The Music of Multitudes

Some Favorite Performances at FAI 2024

With 162 official showcase performances and 639 different private showcase artists Folk Alliance Interational, 2024 last month in Kansas City, it was sometimes difficult to decide what to see and when and where to see even a fraction of all the music available. I gave preference to those artists or arts organizations kind enough to have contacted me when the press list was sent out before the conference. FAI, despite being a magnet for performers, is a below the radar organization; it’s a niche that contains multitudes from guitar strummers to gospel, funk, jazz, Gaelic and British Isles old and new, Cajun from both Louisiana and the Acadian (Canadian) roots, and which many would describe as "world music." Here are some of the noteworthy artists that I saw. Note: though only a small percentage of readers open video attachments, I really tried to represent the music of these artists most folks have not heard.

Puuluup is the Estonian duo of Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson. They play homema…