A cross-section of the Nashville music community met in New Orleans this week, many for the first time. The Folk Alliance International conference, held at the downtown Sheraton, casts a wide net that draws a variety of performers—singer-songwriters, bluegrass artists, hip hop, bounce, and Americana artists as well as self-proclaimed folk musicians.
The format of the conference drew individuals from across the music industry—performing artists, publicists, press, festival promoters and more. From start to finish, the conference bore the distinct flavor of the Big Easy. The keynote featured Big Freedia, the Queen of Bounce, and Tarriona “Tank” Ball of Tank and the Bangas, both steeped in the local music scene.
At the awards ceremony, the house band The Rumble established the groove, with Lifetime Achievement Awards presented to Taj Mahal and, posthumously, to Clifton Chenier, with his son CJ playing Black Al, his father’s favorite accordion. Taj performed “Queen Bee” with Nashville artist Kyshona, who received the People’s Voice Award, and Yasmin Williams, given the Rising Tide Award.
For first-time attendees more familiar with the International Bluegrass Music Association’s award show, dubbed the Bluegrass Prom, the 2026 International Folk Music Awards featured far fewer sequins and fewer cliffhangers with only four awards unannounced in advance. Song of the Year went to Crys Matthews for “Sleeves Up,” and the Baltic Sisters won in the Global Folk album category for Varav/Varti/ Vartai. The trio I’m With Her, with their ethereal harmony, won Album of the Year for Wild and Clear and Blue and tied with Carsie Blanton for Artist of the Year.
Blanton caught the audience attention, reflecting the year’s theme “Rise Up,” suggesting, “There is a future and we need to sing it into being” going on to add, “This event is built like a trade show; we need to turn it into a barn-raising.” She left her award on the podium suggesting she would accept it when change came about.
The daytime sessions offered a number of peer session as well as special interest panels. Authors Ann Powers, Gayle Wall, Ben Sandmel, and David Browne discussed their work in music biographies on such artists as Joni Mitchell, Ella Jenkins and Rosetta Tharpe; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and the Grateful Dead, and Ernie Cato. the prevailing message to aspiring biographers is the need for a sense of urgency, pursuing interviews before so many voices as lost.
NPR’s Powers also conducted an interview with the Milk Carton Kids, in advance of their upcoming album Lost Cause Lover Fool. The session, aptly titled “Rise Up (and Laugh About It)” examined the duo’s unique artistic dynamics, with Powers noting that they had been dubbed the “Titans of Yearning,” a concept to which they returned throughout the discussion.
For attendees most interested in performing or catching live music, FAI offered an embarrassment of riches. Between eight and ten each evening, brief official showcases were performed in six to eight rooms, offering a full variety that reflected the scope of the organization—bluegrass, Americana, jazz, and more.
Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger showcased their twin fiddling. One highlight was Molsky’s spare but heart-stopping delivery of “Abraham, Martin, and John.”
In one of the more eclectic presentations, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marzer, on ukulele, guitar, or banjo, were joined by Chao Tian on Chinese hammered dulcimer in a session they called “From China to Appalachia.”
Chicago bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers showcased their stunning balance of vocal and instrumental dynamics, while using the occasion to share their work on behalf of the U.S. State Department as Bluegrass Ambassadors. During their set in the ballroom, they taught the audience the words to the chorus of an Ugandan song they learned on one of their earliest trips in their diplomatic role. They also introduced the non-profit they have established to continue the work in the likely event of loss of federal funding for the program.
Mason Via, performing on his own after three years with Old Crow Medicine Show, was backed by his wife Waverly Leonard on fiddle, Nick Sabat on Bass, and Tray Wellington on banjo for a lively set. A high point was his solo performance of “”See It While You Can” his song that has been chosen for the National Park Conservation Association’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
For night owls, the conference only got started when the official showcases ended at 10:05 p.m. with as many as sixty options in each half-hour period, running past three a.m. Beyond the overwhelming challenge of choosing which sets to catch, attendees also had to contend with the hotel’s less-than-optimum elevator banks. Even artists trying to lug instruments to their sets on floors nine through twelve were greeted by “Try again later” messages from the elevator panels. Those who were able managed the stairwells or located freight elevators, with an “Artists ride first” mindset.
With the almost balmy January weather, as New Orleans gears up for the upcoming Mardi Gras celebration, attendees kept an eye on the threat of wintry weather. Both veteran conference-goers and first-timers were forced to rebook flights in order to reach home in time to avoid being caught in New Orleans until flights resumed—a genuine dilemma indeed, with so much more music to come in such a culturally rich city. Being stuck in the city until the spring thaw might not be the worst possible option.
