Nominees for the Second Annual North American Folk Alliance Awards

Error Note: This page previously stated that the 2007 American Folk Alliance would be meeting in Nashville. The error has been corrected to reflect that the conference will take place the weekend February 20-25, 2007, in Memphis, TN.

The North American Folk Alliance is one of the most reliable gauges for what's going on and what's important in contemporary and traditional folk music. Each year, the 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.

They also celebrate the previous year's accomplishments by presenting awards to artists and venues of note. When the North American Folk Alliance converges on Memphis in February, 2007, they will celebrate their second annual awards ceremony, honoring the following nominees:

Song of the Year

"Bring Them Home" – Burns Sisters
"People Look Around" – Catie Curtis and Mark Erelli
"Seems So Real" – Chris Smither
"Pony" – Diana Jones
"Folk Is the New Black" – Janis Ian

Traditional Release of the Year

Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Crooked Still – Shaken By a Low Sound
Les Tireux d'Roches – Papier y Ciseaux
Madrigaia – Pleiades
Pine Leaf Boys – Pine Leaf Boys Two Steps

Contemporary Release of the Year

Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer – Seven Is the Number
Greg Greenway – Weightless
Jeffrey Foucault – Ghost Repeater
John Gorka – Writing in the Margins
Wailin' Jennys – Firecracker

Traditional Artist of the Year

Guy Davis
James Keelaghan
Natalie MacMaster
Odetta
Old Crow Medicine Show

Contemporary Artist of the Year

Chris Smither
Darrell Scott
Greg Brown
Janis Ian
Wailin' Jennys

Emerging Artist of the Year

Amy Speace
Anais Mitchell
Crooked Still
Diana Jones
Pat Wictor

World Music Artist of the Year

Kiran Ahluwana
Lache Cercel and His Roma Swing Ensemble
Lila Downs
Mamadou Diabate
Marisa Monte

Best Folk Booking Agency

Fleming Artists
Folklore Productions
The Granata Agency
Mongrel Music
Roots Agency

Small Folk Venue (under 250 capacity)

Cactus Café (Austin, TX)
Cafe Carpe (Fort Atkinson, WI)
Caffe Lena (Sarasota Springs, NY)
Club Passim (Cambridge, MA)
Hugh's Room (Toronto, ONT)

Large Folk Venue (over 250 capacity)

The Ark (Ann Arbor, MI)
The Birchmere (Arlington, VA)
Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis, MN)
Iron Horse Music Hall (Northampton, MA)
Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL)

Best Folk Festival

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival
Kerrville Folk Festival
Philadelphia Folk Festival
Winnipeg Folk Music Festival

Best Folk DJ

Dick Pleasants, WUMB
Gene Shay, WXPN
Rich Warren, WFMT
Susan Forbes Hansen, WHUS
Suzanne MiIlsaps, KRCL

The Second Annual North American Folk Alliance Awards will be held February 21, 2007, in Memphis, TN. For more information, and to register for the conference, visit the Folk Alliance Web site