BETH WOOD

Dear Autumn,

Thank you for your rain-soaked fruity-pebble leaves stuck to the street, your chilly dark mornings, your chimney smoke smell, your warm mug of coffee that I wrap my hands around day after day. And thank you for bringing me my very first poetry book. I’m a little bit excited.

Hope you’ll stay for a while. Sincerely,

BW.
Ok much is happening these days so here goes. These are the places I will be singing my heart out in the near future. I hope you’ll scroll down for details, news about my poetry book, and musings.

Sun, Nov 1 – White Horse Black Mountain – Black Mountain, NC
Sat, Nov 14 – Memphis House Concerts – Memphis, TN
Fri, Nov 20 – Private Barn Concert – Mansfield, TX
Sat, Nov 21 – The Old Firehouse – Edom, TX
Sun, Dec 6 – Songwriting Workshop – Portland, OR
Fri, Dec 11 – Moore Music – Rockville, MD
Sat, Dec 12 – Deer Creek Coffeehouse Concerts – Darlington, MD
1. GRATITUDE…Thank you to the whirlwind that was October. Thank you to these folks for making it so wonderful: Pat and all at WUWF, Elizabeth T and friends, Beth & Don and friends, Misti OP an family, Nathan and Ashley, Ann and Bop, Dave and Dave and the Goddard Center, JT and Lori and friends, Bob Howard and all at the Open Door Coffeehouse, the Mazenko family.

2. THE NEWS… Well the big news is that my poetry book is here! Titled “Kazoo Symphonies”, it is a dream come true for me. BIG THANK YOUs to Mescalita Press and Nathan & Ashley Brown for making this possible, to Chris Everett for the beautiful graphic design, to Bill S for helping to make it possbile, to Bob and Ann for feedback, and to everyone who helped with proof-reading.

I have been a poet most of my life, even before I was a songwriter. For me there is a freedom in poetry that is not present with songs. Economy of words is paramount. It’s a perfect little puzzle to try and tell a story in just a few lines, and I LOVE it!! I hope you will love it, too.

I will begin weaving a few poems in to my live shows. My friends and mentors Nathan Brown, Jim Chastain, and Tom Kimmel have taught me about the magic of weaving music and poetry together. If you haven’t connected with poetry before, I hope you’ll think of it like story-telling and give it a chance!

Many folks have been asking how they can buy a book. The best ways are to come to a live show and buy one from me, or to order here through Paypal ($15 plus $2.50 for shipping). Be sure to include your address for shipping!

I’m excited to head back to Nashville in a couple weeks for some co-writing and visiting friends. That place is overflowing with talent in every corner and it is always inspiring to be there! Can’t wait to see what songs come out of this next adventure…

And finally, Tyler Fortier and family and I will be headed to the coast next week for our recording extravaganza also known as my next album. The Fortiers are some of my favorite people in the world and I am so excited to be working with them on this project. Also, Topper the Fortier-family-wonder-dog will be attending, so there’s that little piece of goodness. This is how he looks when you try to interrupt his nap:

3. TOUR DATES…Life is so uncertain, please call ahead.

Sun, Nov 1 – White Horse Black Mountain – Black Mountain, NC. 105C Montreat Rd. 828-669-0816. Join us in this beautiful listening room for Jimmy Landry’s birthday bash! $10 in advance/$12 at the door. In the round with Jimmy Landry and David Lamotte! 7:30 pm.

Sat, Nov 14 – Memphis House Concerts – Memphis, TN. For info and reservations please email or call at 901.277.0806 or jimbo@memphishouseconcerts.com. $20 suggested
donation. Kelley Mickwee opens. Doors at 7 pm, music at 8.

Fri, Nov 20 – Private Barn Concert – Mansfield, TX.

Sat, Nov 21 – The Old Firehouse – Edom, TX. 8241 FM 279. Our small, intimate, smoke-free and alcohol-free “Coffeehouse” music room is host to singer/songwriters from all over the country who stop in Edom to entertain with their original music. With concerts approximately once each month, most of the money collected for ticket sales will go to the artist. Coffee, Soft Drinks, and Desserts are available before and during the concerts. Since our room is relatively small (around 50-70 seats), we strongly recommend purchasing your tickets in advance to insure seating. If you purchase in advance, you will be on the “Early Entry List” and be the first to enter the music room! $12 in advance/$15 at the door. Doors Open 7pm, Concert Begins at 7:30.

Sun, Dec 6 – Songwriting Workshop – Portland, OR. At Artichoke Music, 3130 SE Hawthorne. BW and Matt Meighan team up for another workshop exploring the wonder of song creation. 10 am – 4 pm.  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

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.

Sat, Dec 12 – Deer Creek Coffeehouse Concerts – 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 or deercreekch@zoominternet.net. $15.

 Loved this fun crowd at the Day’s house in FL!

here’s the whole super awesome bunch

We had a blast at the Open Door Songwriter Series in Portland! Got to sing some harmonies with Bob Howard and Rod Ewald..woop! Special thank you to Elizabeth Campbell for the awesome pics!

It was a beautiful upright with no middle foot pedal… my feet hardly knew what to do with themselves! Thank you again Elizabeth Campbell.

This is what a post-poetry book editing party at Nathan & Ahsley’s looks like! Tasted pretty damn good too.

This is the face you make when the poetry book you have always dreamed of making shows up at your front door!

And this is the ever-so-cool back cover. Thank you to Dr. Brown for the good words…

4. THE FUTURE…Well, we are heading in to winter, and I am ready to embrace its chilly charms. We’re heading in to the hibernating time, time to reflect and recharge. But before that, I’ve got some super awesome shows in MD and a Portland workshop in December!

Thank you for keeping up with my newsy news and for cheering me on every step of the way in my artistic journey. I am so blessed. I hope to see you out there on the road! With much gratitude from 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!