When I first began attending the annual Folk Alliance conference in 1993 I was struck by the palpable sense of closeness among the few hundred attendees. Self-conscious about my status as a stranger to the gathering, I concluded, erroneously, that everyone else knew one another well.  A few days ago I returned home from the 2008 Alliance conference, my tenth such event. I know many more Alliance members now, but the presence of over 2000 people means it’s still possible to feel lost amidst a sea of strangers. The tension between the yearning for community and the press of business that has waxed and waned through much of the organization’s history remains. Still, for anyone who tries at all, it’s always easy to talk to people at the Folk Alliance. Music is a great lubricant, and the event offers an unbelievable array of virtually nonstop music. For the first time in 15 years of fairly regular attendance, I was really struck by the number of participants in their twenties. It boosted my already strong belief that folk music, or roots music, or vernacular music, or Americana, or whatever you want to call it, is going to thrive, even as American Idol rules its television roost, and the recording industry continues it’s apparent decline. I’ve got a stack of new indie CDs to wade through, most of them made by people I hadn’t heard of just one week ago, so it’s time to start listening.

Michael F. Scully is an attorney by profession and holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. He is author of the new book The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance.