| Whoa–oa–oa, my guitar’s on fire. Thanks Uncle Dave for the photo!
Greetings, friends and fellow music lovers!
There is much to be thankful for, indeed. Here are my happenings in the month of December. I hope you’ll scroll down for news, gratitude, musings, random photos, and show details!
Sun, Dec 6 – Songwriting Workshop with Matt Meighan – Portland, OR
Fri, Dec 11 – Moore Music – Rockville MD
Sat, Dec 12 – Deer Creek Coffeehouese – Darlington, MD
1. GRATITUDE…Oh we had so much fun in November! BIG THANKS to Deanna & Mason & David Lamotte for making it possible for me to come and celebrate Jimmy Landry’s birthday (and Mason’s birthday and Halloween!) in Black Mountain, NC, a place that is so dear to my heart. Also dear to my heart is Jimmy Landry. Thank you to Jimmy for the invitation to play and for being a wonderful friend through the years. Thank you to the White Horse Black Mountain for hosting the show and to all who came out to celebrate. Thanks to my friends in the amazing band Darlingside for inviting me to be their guest at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland where they opened for Patty Griffin…what a night!! It was so fun to see those four lovely humans kicking ass, as they always do, to a packed house of adoring and delighted new fans. Thank you to Tyler Fortier and the Fortier family for hosting our recording sessions at the wonderful Lincoln City house. Thank you Flood for making home made mac n cheese. Thank you Tyler for making my dream for this new album come to fruition. Thank you to Jimbo & Susan and Kelley Mickwee and all at Memphis House Concerts for a fabulous night. Thank you to Mare Wakefield & Nomad for the comradarie and for hosting me in Nashville, and to Bobby Rymer, Melissa Fuller, Kim Richey, and Phil Madeira for making my recent co-writing experiences so amazing…three songs in three days…woop! Thank you to the Hurt family and friends for hosting the best party barn concert ever, and to Tom Faulkner for an endless supply of awesome. Thank you to Jeff & Judy to and Darren & Niki Groce and all who came out to The Old Firehouse, it was a lovely night! Thanks to Uncle Tom for being my roadie, and to Aunt Nancy & Uncle Dave for putting me up so many times I can’t count. Thank you to all who have ordered my poetry book…this makes me so happy!
2. THE NEWS. Well the big news is that Tyler is working on mixing the new album…woohoo! So far it sounds like you are sitting right next to me in a living room..exactly what we were hoping for. Still zooming in on a title and cover design. Stay tuned for updates. I’m hoping to have these in Feb.
Other good news, I just got the invitation to play the 30A Songwriters Festival in South Walton, FL in January! Special thanks to Renee for staying on it and making it happen. 30A is a gathering of hundreds of singer-songwriters and music lovers who revel in and celebrate the music for three jam-packed days. Headliners are Jackson Browne and Grace Potter. Pinch me!
Thank you to all who have supported my poetry book and have so graciously recieved it! You can get your copy of “Kazoo Symphonies” directly from me by clicking here. I have loved hearing from folks who are enjoying the book. Almost without exception, folks have told me they like to read only a few poems a day…savoring the discovery and letting the book unfold slowly over time. I love this! What an unexpected gift that a book of poems can be an invitation to slow down. Amen!
On the teaching front, I am so looking forward to co-hosting another Portland songwriting workshop with Matt Meighan on Dec 6. There is only one spot left…could it be you? 🙂 Matt has also invited me to co-lead the Hidden River Songwriting Camps with him in July in beautiful Long Beach, WA! I’m super excited for this opportunity to explore creativity and celebrate community. Doesn’t get any better than that.
3. DECEMBER SHOWS. Life is so uncertain…please call ahead!
Sun, Dec 6 – Songwriting Workshop with Matt Meighan – Portland, OR. At Artichoke Music, 3130 SE Hawthorne. The beauty of a well-written song comes from a unique point of view expressed in a personal way. In this workshop, we’ll help you express your own truth in song by giving you tools to enhance your creativity and hone your craft. Focus on lyric writing. Topics will include: Finding inspiration and song ideas, how to get un-stuck, editing with heart, use of concrete imagery, putting words to music, rhyme, alliteration and sound play. We will do lots of writing, voluntary sharing, and respectful listening. Participants will come away with fresh inspiration, song ideas, and tools for starting and finishing songs. Details/registration, contact Matt: matt@mattmeighan.com. Only one spot left!
Fri, Dec 11 – Moore Music – Rockville MD. Scott and Paula have been presenting their favorite acoustic singer-songwriters since November 1997. That’s more than 120 concerts and 5,000 listeners in the basement, family room and backyard of their Rockville home! The atmosphere is intimate and comfortable; a chance to get to know the performers and hear their songs without the smoke and distractions of more traditional venues. For RSVP and directions: scott@mooremusic.org or 301-461-3600. $20 suggested donation. 8 pm.
Sat, Dec 12 – Deer Creek Coffeehouse – Darlington, MD. 1022 Main Street. Deer Creek Coffeehouse Concerts are intimate, candle-lit concerts held at the Episcopal Church Parish Hall. For info, 443-877-7125 ordeercreekch@zoominternet.net. $15. 7:30 pm.
cool flyer for our songwriting workshop!
It’s a songbird sandwich with dear friends Jimmy Landry & David Lamotte..love these guys!
here is the mobile studio set up at the Lincoln City house where we barely moved for 3 days except to eat and drink beer and whiskey. Thankfully we had this guy as our studio mascot to help us relax.
BUT this was the view out the window!! I stared at the waves all day as i sang, sang, sang…I wonder if the whales heard me?
and here’s Tyler working his magic and ruining his posture at the same time
this is the scene in front of the house where I went running in the mornings.
my good buddy Tom Faulkner rockin out with me at the Party Barn concert!!
Omygosh, I had my own billboard at the party barn train-set village! (yes that is also me standing on the billboard). Thanks JD!
and we had a very special guest sit in with us on washboard!! JD rocked the house with his washboard stylings!
Good buddies. Seriously, Tom is one of my musical heroes. Apparently he still likes me even after all the times I make fun of him for lengthy sound checks. 🙂
Check out this video of Tom’s song “Do Bea’s Dance” with the great JD Hurt on washboard!
4. THE FUTURE. Well, December and January are typically my hibernating time and I treasure that. I will soak in some quiet down time for sure, and then some things have come together in January that are too wonderful to pass up! So I’m looking forward to a Portland area house concert and a half-day workshop and house concert at JoAn Mann’s in Bend! And then of course the 30A Festival. Heck, there’s plenty of time to hibernate later. 🙂
I’d like to close with a poem of gratitude. I’m sitting here at my folks’ house in Texas listening to mixes for the new album and my heart is overflowing with it. I am so very grateful to you for supporting my artistic dreams! May this season shower you with blessings!
THANKSGIVING DAY PRAYER
For this day I bow down and give thanks.
For yesterday and each yesterday that came before.
For the blessings that are obvious and for
the good sense to recognize and celebrate them.
For the blessings that are downright ugly,
the lessons learned the hard way, well of
cleansing tears and grief, necessary counter-
weight to joy. For the blossoming of flavors on
my tongue and for the savoring. For these dear
humans who created me and raised me with intent,
and for their good health. For the love that is alive
in my heart, for the ability to give it away and never
empty it out, and for the ability to receive it, too.
For all who share my blood and for all who are gone.
For dear friends (chosen family) and for our priceless
laughter, shared sorrow, bright joy. For the hands
that forged these utensils, the hands that grew and
prepared this food and for all the life-force that
has gone into this very meal. For the knowledge that
this moment is all we have. For this breath
and for the next I give thanks. Cinnamon, salt,
cranberry, thyme, this is what gratitude tastes like.
Amen.
Hope to see you out there on the road soon. Your fan,
Beth Wood
World Headquarters: www.bethwoodmusic.com
Holler at me: bethwoodmusic [AT] hotmail.com
Here I am on Facebook.
I barely know how to use it but I’m tryin’ on Twitter
Does anyone go to Myspace anymore? Seriously. I haven’t been there in years. I think I just saw a tumbleweed.
For the love of Pete, somebody please help me with YouTube! |
