The Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) will present 27 juried artists and groups during the official showcases during its 12th Annual Conference at the Chattanoogan Hotel on May 15-19, Showcase Chair Abby Parks announced today.
The showcase artists come from a dozen states and three Canadian provinces, including seven from Tennessee and six from North Carolina.
The SERFA showcases serve as the gateway for musicians from across North America to perform at folk music venues throughout the dozen states that form the region.
Mountain Fever Records is the presenting sponsor of the official showcases, which will take place from 7-10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 16-18. The showcases are open only to conference registrants.
The panel selected the following artists for the official showcases at the 2019 SERFA Conference:
? Rod Abernethy – Raleigh, NC
? After Jack – Ferrum, Va.
? Antonio Andrade - Duncannon, Pa.
? Nancy Beaudette - Lunenburg, Ma.
? Belle Plain - Regina, Saskatchewan Canada
? Boomtown Trio – Asheville, NC
? Eric Brace, Peter Cooper, & Thomm Jutz - Nashville
? Andy Cohen - Memphis
? Ginger Cowgirl - Nashville
? Crossing the Caney - Kingston Springs, Tn.
? The Currys – Frankewing, Tn.
? David Davis and the Warrior River Boys – Cullman, Al.
? Wyatt Easterling – Chapel Hill, NC
? Flint & Feather - Calgary, Alberta Canada
? Twin Kennedy – Sooke, British Columbia Canada
? Frank and Allie Lee – Bryson City, NC
? Deidre McCalla - Atlanta
? Cary Morin – Fort Collins, Co.
? Grace Morrison - Rochester, Ma.
? Karyn Oliver – Stokesdale, NC
? Grant Peeples - Tallahassee, Fl.
? Resonant Rogues – Asheville, NC
? Carolann Solebello – Brooklyn, NY
? Amy Speace - Nashville
? Benjamin Van Winkle and the Figment of Your Imagination - Chattanooga
? Nicholas Edward Williams – Hixson
? Wolf and Clover – Columbus, Ga.
The regional organization of Folk Alliance International will also present the SERFA Awards on May 17.
Three have Chattanooga connections: musical legends Norman and Nancy Blake of Rising Fawn, and the late Fletcher Bright, philanthropist, musician and presenter. The other honorees are J.T. Gray, four-decade owner of the Station Inn in Nashville, and choreographer Eileen Carson Schatz and dancer and musician Mark Schatz of Maryland.
The 12th Annual SERFA Conference makes its debut in Chattanooga on May 15-19. The event, attended by 299 in 2018, moved from Montreat, NC, its site for the past eight years. Conference activities, open only to registrants, include workshops and panels, official and private (aka guerrilla) showcases, open mics, an exhibit hall, group meals and more.
For information on attending (registration fees increase on March 31 and April 30), exhibiting, sponsoring, volunteering or advertising in the program, visit www.serfa.org.