Monday, December 27, 2010

End-of-Year News Tidbits

A few scattered notes as 2010 winds to a close--thanks to everyone who had a hand in this year's successes!!

-By the Side of the Lake appears on KBCS DJ Larry Lewin's list of best recordings from 2010 and the Wildy's World music blog's Top 60 Albums of 2010 (#23: you may recall the glowing review from earlier in the year), capping a nice run of airwave and cyberspace successes for the new disc (many highlights in the Press-Kit section at www.wesweddell.com). 'Lake' also sneaked (snuck?) back onto the Washington State Roots Music Report charts this month.

-Seattle's flagship NPR station, KUOW, has been featuring "Not Enough" (audio/video), one of my Bushwick Book Club songs, in a recent segment.


-And, sadly, the scheduled January 8, 2011, performance at Isadora's in Snoqualmie, WA, is canceled on account of the venue closing its doors effective January 1.


Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Seattle, WA: Can*Can - Bushwick Book Club (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)

These are just too much fun. If you've forgotten the premise: The Bushwick Book Club songwriters read book, then give show of original songs inspired by book. This month's offering, back at the Groovy Can*Can: C.S. Lewis' second Chronicle of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (If you missed October's Slaughterhouse-Five throwdown, recap here. And thanks to KUOW 94.9-FM NPR for the week-long plugs!) And my particular angle: Turkish Delight is, in my songwriter-humble opinion, gross. (Working title: "Edmund Gets Served.")

What makes these shows really tick, aside from the diverse talents and touches of each participant, is that they read as one big, fun show--not a jumbled, overcooked in-the-round, but one quirky, goofy-but-sincere celebration of literature, music, and art. Check your reputation at door, and jump in the middle. Can't wait for next month: Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.