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The prestigious 33 year old Kerrville Folk Festival had over 600 entries in the annual New Folk Songwriting Competition this year, so I was thrilled to learn I was one of the 32 finalists chosen. I threw my guitar in the back of my van and headed down to the Texas hill country to perform "Georgia Boy" and "JC Watts", the two songs I had entered. "New Folk" as the contest is called, was first introduced to the festival by Peter Yarrow of the trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, those incredible folk icons of the 60's.

Sixteen of the 32 finalists performed on the Saturday before Memorial Day, and the other half the next day. There were some incredible songs and songwriters in the contest this year. I didn't really expect to win, so Sunday night when they announced the winners, I jumped up and down like a five year old! I don't remember when I've ever been so excited. It was especially great because I have tremendous respect for the artists that judged the contest this year: acoustic blues artist Ruthie Foster, humorist Eric Schwartz, and Americana chart-topper Slaid Cleaves.

Pictured here are the six winners with the three judges. From left to right: John William Davis, Ruthie Foster (judge), Julie Clark, Claudia Nygaard (kneeling), Cary Cooper, Eric Schwartz (seated, judge), Idgy Vaughn, Effron White, Slaid Cleaves (judge).

Singing "Georgia Boy" at Kerrville

The contest has become an important part of the festival now, and was well attended this year in spite of 104 degree heat. It is a rare audience that will sit for three hours in that kind of weather to listen to songs they never heard before, and not only that, they even managed to give some of us a standing ovation. (Including me!) It is the Kerrville audience that makes the festival such a coveted gig by folk and Americana performers.

The festival's Kennedy Theater, a large outdoor stage, offers performances beginning at 7pm every night during the eighteen day run. This year, besides performances by the judges of new folk, the performers included Peter, Paul, & Mary, Carrie Newcomer, Chuck Brodsky, Bruce Robison, Bill & Bonnie Hearne, Ray Bonneville, Chuck Pyle, Mary Gauthier, David Olney, and the Subdudes - to mention only a few!

The Kerrville Folk Festival is held at Quiet Valley Ranch, on the outskirts of Kerrville. Of those attending the festival, some come for the evening, and some come for longer and stay in nearby hotels. Many prefer to camp. The camps are spread out all over the ranch and have names like Camp Stupid, Camp Coho, Camp Cuisine and Camp Singkerrnicity - where I roll out my sleeping bag. Camping makes more sense when you are going to be up half the night, and it is during the guitar pulls that take place after the mainstage concerts that the ranch comes alive. Musicians and songwriters drift from camp to camp playing their songs, and listening to others do the same. At home I spend so much time on the phone and computer now. At Kerrville I get back the joy of playing that got me into this business to begin with. I love the camaraderie of hanging around the camp or swimming in the river, and especially the intimacy of swapping songs in a song circle late at night.

For more information on the Kerrville Folk Festival visit:

http://www.kerrville-music.com/

For more information on the New Folk Competition visit:

http://www.kerrville-music.com/newfolk.htm