Wes Weddell is a Seattle based singer/songwriter who did a House Concert here in Oysterville a few years back. Performing Songwriter Magazine defined his style as “folk meets rockabilly meets lonesome cowboy waltzes.” To the ‘singer/songwriter’ designation, I would add “storyteller/historian.”
At the time he was here, his most recent CD (he’s done several since) was My Northwest Home. It was based upon stories he had collected on a 65-day story-gathering tour through the back roads of Washington. The University of Washington-sponsored project earned him the Mary Gates Venture Fellowship and planted some deep roots for Wes in the Seattle music community.
Wes will be coming back to Oysterville in March of 2013. While we were trying to work out the date, he told me about another of his interesting ventures – “The Bushwick Book Club Seattle.” Each month a revolving-door cast of songwriters read an assigned book, write songs inspired by it, and then perform them.
His digital album, “The Bushwick Book Club Demos, Vol I” includes selections from a list varied enough to pique the interest of any book club fancier: “Not Enough” (Slaughterhouse-Five), “Edmund Gets Served” (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe), “Dr. Eternal” (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court), “To Have and To Hold” (The Time Traveler’s Wife). More information can be found at
www.victorymusic.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1258:bushw
According to Wes, the idea originated in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn hence the name. Geoff Larson, a local jazz musician (and brother of my cellist), brought the idea here after taking in a show when he lived in NY for a spell – he rightly thought that this town would really take to it. There’s also a Sacramento chapter, but they haven’t put on any shows yet.
March 2013 seems a very long way off and no telling what new stories and ideas Wes will have for us by then. Meanwhile, on May 12th of this year, he’s giving a song-writing workshop in Portland with Nancy K. Dillon and our good friend Larry Murante. Very tempting… but I’m wondering if writing song lyrics would be too steep a learning curve, especially considering my tin ear.
It is wonderful to have things to look forward to, even a year in advance, so keep us posted on the date! Hopefully Dave will make this one!