(Photos: Michael Donahue)

Local musicians kicked off FolkAlliance International with the Music Export Memphis โ€œMemphis As Folk Preview Party.โ€ The event, which was held January 15th at Lauren Kennedyโ€™s Sheet Cake Gallery, featured local performers Frank McLallen, Aybil, and Mary Hatley, all of whom took part in the FolkAlliance International conference held January 21st through January 25th in New Orleans. 

The Memphis event was presented by Music Export Memphis, which sent the Memphis performers to New Orleans. Elizabeth Cawein, Music Export Memphis founder, and Morgan Massey hosted the preview party.ย 

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until...