FAR-West

FAR-West 2013 Networking Center

2013-05-16T17:40:24-07:00

Dear friends,

The FAR-West Networking Center is much more than just an "Exhibit Hall." It's the hub of business connections among performers, presenters and others at the conference. It's the point where you have the potential to have conversations with the greatest number of conference attendees.

We are keeping the prices low: half tables are $55; full tables are $90 for the duration of the conference. Electrical service is available at all tables for an additional (bargain!) $10. Tables can be reserved on the Merchandise page of the Conference Registration site and all exhibitors must be registered for the conference. In addition, exhibitors must submit a Networking Center Contract.

Exhibitors are able to choose their table location on a first-come first-served basis, so order your place in the Networking Center today! As soon as I receive your contract, I will send you a pdf of the Center and you can choose your table location. Networking Center business hours on Friday and Saturday are 2 pm - 5 pm, and the only other event happening at those times is the Susanne Millsaps Memorial Coffeehouse.

For full info, see: http://www.far-west.org/networking-center.html or contact me at tinkersown@ca.rr.com

Steve Dulson

tinkersown@ca.rr.com

http://www.far-west.org/

May 31 Deadline to Apply for FAR-West 2013 Official Showcase

2013-05-07T12:32:13-07:00

Hello magnificent artists in the folk/Americana/bluegrass/singer-songwriter community. Twelve (12) Official Showcase slots are available for the top of the crop. One of those slots might be yours if you submit your application on time. Deadline is 11:59 PM on Friday, May 31, 2013. NO EXTENSIONS, NO GRACE PERIOD!

Showcasing is open to all members of the artist community. If you tour the FAR-West region, if you’re an exceptional performer/duo/trio/band, and if you love what you do, check out the submission guidelines, http://www.far-west.org/official-showcases-2013.html, and get cracking!

Please submit early to give our judges time to review your submission with their full attention.

If you still have questions after reading the guidelines, drop an email to me at ItzPeggy@gmail.com.

The 2013 FAR-West Conference promises to be a magical experience. We’re celebrating our 10^th Anniversary. Wow!

= = = = = = =

Peggy Glenn

FAR-West 2013 Official Showcase Wrangler
FAR-West 2013 FotoSquad Leader
ItzPeggy@gmail.com
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http://www.far-west.org/

Join us to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of FAR-West

2013-04-29T19:21:52-07:00

The first deadlines for the 10^th Anniversary FAR-West Music Conference 2013 are approaching, and so to keep you informed and up to date on all things FAR-West, you will be receiving the occasional newsletter with deadline reminders and information updates.

First, the deadline for early bird registration is April 30^th. Through Tuesday, you can register for the conference October 10-13 in Irvine, CA at our early bird rate. The rate for Folk Alliance members is only $125 and $150 for non-members. After Tuesday, the rate goes up to $150 for FA members and $175 for non- Members. This Link takes you directly to the registration page.

You can also join Folk Alliance by using this link: http://www.folkalliance.org/.

The Howard Larman Memorial Scholarship is available to assist those artists who would like to attend, but are facing financial obstacles with partial and full scholarships toward registration costs. Information and the scholarship application are available using this link: http://www.far-west.org/hlms.html.

Private Guerilla Showcase rooms are available through the registration site under “merchandise.” These rooms can only be booked through the conference registration, not the hotel. Hosting a PGS room is a great way to get to know some of the musicians at the conference, or a way to guarantee several performance slots to get your music heard. Most hosts charge a small fee per performance slot to help offset cost for the room.

Other information on the conference is available at the FAR-West website: www.far-west.org.

Subscribe to the FAR-West YouTube page and check out some of the artists that attended the conference last year. http://www.youtube.com/user/farwestconference will take you to the page where you can just add yourself to the growing list of subscribers!

If you have questions about any of the conference or would like to help, all the “movers and shakers” (the people planning the event) are listed on our website under the 2013 Conference link, under volunteers. Please feel free to contact any of us at any time.

Janet Dukes

FAR-West Newsletter Coordinator

http://www.far-west.org/conference2013.html

FAR-West 2013 Conference Update

2013-04-06T10:31:01-07:00

Here is the latest news about the FAR-West 2013 Conference!

- EARLY BIRD registration closes on April 30. Take advantage of the lowest conference rates and register soon. http://www.far-west.org/conference2013.html

- OFFICIAL SHOWCASE applications are being accepted until May 31.
See http://www.far-west.org/official-showcases-2013.html

- JUST ANNOUNCED: PROGRAM BOOK NEW FULL COLOR, FULL PAGE Ads for purchase for $175 each. These ads will be placed at the FRONT of the book -in sign up order. See http://www.far-west.org/programbook.html for details, then go to the merchandise page of the online registration website or contact Julie Paris (julie@jrp-graphics.com) for any questions and payment.

- CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ADDITIONS: We're adding Sunday afternoon master classes, workshops and one-to-one sessions; working on a special screening of a new documentary film; and planning for an evening Song Circle. Details will follow in future messages, but plan to stay around on Sunday for all that FAR-West 2013 has to offer.
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http://www.far-west.org/

FAR-West 2013 Official Showcase Submissions start Tomorrow (March 15th)!

2013-03-14T11:13:35-07:00

Greetings artists! Submissions for the 12 Official Showcase slots at FAR-West 2013 open tomorrow - March 15. Six artists will be featured in 20-minute slots on Friday night, and six artists on Saturday night. We have made the process as easy, efficient and economical as possible for you, for the judges, and for your wallet. Submissions will be accepted until May 31, 2013. Please submit early so that the judges can get to work right away and not be deluged at deadline. You can find more information about the process at:http://www.far-west.org/official-showcases-2013.html

FAR-West registration is now open!

2013-03-01T08:56:43-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for the 10th Annual FAR-West conference from October 10-13, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine CA!!

This is a special year because it celebrates the 10th anniversary of FAR-West and we are planning a terrific conference. The weekend will open with a Venues' Choice Concert, and include Official Showcases, Best Of The West luncheon, Private Guerrilla Showcases, Panels and Workshops, New Voices Showcases, Susanne Millsaps Memorial Coffeehouse, and Networking Center.

Here are the registration rates for FAI Members/Non-members. Take advantage of the Early Bird rate and register soon. If you pre-registered at the 2012 conference, you should have received an email from Registration chairperson, Cindy Bottomley with a code to put in at registration so your registration fee balance is zero.

Early Bird (March 1 – April 30) $125 / $150

Regular Rates (May 1 – October 5) $150 / $175

On-site after October 5 $175 / $200

More details can be found at www.far-west.org/conference2013.html

Please check our website, Facebook and Reverbnation pages for announcements, deadlines and updated information as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing you in Irvine in October!

Steve Brogden Julie Paris

President, FAR-West 2013 FAR-West Conference Coordinator

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http://www.far-west.org/
https://www.facebook.com/farwestconference
http://www.reverbnation.com/farwest
https://twitter.com/far_west

Last Call for Nominations for FAR-West BOTW

2013-02-20T21:49:02-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

Arlene Kole here, chair of the FAR-West "Best of the West" committee for 2013. This will be FAR-West's 10th annual conference and the board of directors and its many volunteer committees look forward to presenting you with the best conference yet.

The "Best of the West" Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2013 "Best of the West" Awards which will be presented in person at the Saturday luncheon at the annual FAR-West conference to be held on October 10-13th, 2013 in Irvine, CA.

The Best of the West Awards were established by FAR-West in 2005 to honor individuals who have maintained an enduring presence in the folk and acoustic music scene in the West, inspiring others by embodying folk values and traditions. Nominations are solicited from you, the FAR-West membership, with the honorees in both the performer and the ambassador category chosen by the FAR-West board of directors.

There are two awards presented, "Performer of the Year" and "Ambassador of the Year." The criteria for judging the awards are as follows:

Best of the West Selection Criteria:

Note that the following four criteria apply to both the Performer Award and the Ambassador award. Criterion 4 provides guidelines for the Ambassador Award but the ideal Performer candidate will have demonstrated this as well. The criteria used in selecting the award recipients are:

1.Excellence in one's craft.
2.Enduring presence in the geographical FAR-Western folk community for a decade or more.
3.Embodies or builds upon Folk values and traditions.
4.Promotes, nurtures, fosters, expands the audience and opportunities for folk music and musicians in the geographical FAR-West.

Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West), the western regional chapter of Folk Alliance International, fosters and promotes traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance and related performing arts in the western parts of North America. This area includes but is not limited to California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Current members of the FAR-West and Folk Alliance International board of directors are NOT eligible. Please note that the honorees MUST be present at the luncheon. If the chosen candidate is unable to attend, an alternate nominated candidate will be selected.

Please submit nominations to me at arlenekole@gmail.com by February 28th, 2013. The winners will be determined by a vote of the FAR-West board and will be announced later in the year. When you are nominating for these awards, please include a brief biography of the person and any web sites that will provide information that will help the Board make a decision.

Previous Best of the West Award Recipients
2005
Lowen & Navarro
Howard & Roz Larman - Folkscene

2006
U.Utah Phillips
Steve Baker - Freight & Salvage

2007
Rosalie Sorrels
Clark & Elaine Weissman - CTMS (and Folk Alliance Founders)

2008
The Kingston Trio
Mike McCormick - Whistling Swan Productions

2009
Joe Craven
Faith Petric
Bob Stane - Ice House / Coffee Gallery

2010
John McEuen
Cloud Moss - Kate Wolf Memorial Festival

2011
Laurie Lewis
Phil and Vivian Williams

2012
Barry McGuire
Chris Strachwitz - Founder of Arhoolie Records

"There was no "Best of the West" award at the first annual FAR-West conference in 2004."

Thank you in advance for your nominations and I look forward to hearing from you.

See you in Irvine in October!

Warmest regards,
Arlene Kole
arlenekole@gmail.com

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http://www.far-west.org/

Reminder: FAR-West Board Nominations

2013-02-15T21:49:03-08:00

February 15, 2013

Dear Friends,

Steve Brogden here, president of FAR-West. It is time once again to elect members to the FAR-West board of directors. Nominations for board positions are now open.

Jeanette Lundgren is standing for re-election and we have four additional positions to fill. Please note that Susie Glaze has decided not to run again after two terms on the board. Those vacant positions are Seats 2, 6,11, and 12. Nominations need not be seat-specific.

Here is a summary of the current board terms with the vacant seats included:

Expires 2013:
Seat 6 Vacant:
Seat 8 Jeanette Lundgren (OR) meetmepresents@gmail.com

Seat 11 Susie Glaze (CA) hilonesome@aol.com

Seat 12 Vacant

Expires 2014:
Seat 1 Steve Brogden - President (CA) brogdenbay@yahoo.com
Seat 2 Vacant: (elect in 2013 for a one year term, expiring in 2014)
Seat 3 Julie Paris - Treasurer (CA) julie@jrp-graphics.com
Seat 5 Bruce Hayden (CA) folkmuse@folkmuse.com

Expires 2015:
Seat 4 Mark Kaufman – (WA) olymusic@comcast.net

Seat 7 Steve Dulson – Vice President (CA) tinkersown@ca.rr.com

Seat 9 Cindy Bottomley - Secretary (NV) folksongs@cox.net

Seat 10 Marni Rachmiel (WA) sfsmarn@gmail.com

As you know, we are a working board, and in order to strengthen our organization, we have adopted the following guidelines for board elections.

Candidates for the FAR-West board must submit a statement by February 26, 2013 expressing their willingness and ability to contribute at least an average of ten hours per month to the organization over the course of a year. This includes attendance at board teleconferences in the evenings of the first Thursdays of January, April, July and October.

In their statement, which is due Feb 26, candidates should state areas of expertise (eg. fundraising, legal, accounting, etc.) and/or the willingness to take on a significant area of responsibility (e.g. panels/workshops, showcases, etc.) for upcoming conferences.

Declining to submit this statement will cause the board to not recommend this candidate for election. Statements are due by midnight Feb 26, four days after nominations close.

ALL NOMINATIONS AND STATEMENTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO ME AT brogdenbay@yahoo.com. NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY MIDNIGHT FEBRUARY 22 AND STATEMENTS ARE DUE BY MIDNIGHT FEB 26.

Election Procedure:

Candidates must be members of FAR-West. Members are defined as Folk Alliance International Members in good standing who live in or have officially affiliated themselves within the FAR-West Region. It should be noted, too, that ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE PAID MEMBERS OF FOLK ALLIANCE AS OF MARCH 1, 2013 WILL RECEIVE BALLOTS.

Members may nominate themselves or others who are willing to serve.

Here is the timeline for the elections:

Feb 4, 2013 - nominations open
Feb 22 2013 - nominations close

Feb 26, 2013: candidates statements due

Mar 1, 2013 - voting opens

March 15, 2013 - voting closes

March 22, 2013 (or sooner) - results announced

April 4, 2013 - first teleconference for new board and election of officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer)

Board members are the people who will decide on and be responsible for the ongoing success and development of the organization.

A final thought: If you believe in the goals of FAR-West and don’t feel like you can take the responsibiity of being a board member, please volunteer to help us run our annual conference. We are a volunteer organization and need everyone’s help to put on a successful conference. Plus, we would like to see FAR-West develop to the point where we focus on much more than the annual conference. If you go the following link, you will see many of the volunteer opportunities available to you: http://www.far-west.org/volunteer.html

Please contact me at brogdenbay@yahoo.com if you have any questions. Thank you for your support of FAR-West and I hope to see each of you during this upcoming year.

Yours in support of live music,

Steve Brogden

President, FAR-West

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http://www.far-west.org/

Nominations open for Best of the West

2013-01-28T20:26:48-08:00

Please submit nominations to me at arlenekole@gmail.com by February 28th, 2013. The winners will be determined by a vote of the FAR-West board and will be announced later in the year. When you are nominating for these awards, please include a brief biography of the person and any web sites that will provide information that will help the Board make a decision.

Previous Best of the West Award Recipients

2005
Lowen & Navarro
Howard & Roz Larman - Folkscene

2006
U.Utah Phillips
Steve Baker - Freight & Salvage

2007
Rosalie Sorrels
Clark & Elaine Weissman - CTMS (and Folk Alliance Founders)

2008
The Kingston Trio
Mike McCormick - Whistling Swan Productions

2009
Joe Craven
Faith Petric
Bob Stane - Ice House / Coffee Gallery

2010
John McEuen
Cloud Moss - Kate Wolf Memorial Festival

2011
Laurie Lewis
Phil and Vivian Williams

2012
Barry McGuire
Chris Strachwitz - Founder of Arhoolie Records

There was no "Best of the West" award at the first annual FAR-West conference in 2004.

Thank you in advance for your nominations and I look forward to hearing from you.

See you in Irvine in October!

Warmest regards,
Arlene Kole
(805)-231-5042
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http://www.far-west.org/

FAR-West Driving Tips

2012-10-16T00:43:52-07:00

Hello Far-Westians – I feel uniquely qualified to give you directions to Irvine because I live 5 miles from there, and I usually drive to/from LA and points north and south at least 3 times a week. I gave these same instructions to a FAR-Westian the last time the conference was in Irvine, and she swears that I’m some sort of traffic genius. I send you my best driving Karma.

First and foremost: time is your best friend or your enemy. Whether you’re coming Thursday or Friday, get an early start. Real early, depending upon the distance you have to travel. Your benchmark time is 1 pm – 1:30 pm.

Coming south on 101, make it to the 101/405 intersection no later than 1:30 pm – or you’re sunk! If you’re late, you’ll crawl all the way to Irvine and make it there by about 8 or 9 pm. This is not a joke. I wouldn’t lie to you.

101-ers, this is my recommended route: If earlier than 1 pm, 101 to I-405 South to Jamboree, relative piece of cake. Roughly an hour if you time it right.

If after 1 pm, but before 1:30 pm, 101 south, to 134-Pasadena, to I-5 South, to 55 South, to I-405 South, to Jamboree (2 exits, stay to the right). Turn left in the right-hand left turn lane, Hyatt hotel is just over the freeway on the right. Move over as soon as you cross the freeway. Roughly 70-90 minutes if you time it right.

Coming south on I-5, same time frame for descending the Grapevine. Anytime before 2:30, I-5 South, to I-210 East, all the way East to 57 South, to I-5 South, to 55 South, to I-405 South to Jamboree (2 exits, stay to the right). Turn left in the right-hand left turn lane, Hyatt hotel is just over the freeway on the right. Move over as soon as you cross the freeway. Roughly 90 -120 minutes if you time it right.

I don’t care what your GPS says, or what MapQuest says, this is the way to get around the traffic, or to be in the lightest part of it. DO NOT under any circumstances believe your map or GPS if it tells you to stay on I-5 southbound – it’s a nightmare of trucks, construction, bottlenecks, and crud. The I-210 route takes you maybe 30 miles around the problems, and saves you at least an hour. But – don’t be late. Hit that intersection at the bottom of the Grapevine no later than 2 pm - otherwise, you’re in the same boat as the 101-ers.

Inland Empire folks, come in on 91. If you’re feeling flush, take the 241 toll road to the 133 toll road to 405 North. Otherwise, 91 West/South, to 55 South, to I-405 South, to Jamboree (2 exits, stay to the right). Turn left in the right-hand left turn lane, Hyatt hotel is just over the freeway on the right. Move over as soon as you cross the freeway.

San Diego folks – you all know the mess between La Jolla and Carlsbad. Head outta town no later than 1 pm. At the “Y” in Lake Forest, move to the right, take I-405 North to Jamboree. Turn right in the right-hand lane, Hyatt hotel is just over the freeway on the right. Move over quickly.

See you all soon. I send you effortless driving vibes.

Peggy Glenn
FAR-West 2012 Official Showcase Co-Wrangler
FAR-West 2012 FotoSquad Leader
ItzPeggy@gmail.com

http://www.far-west.org/