WES WEDDELL: NORTHWEST FOLK SUPERSTAR

I first heard of Wes Weddell in 2001 while listening to NPR (National Public Radio). Wes was being interviewed because he had put together an independent study project through the University of Washington to travel the Northwest and garner local folklore and history and then use the gathered stories as inspiration for writing songs. That's a pretty clever way of working music into your history major! The powers-that-be were also impressed and Wes was awarded a Venture Fellowship from the Mary Gates Foundation. The grant allowed Weddell to travel the whole of Washington state and take the time to get in-depth interviews from locals in the smaller towns. It also enabled him to share the songs that were the fruits of his labors. Wes Weddell's CD My Northwest Home was released to instant folk fanfare and acclaim.

Along with being a dedicated and talented performer and teacher Wes Weddell is a tireless and unselfish supporter of the Seattle Folk and Acoustic Music Scene. He founded the non-profit Puget's Sound Productions in 2003 (still going strong today); presented the Seattle Sounds Showcase in Austin, Texas at the 2006 Folk Alliance Conference (this is were I first heard my very favorite Wes Weddell song performed live: Happiness Fulfilled. How can you go wrong with a song about the Virgin Mary & a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?!) In 2007 Wes released another highly regarded CD Songs To Get You From Here To There which features the tune Carry On -- winner of the 2006 Tumbleweed Songwriting Contest.

Weddell's 2010 CD release By The Side Of The Lake brings eleven mature and finely crafted folk tunes with the same rural & roots feeling as his previous works. Over the years Wes has become an excellent song smith and writes compelling story songs to accompany his fine playing. It's hard to choose one favorite track from all the northwest flavored folk gems but if pressed I would have to choose Not Now for the banjo and full character vocal.

Catch Wes Weddell live at the 2010 Tumbleweed Muusic Festival - Saturday, September 4 @ 3:30 -4:15 pm on the West Stage.

Links: Wes Weddell & Tumbleweed Music Festival

QUESTIONNAIRE WITH WES WEDDELL!

WHAT IS YOUR PERFECT IDEA OF HAPPINESS?

The chance to do it all again tomorrow . . .

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?

Losing those closest to me.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST OVERRATED VIRTUE?

Obedience.

ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE?

To protect others' feelings.

WHO OR WHAT IS THE GREATEST LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?

My community and family.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE WHAT TO COME BACK AS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Tough one: some cats seem to have if awfully good . . .

WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?

Discipline.

WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS?

Disingenuousness.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?

Sleeping in . . .

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?

Nothing jumps quickly to mind, and for that I'm grateful. Most faintly-lingering misgivings center around relationships with people ( and my behaviors!) . . .

WHICH HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?

Despite my history degree, no quick answer here, either: some hybrid of Woody Guthrie and Carl Perkins, perhaps . . .?

WHICH LIVING FIGURE DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

Tom Petty.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

Materially, a toss-up between two instruments: an 89-year-old mandolin given to me by a family friend and an electric guitar I built in high school.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

My capacity to be satisfied and receive kudos (increase both!).

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

"Roll with it . . ."

CHARLOTTE THISTLE BAND: WILD WIND

Charlotte Thistle Band gives us another treasure trove of gems with the new CD release Wild Wind.

Wild Wind follows Charlotte's suburb 2005 release A Girl With A Guitar and both her voice and musical style have matured nicely. The first track on the disc, What if I'd Stayed, grabbed my ears and pulled me in right away. It's the perfect song to listen to alone on a dark, rainy night and the lyrics alternately brought a feeling of melancholy and a smile to my face. The clarinet on this tune gives a nice and different touch - a smoky, jazz club feel that really gets under your skin. Coward is another track that stands out and also has a jazz feel within the vocals and Andy Short's bass line.

Charlotte is an excellent lyricist and her song writing is genuine and thought provoking without being abrasive. This really comes through on Dare To Resist. My favorite track on the album, Dare To Resist, has a gypsy guitar style I love and is a wonderful and emotionally powerful song. Dare . . . brings vivid imagery to mind that pulls at the heart and Ann Petry's 1946 novel The Street immediately came to mind.

Light A Fire also got under my skin and transported me, bringing a vision of New York City's streets; the sights, smell, and sounds coming vividly to my mind. Charlotte channels the Jazz Chanteuse on Lap of Luxury and, once again, Joel Tepp's clarinet adds an excellent touch. The title track Wild Wind brings a nice, rounded finish to the album with a country-tinged story song.

Although recorded with a band, the other musicians accompany Charlotte without drowning her out - something that can be hard for an acoustic artist to achieve in the recording process. The seasoned and talented cast of players: Andy Short on bass; Joel Tepp playing clarinet; and Russ Johnson in a variety of roles, support Charlotte's singing and guitar work without being overbearing - a true group effort. Wild Wind is a complete, thoughtful and genuine recording that comes from a true artist. [The CD also features beautiful cover art from the late Brenda Zager] For a night of Real Music, and to get your own copy of Wild Wind, get on down to Conor Byrne on Friday, April 2 for the CD Release Party.

QUESTIONNAIRE! WITH CHARLOTTE THISTLE . . .

WHAT IS YOUR PERFECT IDEA OF HAPPINESS?
Living in Rivendell.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?
Hmmm ..... Eviction?

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MOST OVERRATED VIRTUE?
Tendency to cuss & speak my mind. (Is that a virtue or a sin?)

ON WHAT OCCASIONS DO YOU LIE?
When talking to authority figures.

WHO OR WHAT IS THE GREATEST LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?
The art of dancing.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE WHAT TO COME BACK AS WHAT WOULD IT BE?
??

WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?
A talent for making money.

WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS?
Cowardice.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Long hot showers and baths.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?
Failing to recognize the value of education earlier in my life.

WHICH HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?
Joan of Arc.

WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Ani di Franco.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
My guitar, or my teddy bear. Or my cat,but I'm not sure she ought to count as a 'possession'.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'd have a bachelor's degree.

WHAT IS YOU MOTTO?
Fight to stay independent. Don't make compromises to art or integrity for money.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

To be healthy: eat right, walk right, and talk to yourself right.

May you have love, kindness, and compassion for all living things.

Don't take pride in taking. Give and you will be given virtues.


Learn to be noble, courteous, and committed.

Where there is love, there is no question.

CLASSIC YUMMY

Cheese Pie is a favorite recipe of mine. Easy to make and delicious to eat, it makes an elegant & romantic dinner paired with a nice salad and glass of wine. Cheese Pie also makes an excellent breakfast served with Faux Bacon and Extra Strong Coffee. Best served warm, straight from the oven.

If you can stir and follow directions, you can make Cheese Pie. Here's The Recipe . . .

Butter, for greasing pan

1 Extra Large Egg

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Grated Muenster Cheese

* A Combination of Cheddar & Muenster works well & is extra yummy

Preheat oven to 425. Butter a 9 inch glass pie plate or 10 inch oven proof skillet. In a medium bowl, beat the egg.
Add Flour- Salt - Pepper and 1/2 Cup Milk. Stir until smooth - add remaining 1/2 Cup Milk - Stir to Combine. Add Cheese - Stir to Combine - Then pour into prepared pan. bake until Puffed & Nicely Browned. Cut into Wedges and Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!

ACOUSTIC ECLECTIC

WILLIE NELSON: Willie Nelson will be performing at the Puyallup Fair this year! Show date is September 16. The Puyallup Fair is always a good & happy time. I looove the Fair and it's one of the things I really miss about living in the Seattle area. Farm Animals and Vegetable Displays galore -and, of course, every year there is a GIant Pumpkin! A day with Arts & Crafts, Cinnamon Sugar Elephant Ears, Vintage Rides, The Rodeo, Grilled Onion Burgers [There's a Veggie version!], and the music of Country Legend - Poet - Wanderer & Activist Willie Nelson can't be beat. Wish I could be there! Hope he plays Beer For Horses & Always On My Mind. Willie Nelson & Puyallup Fair

CHARLOTTE THISTLE: Charlotte is releasing her new CD Wild Wind in April and I'm anxiously awaiting an advance copy for review! Wild Wind will be Charlotte's first release since her 2005 effort A Girl With A Guitar. The CD release party will be held on Friday, April 2nd at Conor Byrne. [Conor Byrne is a lively pub in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle that features a decent musical line-up] In the mean time you can catch Charlotte live when she tours the beautiful Oregon Coast. She'll be performing at Artichoke Music in Portland on Friday, March 19 - 7:30 pm and Cafe Mundo in Newport on Friday, April 30 - 8 pm. See what's happening in between: Charlotte Thistle

JOAN BAEZ: I will always love Joan Baez. She is my birthday sister - both of us born on January 9; myself in 1967 and Joan in 1941 - and has been my ideal since I was a young girl. While I was living in New York City I was lucky enough to see a live interview with Joan at the 92nd Street Y. She was interviewed by the esteemed Anthony De Curtis and played several songs; one of which was the Phil Ochs classic There But For Fortune. A few months later I saw Joan perform live at New York's historic Town Hall. Her performance was unbelievably fine and the encore of Diamonds & Rust brought tears to my eyes. Joan is truly a timeless and classic artist and I can only hope I look that good and have that much energy and grace when I reach her age. Currently, Joan Baez is touring Europe and has concert dates in Germany, Spain, and Portugal - Oh you lucky Europeans!. For more information on the tour dates check the website: Joan Baez For those of us Stateside I highly recommend viewing How Sweet The Sound the PBS American Masters biography which spans Joan's career and highlights her wonderful and courageous political activism. She truly is, and should be, an inspiration to us all.

PK DWYER: It's been ten years since PK Dwyer began what he calls his "Blues Odyssey" and he hasn't looked back since. After being inspired by a vision of Jimmy Reed, Dwyer penned - the now classic tune - Up To My Balls In The Blues which became the title track to his 2001 rock-a-billy styled blues release. All of you die-hard PK fans should take note: Up To My Balls . . . is soon to be out of print, so pick up a copy while you still can. PK's whirlwind blues decade produced two more CD's - Blues Guy Now, considered by some to be "a modern blues masterpiece" and the raw & raucous Healed, his best selling CD to date [also almost of of print]. He also criss-crossed the United States and Europe several times on festival and busking tours and has relocated with a trajectory that has taken him from Seattle, Washington to Black Mountain, North Carolina, onto New York City, and currently, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The past year has been tough on Dwyer with the loss of his beloved companion Frankie The Dog, changing Busking Laws forcing a move from NY, and a recent hand injury that, unfortunately, has caused him to cancel the first leg of his Folk Someone You Love tour. Hopefully, some good will come from the adversity with more witty and inspired Dwyer blues tunes. Keep up with The Dwyer Family Circus here: PK Dwyer

RAMBLIN' JACK ELLIOT: Quite a few years ago now there were a few events that happened in quick succession and had a profound effect on me; cementing my feet forever in what I call "My World of Folkdom" . . . #1. I met the man who is now my beloved husband, PK Dwyer, and learned all he had to teach me regarding music history & folk music in particular. #2. I had the great honor and privilege to share a meal with the late, great Dave Van Ronk - and see one of his last concerts at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle. And #3. I discovered another musical treasure and inspiration: Ramblin' Jack Elliot. I came to know of Ramblin' Jack via a documentary that was made by his daughter entitled The Balld of Ramblin Jack. One of the original roving troubadours, Ramblin' Jack has been an influence on many a great artist. Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and The Rolling Stones are to name just a few. He is with out question the real deal; running away from home as teenager to join a circus rodeo and learning to play guitar from cowboys around the campfire. He later met, traveled, lived with, and performed with Woody Guthrie and in the 1970's was part of The Rolling Thunder Revue with Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Now approaching 80 Jack is still out on the road performing and he was awarded a 2010 Grammy forA Stranger Here - Best Traditional Blues Recording. His life of travel and music is a testament to the American Troubadour, making the most of what life has to offer, whether it may be hard times or good fortune.

RECENTLY I . . .

Moved from New York City to Albuquerque, New Mexico

Started to love the silver streaks in my hair

Rented a cute bungalow

Found out I'm allergic to Goji Berries

Stabbed myself in the hand with a knife . . . Accidentally, of course

Fell in love with my husband all over again

Adopted a dog named Lazy from the local Animal Shelter

Bought furniture and groceries from Wal Mart

Started drinking Detox Tea everyday

Found out Texas really isn't all that bad

Started going to bed at a reasonable hour

PK DWYER: TIMELESS TROUBADOUR

After living a fairly settled life in the Seattle area for about ten years, PK Dwyer left life in the Pacific Northwest in 2005 and took his boisterous brand of roots & blues on a coffeehouse tour of the Southeast and a pilgrimage to the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

'I wanted to soak up those vibes' says Dwyer. 'I was lucky enough to see Mary Jane Queen and her family in a really small venue in Black Mountain. They were just this amazing family of finger pickers and fiddlers. It was like the stereo-typical mountain music experience brought to life. My wife & I lived in Black Mountain, NC for about 6 months and had a good time there touring around & busking some. We met some nice folks there but people seemed mostly into the traditional folk & bluegrass thing. I felt like I was just a little too weird for the environment - musically speaking - so we decided to head to New York City and I've been busking my ass off in New York for about four years now'.

Deciding it really is time for change PK prepares to take what some would call another erratic turn with a move to Albuquerque, NM in April of 2010.

'Up until the last year or so New York has been real good to me but with the downturn of the economy and the city officials deciding to come down on buskers it's gotten hard for my wife & I to make it here' says Dwyer. 'My wife Carol has a bug in her head about Albuquerque and New Mexico in general - she's really into folk art and has always wanted to live there so I said Sure, why not? I've really started to miss playing festivals and clubs & traveling around & having those different experiences. I'm anxious to be out on the road again!'

Dwyer & Co. plan to hit the road in mid April 2010 with the Folk Someone You Love Tour - aka The Folk Everybody! Tour - which will include busking stops, folk festivals, and coffeehouses. Check Dwyer's website www.pkdwyer.com for his up-coming itinerary.

QUESTIONNAIRE! WITH PK DWYER . . .

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?
To lose my family.

WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Roy Bookbinder!

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Harmonicas, Harmonicas, Harmonicas . . .

ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE?
Unimportant ones . . .

WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU HAPPIEST?
May 29, 2000 - the day I fell in love with my future wife Carol.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Supporting myself as a musician and my marriage.

WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?
To speak French fluently.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HERO OF FICTION?
Flashman.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
My song catalouge.

WHAT OR WHO IS THE GREATEST LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?
My wife Carol.

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES IN REAL LIFE?
Frankie The Dog.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND?
Hopeful.


WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Generosity.

WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS?
Hypocrisy.

WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS THE LOWEST DEPTH OF MISERY?
There are so many things . . .

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Be Here Now & Don't Be Late!


photo credit - Rod Goodman