Musicians Invited to Perform a Favorite Folk Song May 3
April 11, 2022, Kansas City, MO – Folk Alliance International (FAI) has announced the For Pete’s Sake, Donate campaign to launch May 3, to benefit The Village Fund while celebrating Pete Seeger’s birthday: www.folk.org/donate/for-petes-sake/
FAI invites any musician, professional or amateur, to post a video of themselves performing their favorite a folk song on their social media platforms, linked to The Village Fund donation page, and using the hashtag #ForPetesSakeDonate.
The late Pete Seeger was an iconic folk singer and social activist known for his work with the blacklisted Weavers, and he was the author of countless songs from the folk canon including “Turn, Turn, Turn”, “Where have all the flowers gone?”, and “If I Had A Hammer”. He was an early and active supporter of FAI, attending, speaking and performing at several conferences.
The Village Fund is a grant program for folk artists and independent music industry professionals experiencing financial hardship. Since June 2021, FAI has provided $50,000 in $500 grants to individuals in need throughout Canada, the U.S., and abroad. In order to provide additional grants FAI is inviting musicians and fans to help raise awareness and funds.
Among those committed to participate are Smithsonian Folkways Recording artist Kristin Andreassen and Punch Brothers band member Chris Eldridge, The Accidentals (“among the most emotionally compelling songwriters of our time” -NPR), six-time GRAMMY nominee John McCutcheon, and #1 Folk DJ charting artist Si Kahn. Other musicians already joining the campaign include:
- Jan Bell
- Doug Cox
- Cathy Fink
- Michael Jonathon
- Meredith Krygowski (Adrian + Meredith)
- Dan Navarro
“We are excited to celebrate Pete Seeger’s legacy with permission from his family” stated Alex Mallett, FAI’s Director of Development. “Pete’s sense of a global village inspired generations and his life’s work celebrated folk songs as a way of connecting people to a common humanity and shared purpose. This fundraising campaign is linked to his legacy because The Village Fund supports the folk community that he was central to, and because of the community-driven spirit of song-sharing that echoes Pete’s life-long work.”
A Facebook donation campaign will be open for one month, ending after the 2022 Folk Alliance International conference. The dedicated donation webpage for The Village Fund is https://folk.org/resources/the-village-fund/
Participants can RSVP, providing their name and a link to the social media platform where they will be performing. Performances can be live or pre-recorded uploads.
About Folk Alliance International
Folk Alliance International (FAI) was founded in 1989 to connect folk music leaders aiming to sustain the community and genre. Today FAI is the leading international voice for folk music with a network of more than 3,000 members: a worldwide community of artists, agents, managers, labels, publicists, arts administrators, venues, festivals, and concert series presenters.
From its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, FAI produces the world’s largest conference for the folk music industry, the International Folk Music Awards (IFMAs), an Artist in Residence program, the Folk ExChange market development program, the Ethno USA gathering (on behalf of JM International), community outreach, and a Finest Folk concert series.
FAI values diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, strives to ensure gender parity in all its programming, celebrates multiple languages and cultures, and actively welcomes participation from marginalized, disenfranchised, and underrepresented communities.
FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” (reflective of any community they are from), and programs a diverse array of sub genres including, but not limited to, Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.
About The Village Fund
The Village Fund is a grant program for folk artists and independent music industry professionals experiencing financial hardship, administered by Folk Alliance International.
The Village Fund’s name is inspired by the rural origins of various folk music traditions, the urban villages that expanded the folk audience, and the recognition that folk music forms one global village of fans, artists, and industry professionals alike. FAI has distribute $50,000 as of December 2021.
The FAI community will be updated when applications for the The Village Fund opens again. Individuals qualify if they participated in FAI events over the past three years. A simple “financial need” verification process places all applicants into an eligible pool, and recipients are then drawn by lottery.
