If you are planning to attend the 31st Annual Folk Alliance in Montreal this February, you’ll have a chance to see a showcase performance from Graeme James. As one of the 180 artists selected to showcase out of over 1000 applications (a 30% increase over the previous year), Graeme James is looking to make a bigger impact in the folk world ahead of the 2019/2020 performing arts and festival seasons.

via Folk Alliance International

A 21-member international jury made up of festival directors and music industry professionals from the U.S., Canada, and abroad spent one month reviewing and scoring the applications. FAI places a priority on reflecting the full diversity of international folk music, and while scoring applications jurors are asked to consider how well the applicant helps broaden the view and offering of folk music for presenters, industry, and audience.

A platform for luminaries and rising stars, FAI’s Official Showcases are 30 minutes in length and are held concurrently on ten full-production stages throughout the host hotel over four nights. Artists perform for hundreds of festivals and venue bookers, agents, managers, labels, media, and music industry representatives. The curated showcases feature touring and export-ready artists representing a diverse array of folk genres including Appalachian, Americana, Bluegrass, Blues, Cajun, Celtic, Francophone, Global Roots, Indie-Folk, Indigenous, Latin, Old-Time, Traditional, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, and every imaginable fusion.

High profile artists from previous conferences include John Oates, Neyla Pekarek of The Lumineers, Lake Street Dive, Rhiannon Giddens with The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lhasa de Sela, AHI, Béla Fleck, Sarah Jarosz, The Milk Carton Kids, The War and Treaty, Darlingside, The Stray Birds, Valerie June, John Fullbright, The Wailin’ Jennys, Kaia Kater, The Waifs, and Nickel Creek. Past performances have also included guest appearances by Judy Collins, Billy Bragg, Rita Coolidge, Ron Sexsmith, Ani DiFranco, Archie Fisher, Sara Watkins, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Peggy Seeger, and many more. 

The annual conference will take place February 13-17, 2019, at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montréal, Québec, Canada. For registration information, visit the Folk Alliance International Conference website.

Graeme is currently on his debut tour throughout the U.S. and Canada. To see his dates near you, visit his website.