May 12, 2017

SERFA to Present Awards to Three on May 19 During Conference in Montreat

ASHEVILLE, NC: The SouthEast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) will honor Kathy Mattea, John McCutcheon, and the Sundilla Concert Series & Radio Show on Friday, May 19 during 10^th Annual its Conference in Montreat, NC. The Awards, which immediately follow the 4:00 PM keynote address by Mattea, are open only to conference registrants. Registration information can be found at www.serfa.org.

Grammy Award winning musician and activist Kathy Mattea whose No. 1 country hits include “Goin’ Gone,” “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and “Come From the Heart,” was one of the artists who consulted with initial SERFA president Kari Estrin in shaping the then incipient organization. Mattea, who draws inspiration from her Appalachian roots, is a torchbearer for often overlooked musical legacies like those of Hazel Dickens and Jean Ritchie.

Throughout more than 40 years of groundbreaking work as an artist and activist, teacher, and actor, Atlanta resident John McCutcheon’s passion for music and a just society keep pushing him to new levels. A six-time Grammy nominee, his most recent album, Trolling for Dreams, addresses HB2 in “Y’All Means All.”

Auburn, Alabama’s Sundilla Concert Series & Radio Show has presented nearly 200 artists including Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Sloan Wainwright, the late Steve Young, Allison Brown, Brother Sun, and Kinky Friedman. A weekly one-hour program featuring music and conversation with independent, contemporary folk musicians, The Sundilla Radio Series passed 200 episodes aired earlier in 2017.

Saturday at the SERFA Conference will bring the annual Wisdom of the Elders at 10:45 AM. The program offers a collective interview of three pioneers. This year they are 1960s folk singer and Green Linnet Records founder Patrick Sky of Spruce Pine, NC; Philadelphia-based singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist Reggie Harris, who is also showcasing; and Doug Orr, author, former President of Warren Wilson College, and founder of the Swannanoa Gathering.

Formed in 2002, SERFA (www.serfa.org) is the southeastern regional chapter of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org). According to its website, The Southeast Regional Folk Alliance exists to preserve, promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage, of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts of the southeastern United States. It has produced its annual conference at the Assembly Inn in Montreat, NC since 2011.

For More Information: Art Menius 919-675-2787 art@artmenius.com

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