Greetings, friends and fellow music lovers!
It’s almost time for Sisters Folk Festival and Americana Song Academy (a/k/a song camp)! I’m always excited when my favorite week of the year rolls around. I’ve got lots of fun things coming up this month. I hope you’ll scroll down for news, random pics and musings.
Sep 3-6 – Americana Song Academy – Sisters, OR. The Americana Song Academy inspires people to believe in their creativity and helps develop a community that supports that pursuit. Artists performing at the Sisters Folk Festival arrive 4 days early to teach all aspects of music, songwriting, performance and singing. Participants deeply engage and nurture their music, songs, and aspirations. Private concerts, open mics and mentor sessions are all part of the experience. The musical alchemy of the festival artists from “Song Camp” helps inspire collaborations and exceptional performances at the festival each year. Campers participate in workshops, communal meals and activities at the performing arts camp “Caldera”, a stunning location on the edge of Blue Lake, high in the Cascade Mountains. There are a few spots left so come join us!
Sep 7-8 – Sisters Folk Festival – Sisters, OR. The Sisters Folk Festival is a three-day celebration of roots music from blues to bluegrass, held the weekend following Labor Day in beautiful Sisters, Oregon. I’m so excited to bring our duo project with a band to the fest! Stand and Sway plays Saturday at 6 pm at the Open Door stage and Sunday at 3 pm at The Belfry.
Sep 8 – Sisters Folk Festival Community Celebration – Sisters, OR. BW hosts the Sunday Community Celebration! 10 am. Free and open to all!
Sep 13 – Private Event – Seattle, WA
Sep 14 – The Stacks Coffeehouse Fall Five-Minute Reading Marathon – Portland, OR. Join us for our Fall Five-Minute Reading Marathon! Every half an hour or every fifteen minutes, another author will get up on stage and read for five minutes. You’ll hear poetry, short stories, essays, and excerpts from longer pieces, with time in between to talk or get up and move around. Hope to see you there! FREE and open to all!
Sep 19 – Women’s Song Circle @ Mount Tabor Music School – Portland, OR. 4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Upstairs Suite. BW hosts a song circle for women to share songs and support each other in our creative practice! A song circle is a fun, safe space to share new and old works and to offer/receive support and feedback (if requested). Open to all ages and levels. If you have a new song or an old song or a favorite cover song you’d like to share, or if you’d like to sharpen your performance skills by playing for others, or ifyou’d like to celebrate creativity and community, I hope you will join us! 7:30-9:30 pm.
Sep 26 – Stand and Sway @ Leyline Studios – Paonia, CO. 234 Grand Avenue. Join us for an intimate studio concert at Leyline Studios. Potluck at 6:30, music at 7:30. $10-$15 donation.
1. GRATITUDE. August was a beautiful whirlwind and I am so grateful to all these fine folks for making it so… Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan and all at Point Richmond Acoustic, Melissa and Elisabeth and friends, Dain et all in San Diego, Lane and all at Paulina Springs Books, Karen and Brad and all at Eurosports, PJ, Clara Baker, Nathan and Amanda and all at Harris Bridge Winery, brave song Harris Bridge song campers, James and Karen Casto and the Home By Dark family. And thank you Dain Dunston for the fun photos above.
2. THE NEWS. Big news is the upcoming digital release of our Stand and Sway album “Deep Blue!” We have been working with Ever Kipp at Tiny Human PR to roll out the release. We’ll be releasing three singles ahead of the Oct album release. And we will have an official album release show at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland with the great band Five Letter Word! Tickets are on sale here!
The Sisters Folk Festival and Americana Song Academy is almost here! There are a few festival passes left and a handful of spots left a the song academy. These are both beautiful community events that have shaped my creative path. I am beyond thrilled to be bringing the Stand and Sway full band to the fest this year, and rumor has it was will be joined by a certain beautiful genius named Anna Tivel. Don’t miss this! And of course I will be hosting the Sunday morning Community Celebration, a musical love-fest-extravaganza that is free and open to all. I hope you’ll join us in the village green tent Sunday morning to see lots of sleepy musicians sing and play their hearts out!
I’m excited to be hosting a women’s song circle at Mount Tabor Music School in Portland this fall! We will gather on Thursday, Sept 19 and Thursday, Oct 17 at 7:30 pm. A song circle is a fun, safe space to share new and old works and to offer/receive support and feedback (if requested). Open to all ages and levels. If you have a new song or an old song or a favorite cover song you’d like to share, or if you’d like to sharpen your performance skills by playing for others, or if you’d like to celebrate creativity and community, I hope you will join us! This is a free event. Register today by emailing me at bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com!
October will bring trips to Colorado and North Carolina, and some of my favorite spots. I am honored to be a part of the Chuck Pyle tribute concerts in Denver and Ft Collins, and I’m excited to bring our Stand and Sway duo to NC! Hope to see you out there on the road for these special shows!
3. PICS AND FUN STUFF…
This was the beautiful venue at Point Richmond Acoustic…like a big wooden ship!

and the gorgous oak who shaded us all week at Harris Bridge Song Camp!

and it was such a lovely evening at the Harris Bridge Folk Festival.

and then this happened the next morning… never thought i would get to jam out with a funk band in the woods! Check out DTW…they are awesome!

Ms Bailey Pants loved it a Harris Bridge Vineyard and she asked for an application to work at the tasting room.

and this was the pre-rehearsal situation at Home By Dark… so stressful! You know I can’t help it with the cute pup pics!

4 THE FUTURE. Thank you for all of your responses to my musings on the future in last month’s newsletter! I am excited to see what path reveals itself as I turn away from touring full-time. I have already begun envisioning what that path might look like. The winds of change are blowing, and as unsettling as that can be, I know that growth comes from change. Stay tuned for updates here! In the mean time I hope I will see you out there on the road so I can sing to you! Thank you for reading, listenting, showing up time and again. Hope to see you out there soon! With much gratitude from your fan,
Beth Wood
PO Box 10141
Portland, OR 97296
www.bethwoodmusic.com
www.standandsway.com
Holler at me: bethwoodmusic [AT] hotmail.com
Here I am with my face on Facebook.
I barely know how to use it but I’m tryin’ on Twitter
Find me on Instagram! @bethwoodmusic
For the love of Pete, somebody please help me with Youtube
DOWN THE ROAD A PIECE…
Oct 4 – Wildwood Sounds – Del Norte, CO
Oct 5 – Chuck Pyle Tribute Concert at Swallow Hill – Denver, CO
Oct 6 – Chuck Pyle Tribute Concert at Avo’s – Fort Collins, CO
Oct 9 – Stand and Sway @ The Kraken – Chapen Hill, NC
Oct 10 – Stand and Sway @ The Rooster’s Wife – Aberdeen, NC
Oct 11 – Stand and Sway @ The Cary Theater – Cary, NC
Oct 12 – Stand and Sway @ Big Bad Wolf’s Small Good Concerts – Youngsville, NC
Oct 17 – Women’s Song Circle @ Mt Tabor Music School – Portland, OR
Oct 24 – Stand and Sway @ Vashon Center for the Arts – Vashon, WA
Oct 25 – Stand and Sway @ Alberta Rose Theater – Porland, OR
Oct 26 – Stand and Sway Workshop @ Mt Tabor Music School – Portland, OR
Oct 27 – Stand and Sway Workshop @ Mt Tabor Music School – Portland, OR
Nov 2 – Columbia Center for the Arts – Hood River, OR
Nov 10 – Alberta Rose Theater – Portland, OR
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