Private Showcases

2023 Private Showcase Hosts (click here)

Feel free to contact hosts directly to inquire about showcase slots. Please note that all artists are limited to 3 showcases at the 2023 Conference.

Bottleneck Music (Sat)
Host: Jeff Ray, jeffraymusic@gmail.com
Original takes on American roots music

EFS Publicity (Sat)
Host: Ellen Stanley, efspublicity@gmail.com
Eclectic folk, Americana & bluegrass

First Timers Showcase (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: Smitty, info@farmfolk.org
For first time FARM attendees only

Folknet (Thurs/Fri)
Host: Charlie Mosbrook, president@folknet.org
Northeast Ohio and Beyond

Hoosier Original Music Association (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: JC Clements, jc@jcclementsband.com
Artists of Indiana

Jenny & Robin’s Room (Thurs)
Host: Jenny Bienemann, info@jennybienemann.com
Local, regional and nationally touring artists from Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan

Music My Mother Would Not Like (Fri/Sat)
Host: Bruce Swan, TheSideShow89.5@gmail.com
Ready for Radio!

New Folk (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: Andy Baker, andybakermusic@gmail.com
Presented by Kerrville Folk Festival and the Newfolk Songwriting Competition.

Songtellers (Fri)
Host: Nik James Thomasma, nikthomasma@yahoo.com
Stories and Songs In the Round

The Listening Booth Conference (Fri)
Host: Marissa Levy Lerer, marissa@listeningbooth.com
Sing Along! Artists will be asked to supply lyrics to original music ahead of showcase.

The Zoom Tribe (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: John Derado, zoomtribe@yahoo.com

Traditional Room (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: Joan Hellmann, hellmann@umich.edu
Traditional music

Trinity House (Thurs/Sat)
Host: Angela Ward, abbondi1155@hotmail.com

Uncorked (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Host: Loretta Sawyer, writelor@aol.com
Open…come and Uncork your talent!

The private showcase area is always an exciting and inviting place to be!! Private Showcases will run from 11:00 PM to 2:30 AM each night of the conference (Thur, Fri, Sat).

It is always the goal at FARM to make sure everyone who wants to perform has at least one opportunity to do so. To that end, we are asking performers and bands to limit themselves to 3 showcases (including official and Folk DJ showcases). We’ll be soliciting cooperation from hosts to help by not over-booking the same artist.

Important Dates:  

June 15: Private Showcase applications period opens
Aug 15: Private Showcase Hosts are announced; Hosts may begin booking
Sept 1: Deadline for hosts to pay for showcase room ($50/night) and register for conference
Oct 1: Deadline for hosts to submit final lineup to be included in printed program

More Private Showcase Info

We did our best to anticipate all questions so please read through everything here before contacting us but if you can’t find your answer related to the application or other general questions contact Charlie via charlie@farmfolk.org.  Any questions regarding First-timer room or to sign up you can contact Smitty at info@farmfolk.org.

Interested in hosting a Private Showcase Room?

Based on prior year’s experience, we expect there may be more people who are interested in hosting a room than we will be able to accommodate.  We want to offer a wide range of opportunities for people to participate while not spreading the audience too thin.  We appreciate your enthusiasm, but depending on how many people apply, we may not be able to give you a room to host. Even if you have hosted a private showcase room in the past, please do not assume that you will be selected to host this year, and under no circumstances should you offer a slot to a performer unless you are notified that you have been selected to host a room.

Thank you for you’re cooperation and understanding!

 

NOTE TO FARM FIRST TIME ATTENDEES:

We will again have a Private Showcase room reserved for first time attendees (1st timers).  If this is your first time registering for FARM, you are eligible! The 1st Timer room will feature a series of 30 minute In The Round performances, each consisting of three 1st time attendees.  Spots in this room will be assigned based your request with priority based on REGISTRATION ORDER.

Email our First Timer Room Coordinator of your interests, and tell him any date / time preferences to help him schedule you.

NOTE:  THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR PERFORMING IN THE FIRST TIMER ROOM.  FARM IS HAPPY TO SPONSOR THIS PRIVATE SHOWCASE ROOM!

Private Showcase Info & Etiquette

We want to thank all of our hosts for hosting. Private Showcases take place from 11:00 PM to 2:30 AM Thursday, Friday & Saturday night time (which is more accurately Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning but for our purposes it’s still night time). It’s possible that rooms will be hosted by different folks on different nights. See the new Private Showcase program for complete listings.

Hosts may have their own rules in addition to this but here are a few reminders.

PLEASE BE COURTEOUS!

  • Watch your volume: We certainly want you to be enthusiastic but remember that there are performers right next door and we want everyone to have the best opportunity to be heard.
  • Watch your time: This may seem obvious but please arrive on time, end on time and get out of the way for the next performer. We ask that you do your pre- and post-set networking and socializing as quietly as possible or better yet, out in the lobby.
  • Plan ahead: Prepare your set in advance and time it so you know how long it will take and then pad it for talking or tuning.

PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL!
Hosts are responsible for the condition of their rooms. Snacks and beverages are allowed; however, if you partake in a room’s offerings, not only do we expect you to clean up after yourself, we trust you’ll stay for at least one showcase!

NO AMPLIFIED INSTRUMENTS!
Sorry but while we know some folks are able to keep the volume down, it’s a can of worms we don’t want to open. This is an all acoustic performance. Please plan accordingly.

ADVERTISE YOUR SHOWCASE! We encourage you to spread the word about your showcases. It’s appropriate to make small handouts with your showcase schedule but don’t make so many that you waste a lot of paper. Get creative!!

PLEASE HAVE FUN!!
This is primarily for audience members but we hope our performers will have fun as well! We trust you’ll have a hard time deciding where to go, but make sure you schedule in some acts you’ve never heard before. Discovery is the best part of any conference!

Important Info for Hosts

  • Once you have been confirmed as a host you will pay for your private showcase room via PayPal: https://paypal.me/midwestfolk. Pay one fee per night that you will host a room. This fee must be paid by September 1.
  • The fee for hosting a private showcase room is $50 per night.
  • All private showcases will be in larger conference rooms. This we hope will allow attendees to enjoy private showcases with more open space, allowing audiences and performers a better opportunity to protect their health.
  • It is important to let you all know that private showcase hosts will need to plan to lodge in separate hotel rooms. FARM WILL NOT be providing hosts with rooms where they can sleep. Hosts will also need to plan any storage needs. The showcase rooms will be made available to hosts at dinner on the day of your showcases. Rooms will need to be cleaned up following each night to allow for other activities during the daytime hours.
  • There will be plenty of chairs in the room.
  • Private Showcases will be allowed Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights beginning at 11:00 pm and ending at 2:30 am. You are free to set your own schedule within this timeframe. (i.e. start later, end earlier)
  • Absolutely NO amplification will be allowed, and all rooms must be quiet after 2:30 am.
  • Full conference registration is required for ALL performers and hosts and host helpers.
  • Some Private Showcase hosts may choose to charge the showcasing artists a small fee to help offset the cost of their room, refreshments and advertising. This is optional and at the discretion of each individual host. Set times and number of performers ‘in the round’ per set is also at the discretion of each host.
  • Three Showcase Limit: It is always the goal at FARM to make sure everyone who wants to perform has at least one opportunity to do so. To that end, and to avoid over-booking the same artist, we are asking artists to limit themselves to 3 showcases (this includes Official Showcase, DJ Showcase, and all Private Showcases; however it does not include Performance Lane.) We expect that when booking, Private Showcase hosts will ask each performer if they have already booked three showcases and not book them if they have; and we expect performers to be aware of the number of showcases they have booked and not seek further bookings once they have three.
  • FARM will once again host a First Timer Room, free of charge to musicians.  A performance in this room DOES count towards the four performance limit.

We will need your final line-up by October 1.  You will be provided with a template to use, we need to have the info in a very specific format.

How to Solicit Private Showcase MUSICIANS or HOSTS

Private Showcase Host contact information will be posted here starting in August.

Click HERE for info on how to join our listserve, which is the primary communications tool for soliciting gigs in private showcases.  And while you’re on that page, signup for the newsletter email list (if you haven’t already).  The newsletter will keep you very informed regarding the conference and all FARM activities.

Once you are signed up for the listserve and hosts are announced on August 15, performers and hosts can send emails to everyone else on the list serve, stating your interest in performing in a private showcase room.

Performers may also contact the hosts directly by email once the host emails have been announced (August 15).

Some Private Showcase Hosts may choose to charge the showcasing artists a small fee to help offset the cost of their room, refreshments and advertising. This is optional and at the discretion of each individual host.

ABSOLUTELY NO guerrilla or any other type of in-room showcasing will be allowed in any other rooms or at any other times.

NOTE: Three Showcase Limit
It is always the goal at FARM to make sure everyone who wants to perform has at least one opportunity to do so. To that end, and to avoid over-booking the same artist, we are asking artists to limit themselves to 3 showcases (this includes Official Showcase, DJ Showcase, and all Private Showcases; however it does not include Performance Lane.) We expect that when booking, Private Showcase hosts will ask each performer if they have already booked 3 showcases and not book them if
they have; and we expect performers to be aware of the number of showcases they have booked and not seek further bookings once they have three.

Sign up to receive our newsletters to be notified when this information is updated.

Private Showcase Room Host Application

We need to know how many nights and which nights you are interested in hosting a room, and what you will accept if we cannot accommodate your preferences. Keep in mind that if we have more people who would like to host than we have rooms available, we may need to make adjustments and ask you to host fewer nights than you requested. We will do our best to accommodate as many people who wish to host as possible, but circumstances may prevent us from meeting everyone’s particular preferences. Please select how many nights you would like to host if possible.

If offered 1 night, which night would you prefer to host.

If offered 2 nights, which nights would you prefer to host.

Have you hosted a Private Showcase Room before? (Includes FARM, other Regions, FAI) NOTE: We like new hosts and new ideas! Just because you’ve never hosted a room before doesn’t mean you’ll be excluded, we just want to get an idea of the experience level for our hosts

Will you be sleeping in the showcase room?

If YES: Do you prefer 2 Queen or 1 King? (no guarantees, but we will do our best)

9 + 1 =

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