KC Cafe Radio’s live coverage from the 2018 Folk Alliance Region-West music conference concluded with music from the Saturday night Main Stage Showcase performances. Featured were the talents of: Claudia Nygaard, Freebo, Flagship Romance, Martin Kerr, Tumbledown House, and James Lee Stanley.
Our broadcast coverage is brought to you by the generous sponsorship support of Mike and Carleen McCornack of Garden Variety Music, Jeanette Lundgren of Mother Hen Promotions, and the 2018 International Songwriting Competition.
Claudia Nygaard (TN)
Claudia Nygaard straddles the fence between folk and country, delivering songs that are little slices of Americana. They are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual. And so are the captivating stories she weaves in between them. She honed her craft as a salaried Music Row staff songwriter in Nashville, and her last CD “Let The Storm Roll in” rose to the coveted #1 position on the Cashbox Roots Country Chart – with every one of the award-winning songwriter’s self-penned compositions receiving airplay. With an acoustic guitar, a hollow body electric, a ukulele, and an amber honey voice that is known for its power and intimacy, Claudia has torn up the highways of all 50 states and nine foreign countries, performing at over 200 fairs and festivals.
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: Claudia Nygaard
Freebo (CA)
Freebo is a genuine folk, rock and blues icon who, after over 40 years of recording and touring with many of the great artists of our time (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Neil Young, and many more) is regarded as one of the most gifted singer/songwriters of today. A multi award winner and finalist in numerous songwriting contests, Freebo was also recognized as the Best Folk Artist 2007 by the Los Angeles Music Awards. In addition, he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Midnight Special, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap.
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: Freebo
Flagship Romance (NM)
Fluent, intense acoustic guitar playing; lyrics of life’s peaks and valleys; soaring yearning vocals; and harmonies one could barely separate with a single human hair: this is the Flagship Romance sound. Since 2012, this Florida-raised, New Mexico-based husband-wife duo has gained a rapidly-growing, impassioned grassroots fanbase through solid songwriting, relentless touring, and critically acclaimed releases. They were selected two years in a row as an official showcase artist at the Folk Alliance International conference, performed on the 2018 Cayamo singer/songwriter cruise, and have shared the stage with Iris Dement, Half Moon Run, Gin Blossoms, and The Goo Goo Dolls. Flagship Romance has aligned their musical career with the clean water cause, founding and organizing the Clean Water Music Fest in Florida.
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: Flagship Romance
Martin Kerr (Edmonton, AB)
Martin Kerr has been building his career from the streets, one passer-by at a time, and now has a following of thousands. Still fully independent, in the past year he sold out two nights at the 1700-seat Winspear Centre, opened for Sarah McLachlan at a 20,000-seat stadium, and saw his latest album reach #2 on iTunes Canada. Often compared to James Taylor, John Denver and – due to his ginger hair and charming accent – Ed Sheeran, Martin’s anthemic modern-folk connects with listeners of all ages. With a growing list of major festival appearances, his brilliant storytelling and soaring voice are captivating audiences around the world. Most will go home singing to each other the touching, hilarious chorus of his latest single, “You’re Amazing.”
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: Martin Kerr
Tumbledown House (CA)
San Francisco Bay Area songwriting deviants Tumbledown House have never been easy to describe. Modern speakeasy, saloon jazz, parlor pop, and Tom Waits in a cocktail dress are some of the terms used, but none of these successfully convey the band’s incomparable ability to fuse vintage sounds and themes from yesteryear with the modern instrumentation, refreshingly original compositions, and raw energy that we expect from today’s performers. Tumbledown House has performed over 700 shows throughout 25 states and is in the process of releasing their third full-length studio album, due this winter.
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: Tumbledown House
James Lee Stanley (CA)
With a history that includes 5 years on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the singing Klingon amongst other roles, 3 years as Steven Wright‘s opening act; tours with Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Dregs, Robin Trower and Robin Williams, being the composer of the hits “Coming Out of Hiding,” “I Don’t Want To Talk About It,” and “Plenty of Reason,” and 26 solo CDs and duet CDs with Peter Tork, Cliff Eberhardt and John Batdorf, you know you are in for an evening rich in musical chops, great songs and a man who, his remarkable singing and guitar playing notwithstanding, could be a stand-up comedian. As they said in the Village Voice, “With James Lee Stanley you get it all.”
Listen to the performance here:
Download the performance here: James Lee Stanley
Thank you to these generous supporters of our live broadcast coverage:
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