President's Blog

SERFA 2012 ... Is it May yet??

Kim Richardson — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:25:11 +0000

Okay, it's not May quite yet, but it will be soon so Christine and Betty are busying putting together yet another exciting SERFA conference. We'll be in Montreat, NC again, and I can't tell you what a beautiful setting we have in Montreat. The Assembly Inn is spacious yet comfortable, and the staff is just delightful.

Official Showcase Applications are now being accepted via Sonicbids and our online and mail-in forms will be ready by the end of the week. Registration will open by then as well.

Each year gives us the opportunity to meet new folks and reunite with old friends. Come join us, whether you're a new face or a part of the SERFA family already. It's a good time you shouldn't miss.

Recap of SERFA 2011

Kim Richardson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Whew. What a whirlwind that was, eh? Seems like SERFA 2011 was over before it began! Changing our conference dates from October to May put the conference directors in a crunch, but Christine and Betty made some fantastically tasty lemonade out of all of it!

Our attendance this year was record-setting at just over 170 people! Thanks to everyone who attended, and to those who couldn't make it, we hope to see you in 2012. Our attendees came from across the country, with a good portion of folks from right here in the SouthEast.

This year saw the introduction of a couple of new panel categories for SERFA - videography and health. Okay, not simultaneously... Our videography clinic was a first on the SERFA schedule and was well received. The health workshop covered stretching for musicians and was also well received. These are two areas I'm happy to see us cover, as video becomes a more integral part of sharing our music and of course, our health is always of the utmost importance. If we aren't healthy, ain't nobody happy. :)

How to describe the official showcases....let me think...Outstanding. I am so proud of the artists who performed for us. Each night was filled with a variety of styles and auras. I admit we suffered some sound issues, but we made corrections where we could and have learned from the experience. 2012 promises to be just as outstanding!

David Holt, our keynote speaker, knocked it out of the park with his presentation. He is 100% captivating, regardless of your age, background, folk-style... He shared a musical history that many of us may have missed. A charming and entertaining storyteller, David enthralled us all with his tales of visiting with some known and some unknown fathers and mothers of folk music in the SouthEast.

SERFA wouldn't be possible without Christine Stay and Betty Friedrichsen or the volunteers. Thank you all so much for everything you do.

2012 - here we come!!

SERFA on the radio? Why, yes. WNCW rocks.

Kim Richardson — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:48:08 +0000

Here we are one month away from SERFA. That buzz is the air isn't just spring, I can tell you that.

WNCW's Pam Bunch interviewed me about SERFA coming to Montreat. The piece aired on the local NPR Morning Edition recently. Thanks to Pam and WNCW! Listen here.

Couple of reminders...

**Book your sleeping room at Montreat. Go to our Accomodations page and click the reservations link.

**Deadline to reserve ad space is April 25th.

**If you haven't already, join the SERFAfolk Google Group. If it gives you any guff, email me and I'll set it straight.

**Betty and Christine are the shiznit. (As if you needed to be reminded...)

Folk Alliance and SERFA

Kim Richardson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:39:32 +0000

I want to say "Thank you" to everyone who came to the SERFA regional meeting at FAI in Memphis. It was early Friday and I know, trust me I know, how hard it was to roll out of bed and downstairs at 9am after a 4am night of music.

Our turnout this year is encouraging for a couple of reasons. First, it tells me that we have a strong community of people who are involved and interested in the future of SERFA. Secondly, because many of you were veteran SERFA-ers, it tells me that we are doing something right and you are coming back for more. And that, my friends, warms my heart endlessly. It was also great to get to answer your questions face to face and to hear your thoughts and ideas in person. Thank you for sharing.

And kudos to your co-conference director, Betty Friedrichsen, who gave a great overview of Montreat and the beauty that awaits us in North Carolina. She and co-conference director Christine Stay are working tirelessly to create an amazing conference for us all. Thank you, ladies.

As for Folk Alliance, it was a great year in Memphis. I was excited to see so many familiar faces. Making new friends is always a bonus, and there were plenty to be made. How cool to see so many SERFA artists and friends showcasing and hosting beautiful rooms upstairs!

I can't tell you how proud I was to have people come up and ask about SERFA and how they can be involved. Bottom line is this...SERFA is your community. And it is strong. What Kari and her team built is growing still and I am proud to be leading us into 2011.

Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to May. We'll be posting more information as it becomes available. And as always, if I or Betty or Christine can help in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

-kim

Deadline for Showcase Apps is here!

Kim Richardson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:31:23 +0000

You heard me correctly. Today (Feb 28th) is the deadline for showcase applications. So, there is no more time to delay! If you are thinking about coming to SERFA in May and want the chance at an official showcase, jump online and send in your submission today.

You still have time to submit via Sonicbids, or if you have links to your music online you can submit via our website form here. Either way, the fee is $25 and no, one way is no better or more effective than the other. We have options for you, not for us.

There you have it. From the time of writing, you have about 9 hours left to apply. The countdown is on!

Keynote Speaker for SERFA 2011 - David Holt

Kim Richardson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:22:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that David Holt will be our Keynote Speaker for SERFA 2011. David lives right down the road from Montreat in Fairview, NC. He first came to Asheville in 1969 looking for old-time banjo players. Forty years later, he is a four-time Grammy Award-winning musician, storyteller, historian, and radio and television host.

Through the years David has been collecting and performing the songs and stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He has learned this treasure trove of music directly from musical greats including Doc Watson, Wade Mainer, Tommy Jarrell, Etta Baker, Grandpa Jones and Roy Acuff. In addition to making numerous critically-acclaimed recordings, David has hosted such popular programs as The Nashville Network's Fire on the Mountainand American Music Shop. Currently, David hosts both Folkways and Great Scenic Railroad Journeys for PBS as well as Public Radio's Riverwalk Jazz. David was founder and director of the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College from 1975-1981. He performs solo, with Doc Watson, as a duo with Josh Goforth, and his band the Lightning Bolts.
www.davidholt.com

Our conference committee is working on creating an exciting panel and workshop schedule for you. Registration is open now and you have until March 31st to take advantage of the early bird registration rates! The 2011 Official Showcase Lineup can be found here.

Please feel free to email comments and suggestions on our listserv. If you’re not subscribed to the SERFA listserv yet, Subscribe Now!

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Kim Richardson — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:53:00 +0000

Hello SERFA-ers,

We have an amazing community of talented people in SERFA. We are a young organization and a growing family of warm, passionate people who love the Southeast and its music and traditions.

It is my honor and pleasure to serve as your President during the remainder of this term. When Kari and the Board asked me, I said yes largely because of all of the people I have met and become friends with during my volunteer days with SERFA. I also said yes because I believe in the music and the mission of SERFA, and appreciate the chance to be a part of sustaining and expanding our group.

Roughly six months from now we will be at SERFA 2011 in Montreat, NC. That's not far off. So I ask that we carry the energy and passion from 2010 right into 2011. Many of you have already begun spreading the word about SERFA 2011, and that is fantastic. Soon, we'll have a flyer available via this website that you may use to leave with venues, DJs, and other music folks who you think would be interested in attending/joining SERFA/ Word of mouth is a powerful force, isn't it?

I look forward to serving as your President. I'll say it again, it is an honor.

If you ever need to reach me, please email me at kim@kimrichardsonmusic.com.
I welcome your thoughts and comments always.

Here's to a successful SERFA 2011,
-kim

Big Changes Ahead

Kim Richardson — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:51:00 +0000

Dear SERFA Members and Friends,

There are big changes ahead for SERFA, all good ones. If you attended SERFA at the Ozark Folklife Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, you witnessed not only a wonderful celebration of Southern music and artistry, but also SERFA's coming of age. Our community has truly come together and SERFA has reached it’s tipping point to having established itself as a strong region of FAI.

MOVE TO MONTREAT CONFERENCE CENTER, Montreat, NC – May 19 – 21, 2011
I was pleased to announce at the conference that SERFA has found a new home for the next two years at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, right outside of Asheville. And just as exciting, that SERFA now moves into the springtime – our next dates are May 19 – 21. This will allow many to attend SERFA who have not had the opportunity before.

NEW LEADERSHIP:
As SERFA's Founding President and as the Conference Director, I am so moved by the hard work, commitment and artistry of those who have participated over these last eight years to make SERFA what it is today. Since 2002, when I was asked by FAI to organize SERFA, I have held two planning retreats – one in Atlanta and one in Tampa, as well as three conferences over these past two and a half years. Through these years I have had countless conversations where many opinions, suggestions, concerns, and hopes for what SERFA would become were expressed. I have had the honor in these eight years to translate them into a common vision to help SERFA become what it is today.

So with the new energy, excitement and leadership emerging from this past conferences, and with the demands of my own business, Kari Estrin Management and Consulting, I am gratified to be able to tell you about some more exciting changes. Myself and the SERFA Board have asked Kim Richardson to finish out my term as President. Tampa recruits Christine Stay and Betty Friedrichsen, who have worked as Conference Logistics and as Registrar respectively, will become Conference Directors and I will remain on the Board as Immediate Past President to provide continuity and as a resource, as well as eventually finding new ways to serve both SERFA and FAI. It is exciting for me to be part of their team and help SERFA to grow from another vantage point. With their leadership, I know they will maintain the commitments that make SERFA what it is: a community that fosters all of the interests in the Southeast, from the traditional to contemporary, engaging all of us in building with the spirit of cooperation, using music to help make a better world.

THANK YOU:
In my own work, I am thrilled at the amount of new and continuing artists that I get to work with for their career planning and marketing in my holistic and integrative consulting practice, as well as continuing to do radio promotion for many artists. As well, I am finishing my initial draft of the first of two books planned. I am excited to announce that I am working with the New England Folk Music Archives in Cambridge, MA over this next year for my 30th Year Celebration of promoting concerts and publishing my folk magazine, The Black Sheep Review in Cambridge, MA. In 2011/2012 I will be celebrating 40th Year Anniversary of entering the music business when I took over the booking of my high school coffeehouse and never looked back, with workshops and events and a radio tour.

So all of you: Thank you, thank you, thank you for working with me to build this beautiful community. May we have many more years in which to work and sing together.

Gratefully,

Kari Estrin

SERFA 2011 to be held in Black Mountain, North Carolina

Kari Estrin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:08:17 +0000

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

SERFA AT THE MONTREAT CONFERENCE CENTER
Montreat, North Carolina (Asheville Area)
May 19 - 22, 2011

We are pleased to announce that SERFA's new home for the next two years is nestled in Montreat, just outside of the Asheville, NC area. The Montreat Conference Center buildings are distinctive, built with granite mined near there and the location itself is both beautiful and tranquil.

Most of us will room in the same building that our workshops, meals, showcasing and guerillas are in. There are older houses on site that can be rented by groups and all have the feel of staying in a mountain retreat location, surrounded by a lake, woods, and a babbling brook or two. A food store and a Ten Thousand Villages are located on site. And we will have quiet rooms, as well having some larger rooms available for showcasing, beside your sleeping rooms.

http://www.montreat.org/

Our conference committee is working on redoing our site soon to open registration and we'll be announcing when showcase applications, etc will be accepted in the next month or so.

This past weekend, we had a wonderful turnout, productive and exciting conference at the fabulous Ozark Folk Center. We opened our Saturday night show to the citizens of Mountain View in the big theatre on site, and received rave reviews from attendees and townspeople alike.

So please mark your calendars for this weekend before Memorial Day, and the corresponding weekend in 2012.

Thanks.

Kari

Announcing 2010 SERFA Showcase Artists

Kari Estrin — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:26:08 +0000

The SERFA Conference Committee are excited to announce our Official Showcase artists for the 2010 South East Regional Folk Alliance Conference!

SERFA will be returning to the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, October 13th - 17th. We have strong showcases on all three nights and this year we have gone into an overflow situation for cabins on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as we surpass our attendance figures for last year.

Our showcases in the Administration Building Auditorium will be open to the public on Thursday and Friday evenings, and on Saturday evening we'll be showcasing in the larger Ozark Folk Center Theater and inviting the citizens of Mountain View, many of whom pick and sing bluegrass and old-time music themselves, or attend those jam sessions on the Town Square every weekend. Saturday's showcasing artists reflect those genres of music that the Mountain View townsfolk already celebrate.

SERFA is proud of all the showcasing musicians who were selected for Official Showcases and also those who are participating in our Fast Pitch Showcase on Friday afternoon. We try to present as many of our artists who attend as possible, and also encourage after hours Guerilla Showcasing to enhance the opportunities for all.

View the Official Showcase Schedule 2010