BONUS TRACKS: Folk Alliance International Music Award Winners and Lomax Archives Record Label, Plus New Music from Mumford and Sons
Meredith Lawrence
Posted On February 21, 2025
The 37 annual Folk Alliance International conference is off to a bang-up start this week in Montreal, Quebec. The beloved folk music community gathering started off with its annual awards ceremony, and an inspiring keynote address by singer/songwriter Allison Russell (fresh off a run as Persephone in the Broadway production of Hadestown), interviewed by NPR’s Ann Powers.
Watch the entire keynote here:
FAI AWARDS
Artist of the Year: Crys Matthews. (Read ND’s review of of Matthews’ latest, Reclamation.)
Album of the Year: Susan Werner, Halfway to Houston.
Song of the Year: “$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao, performed by Dan Navarro.
Lifetime Achievement Awards: The Indigo Girls; Lesley Riddle (the Black musician who worked extensively with the Carter family and other folk music outfits); and Songlines Magazine, which celebrated its 25th anniversary.
OTHER MUSIC NEWS
The Lomax Archive announced it will launch a new record label, Lomax Archive, which will release remastered versions of some of the field recordings collected by folklorists John A. and Alan Lomax. Their initial four releases are available to listen to now on the archive website, and available on all streaming platforms.
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO
Mumford and Sons —”Malibu”
Allison Russell — The Returner
Tony Kamel—”We’re All Gonna Live”
Olive Klug — “Taking Punches from the Wind”
