links

The Big Picture

The North American Folk Alliance.

The FA is a national organization that puts together regional, national, and international conferences related to folk music and dance. www.folk.org

Mudcat Café.

When I want to find the lyrics to the most obscure traditional folk songs, this is where I go. If it's not in the 9000 song Digital Tradition collection, then request it in the Forum and you're sure to find it. You will also encounter discussions there running the gamut of the human experience by some folks with way too much time on their hands. Either way, there's nothing quite like the Mudcat. www.mudcat.org

The Folklib Index.

A Library of Folk Music Links.

Don't know a thing about it, but it sure looks huge. www.folklib.net

The Folk Index.

This is a guide to Jane Keefer's collection of tens of thousands of folk music recordings, which she has been compiling since the 1970s. www.ibiblio.org/folkindex

Spirit Song.

This site serves as host to a community of individuals, groups, and businesses and is an all around source of info on folk and acoustic music. www.spiritsong.com

The Folk Music Web Ring.

With links to more than 40,000 sites of performers, CDs, and organizations. So, stock the fridge, lock the doors, unplug the phone, and go nuts! www.geocities.com/rufus_fmr/folkmusicring.htm

Folk Music Home Page.

Another good launching pad for those interested in the humongous, indefinable thing we call folk. www.jg.org/folk/folkhome.html

Annette Lamb's Folk Music Page.

Annette Lamb has complied a fine bunch of folk music links as part of her eduscapes site. Well-organized and easy to use. Be sure to check out the Internet Yodel Course link (Now, is that COOL or what?). www.eduscapes.com/42explore/folkmusic.htm

Vapour Trails.

Here's a site dedicated to noteworthy venues, pubs and taverns and the artists who play them, whether you're in Dublin, California or Dublin, England. www.iowrock.net/vapourtrails/pages/includes/index.asp

Folk Web.

Your guide to independent folk and acoustic music. www.folkweb.com

Irish

Mad For Trad.

The self-described home of Irish music on the web. www.madfortrad.com

Women in Folk

Indie Girl.

A forum for information, networking, and conversation about independent music from a female perspective. www.indiegrrl.com/index.html

Online Magazines

Sing Out Pages.

The on-line version of the venerable folk magazine. They are working on a song database that should be indispensable when it's finally done. www.singout.org

Dirty Linen.

Another great site for fans of Celtic music. www.dirtynelson.con/linen/103

The Regional and Local Scene

The Coast Music Camp.

A music festival in the South Bay that has a legion of passionate supporters. www.musiccamp.org

The Portland Folklore Society.

A pretty good collection of national and regional links. www.portlandfolklore.org/links.html

Links for Bay Area Folk Music Radio www.employees.org/~davbrown/radio.html

Folk Music and Beyond.

Special mention goes to Joanne Mar's show on KALW-FM. www.kalwfolk@eskimo.com

California Bluegrass Society.

THE site for bluegrass lovers in the Bay Area. www.cbaontheweb.org

SF Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival.

Home of the annual week-long festival. www.sfbluegrass.org

Lark in the Morning.

For those interested in the whole wide world of folk music instruments, instruction, and performing. www.larkinam.com

The Cooley-Keegan Branch of San Francisco.

A site promoting Irish music, dance, and special events in the Bay Area. www.ccewest.org

SF Scottish Fiddlers.

Bay Area fans of Scottish music will want to investigate: www.sfscottishfiddlers.org

Hicks With Sticks.

A site promoting Bay Area roots Americana (that's what folk music is called by people who don't like the dreaded "f" word), alt country, and rockabilly. Lots of news you can use. http://www.hickswithsticks.com

The Sonoma County Folk Society.

http://www.socofoso.org

The Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association

http://www.scvfa.org/index.shtml

The San Francisco Folk Music Club.

The efforts of the one and only SFFMC are further described at:

(link to home page).

Potpourri

Parlor Songs.

An interesting site devoted to sheet music from the 1800s. www.parlorsongs.com

Skeleton Hootenanny.

Remember the Hamster Dance? This is a similar type thing but with skeletons dancing

around to an old time tune whose name escapes with. Always makes me smile. home.earthlink.net/~heppencolt/flasheteria/skeledance.html

California Gold.

A documentary site examining No. California folk music in the 1930s. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowhome.html

Southern Mosaic.

Another Library of Congress documentary site; this one focuses on the recording trip made by John and Ruby Lomax in 1939. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lohome.html

Hootenanny.

Anyone remember this old ABC-TV show from the early 60s? This site remembers. A bit politically unfashionable at the time, but isn't it too bad nothing like it exists today. Check out the great clips. http://www.tvparty.com/rechootenany.html

That's all for now. Please feel free to forward links that no self-respecting folk music site should be without to: equalrice@yahoo.com