A Guide to Folk Music Resources in the Garden State
Hello and welcome to the new, streamlined NJFOLK. Follow
the triangular red arrows for fast & easy navigation. If you find any
outdated links, please let me know.
This site, compiled and occasionally maintained by Mark Stewart, is provided as a
public service to fellow folk music enthusiasts in New Jersey. Here
you will find contact information for a number of vital resources for the
local folk music community.
"Where can I find out about folk music in New Jersey?"
NJFOLK aims to answer this question by identifying sources of information
about local folk music, both online and offline. NJFOLK lists Web sites,
e-mail lists, radio stations, organizations, publications, and annual
events in and around New Jersey. These are the sources that, to my
knowledge, supply the best, most complete and most up-to-date information
about folk music events in the Garden State.
What NJFOLK is, and what it is not
NJFOLK is a New Jersey folk music resource guide. That is:
New Jersey. NOT Philadelphia or New
York City (except for their radio stations, which we can enjoy at home.)
If you're going into the city, you're on your own.
Folk. NOT mainstream/commercial country or
pop/rock, but including bluegrass, Celtic, old-time, blues, cajun, zydeco,
traditional, contemporary singer/songwriter, and other folk and acoustic
music.
Music. NOT dance (square, contra, ceili, morris, or
otherwise). Would someone like to assemble a page?
Resource guide. NOT a performer list, concert
calendar, or venue listing (excellent
ones exist already; see these references), but a set of pointers
to good calendars and listings, both online and offline. NJFOLK is meant
to serve as a clearinghouse of folk music information sources.
How You Can Help
NJFOLK is intended to be as complete and useful as possible. If I've
missed something important, or if an item is inaccurate or out-of-date,
please e-mail me and I'll update
the listings.
Wouldn't it be nice if a single site carried complete, up-to-date folk
music schedules? Well, obviously not every calendar lists every event,
even within its own scope. Several good ones do exist; online, I've
found Dirty Linen and Musi-Cal to be generally the most complete. Still,
sometimes an interesting local event can only be found in a local
listing. It's best to check several sources if you're looking for
something to do. And don't forget the newspaper.
This is a list of organizations that promote and support folk music in
New Jersey. It is NOT a comrehensive list of
venues and concert spaces
that feature folk music - some excellent resources with that purpose
already exist. Instead, I've tried to focus on organizations, clubs, and
established groups, supported by members and generally holding regular
meetings or events. Of course, many groups do sponsor concerts and
festivals - so the distinction can get fuzzy. For the best folk-music
venue list I know of, see the TML Music Pages;
details are available in the Publications section.
Here's a handful of high-quality publications (both in print and online)
with an emphasis on folk music. This listing is by no means complete,
but the two local publications immediately below cover the New Jersey
region quite well.
The
Traditional MusicLine, P.O. Box 10598, New Brunswick NJ 08906,
732/699-0665.
One of the best resources in folk and traditional music in the Northeast
isn't online at all - it's a monthly newsletter. I recommend it highly.
Subscription around $20/year; comes with annual supplement,
TML MusicPages (also sold separately) which comprehensively lists a
number of folk music resources in the northeastern U.S., including radio
programs, organizations and associations, venues and performance spaces.
Delaware Valley Irish Directory, CCC Celt, P.O. Box
1063, Newtown PA 18940.
Irish organizations, Irish musicians and entertainers, Irish dancing,
Irish festivals, Irish restaurants and pubs, Irish genealogy resources,
Irish sports teams and associations ... you get the idea. Proceeds
benefit the CCC Celtic Library in Bucks County PA. $2.50 each, bulk
discounts available, 215/355-7567.
Dirty Linen,
P.O. Box 66600, Baltimore MD 21239-6600, 410/583-7973.
Extensive coverage of folk, traditional and contemporary acoustic music.
Their online gig guide is
well worth a visit.
Bluegrass Unlimited, P.O. Box 111, Broad Run, VA
22014, 800/BLU-GRAS or 703/349-8181.
Among other things, these folks publish an annual calendar of bluegrass
festivals nationwide.
This is a list of radio stations that devote a significant amount of
programming to folk, traditional and acoustic music. I've tried to note
where folk music programming is largely confined to specific times in the
week. I/C denotes Irish and/or Celtic music programming. And yes, in
spite of the New Jersey focus of these pages, I have included NYC and
Philadelphia stations that can be heard in the Garden State.
Many of the stations listed below are listener-supported, non-commercial,
or community radio stations. If you enjoy listening, consider supporting
them by becoming a member.
Note: "Radio Roundup" in the TML MusicPages provides even more detailed
information on folk-music radio, including days and times of specific
programs on stations throughout the Northeast.
AM Stations
800 AM - WTMR, Camden, 609/962-8000 - Sun. midday (I/C)
830 AM - WNYC, New York NY, 212/669-7800 - esp. weekends
920 AM - WTTM, Trenton, 609/695-8515 - Sat. midday (I/C)
1380 AM - WKDM, New York NY, 212/594-1380 - Sat. midday (I/C)
1530 AM - WJDM, Elizabeth, 908/965-1535 - Sun. midday (I/C)
FM Stations
88.1 FM - WDIY, Allentown PA, 610/758-8100 - esp. eve.
88.5 FM - WXPN, Philadelphia PA,
215/573-WXPN (studio), 800/565-WXPN (membership).
Also 104.9 FM
88.7 FM - WRSU, New Brunswick, 732/932-7800 - esp. weekends
88.9 FM - WBZC, Pemberton, 609/894-8900 - Sat.
88.9 FM - WSIA, New York NY, 718/982-3050 - esp. midday
Here are some additional NJ and folk music resources on the Internet. Put
together a bit more loosely, these links may take you outside the
specific concerns of NJFOLK.
To subscribe to any of these lists, send e-mail to the subscription
address or the maintainer. Once you are on the list (and only then) you
can send messages to the posting address.
Please contact the subscription address first, and ask
for assistance! If it's a listserv, a simple "help" in the body of the
message will suffice. Posting to mailing lists without first subscribing
can cause your question to be sent embarrassingly to hundreds of people's
mailboxes!
folk-dj: Folk music radio shows
Subscriptions: listserv@psuvm.psu.edu
Postings: folkdj-l@psuvm.psu.edu
Maintainer: Tina Hay, tmh1@psuvm.psu.edu
Folk_music e-mail list from the Nysernet listserv
Subscriptions: listserv@nysernet.org
Postings: folk_music@nysernet.org
Maintainer: Alan Roworth (alanr@nysernet.net)
*** Warning: Some folks find the sheer number of messages that come over
this list to be a bit overwhelming. (- ed.) ***
Who's playing,
Where, and
When?
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