Flipside Memphis Covers the International Folk Alliance

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Flipside Memphis is a series of hip mini-docs about cool happenings in the city produced by LFM.  Today they premiered their video highlighting the International Folk Alliance Conference, and the following to say about the event:

Folk is the music of the hills, front porches, and fields. It’s the hymns, work songs, and ballads that form the basis of the American music tradition. Founded in 1989, the Folk Alliance is a national organization committed to preserving and promoting the music of the people. Their annual conference, one of the biggest musical convocations in the world, brings thousands of performers together in Memphis every year for a long weekend of hoe-downs, picking parties, and sing-a-longs. It’s a unique opportunity for the myrid musicians to come together, share stories and tunes, rub shoulders with the industry, and lift up their voices in song. But the biggest beneficiaries are the audience, who are treated to an embarrassment of riches over the hundred-plus hours of performances.

While all the above is true, as someone who has attended the last three years, I must warn you to not be scared away from the event thinking that it’s one big “hoedown!”  Many contemporary singer-songwriters attend and perform at the event, and it is a great place to check out some fantastic on the verge artists like Cory Branan, The Hereafter, Twilight Hotel, Raina Rose, Anthony Da Costa, Amy Speace, Valerie June, Andrew Duhon, Aimee Bobruk, and Dirtfoot. The artists come away from the event inspired by their fellow performers and the audience gets to be reminded that there are still many musicians on the scene making music for reasons other than money and fame.

The Folk Alliance Conference is the least pretentious and most music oriented conference that I attend every year. It is the most laid back, and I find it the most interactive. There are no back stage areas, few managers to bypass, and in general everyone who attends is there for the same reason, to actually connect with each other through music.

The 22nd Annual Folk Alliance International Conference is February 17-21, 2010 in Memphis, TN.
The event promises four days/evenings of industry workshops, panels, exhibits, showcases, outreach concerts, etc. for members of the international music community. The event provides a networking opportunity for those in the industry to work hard and enjoy themselves while doing so

The FAI Conference offers official showcase space to 200+ artists in our Performance Alley Showcases. To apply for a showcase: entry forms are available at www.folk.org or enter digitally through www.sonicbids.com.  Official Showcase Deadline: November 19, 2009.

Check out some videos of past registrants: