March 25, 2005

Beth Wood Reaches Out

Acoustic artisan brings a full band along for CD release show at Grey Eagle

by Laura Blackley

Beth Wood, according to her bio, is the original "barefoot acoustic enthusiast." At the tender age of 33, the Texas (by way of Asheville and Brevard) songsmith has five independently released full-length CDs under her belt. On Friday, she's celebrating the release of her sixth full-length album, "Marigolds," with a show at the Grey Eagle.

"To me, 'Marigolds' is about hope, joy and rebirth," Wood elaborates. "Even the sadder songs have a glimmer of hope that is always present in my writing."

From its evocative lyricism to its vivid storytelling and master craftsmanship, "Marigolds is not so much simply a music recording — it's a heartfelt, visceral experience. Wood has always had a gift for words and music. This latest effort is a rich glimpse at the stories, travels and personal growth of one of Asheville's favorite Texans.

"(The new record) is a full-band album," the singer and multi-instrumentalist says, "featuring a lot of great Asheville musicians — Chris Rosser (who produced Wood's last three recordings and is back in the engineer's booth) Eliot Wadopian on bass, and River Guerguerian on drums and percussion, plus a couple of the guys from Jupiter Coyote played on it."

Having toured constantly for years as a solo performer, Wood relates that "I'd like to hopefully get to a place of collaboration and touring more with other musicians." The CD release show promises just that — a full-band show, featuring Wadopian and Guerguerian, as well as "a big party with lots of folks who played and sang on the CD coming by to sit in," according to Wood.

Wood's influences range from Lyle Lovett and Rickie Lee Jones to Chris Whitley and Shawn Colvin, but most of her inspiration "comes from other people — their stories inspire me; so does eavesdropping on their conversations," she laughs.

"Usually, my (songwriting) process is that the song buries itself in my brain, and I can't really get anything done until I finish it," Wood says. Pulling not only from her influences, but also from a literature degree and classical piano and voice training, Wood creates intelligent pop with a folk flair.

Having been nurtured by both the songwriting community in Western North Carolina, as well as gaining inspiration from the natural beauty all around these parts, the songwriter says that "Asheville's pretty special (to me). It's nice to have a home base where people support art, no matter what kind it is."

"'Marigolds' is about me coming out of my shell and reaching out with an open heart to musicians, music lovers and the world."

Laura Blackley writes about entertainment for the Citizen-Times. Email laurablackleyband@yahoo.com