporary Folk Artist

The Folk Alley Gang with Minneapolis Singer/Songwriter, Ellis (L to R: Linda Fahey, Gene Shay, Jim Blum, Ellis and Chris Boros

Folk Alley's Chris Boros with Mary Sue Twohy (XM), Gene Shay (Folk Alley & WXPN), and Brian Quinn (WUMB)

Caroline Herring - Live From the Folk Alliance Conference

February 21st, 2008

Singer/songwriter Caroline Herring just finished up a set at the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. She spoke with Folk Alley's Jim Blum and performed her songs from her new release Lantana (Signature Sounds) in front of a crowd of about 50 people in the Trolley Stop Pub at the Marriott in downtown Memphis. Click to listen to this special interview/performance with Caroline Herring from Folk Alley.com.

Folk Alley's Jim Blum talks with Caroline Herring about her new CD Lantana

Eilen Jewell - Live From the Folk Alliance Conference

February 22nd, 2008

Eilen Jewell just finished up a set at the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis where she not only played a handful of songs from her latest CD, Letters from Sinners & Strangers (Signature Sounds), but also answered questions from Folk Alley's Jim Blum in front of about 50 people in the Trolley Stop Pub at the Marriott in downtown Memphis. Listen to this special interview/performance from Eilen Jewell right now from Folk Alley.com. Many thanks to Randy Kirchhof for the great job on sound!

Eilen Jewell talks with Folk Alley's Jim Blum at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Eilen Jewell Band perform as part of 'Live from Folk Alley' at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Eilen Jewell sings as part of 'Live from Folk Alley' at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Eilen Jewell’s band with Folk Alley's Jim Blum and Linda Fahey – l to r: drummer Jason Beek, Linda Fahey, Eilen Jewell, Johnny Sciascia (bass), Jim Blum, and Jerry Miller (electric guitar.)

Pics from Thursday Night's Festivities

February 22nd, 2008

Thursday was a great day and night of reconnecting with friends from the "folk world" and hearing awesome music - some familiar and some new. Here are some pics! I must admit I could've stayed and listen to Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz all night and not gone anywhere else...but I'm very happy to have "discovered" Canadian fiddler, Samantha Robichaud, from the Atlantic Provinces. I think kids must be born with fiddles in the hands up there. I highly recommend checking out her music, and hopefully we'll have some of her tunes added to Folk Alley soon!

Keynote Speaker - Eliza Gilkyson

Mother Banjo (aka Ellen Stanley from Red House Records)

Mother Banjo (aka Ellen Stanley from Red House Records)

Ashely Brooke Toussant, Meg Hutchinson, and Mother Banjo

KC Groves (from Uncle Earl) and Chris Boros

Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz lead an oldtime jam

Canadian Atlantic Province fiddler, Samantha Robichaud

Ray Bonneville jamming late night

Jimmy LaFave - Live at Folk Alliance

February 22nd, 2008

Jimmy LaFave was Folk Alley's special guest at the Trolley Stop Pub at the Marriott in Memphis for the 2008 Folk Alliance conference. Joined by guitarist, John Inmon, Jimmy played for an hour - songs from his latest release - Cimarron Manifesto (Red House Records) and spoke with Folk Alley's Jim Blum in front of a crowd of at least 60 people. We captured the concert/interview and you can listen to it right now here on this blog from Folk Alley.com. Thanks go to Randy Kirchhof for the great sound!

Jimmy Lafave performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Jimmy Lafave and John Inmon perform at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Jimmy Lafave and John Inmon perform at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Meg Hutchinson - Live From Folk Alliance

February 22nd, 2008

Singer/songwriter Meg Hutchinson was Folk Alley's special guest during our performance showcase recording session at the 2008 Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. She played songs from her new Red House Records debut, Coming Up Full and spoke with Folk Alley's Jim Blum in front of a crowd at the Trolley Stop Pub at the Marriott in downtown Memphis. Listen to Meg's concert performance right now on this blog from Folk Alley.Com.

Folk Alley's Linda Fahey with Meg Hutchinson

Meg Hutchinson performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Folk Alley's Jim Blum talks with Meg Hutchinson about her upcoming release "Coming Up Full"

Friday at Folk Alliance

February 23rd, 2008

So, today was my first full day at Folk Alliance 2008…I’ve never been before, and I’ve got to say, it is an otherworldly experience.

To start things off, I went to a song critique panel – I’m not a songwriter, by the way, but I wanted to go see Gene Shay in action (he was the moderator of the panel) and I’ve always been curious about how people write songs – you know, what’s the process they go through, how they know if it’s any good or it’s terrible, etc., etc. So I went to the panel and I was amazed. These brave people got up and sat in the middle of a circle of…I’m trying not to use the word judges, but really, that’s what it seemed like to me. Anyway, they sat in front of a group of ‘judges’ and an audience of about 50 people and sang their song(s). Then they asked questions and answered questions and got feedback from the folks present and then went quietly on their way.

So that’s how the day started off. And after a little trouble with the computer – Chris couldn’t upload part 2 of the Eilen Jewell recording so I took a look at it and came up with a few brilliant suggestions, one of which actually worked – I headed upstairs to floor 17 to hear John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley. I’m a big fan of both of them and I’d met John earlier that day in the elevator (he held one of the coffees for me so I could push the button). He invited me to come to his performance this afternoon. For the first, oh, ten minutes, I was the ONLY ONE IN THE ROOM. I couldn’t believe it. It was a private concert for Elena by John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley. Let me say that one more time: It was a private concert for Elena by John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley. Linda and Chris (and a few other people) showed up after a bit and we got some great pictures.

After the concert, it was down to the Trolley Stop Pub to get ready for Jimmy LaFave and Meg Hutchinson – take a listen if you didn’t hear the concert in the stream. Actually, even if you heard it, take a listen again…two amazing performances by two totally different artists live on Folk Alley. And the audience’s response was amazing.

There was enough time after the performances to catch one of Cara Luft’s performances and it was another pretty remarkable experience. She did one tune, “Captain Weddiburgh’s Courtship,” that really was amazing – a great song that showed off everything that Cara Luft can do.

And then after that performance, it was back up to floors 17 and 18. We caught Jeff Black’s performance and then we caught Jeff Black! He wandered around with us for a bit and stayed with us for Chris’s ‘Stairwell Tapes’ where we talked with Laurie McClain, Corinne West, Eric Schwartz, Darden Smith and Cara Luft. And after that, we caught the tail end of a guitar round, I guess you’d call it. Meg Hutchinson and Ellen Stanley and a circle of others were all gathered in a room with guitars and banjos and were just taking turns playing.

All in all, an exciting Friday at Folk Alliance.

John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley perform at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley perform at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

John Batdorf performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN

Folk Alley's Elena See and Chris Boros with John Batdorf and John Lee Stanley at the 2008 Folk Alliance

From Winnipeg, Canada - Cara Luft performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference

From Winnipeg, Canada - Cara Luft performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference

From Winnipeg, Canada - Cara Luft performs at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference

From Winnipeg, Canada - Cara Luft and Hugh McMillan perform at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference

Nashville singer/songwriter, Jeff Black at Folk Alliance 2008

Nashville singer/songwriter, Jeff Black at Folk Alliance 2008

Nashville singer/songwriter, Jeff Black at Folk Alliance 2008

The Folk Alley Crew with Nashville singer/songwriter Jeff Black. (l to r - Ashley Brooke Toussant, Jeff Black, Elena See, Jim Blum, Chris Boros and Linda Fahey

Folk Alley's Chris Boros and Elena See (right) talk with Nashville singer/songwriter, Laurie McClain

Nashville singer/songwriter Laurie McLain at Folk Alliance 2008

Folk Alley's Chris Boros and Elena See (right) talk with Nashville singer/songwriter, Laurie McClain

Folk Alley's Chris Boros interviews Cara Luft

Folk Alley's Chris Boros interviews Cara Luft

Saturday at Folk Alliance

February 23rd, 2008

It feels really early on this Saturday, but it’s actually just a bit before 11am Memphis time. The McDades, a quintet from Montreal and Ontario, are joining us this morning in the Trolley Stop Pub. It’s a quintet of three siblings and two other Canadian musicians…they’ve been together for about 30 years, and their folk music is not, by any means, traditional folk. They mix it up with Tibetan throat singing, soprano sax and all sorts of percussion instruments.

And Kendel Carson and her band played for us today, too…they’re a young trio from Vancouver who gave an enthusiastic performance – and the crowd responded enthusiastically, too. Kendel’s new CD is called Rearview Mirror Tears (Trainwreck Records). She’s a classically trained violinist who decided when she was 18 that it would be ‘more fun’ to take a band out on the road. I think it’s safe to say that she and her band had a good time performing for Folk Alley.

The McDades at the Folk Alliance Conference

February 23rd, 2008

The McDades from Canada were Folk Alley's special guests at our recording performance showcase room at the 2008 Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. The band woke up early to speak with Jim Blum and play an hour-long set at the Trolley Stop Pub in front of a crowd of people at the Marriott Hotel. You can hear the entire concert right here in this blog from Folk Alley.com. Enjoy the tunes - and thanks to Randy Kirchhof for the great sound!

Back row L to R: Linda Fahey, Jim Blum, Elena See, Solon McDade, and Chris Boros; Front row L to R: Bertil Schulrabe, Jeremiah McDade, Shannon Johnson (McDade) and Simon Marion

Kendel Carson - Live From Folk Alliance

February 23rd, 2008

Fiddler and songwriter, Kendel Carson, from Canada was Folk Alley's special guest at our recording performance showcase room at the 2008 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis. She and her band spoke with Jim Blum and played an hour-long set at the Trolley Stop Pub in front of a crowd of people at the Marriott Hotel. You can hear the entire concert right here in this blog from Folk Alley.com.