We were sorry to learn that shortly before the pandemic, the folk music magazine fRoots ceased publication after 40 years. The fRoots Radio podcast, however, is still on the air,… Read More →
Here & There
News & notes from around the old-time music world
Quarantine Happy Hour Archive
A full archive of Quarantine Happy Hour episodes, the nightly broadcast that brought old-time musicians together virtually throughout the pandemic, is now available at slowerthandirt.org/QHH.
New books on old-time music
McFarland has several new books related to old-time music among their forthcoming 2022 releases. Naomi “Omie” Wise: Her Life, Death, and Legend, by Hal Pugh and Eleanor Minnock-Pugh, tells the… Read More →
Hammons Family Memorial Fiddle and Banjo Contests (Marlinton, WV)
July 9 is the date for the inaugural Hammons Family Memorial Fiddle and Banjo Contests, held in Marlinton, West Virginia. Registration and other information can be found on the Facebook… Read More →
Clifftop (WV)
August 3 – 7 are the dates for this year’s Appalachian String Band Music Festival, AKA Clifftop, held in person again at Camp Washington Carver in Clifftop, West Virginia. Pre-festival… Read More →
Banjo Gathering (Baltimore, MD)
The 25th annual Banjo Gathering will be held in Baltimore November 3 – 6. As details are finalized they will be announced at banjogathering.weebly.com.
Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (Asheville, NC)
The 95th annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival will take place in Asheville, North Carolina, August 4 – 6. Doors open at 6:00 and show begins at 7:00, at the… Read More →
Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention (Westminster, MD)
The Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention will be in-person this year, held on the campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, on July 16. The festival is now part of the… Read More →
Elliot County (KY) Fiddlers Convention
The first annual Elliot County Fiddlers Convention will take place at the Little Sandy Lodge in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, on July 8 and 9th, 2022.
South Arts Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice Program
South Arts presents an annual fellowship to teacher-student teams of traditional artists in Appalachian counties, the Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice Program. Among the teams who have participated so… Read More →
Folklife From Home WNC: Call for artists
The North Carolina Folklife Institute is presenting a growing collection of videos, Folklife from Home, in which North Carolina traditional artists, including old-time musicians, share their traditions. The latest series,… Read More →
Spring Fed Records Haley Family set
Spring Fed Records has announced the imminent release of their box set of Haley Family recordings, projected to be available in January 2022. Stole from the Throat of a Bird:… Read More →
Sepia Tones podcast
This spring the Great Smoky Mountains Association released a new podcast mini-series, Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. The series, they write, which is hosted by Drs. William Turner and… Read More →
National Heritage Fellowships
West Virginia old-time fiddler and banjo player John Morris is among the 2020 National Heritage Award Fellows. Also receiving the nation’s highest honor for folk tradition-bearers from the National Endowment… Read More →
In Quarantine
In 2020, old-time music has been thriving in the virtual world, with a huge array of concerts, classes, jams, and other offerings taking place on Facebook and elsewhere online. This… Read More →
Congrats: North Randolph Historical Society
The North Randolph Historical Society was the first North Carolina recipient of a roadside marker in the Legends & Lore program of the Pomeroy Foundation. Placed in downtown Randleman, North… Read More →