Amidst the turmoil in the United Sates (including journalists being arrested and the murders in Minneapolis) Folk Alliance International (FAI) convened in New Orleans, Louisiana for its 38th year (January 21-25, 2026) appropriately titled Rise Up. FAI combines private and official showcases, panels, discussions, chats and more about the many different issues facing folkies today. Artists from 34 countries attended this year's event.
The conference begins with an awards ceremony; this year, awards went to several artists known for their activism, including Carsie Blanton, Crys Matthews, and Kyshona, among others. Both the nominees and the winners were listed in ND's January 23, 2026 Bonus Tracks column.
Folk music troubadours, be they Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs or Matthews, have over the years been a combination of community and protest. Or, as Guthrie said so well, “It’s a folksinger’s job to comfort disturbed people and disturb comfortable people.”
With so much at stake generally, Juno award-winner Quique Escamilla chose to refrain from participating the week of the event. As he posted on social media, “I will return to the US when people of my phenotype are no longer criminalized.” Currently, citizens from 39 countries face travel restrictions — 19 being fully banned — into the US. One has to wonder how long it will be until hundreds of folkies from around the world will also be denied entry. To be denied entry is to be silenced.
Blanton also dissented, albeit in a different way. Upon be named co-artist of the year (along with I’m With Her) she said that she’d gladly accept the award when artists could attend the gathering free of charge. The Board of Directors of FAI has since replied, welcoming efforts for dialogue and sharing the ways in which the nonprofit is already trying to make the conference more accessible.
