Get notalgic as you look back over the highlights of folk music from last year. Check out the Americana charts, see who's winning awards, or just get the scoop on About Folk Music's favorite CDs and shows.
The first decade of the 2000s has seen a number of new folk artists, singers, and bands pulling from traditional and contemporary folk and bluegrass music. From direction-forging innovators to those keeping traditional music alive and pure, there have been some hugely notable new artists on the scene these past few years. Here's a look at ten of the best breakout folk, bluegrass, and Americana ar…
From Nickel Creek to Gillian Welch, the Fleet Foxes and Avett Brothers to Neil Young's big protest album, it's been one heck of a decade for great new music. This list won't even begin to touch on the incredible albums that have dropped over the past ten years...
The International Bluegrass Music Association gathers each year in Nashville, Tenn., to celebrate bluegrass music, discuss issues facing the bluegrass community, and to honor its membership with an awards and honors ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry. The 2009 conference and Fan Fest will be held Sep. 28-Oct. 4, 2009. The awards ceremony will be held on Oct. 1, and following are many of the nominees for 2009 IBMA Awards and Honors:
It's been a great year for new music releases in the roots realm. Folk, bluegrass, alt-country, and Americana music are dominating the popular music scene lately, with artists old and new releasing some of the best music around. What's the best folk music/bluegrass/Americana album of 2009?
It's been a great year for new music releases in the roots realm. Folk, bluegrass, alt-country, and Americana music are dominating the popular music scene lately, with artists old and new releasing some of the best music around. Take a look at the best folk music albums of 2009...so far.
The Americana Music Association will hold its 10th Annual festival and conference in Nashville this September 16-19, with a Sep. 17 awards ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium. Buddy Miller, who received five nominations from the AMA, will be musical director of the ceremony. Singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale will host.
Folk music will surely continue to be a large player on the national music stage in 2009. Find out what new folk music, bluegrass, and alt-country albums are due out in 2009, what folk artists you should keep your eye on, and what festivals are sure to shake up the scene in the year ahead. Here's a list of predictions for what's ahead in American folk music in 2009.
American folk music in 2008 took on many faces and featured releases from some of the field's top artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, and Lucinda Williams. New artists like Justin Townes Earle and Delta Spirit shook up the scene, while festivals and conferences honored the best folk artists. Take a look back at the year in review of folk music in 2008.
Each year, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) presents awards to some of the most notable artists in contemporary and traditional bluegrass music from the past year. Here are the nominees for the 2009 SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards.
2008 was a great year for up-and-coming artists, and here's a look at some of the best new artists to hit the folk and bluegrass scene this year.
The 2008 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards and Honors will be presented during the IBMA conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 2, 2008. Here are the 2008 nominees.
From folk-rock to bluegrass, alt.country to singer-songwriters, here's the best folk CDs of 2008...so far.
The 2008 Americana Music Association Awards and Honors will be presented at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on Sep. 18, 2008. Learn more about this year's nominees.
The 2008 Folk Alliance Awards were presented in Memphis, Tennessee, on Feb. 20, 2008. The awards for Album of the Year and Song of the Year were chosen based on Folk-DJ Chart airplay.
With 2007 drawing to a close, it's as good a time as any to look forward to all the releases and possibilities that lie ahead in 2008.
The 2008 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) will hand out its annual awards during their 25th Annual National Convention, Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2008, in Nashville, Tenn.
Here's a look at some of the best American folk, bluegrass, alt.country and folk-rock tunes to be released in 2007.
I think it's fair to say that folk music enjoyed a bit of a "comeback" this year. Between the old time music revival that's been getting started, to the never-ending resurgence of bluegrass, and the fact that so many folk artists became contenders on the national scene, it's been a pretty good year for folk music and folksingers.
At any given time, there are literally hundreds of American folksingers on the road, spanning the U.S. Interstate highway system to bring their craft to your small town or big city. Here's a look at some of the best concerts and performances by folk, bluegrass and alt.country artists in 2007.
The 2007 Americana Music Awards will be held at the tail end of the 2007 Americana Music Conference, on November 1, 2007, in Nashville, Tenn.
A list of the 2007 nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards, to be presented at the Grand Ole Opry by Sam Bush on October 4, 2007.
Each year, the North American Folk Alliance gets together for a conference to deliberate over the state of traditional music in the country and to be entertained by some of the most poignant acts, both old and new. When the American Folk Alliance converges on Nashville in February, 2007, they will celebrate their second annual awards ceremony, honoring the following nominees:
Come along on a biased visual journey as I recount the coolest and most notable events in American folk music throughout 2006. From CD releases to tours, interviews we did at About Folk Music, festivals and more. This is your all-out guide to nostalgia in American Folk Music in 2006.
There were plenty of great folk music CDs that were released in 2006. Now, with another year upon us, here's a look ahead at all the great records that are due to be released in 2007, including CDs by artists like Gillian Welch, Andrew Bird, Brandi Carlile, Suzanne Vega, and many more.
Anyone can make predictions about the coming year that may actually happen, but the truth is nobody really knows what's to come. Here at About Folk Music, we decided it would be more fun to speculate about things that'll never happen next year, no matter what.
2006 was absolutely wrought with incredible releases from tried-and-true folk artists, as well as some exciting up-and-comers. Here's a list at some of the best work to come out of the worlds of folk music, bluegrass and alt.country over the course of 2006.
Updated weekly, this is a list of the week's best-selling Folk and Bluegrass recordings.
Check out this list of my picks for 2005's best releases from Folk, Bluegrass, Old Time, and alt.country artists.
Here's a look at the artists and bands that truly folked it up in 2005.
A group of 60+ "Da'Kats" who span skill sets from instruments like trumpet and bassoon to rapper MCs and turntable DJs. There's a string section, a percussion session, and a small chorus of hip-hop vocalists.
Hip Hop started out as a Folk movement, and now rappers and hip hop artists like Kanye West and Common are bringing the social conscience back to their craft.
