Vote now for Not Your Average Folk Contest
The North Carolina Folk Festival has officially opened public voting for its 2025 Not Your Average Folk Contest, a genre-bending showcase of emerging folk talent. From June 30 to July 18, music fans can cast their vote online to help choose this year’s winning act at www.ncfolkfestival.com/nyaf2025.
The contest drew 59 submissions from across the region, with a panel of music professionals narrowing the field down to four standout finalists. Each judge – representing a diverse cross-section of the music industry, including a venue owner, a university professor, a recording studio owner, and an established performer – scored entries across multiple criteria to select this year’s top contenders.
“This year’s submissions blew us away,” said Savannah Thorne, NC Folk Festival Programming Chair. “We were thrilled to receive 59 entries, making the task of narrowing it down to just four finalists both exhilarating and challenging. That kind of strong response speaks to the universal language of folk, and we can’t wait for the public to weigh in.”
The 2025 Not Your Average Folk Finalists:
Evan Blackerby Trio: Rooted in connection and community, the Evan Blackerby Trio blends heartfelt songwriting with a mission to bring people together. What started as one artist’s search for shared creativity has grown into a local songwriting circle – and now, a dynamic trio built on friendship, trust and the power of music to break down walls.
The Ian Rood Modern Folktet: The Ian Rood Modern Folktet brings a fresh take to folk standards and originals, blending jazz, blues and funk into a sound that’s rooted in tradition but always moving forward.
FOLKKNOT: Blending Celtic tradition with maritime spirit, FOLKKNOT sails into the “sea-folk” subgenre – a rhythm-driven sound rooted in the folk revival of Nova Scotia and New England. Anchored in 6/8 time and shaped by global influences, their music is both a nod to ancestry and a fresh take on tradition.
Elizabeth McCorvey: Elizabeth McCorvey’s banjo-driven protest songs reclaim folk music’s deep roots in the African-American experience. With lyrics that speak truth to power and melodies steeped in tradition, her music challenges, empowers and connects – amplifying the voices too often left out of Appalachian folk.
The winner of the Not Your Average Folk Contest will earn a featured performance slot during the 2025 NC Folk Festival, held September 12-14 in downtown Greensboro.
For more information and to vote, visit www.ncfolkfestival.com/nyaf2025.