Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 2, February 2004
Copyright 2004 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article below in your research. Be sure to cite the Seattle Sun as your source.
LIVE FROM NORTH SEATTLE:
Folk music concert series
showcases local performers
By CLAYTON PARK
Wedgwood singer/songwriter Wes Weddell gained considerable attention in 2001 when, as a student at the University of Washington, he became the school's first Mary Gates Venture Scholar.
The grant he received that year allowed him to spend 65 days during the spring quarter traveling throughout the state to learn about the histories of various communities and chronicle them in the form of folk songs for a school project. He produced a total of nine songs, which he recorded and released as a CD titled "My Northwest Home."
The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, who plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica, continues to write songs and perform, but now he's taken on a new challenge:
Organizing and hosting a monthly acoustic music concert series featuring local performers. The concerts are held on the second Friday of every month, beginning at 7:30 p.m., at the Meadowbrook Community Center, located at 10517 35th Ave. NE.
On Feb. 13, the concert will showcase the talents of three solo performers: Reggie Garrett, a singer/songwriter from the Crown Hill neighborhood whose style has been described by a national magazine as "urban acoustic folk-soul"; Michael Guthrie, a "multi-instrumental troubadour" from the Maple Leaf neighborhood who pens his own tunes in a folksy style that incorporates jazz and blues (for details, visit www.moorafa.com); and Bob Antone, a singer/songwriter from North Bend who plays fiddle and guitar.
Admission to the concerts are a suggested donation of $5 to $10.Weddell, who occasionally sits in as a guest accompanist at the shows, said the goal of the concert series isn't to promote himself and his music, but rather to provide an affordable, family friendly, smoke-free venue that can showcase the talents of local acoustic musicians.
"I thought, wouldn't it be great if there was a place here for families to be able to come out, not necessarily to see stars, but to hear live music, to be around it, have it accessible financially, and where they can bring their kids," says Weddell. At the same time, the concerts provide an audience for local musicians who don't have enough quality venues in which to perform, he says.
The Meadowbrook Community Center folk concert series kicked off last September. The inaugural season will conclude in June.
Weddell chose to hold the concerts at the community center in part because, up until recently, he worked there as a staff member. He recently began a new job as a special enrichment teacher at the Pacific Science Center, but continues to help out part-time at Meadowbrook, both as a guitar instructor and an assistant coach for a basketball team that plays in a youth league for 11-year-olds.
The community center donates the use of its multi-purpose room. "They're excited to bring more people in as well," said Weddell. "It's a little outside their normal range of programming."
A local eatery, the Grateful Bread in Wedgwood, donates coffee as well as pastries at a discounted price. Even the sound system is donated courtesy of local musician Chris Glanister, who also volunteers his time as the resident sound technician.
The concerts have been drawing an average of about 40 people from a wide range of ages, including families with young children.
Weddell publicizes the concerts by sending notices to PTA bulletins at nearby schools, community council newsletters, such as the Wedgwood Echo, as well as local community newspapers.
He's even formed a state-certified nonprofit organization to oversee the concert series. Its board of directors includes Weddell, Glanister, Jessica Reuling (Weddell's girlfriend), veteran folksinger Jon Pfaff, a Sand Point area resident who currently plays in a band called Halibutt. "Our meetings tend to be at the Wedgwood Ale House after each show," Weddell says.
The next step for the group is to apply for tax-exempt status. "I have to fill out more paperwork," he says.
Weddell said the concert series features a wide range of acoustic music acts, who perform everything from Celtic music to bluegrass, jazz and blues, in addition to folk.
The current season is completely booked, and Weddell says he has already received enough submissions from other local musicians to fill all of next season, although he adds: "I'm trying not to get ahead of myself."
"My CD changer (at home) these days tends to be filled by submissions by local musicians. I listen to each one," he says.
As for Weddell's own music, he says he will be performing in San Diego and in Leavenworth in February. Those interested in purchasing Weddell's CD can do so via his Web site: www.wesweddell.com/ps.html.
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Reggie Garrett is a veteran of the Seattle music scene who performs both as a solo artist as well as in a duo with multi-instrumentalist Gary Westcott, and with a full band as Reggie Garrett and the Snake Oil Peddlers.
"My music is a mix of everything in the world that I like: salsa, rock 'n roll, folk, blues, jazz and country," says Garrett.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Garrett moved here 20 years ago and quickly fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. "I can't imagine being anywhere else," he says.
Garrett spent several years as a full-time musician, but these days he also holds a "day job" as an instructor at a private school and is taking classes at Antioch University to earn a teaching certificate to become a high school teacher. He is married to Linda Neahry, a psychotherapist who has her own private practice.
Garrett, who has recorded four albums to date (including a collaboration with Westcott), is starting to plan his next CD, but doesn't have a set timetable for its release.
For more information about Garrett's upcoming gigs or to order his CDs, go to www.garrettandwestcott.com on the Web.