The old Soviet Union famously had ‘Heroes of the Soviet Union‘ who were recognised for their epic contribution to the good of the Union. Cosmonauts and military heroes received a gold star and if they had two awards a bronze statue was erected in their home town.
The Map can’t afford the postage on gold stars (it’s heavy stuff, gold), let alone getting local planning approval for bronze statues, but we want to recognise our heroes nevertheless.
Rich H (who modestly conceals his full identity) mounted a concerted effort in July and August 2015 to add 13 UK folk music clubs and festivals to The Map, bringing us very close to our 800th event. Brilliant contribution by an enthusiastic member of the public. [Awarded 5 August 2015]
Jenine Abarbanel is one of the organisers of the Mountain Grass Bluegrass and Old Time American music festival in Harrietville, Victoria, Australia. On 21st March 2015 Jenine added a great wodge of events in Australia and New Zealand.
Mountain Grass sounds like a brilliant event in a lovely place. When the original organisers announced that they were retiring from running the festival after 24 successful years the townspeople of Harrietsville, together with traditional music enthusiasts across Australia, got together to ensure that their name would stay on the folk music map. So if you are in Victoria in November where else would you want to be? [Awarded 23 March 2015]
David Bennett is a leading light of the Athens Dulcimer Jam Group in Athens, Alabama. Over several days in March 2015 he added a great range of club events and festivals to the map, across Tenessee, Virginia and Alabama, as well as encouraging others in the traditional music community to do the same. [Awarded 13 March 2015]
Everything Dulcimer might be the most comprehensive and well-maintained web resource that the Folk Music Map has encountered. If Everything Dulcimer was Everything Folk Music this map would be redundant. It has a very full, current and informative calendar of events and a huge array of resources for people who play or want to play the dulcimer and traditional music. And it has several maps too :o) [Awarded 8 March 2015]
Jamie Katz of the PineCone – Piedmont Council of Traditional Music spent a great deal of effort on Wednesday 4th March 2015, entering on the map all the events supported or run by the Council. Overnight North Carolina became a Folk Music Map Hot Spot. Jamie’s events are the tip of the iceberg, there’s a lot more folk music activity in the state so make sure it’s on your itinerary if you are planning a folk music road trip. [Awarded 5 March 2015]
TwickFolk is an enigma. Part venue, part collective, part mythical creature, who knows? But in Mid-February 2015 the TwickFolk Facebook page was the epicentre of a Folk Music Map Storm. The discussion and sharing on that page was the trigger for a huge surge in folk clubs added to the map, more than 300 in less than a week. Others played their part in the Folk Music Map Winter Offensive, too many to mention, but it was TwickFolk that was first in the breach in the finest tradition of those heroes who formed the death or glory Forlorn Hope squads of the Napoleonic wars. [Awarded 5 March 2015]
Folk Music Map 