Amos Perrine

As we begin counting down the days to AMERICANAFEST and the onslaught of new roots music releases, this week's column offers very short takes on five new albums that should not get lost in the shuffle. We also have an update on some stellar vinyl re-issues that

After a one-year hiatus, the venerable Philadelphia Folk Festival returned home to the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania, for its 61st edition Aug. 16-18. The one-year “pause” was necessary for the festival to reduce its financial debt, restructure the operations of its parent organization,

This week’s column is dedicated to pickin’ in the backwoods, featuring two roots fests that are held in picturesque rural areas of their respective home states of Indiana and West Virginia. The inaugural Pickin’ in the Backwoods Music Festival was held Aug. 16-17 in Nashville, Indiana, near Brown

It was a hot three days at this year’s Nelsonville Music Festival (July 25-28). But with plenty of free water and lots of shade trees and hospitality tents, there were many ways to escape the glaring afternoon sun. This was the fest’s third year at its new

The 65th edition of the Newport Folk Festival was a humdinger. This year's installment of the venerable fest that keeps renewing itself year after year featured poetry reading, impromptu dancing by fest grande dame Joan Baez and Rhiannon Giddens, Gillian Welch duetting with Sierra Ferrell, two separate performances

This week’s column features a double dose of the blues: the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon (July 4-7) and the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival in Winthrop, Washington (July 19-21). These two fests have become staples for the column, and our intrepid correspondent Peter Dervin simply