I’m back from the International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, where hundreds of musicians and music industry types come together every year. It’s like a mini South by Southwest where acoustic guitars outnumber the electrics. I managed to see about 70 artists over 4 nights…and still squeeze in a few hours of sleep.

The artists all perform in showcases – usually 20-30 minutes long – in hotel meeting rooms (maybe 150 capacity) or hotel bedrooms (anywhere from 2 to 12 people). Pretty intimate. It was fun to see some old friends in fine form – like John Gorka (with his wry sense of humor), Patty Larkin (with her wisecracks), and Michelle Shocked (always in dialogue with her audience). Also to see songwriting masters, now in their 60s – like Danny O’Keefe (“The Road,” recorded by Jackson Browne), David Olney (“Deeper Well” – Emmylou), Murray McLachlan (“Child’s Song”- Tom Rush), and Michael Smith (“The Dutchman” – Steve Goodman).

On the elevator with Patty Larkin

The big buzz, though, was for a couple of 20-somethings: John Fullbright, from Okemah, OK (Woody Guthrie’s hometown), who’s being mentored by Jimmy LaFave, and Grace Pettis, from AL (who’s  Pierce’s daughter and explores some of the same themes, but in her own voice).

There was also the sweet taste of new wine in old bottles, as alternative string bands create vibrant new music on banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and upright basses. Groups like Joy Kills Sorrow (from Boston), Po’ Girl and Sultans of String (both from Canada), Tripping Lily (from Cape Cod), and the Sweetback Sisters (more of an updated Western swing band, from Brooklyn). Then there are the Parkington Sisters – five sisters from Cape Cod, about 18 to 28 in age – who use their classical training and delicious harmonies to create a creme brulee of sound.

Parkington Sisters in a Neale Eckstein phto

If there were folk music Olympics, the Canadians would be taking home a lot of gold medals. In addition to the artists mentioned above, there was Madison Violet (the female duo from Toronto who straddle the traditional/contemporary divide) and singer-songwriters like Rose Cousins, Amelia Curran, and the lovely Layah Jane.

Other notable American newcomers included Louise Mosrie (Nashville), Rebecca Loebe (Atlanta), Jenn Grinels (CA), Raina Rose (Austin), and Caleb Hawley (Brooklyn). New York was also well represented by Anthony daCosta, Nels Andrews, and Eugene Ruffolo. We can’t claim Amy Speace any more, since she’s moved to Nashville, though she’ll always have a place in our heart.

Wherever you turned, there were authentic American voices: Danny Schmidt, Shelley King, Jimmy LaFave, and Kevin Welch (all from Austin), Will Kimbrough, Jonelle Mosser, and Rod Picott (from Nashville),  Tim Grimm (from IN), Jonathan Byrd and Sally Spring (from NC), Devon Sproule and Paul Cutieri (from VA), David Jacobs-Strain (from OR), Meg Hutchinson, Anais Mitchell, and Anne Heaton (from MA), and Shannon McNally (originally from LI, now in Mississippi). And one strong voice from Wales, Martyn Joseph, who did a great song about the U.S.

Even as the music memories begin to run together in my mind, a few cherished moments stand out: sitting between Freebo and Patty Larkin, watching Michelle Shocked spontaneously connect with her audience in a deliriously overcrowded showcase room; having a quiet drink with Amy Speace; savoring some spellbinding new songs by Sally Spring in a late night hotel room, followed by Michael Smith across the hall in an intense, quiet performance that was like Pablo Casals doing a Bach solo cello recital. Then a sacred steel breakfast Sunday morning with a band of gospel all-stars lifting our spirits for the trip home.  My cup runneth over with music and friendship. I did manage to squeeze about four dozen CDs in my luggage, so you’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got a lot of listening to do!

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