New Conference Artwork by Drew Christie

Take a peek at the top of this page and you can't fail to miss our glorious new conference artwork, the creation of the extraordinarily talented artist and animator Drew Christie. Drew is currently wowing film festival audiences around the globe (including those at Sundance and Sundance UK) with his animated short Song of the Spindle. Amongst many other accolades, he has just been nominated for a 2012 Genius Award by Seattle's Stranger magazine. And he's got some history with Harry Smith. Harry is one of the many eccentrics profiled by Drew in his beautiful book Strange Americans. And he's the subject of the unmissable animation below - the best possible introduction to both Harry and the Anthology of American Folk Music. Press play, enjoy - and keep the paper submissions coming.

Old Weird Americana

There's not long left to submit your paper submissions for America Changed Through Music: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music at 60 - take another look at our Call For Papers here. But if you're seeking inspiration, and you're located anywhere near Portland, Oregon (Smith's birthplace), then you should try to catch another couple of events that are marking the 60th anniversary of the Anthology. On Sunday May 20th, Old Weird Americana, a 60th Anniversary Tribute to Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, is taking place at the Alberta Rose Theatre, and apparently includes performers Ural Thomas, Joe McMurrian, Lewi Longmire, Baby Gramps, James Low, Mark Lemhouse, Lauren Sheehan, Michael Dean Damron, Bob Shoemaker, Mike Midlo, PDX Country Underground, Miz Kitty, Kory Quinn, Jane Keefer, Tin Pan Alley Killers, Joe Hickerson, The Ghost of Harry Smith, and more. And today, Saturday May 12th, a free, in-store version of Old Weird Americana is taking place at Music Millennium at 3pm. If you make it to either event, enjoy. We'd be interested to hear more about it. And remember to get your paper submissions to us by the end of the month! More exciting news coming soon.