teachingwoodycollective

New Episodes of Folk Matters: The Antlers and Acorns Sessions

Presented and produced by Working Title Farms, Antlers and Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival is held annually in September in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The four-day festival, according to founder Shari Smith, brings storytellers together to celebrate  song and community: “The festival is named after the things that are left behind. The deer leave their antlers and the trees leave the acorns. Songwriters leave behind their songs. We use them to fall in love, to mourn, to celebrate, to comfort, to entertain. Something comes from all the things left behind.”

In September 2023, Michele Fazio talked with several artists about their songwriting process, inspirations, and the power of the folk community. These new episodes of Folk Matters even include a couple of impromptu musical performances! Special thanks to Daniel Ouimet for recording on site and assisting with editing.

Grant Peeples

Grant Peeples kicks off the first episode in this series. Look for additional interviews to be posted later this week!

2024 Antlers and Acorns Songwriters Festival

This year’s festival runs from September 5th-8th, 2024 and the lineup includes James McMurtry, Ben Danaher, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, Shawn Mullins, Courtney Patton, John Paul White, Tamara Saviano, and Rodney Crowell.

~ Scenes from the 2023 Festival ~

teachingwoodycollective

AMERICANAFEST

Members of the Woody Guthrie Teaching Collective headed to Nashville in September to present at the AMERICANAFEST conference. The Collective hosted a roundtable on the legacy of Woody and his influence on contemporary Americana music. “‘This Land’: Teaching and Archiving Americana through the Eyes and Music of Jimmy LaFave” delved into LaFave’s history as a musician and how Ashley Warren prepared his trust with a focus on intellectual property and preserving his musical legacy. Michele Fazio designed a digital story map, illustrating LaFave’s perspective while on tour driving through the backroads of Texas, Oklahoma, and other parts to capture his vision of a disappearing America, connecting both his photography and songs as a source for musical inspiration. Along with Mark Fernandez, contributor, and Aimee Zoeller, moderator, singer songwriter and recording artist Jaimee Harris joined in the discussion, sharing memories of LaFave and performing his songs “This Land” and “Worn Out American Dream.” Here are just a few images of an amazing week of music and friends!