Last year my friend Kim Taylor decided to make her mom's Christmas present, which was a CD of her singing, plus a few songs from her friends thrown in the mix too. Kim's mother's nickname is "Boozy"... and so 2008 was the year of "The Boozy Sessions."

Several times in the summer and fall, we all gathered in our friend Tim's basement studio to record the old-fashioned way -- everyone in the same room, players and singers recording at the same time. Sometimes one take; sometimes many takes because of the uncontrollable laughter when doing old "Hee Haw" songs we all remembered. ("Where oh where are you tonight, why did you leave me here all alone...")

Kim asked everyone to pick a song to sing; I chose one of my all-time faves, "My Love." That's the extremely talented Bobby Hamrick on guitar. Bobby has a new CD called Stranded that everyone should own.

Kim doesn't have a MySpace music page yet. I hope 2009 will be the year she finally shares some of her songs! Her voice is too beautiful not to be heard by the masses. Well actually you can hear a song or two of hers from "The Boozy Sessions" on Tim's page. That's Kim singing "Up to the Mountain." It brings me to tears every time I hear it.

Okay, enough crying. I hope your 2009 is off to a great start! As always, thank you for supporting my music!
Love,
Wendy

Hi Friends,
I wanted to let you know about a CD that just came out, called Before the Goldrush. It's a compilation of cover songs from the late '60s-late '70s era. I'm thrilled to be on it, singing the Fleetwood Mac gem, "Songbird." Also on it are some of my favorite artists, including Neko Case and The Swell Season.

All profits go to the wonderful organization Teach For America (more on that later in this blog). In reading about Teach For America's mission, I started thinking about some of my favorite teachers and the ways in which they shaped me.

When I was growing up in North Carolina, I was a shy girl who could usually be found listening to music, studying lyrics or reading a book (or pretending I was Wonder Woman…but that is another story). I'll always be grateful to a very special elementary school teacher named Louella Caison, who noticed my love of reading and encouraged me to write stories of my own. Later, I was positively influenced by my Social Studies teacher, Max Lanier, who used his wacky sense of humor to capture and hold the attention of 7th graders (an impressive feat!), proving that learning and laughter can co-exist.

I'll never forget my high school English teacher, Sue Thomas – a petite woman who could stop any nonsense with one stern glance – and whose essay tests always pushed me to be better. I also had the good fortune of being taught U.S. History by Claude Tate, whose passion for teaching was as strong as his desire for us to question everything. I'm sure there were days when Mr. Tate (and all of these teachers I mentioned) wondered if anyone was listening. For what it's worth – I was, and I'd like to say thank you for teaching me.

Last but certainly not least, one of my favorite teachers is one of my best friends from back home. Sylvia Davis taught in the classroom for 16 years and she's now the K-5 Lead Teacher at Southmont Elementary School. Sylvia's dedication to education is another reason why I am honored to be on Before the Goldrush.

I want to give a special shout-out and thanks to Doug Kahan, who produced my version of "Songbird" and played every instrument on the track. For more on Doug, click on his photo in my top friends on MySpace. He's one talented guy and I'm lucky to know him.

Before The Goldrush is a digital-only release, available now on Amazon.com, with other music e-tailers to follow. Click here to buy it! For more information about Teach for America, visit their site. Thanks to Gary Guthrie at anestofeggs.com for creating this project – and thank you for supporting teachers!

Wendy

Hi Friends,

EXCITING NEWS -- I'm featured on the new country section of AOL called "The Boot!" Click here to see it, or if you need the link, here ya go:

 http://www.theboot.com/2008/06/05/ourstage-snapshot-wendy-newcomer/

 

Also check out these other AOL-related pages that are featuring my music:

Featured OurStage artist (scroll down, I'm in the right margin)

Featured artist in the Country Videos hub

 

A HUGE thank you to Alyssa and Ashley at OurStage, Beville at AOL and Brian at UMG for giving me this wonderful exposure!

 

More news to come…

Wendy

Hi Friends,

Just got back from MerleFest yesterday. What a trip! In my previous blog, I mentioned I was a finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (country category), which is part of MerleFest. And now I'm thrilled to report that my song, "Runaround," was one of the winners! What an incredible honor to be a part of such a wonderful festival.

My good friend, John Griffin, came with me and played guitar and sang harmony. We had a great time at the festival, seeing some of the best in Americana, country, bluegrass and folk music, eating, laughing, hanging out with our families, meeting new friends and catching up with old friends. Performing on the Cabin Stage Friday night was a dream come true.

Here's a rundown of my personal MerleFest faves: Rhonda Vincent (truly a great singer) & her band, the Rage; Donna the Buffalo w/Jim Lauderdale (unfortunately a monster thunderstorm stopped the show and drove the massive crowd down the hillside to seek shelter); the Carolina Chocolate Drops (who did an awesome string band version of Blue Cantrell's song, "Hit 'Em Up Style"); Levon Helm & the Ramble on the Road show (I love him sooooo much); the Avett Brothers; Ollabelle; Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet (featuring my talented friend Rickie Simpkins); the John Cowan Band; and many more.

Thanks to the folks at MerleFest and everyone associated with the contest. They gave all of us finalists the star treatment. Thanks to Jim Lauderdale and ASCAP's Dan Keen for giving everyone a couple of very inspiring pep talks. It's heartwarming to know there are folks like Jim and Dan in the music business who truly care about music and songwriters.

Check back soon for MerleFest photos. Next up for me is a set at Fuel in Nashville on May 8 at 7 p.m. If you're in town, please come to the show and say hello!
Love,

Wendy
P.S. Check out the other 2 MerleFest country finalists, Jaimi Shuey & Sean Patrick McGraw, and their fine songs!

 

One week from now I'll be in Wilkesboro, NC at MerleFest. I am SO VERY EXCITED (hence the capital letters).

 

I first went to MerleFest in 1994 and saw some of my favorite artists, including Shawn Colvin and Tony Rice.  I saw the entire audience go wild when Junior Brown performed. Minutes after his set was over, he'd sold every last one of his CDs. That was the spring before I moved to Nashville. I'll never forget the inspiration I received from attending MerleFest.

 

I always dreamed of one day getting to perform there—and now I am, as a finalist in the country category of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (a part of the festival. For more info about the festival, check out merlefest.org).

 

In other news, the song "Going 'Til You're Gone" from my latest album will be on the King Easy Radio Sampler—a CD that goes out to over 1000 Americana/Folk/Roots Music programs in North America. Other artists on the CD include Daniel Lanois, Natalie Merchant, Matt King and Dan Tyler, just to name a few.

 

I'm told the stations will get the CD in May, so please let me know if you happen to hear it on a station in your area. Also, if you know of  a station that I should send my CD to, please let me know.

 

In other music news…I recently stumbled upon the music of John Martyn. I am floored at how great this man is. The writing, the singing, the playing--it's soooo wonderful. I've been listening to him nearly non-stop for the past 2 weeks. He's been making records since 1967, so I'm a little behind in my discovery. But better late than never! If you don't know who he is, please check out his website, johnmartyn.com, and buy his music!

The life of an indie artist is often filled with highs and lows. No fancy tour buses, no manager or booking agent or promotion team…just a singer/songwriter struggling to get some music "out there," wherever that is. Well for me, "out there" was in two very different places this week.

On Tuesday morning…quite early…my cell phone rang. My good friend John Griffin woke me up with the happy news that myxertones.com had made the ringtone for my song, "Too Much Vodka" (co-written with the talented Larry Wayne Clark) their Pick of the Day. Apparently lots of people can relate to having a little too much…and paying for it the next day with a splitting headache and fuzzy memories of the night before. Cheers!

The exposure and publicity I received from that was a real blessing. Additionally, I really appreciated the way they described the song. Excellent writing, myxertones.com!

Then on Wednesday I received an e-mail from my MySpace friend Phil Chandler in Airdrie, Scotland. Phil, I hope you don’t mind if I repeat it here in this blog:

HI WENDY,
"TOO MUCH VODKA" WAS MY RECORD OF THE WEEK, LAST WEEK, AT MY DJ NIGHT HERE IN AIRDRIE, SCOTLAND. EVERYONE LOVES IT, AND THEY’RE LEARNING THE WORDS TO SING-A-LONG IN FUTURE WEEKS WHEN WE PLAY IT.
I LOVE THE WHOLE ALBUM TOO.
LOVE AND BEST WISHES
PHIL CHANDLER.

I can’t tell you how much this one e-mail meant to me. To think that a bar full of people in Scotland are singing along to a song that I co-wrote is such a beautiful, warm feeling. I could get really corny and ramble on forever about how much I appreciate Phil and everyone in that bar…but I would most likely embarrass myself. So Phil, let me just say that you are an angel, and I hope one day I am able to come to your bar in Airdrie, Scotland and sing that song in person!

God bless Phil and Myxertones and everyone who has ever bought a CD of mine!

Love,

Wendy

Hi Friends,

Just wanted to let you know that my March 6 show at Douglas Corner has been postponed. Brigitte London from Spirit of the Outlaws says they are postponing their monthly shows at Douglas Corner but they will resume in the fall.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm singing with Jimmy Barret this Tuesday night, February 26 at 9 p.m. at the Cadillac Ranch in Nashville. Come out and say hi!

Wendy

Hi Friends,

I wanted to let y'all know about an article that was recently posted on the music blog Idolator. It's called "Woman Enough" and it mentions my version of the Roly Salley song, "Killing the Blues." If you've ever been to one of my shows, you've probably heard me singing this beautiful song. I've loved it for years and when I recorded my latest CD, I knew it had to be on there.

Click here to read the article!

Extra special thanks to writer Chris Neal for including me. It is a HUGE honor to be on the same list as Dolly Parton and Lori McKenna!

Thanks to everyone for your continued support of my music.
Love,
Wendy
P.S. If you don't have a copy of my latest CD but would like to, here are 2 easy ways to get it  :)
CD Baby
iTunes

 

Hi Friends,

My super-talented cousin, Lisa Klingensmith, recently shot some footage of my August 21 performance at Cadillac Ranch in Nashville at the Billy Block Show (formerly Western Beat). Here's a live version "Too Much Vodka"...a true tale of what happened when a two-drink maximum girl went well over her limit in a New Orleans bar:

For those who don't know Lisa, here's the CliffsNotes version: She recently moved to Nashville, enrolled in Belmont University and is taking the music business by storm! There is nothing she can't do. Back in PA, she booked bands, promoted shows and created music videos. In Music City, she's still doing some of that...but I'm convinced that one day, she will be running the music business. Whatever she does, she does it well. Thanks Lisa, for posting the video!

Wendy

I have just seen the movie "Crazy Love." I am still stunned. It's a true story. I've never seen anything like it before. Intrigued?

Here's the trailer:  Crazy Love

If you're in Nashville, I believe it's playing through this weekend at the Belcourt Theater. If you're outside Music City, find the nearest theater that supports indie films and request it. You MUST go see it!