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I'm rejoicing in the new generation of folk musicians and singers with a bunch of albums and tours currently on our Listings. I can't remember when the scene was so vital and live performances so enriched by young talent. Sometimes it all comes together - with certain movers and shakers lighting the blue touch paper, so to speak.

So I'd like to give four NetRhythms Folk Awards to John McCusker for his talent in bringing so many wonderful projects together (Under One Sky; Drever, McCusker, Woomble), to Heidi Talbot for one of the loveliest albums to be released this past year (In Love + Light), Boo Hewerdine for releasing his best work to date (with Toy Boxes 1& 2 and a new album promised shortly), and Tom Rose of Navigator for signing them and releasing their music.

* BARKER BAND * PHIL BEER * BELLOWHEAD * BROKEN FAMILY BAND * ELLOTT BROOD (Canada) * ELIZA CARTHY BAND * CHUMBAWAMBA * HUGH CORNWELL * CATHRYN CRAIG & BRIAN WILLOUGHBY * KRIS DREVER & HEIDI TALBOT Duo * ADRIAN EDMONDSON & THE BAD SHEPHERDS (Maartin Allcock, Troy Donockley, Andy Dinan, Mark Woolley) * ELLA EDMONDSON * FAIRPORT CONVENTION WINTER TOUR support Ken Nicol & Phil Cool * FAUSTUS BAND * OTIS GIBBS (USA) * BRYN HAWORTH * BOO HEWERDINE * MALCOLM HOLCOMBE * DIANA JONES (USA) * STEVE KNIGHTLEY support Jenna * SETH LAKEMAN * RAY LAMONTAGNE (USA) * LANDERMASON * LAU: Kris Drever, Martin Green, Aidan O'Rourke * JACKIE LEVEN * AYNESLEY LISTER * LOUISIANA RED (USA) & MICHAEL MESSER * MANDOLINQUENTS * SIMON MAYOR & HILARY JAMES * SARAH McQUAID * MEGSON * MICHAEL MESSER & ED GENIS (Blues) * REG MEUROSS * LINDE NIJLAND SINGS SANDY DENNY (Netherlands) * JACKIE OATES * BELINDA O'HOOLEY & HEIDI TIDOW * ANGIE PALMER * CHARLIE PARR (USA) (Blues) * TOM PAXTON (USA) * TOMMY PEOPLES (master Irish fiddler) * AL PERKINS (USA) * KIMMIE RHODES (USA) * KIM RICHEY (USA) * KATE RUSBY BAND * SHOW OF HANDS * MARTIN SIMPSON * SPIERS & BODEN * MARTIN STEPHENSON * DAVE SWARBRICK Solo / Lazarus / Dave Swarbrick & Martin Carthy * HEIDI TALBOT featuring Boo Hewerdine &John McCusker * HEIDI TALBOT with Eddi Reader, Boo Hewerdine & John McCusker * JAMES TAYLOR AND HIS EXCELLENT BAND (USA) * HANS THEESSINK (blues/solo) * STEVE TILSTON * TINY TIN LADY * THE UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN * KREG VIESSELMAN (USA) * AMY WADGE * MARTHA WAINWRIGHT (USA) * CORINNE WEST (USA) * BROOKS WILLIAMS (USA) * WINE, WOMEN & SONG (Gretchen Peters, Suzy Bogguss and Matraca Berg) (USA) * CHRIS WOOD