Before COVID-19 live music shut down, Beth Wood was never home in the summer long enough to watch her garden grow. Those are the unexpected gifts of the pandemic, Wood says. It’s observations like these that the musician, poet, author, and educator turned into the soil of her 15th studio album, Love is Onto You.
That equanimity came after fear and uncertainty, though. At the onset of the pandemic, Wood’s livelihood disappeared, as it did for others from all walks of life. Those highs and lows are gathered on Love, showcasing Wood’s sunburnt, Americana sound, this time with added urgency.
The project was a product of quick thinking on Wood’s part. Kept from touring early on in the pandemic, the award-winning musician reached out to her online following. She offered them one new song a month via the online crowdsourcing platform Patreon, and she was overwhelmed by the response. At that time, Wood says, “People were really worried about each other.”
That feeling is captured those moments in her music on Love in song like “Love Keeps the Flame,” an up-tempo country blues-rock song that snakes around Wood’s homespun holler with tones of Kentucky bluegrass from the native Texan.
Elsewhere on Love there’s “The Speed of Lonely” offering serene introspection and melancholy contemplation, Wood remains inventive with her vocal phrasing within folk music tradition. “Keep the Change” is a short story-like song about taking life as it comes with a mischievous sense of humor and humming slide guitar.
At times Wood drew on topical subject matter in her songwriting process, such as the 2020 presidential election on tracks like “The Day After Tomorrow,” a gentle open-throated note of optimism over strummed guitar punctuated by keyboard under Wood’s expressive, roots-inflected alto. There’s also “One Step at a Time,” a triumphant elegy written for Ruth Bader Ginsburg the morning after the Supreme Court Justice died.
Some of the songs Wood drew from fragments of pre-existing material, while others “I wrote to help myself to get through these times,” Wood explains. “This was different than any recording project I’ve ever done. It was created at the time of isolation and uncertainty. It was just me and a guitar. It was very elemental in that way,” she says.
Beth Wood teams up with the beloved Home By Dark band to release an album of favorite moments throughout years of live shows together. Since 2007, HOME BY DARK has captivated audiences with one of the most powerful and unique concert events in America. Inviting the best songwriters and musicians in the world to its stage, HOME BY DARK is a Nashville meets New York meets L.A. meets Atlanta, storytelling, romantic, pierce your heart, laugh til it hurts, reminds me of momma, dance in the aisle, that’s my favorite song, evening you’ll never forget.
HOME BY DARK VOL 1 album lyrics
Produced by Tyler Fortier. Beth Wood’s 11th album, THE LONG ROAD, springs from a time of deep change in her life, and once again, she’s crafted a collection of stories that will have listeners nodding in agreement, feeling, healing, and standing back up again right beside her. Wood’s delivery is warm and intimate; like a close friend. Eleven songs of movement, connection, grief, and hope. “Making this album was the fulfillment of a dream from start to finish,” Wood said. “To be able to record at a beautiful studio in my hometown with the people I most wanted to work with; to record live and capture the magic we did in two days and then build upon it; to co-create a vision with my producer Tyler Fortier and then make it come true – all of these things felt like not just the culmination of twenty years of work, but a reward for it.”
If Dolly Parton and Aretha Franklin had a love child it would be Americana roots duo Stand and Sway. Steeped in soul, poetry, and harmony, Beth Wood and Ara Lee James blend together in a way that tends to break things: ceilings, hearts, ideas about genres. The power of these two voices together is undeniable, and their music changes the weather. Prepare for foot-stomping, tear-inducing, mountain-sized joy.
DEEP BLUE was born of ashes. James and Wood wrote these songs because they needed to. DEEP BLUE is an album is about loss, certainly. It’s about being on the other side of young, of should-haves, of disappointment, and what comes after you’ve made spectacular mistakes and lost everything. More so, however, it is an album about choosing life after loss, and waking up. It’s about the music that shows up to heal you, and all of it being worth it at day’s end.
SPRING TIDE is an intimate, collection of ten original songs recorded live and solo acoustic. Overlooking the ocean in Lincoln City, OR, Beth and producer Tyler Fortier captured these songs in their most elemental form, just as they were written, with just one voice and guitar. Tyler says about Spring Tide: “It takes both vulnerability and lion-heartedness to put out such a tender and exposed collection of songs into the world. The entire album is tied to a string, suspended somewhere between: frailty and hopefulness; heartache and convalescing; solitude and communion.”
SOMETIMES LOVE, Beth’s ninth album, was produced by singer-songwriter and producer wunderkind Tyler Fortier in Eugene, OR. This project was born out of Beth’s Song-of-the-Month Club and features collaborations with multi-instrumentalist Tyler Fortier, guitarist Peter Perdichizzi, bassist Milo Fultz, drummer Merlin Showalter, and vocalist Erin Flood-Fortier, among others. The Eugene Weekly says SOMETIMES LOVE is…”strong and engaging pop-country; her soulful alto occasionally recalls Dolly Parton and her songwriting brings to mind the iconoclastic folk singer Patty Griffin.”
THE WEATHER INSIDE Beth’s 8th studio album, was produced by Billy Crockett at Blue Rock Studio in Wimberley, TX. Released fall 2010. Featuring some of Austin’s finest musicians including Jon Inmon, Roscoe Beck, Rick Richards, Dave Madden, Drew Womack, Billy Crockett, with a special guest feature by Native American flute player and musical wonder Gentle Thunder. “The Weather Inside” is a case study in contrast. A coming-of-age statement record from a veteran artist, Beth’s latest work embraces strength and tenderness, the polished and the well-worn, the broken and the hopeful heart. THE WEATHER INSIDE delves deep into Beth’s creative reserves and delivers a strong collection of songs and performances to remember.
THE WEATHER INSIDE album lyrics
For BEACHCOMBER’S DAUGHTER, Beth gathered Dallas’s finest studio musicians to form a core band that was just deadly! The great Milo Deering played just about everything with strings and contributed heavily to the arrangements and the overall fun of the project. BD is a lyric-driven, eclectic mix of styles, from downright rockin’ (Travelin’ John) to jazz standards (At Last) to folky (This Sanctuary) to piano ballad (Suitcases). In early 2008, Beth & Milo celebrated the release of BD onboard Cayamo, a songwriters cruise, alongside many of her musical heroes such as Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, John Hiatt, and more, how cool is that? Produced by Beth Wood and Patrick Mcguire.
BEACHCOMBER’S DAUGHTER album lyrics
MARIGOLDS is slightly twangy (showing Beth’s Texas roots), slightly folky (showcasing Beth’s gentle touch and her storytelling) and slightly rockin’ (celebrating the beat for goodness sake). Marigolds celebrates the spirit of collaboration as Beth is joined by many of her talented friends including River Guerguerian, Eliot Wadopian, Heather Morgan, Josh Lamkin, Greg Horne, Shawn Mullins, Brandon Bush, John Felty, and more! Produced by Beth and the great Chris Rosser.
YOU TAKE THE WHEEL is a solo acoustic project in which Beth asked fans to vote on the songs they would most like to hear in an acoustic setting. This release highlights Beth’s solid work as a strong, dynamic solo artist. People were always asking — why doesn’t BW have a CD that sounds like her live show?? So for all you folks who love the folky, solo acoustic sound, this one is for you! Produced by the great Chris Rosser. Recorded live in studio and at The Grey Eagle.
YOU TAKE THE WHEEL album lyrics
GHOSTWRITER signaled a return to more stripped-down, elemental production while showcasing Beth’s growth as a songwriter. Recorded in Asheville, NC in the tiny basement studio of Chris Rosser, Beth’s mentor and a wonderful singer-songwriter in his own right who was too tall to stand up in his own basement. Beth and Chris collaborated with some of Asheville’s finest musicians to create a work that is earthy, soulful, and rich with emotion.
LATE NIGHT RADIO features full-band production and was produced by Don McCollister (Indigo Girls, Sister Hazel) in Atlanta. This is an eclectic mix of rock, blues, folk, and soulful singing. It is a continuation of “New Blood”’s full-spectrum swing from acoustic to full band sound, all anchored by Beth’s solid songwriting and soulful voice.
“The songwriting is solid, the musicianship is top-notch and her voice is confident and versatile.” – Album Network
“Late Night Radio takes the same basic musical blueprint of soulful, jazzy folk Wood created on last year’s disc (‘New Blood’), and refines it tenfold. The songs shimmer with a vibrancy, enthusiasm and warm passion that frames Wood’s powerfully expressive voice.” —Atlanta Press
NEW BLOOD is Beth Wood’s darker, full band effort. Recorded in Atlanta with Kristian Bush (Sugarland) and Don McCollister producing. If you’re in the mood for something a little rockin’, a little jazzy, this one is for you. Beth has especially fond memories of the collaborative creative effort on this one, and she thinks it’s weird that she mentions birds in 5 of the 11 songs. Featuring Atlanta’s finest musicians and a duet with Angie Aparo on vocals.
“Deliciously” begs to come bursting out of radios. Beth Wood’s supple voice romps around teasingly, while the melody bounces atop a giddy banjo riff. Meanwhile, the lyrical hook is just deadly.” – Performing Songwriter
WOODWORK is Beth Wood’s debut CD. Self-produced in Austin, where Beth got more than a little help from her friends on drums and bass (Chris Smith), guitar (John Felty), and backing vocals (Bekki Frazier-Smith). Folks who are looking for a mellow, pretty CD would like Woodwork.