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| "Miracle Girl" from the Alps to California...and back!
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Posted: Jul 2, 2008
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My dear friends...how are you?? I hope this note finds everyone well and enjoying the summer!
I'm pleased to announce: My new CD "MIRACLE GIRL" is ready for release!!
PLEASE COME TO MY CD-RELEASE SHOW on July 10th in Santa Monica, CA!! (details below)
Hey everyone! I have just returned from 5 weeks perfectly spent in Switzerland, playing music at "Stublibar" - a lively and loved, wooden ski-bar in the Swiss Alps! I played 6 nights a week in a vibrant, crowded, smoky, oft-crazy bar. it was an absolute blast, on occasion quite a challenge, and really a privilege and pleasure. this place became special to me.
what i learned:
~ 60+ cover songs including favorites: Country Roads by John Denver, Sweet Home Alabama, Hotel California... also Me and Bobby McGee, Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and Walk the Line were huge, and Bob Marley's Three Little Birds brought down the house. Those songs cured all in the Stublibar. They also loved my new songs Ten~Four, and Dreams Bring Me Down... Lover From Last Summer, Saturated, and Move On! (Self-Righteous S.O.B. was a little too aggro for them: methinks something was lost in translation -- they didn't get the tongue in cheek of it). :)
~ that the young men there love to stand on tables, dance, and take their clothes off - with no financial incentive!
~ that 2am is still early in the evening.
~ that Sambuca shots work great as a throat-soother.
~ that drinking beer and champagne while singing makes me burp a lot. not convenient.
~ that my fingertips have an endless supply of calluses for my calluses.
~ that the cigarette smoke smell eventually comes out of the wood of my guitar if i let my guitar air out long enough.
~that it is okay to shove a large, toothless, drunk man off of my stage - he most likely will not get hurt.
~ that it is perfectly acceptable to dismount from my stage by stepping over onto the bar and walking down the bar-top over beers and patrons (instead of the more commonly used method of - using the floor).
~ that i could make a new family of friends in a small, after-ski dive bar in Switzerland!
having said all that - i am going back next month!! but before i go...
MY NEW CD "MIRACLE GIRL" IS READY FOR ONE AND ALL!!
PLEASE COME TO MY CD-RELEASE SHOW!!
THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2008, 8PM @
SANTA MONICA BAR & GRILLE
3321 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, California, 90405
with Billy Watts by my side on electric guitar!
(cross street is just west of Centinela, near the 10 fwy)
(310) 453-5001
www.smbgrocks.com
free show!
PLEASE COME - i look forward to playing the songs for y'all, and to seeing your beautiful faces - it will be my last opportunity to see many and most of you for a long time! SO LET'S PARTY!!!
and - I am thrilled to celebrate the release of my new CD "Miracle Girl"** - my latest collection of songs of Love and Brotherhood. Conceived in late 2007, then recorded and birthed all within 5 weeks total gestation period in April/May 2008.
**With my favorite playmates: David Raven producing and on drums, Billy Watts playing tasty-good guitars, and Taras Prodaniuk making it stick with his perfect bass lines. Additional production and special musical appearance by Daniel Nahmod. Photography and design by Beth.
with huge Love and appreciation for your talents, enthusiasm, Love and support all these years!!
happy independence day!!
xoxo
beth
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| the latest from St. Moritz Switzerland, and my current Set List...
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Posted: May 29, 2008
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My gigs at the Stublibar in St. Moritz Switzerland are going great. i am loving it, even though it is taxing on my voice and sometimes my energy. many interesting people passing through town, then the locals are there almost every night, and almost every night they get wild and crazy. i have learned soooo many songs - more than i learned in the states. i have a couple of regulars now that i let get up on stage with me and sing... a young man, Sandro, likes to sing Nirvana with me, and the young and beautiful Christine likes to sing Country Roads. everyone sings along, it is hysterical! and now, on a couple of different nights, when i take my break and the bartender plays deejay, the men get up on the tables and take their clothes off - two nights now of very nearly naked hot guys dancing on the tables!!
lucky me, i had my camera on one of those nights...
if i accepted all the drinks people are trying to buy for me i would be sloshed every night. instead i drink my tea with lemon, and water with lime and fresh orange for my voice... and when my sweetheart comes in when his work is through, i sit with him on my break and have a beer or sambuca.
he is the most amazing man, we share a beautiful and powerful connection... it's like we have known each other before and before. i am a lucky woman. we have taken long walks - around the lake to another little lake in the woods...long talks. he is swiss - he is teaching me some swiss-german, and i teach him more english, though he speaks four languages or more. he is very well spoken and runs deep, has some strong and interesting beliefs, great at expressing himself. it is a special time...
okay - back to the bar and my gigs... of course i play my original songs, to which the people are now singing along with somewhat - they actually request Saturated, Move On, and Lover From Last Summer... my S.O.B. song does not go over as well, maybe too aggressive and too many negative name callings...not as much animosity here among the sexes. :)
So then, alles gut...
Here is my current Cover Song set list - it's so much fun!
Tom Petty - american girl, runnin down a dream, a face in the crowd, free fallin, learning to fly
Blind Faith - well all right
Johnny Cash - ring of fire, walk the line
Lucinda Williams - greenville, drunken angel, something about what happens when we talk, right in time, can't let go, still i long for your kiss
Van Morrison - wild night, crazy love, brown eyed girl
Bob Dylan - knocking on heaven's door
Rolling Stones - wild horses
Lynyrd Skynyrd - sweet home alabama
John Denver - country roads, annie's song
The Clash - should i stay or should i go
AC/DC - you shook me all night long
Janis Joplin - me and bobby mcgee, mercedes benz (a capella)
Dusty Springfield - son of a preacher man
Tracy Chapman - talkin' bout a revolution
Cranberries - linger
Aretha Franklin - natural woman
Oasis - wonderwall
Nirvana - come as you are
Pink Floyd - wish you were here
Eagles - hotel california
it's a blast... i am learning so much. as i said, i am lucky. i Love the life i have created and found here in the Alps.
Peace and Music,
beth
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| update from Der Schweiz
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Posted: May 17, 2008
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hello Loves...
thanks so much to all of you who have written to me. great to hear from you.
to answer a FAQ - the weather is about 60 degrees daily so far, varying from drizzly rain to sunny and lovely. hopefully it will just get nicer as the season progresses. nights are cold... but clear usually.
walked home from my gig last night - yes, at 2:30am - and enjoyed the solitude, quiet, with waterfalls coming down the hills in between houses. wow. it is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment to my gig at the hotel.
last night was my first night playing and it was fun, and hard at the same time. the cig smoke was tough. it did not bother me too much at the time, but could not get to sleep even after a nice hot shower at 3am... could still smell the smoke - probably in my mind, but... so, did not sleep much last night. there were many appreciative listeners at the show last night, and also many appreciative drunk men. it was my first night, did i mention that? the big crowd pleaser is john denver's 'country roads' - i had them all singing along!
things to note...
i thought my guitar had a problem - a rattling sound. turns out it was a piece of chocolate chip cookie inside of it. who knows how that got there. :)
met the italian musician, glauco mason, who finished in the stublibar the night before i began. very nice man, does mostly cover songs in his heavy italian accent. we talked over dinner here at the hotel. talked about music, romance, his family, my family - got along great. but now he has gone back to italy (2 hour drive for him). but before he left, he was kind enough to show me the set up of the sound system, and he also has lent me his music stand which i badly needed - in exchange for my CDs... and what he also decided was fair exchange, when i took my outer sweater off, he exclaimed "nice a-teets!" and gently pushed me against the wall and put his tongue in my mouth. those italian men are the same everywhere. i guess he took it to heart when i said i am the kind of woman who prefers the man to make the move, when we were talking about gender roles. i did not mean him!! too funny. all is well, he is gone.
i see lots of people walking their dogs - the dogs bodies are quite full sized, long hair with full buttleruffs (the term my friend kevin created for the hair - or not - that hangs down past the dogs butt at the back legs), but all the dogs have tiny little stumpy legs!! what gives? i would have thought that for a wealthy ski resort village i would see more purebreds, less mutts. have only seen one cat so far - hope to see more. no homeless cats here like there are in Rome. good for the kitties...
lots of birds chirping constantly.
the meals i am being served here at hotel schweizerhof are incredible. five course meals every night, delicious wines and coffee... very fine dining...i mean, it is perfect food - and not too much, like the crazy american portions! the table is set with at least 8 pieces of silverware for me. good thing my dad taught me to work from the outside of the table settings, inward. i am trying to at least appear cultured and european. i am being treated very well by the wait-staff - they are super sweet and fun.
my fave is 23 year old daniel... who placed my perfectly cooked, beatifully displayed pike-perch (fish) meal in front of me last night and said to me "i have found nemo". :)
my apartment - i am liking it. it is home for now. big rip-tear on the ceiling in one spot... strange. but from my bed, lying down, it appears to be a giant heart. so that is nice.
okay, gotta go get outside today and get as much oxygen (at 6000 feet here in the village) as i can before i breathe in tonight's dose of poison.
i Love you guys - how are YOU??
xo
beth
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| Miracle Girl heads to Switzerland!
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Posted: May 11, 2008
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so, my to-do list has been head-spinning...
i am leaving for switzerland this tuesday, may 13 - for 5 weeks. my friend jordan got me a gig over there, in st. moritz, playing solo at a lovely hotel 6 nights a week for 4 1/2 weeks! i've never been, and how lucky i am. very cool.
so, i realized i needed to record more music, and take it with me on the road (or in the air and the alps, as it were)...
so, enter Miracle Girl, my new 10-song CD!! i am Blessed once again to have some of THE finest musicians in los angeles, nay, the world, on my new record. david raven producing, engineering, drumming... billy watts playing electric and lap steel guitar. taras prodaniuk playing bass.
my new CD - Miracle Girl - was essentially recorded in four weeks time, i designed the artwork and layout (so have mercy), and it is right now in manufacturing. i'll receive them in switzerland next week, then when i come back (if and when) to california, i'll have a bunch more... so, watch for a CD release gig and celebration in so-cal this summer!
i am going to try to get some of the new songs up and into the website here today... here goes nothin'!
thank you for reading, for caring, for sharing... just thank you for your support and your Love. i can feel it from here, right now...
Love ~ beth
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| singing to a stranger
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Posted: April 29, 2008
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i was heading home late last night after a recording session with david raven, in hollywood. i was stopped in my car for some time at a red light. a homeless man - or a broke one, out at 2am hoping for money from any single soul - was just outside my window, standing around at the stoplight. he smiled, waved, asked for money, called me pretty lady... i think i had about $3 in my wallet, and honestly, after giving a dollar every week to j.r. near my post office, i just was not in the mood. instead i rolled down the window and began singing to him. i was listening to Lucinda Williams' CD, "West" -- the song "Learning to Live". so i crooned to the man who looked handsome under his dirt and rags. i sang, "i'm learning how...to live....without you...in my life". he said, "me too, beautiful." me (singing): "i made the best...of what you had to give..." he: "i got nothin' to give you sweetheart." me: "all i have left...is this dimestore ring." him: "lemme see it, is it worth anything?" me: "i'm learning how....to live." he: "me too and you just warmed my heart."
...mine too. we connected and it had nothing to do with money.
people are so human underneath their "inhumanity". the more civilized folk are often the more assholized ones.
Love and Peace ~ bw
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| retreat, resurface, and sing!
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Posted: Mar 4, 2008
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hello Love, thanks for reading...
i'm just back from 10 days in beautiful Moab, Utah - Arches National Park - where i participated in a musical, spiritual, hiking, intro-and-outro-spective retreat hosted by my friend, singer/songwriter Daniel Nahmod. i was immersed in the millions of years-old natural beauty of the near-gravity-defying red rocks and arches, slot canyons, off the beaten path trails, the colorado river, pristine snow, lively streams, lovely deer, gazillions of stars... all topped with whipped cream clouds and a full-moon-eclipse-cherry. the experience was awe-inspiring and utterly breathtaking. and though words cannot truly describe it, i am obviously not at a loss for them...
the retreat went really, really well. it was a privilege to be there with the many lovely and truly awesome people. we engaged in life-changing conversations, sang, danced, laughed... went for several intense and invigorating hikes - one through "fiery furnace" in Arches Nat'l Park... it was exquisite, filled with ancient, timeless beauty, standing on 150,000,000 year old red clay soil - beheld 1000 year old juniper trees...and a 7,000,000 pound balanced rock. made me feel like a weightless baby next to them.
i soaked in all the breathtaking beauty around me, journaled a lot and quietly played my guitar every night before bed...
working on, for myself, releasing my attachment to hope that 'things', and people, will make me happy, and looking at letting go of my fears of being unappreciated... i am feeling the sweet release of attachments and... just let what comes to me, come to me...
seems easy, but it can be elusive. it is simple, but it takes practice. so i'm practicing.
now i'm home in sunny santa monica, california -- and moving forward in my life with refreshed appreciation.
and although i could easily move to Utah and become a hiking guide and bus driver, i will next play some shows in california and see how that feels.
with Love,
beth
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| guaranteed anti-depressant!!
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Posted: Jan 2, 2008
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oh my gosh!!! if you are feeling at all down... just listen to The Police - "Canary in a Coalmine" (off of Zenyatta Mondatta). it works unbelievably - hidden, magical endorphins within the music... then chase it down with "When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around". my suggestion, turn it up AS LOUD AS YOU CAN STAND IT! and concentrate on Sting's basslines... :) music is the food.... Peace out. beth
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| January One
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Posted: Jan 1, 2008
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once again it is a new year...filled with promise, excitement, beauty seen and unexpected, music, Love, laughter... my intention for this year is to express fully - to do, write, and sing everything i was meant to be, to express, to communicate. i commit myself to putting mindful and whole-hearted effort into my callings - my music, my art, my relationships...and to continue taking care of my body and my mind and soul... my commitment is to let myself, my Love-filled heart, dance ahead through life, and to shine my light as brilliantly as i can possibly shine it!
if i am holding onto anything that doesn't serve my commitments...please may i let it all go, and let myself flow into the biggest Love i've ever known...the Love that is inside of me.
i am indeed grateful for this day...i am truly grateful for this moment. it is a gift. i am most fortunate...
"ring out the old, ring in the new, ring, happy bells, across the snow: the year is going, let him go; ring out the false, ring in the true." - alfred lord tennyson.
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| thanksflowing...
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Posted: Nov 19, 2007
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happy thanksgiving to all who are reading this, and to all who are not. many Blessings are wished for you...
i know i am Love, i know i am Loved...i know i am growing as long as i'm flowing...in the giving of thanks, in the giving of breath and Love, i am flowing and growing.
i am so grateful for my family, for my friends, for the Love in my heart...for my creative abilities, communicative power, for music, for flowers, for food, for my body, especially my body - it makes all those other things possible.
happy thanksgiving with Love and Peace.
~beth
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| Music + Art
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Posted: Nov 3, 2007
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hey friends,
it's been some time since i've written, even with so very much on my mind, in my heart, through my eyes and ears...
mostly i've been so very busy - with music, with photography, work and play, with friends, family, alone time, silence, busyness, chaos.
i've been taking more time to reflect and meditate, i'm finding it's Peaceful time out of mind and helps me to stay in Love with my life and all the people coming in and out of it.
this coming monday evening, november 5th, i have the privilege of playing some music and showing my artwork at the elegant Air Conditioned Lounge in Santa Monica...details are in my 'shows' section. please come and enjoy the evening with me and many talented local artists and friends...hope to see you there.
i wish all to be well in your world - drop me a line and say hi...
Peace, Love,
beth
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| my goodness!
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Posted: Jul 12, 2007
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hello dears,
holy smokes! (is that an oxymoron? no...maybe not). the discriminating listeners of American Idol Underground have rated my song "Self Righteous Son of a Bitch" at 1 (that's Number One out of hundreds) this week in the Rock (and Roll) category!! go to this link if you wanna see for yourself that i'm not makin' it up! :)
http://www.idolunderground.com/Pages/Charts/ChartDetail.aspx?GenreID=11
Love and Gratitude,
Please and Thank You,
beth
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| good feelings...bad feelings...
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Posted: Jul 7, 2007
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i've been feeling sooooo good...wrote a new song this past week that has found me in such a positive place of power and acceptance.
went to my favorite, essential yoga class friday early evening, breathed like breath was going out of style (which it is), sweated the sweat of the serious...
celebrated a birthday after that, with some friends...
then went to the market for one thing on my way home, talked with some interesting people there, got in my new car... driving home safely, and out runs a cat right in front of me, which i hit and kill. i killed a big, beautiful boy cat last night. i put my hand on him, apologized to him, and stroked him while he died. and i cried and cried.
i know things could be worse...and are worse in so many places. but i am very sad about it...
no matter what, i keep letting go, and i look to the Light for my Love...
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| 615Music in Nashville grabs Beth Wimmer songs!
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Posted: May 25, 2007
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May 25, 2007:
615Music.com, based out of Nashville, has signed two of Beth Wimmer's original songs to their reputable library. Many thanks to Robert S. Williams and 615Music. To see Beth's listings, visit: www.615music.com/core/cd_list.cfm?id=1019
Make it a great week! Best in Music ~ Peace, beth
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| Self Righteous Son-of-a-Bitch is #7 on American Idol Underground!
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Posted: May 25, 2007
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Hey this is fun - Listeners on American Idol Underground have rated Beth's "Self Righteous Son-of-a-Bitch" as #7 of the Top 50 Rock songs this week! Thanks, people! www.idolunderground.com
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| this evening - it's now my birthday...
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Posted: Mar 27, 2007
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i think so clearly in the shower.
i need pen and paper in the shower.
i'm so clear-headed, when naked and wetted.
i feel things clearly in the shower...
a little poetry this evening, the eve before my birthday. i was not looking forward to my birthday this year - i was letting stuff, silly stuff like: 'how can i have exactly what i want right now in my life all the time', bother me. and i was making life wrong for flying by and taking me with it.
but - after the news i've received lately: brilliant people i've listened to, hugged, and laughed with, losing their lives and leaving behind their little children...which then reminds me of all the brave and interesting and sweet people i've never touched nor seen losing their lives to wars, famine, disease, oppression...
now i'm reminded how privileged and blessed and quite grateful i am to be celebrating another birthday. i'm here and healthy and it's midnight on march 27th, lovely california time.
ahhhh damn. life is so beautiful and full of so many achingly lovely things - and it is so fleeting and delicate. be here now and live. not super original, i know, but super true.
so, living: try it on, adjust the fit and wear it. your specialness and vibrance and sexiness and originality will shine through if you really really wear it.
happy birthday to me... :) life makes me happy...
"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." ~ Henry Miller
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| what i'm eating and Elliott Smith
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Posted: Feb 21, 2007
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i'm Loving my dinner. i made a totally random meal - sauteed onions and carrots with tofu seared in amino sauce, then i spread it over a bed of romaine lettuce, added feta, slivered almonds and raisins...and my darling trader joe's sesame soy dressing. wicked healthy and really really yummy.
so i sit and eat...and listen to elliott smith's 'xo'. and it's blowing my mind. again. always... taking it in nice and loud. ...and how i Love the 2nd track, 'tomorrow, tomorrow'. i listen to every sound and every second of it and i think 'how did he do that'. it's so beautiful. then i think, 'how could he do that?'...decide to end his life this time around and the way he did it. that hurt must have been unfathomable. it feels right to hurt sometimes, but i can't even imagine that...
then track 3, 'waltz#2' is the finest waltz my heart has ever heard. now i'm onto track 5 and i hang onto every note again. the piano break in the middle is so simple yet so... last verse coming up: "the first time i saw you i knew it would never last. i'm not half what i wish i was. i'm so angry i don't think it'll ever pass. and i was bad news for you just because i never meant to hurt you". i hear him sing that, i imagine i know him, and i cry. i wish i could have met him and helped him. awesome that he expressed it all though, before he left.
gotta express it all before we go.
"i'm never gonna know you now, but i'm gonna Love you anyhow." ~elliott smith
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| changes all around...
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Posted: Jan 23, 2007
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Change is constant, and that is constantly happening in my life and all around me. People are showing up, people are leaving... My Loved ones are succeeding, and some are being hurt and then bouncing back resiliently, stronger than before. i Love seeing that.
My challenge is to keep up with it all...my friends, family, myself and my mind and body, my music, my photography...with grace and ease, with effectiveness and Love, with an open heart and mind with which to see and feel the inspiration all around me.
Every new year people say 'this is the year', and i think...'no, it probably isn't, cause what year really IS THE year??' ...but if we dream it, and if we envision it, and if we ACCEPT it, then, i guess...this IS the year.
but first...THIS is the MOMENT. and moments are really all that we have.
God Bless...
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"If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
i'm working on it Mr. King...i can think of one thing, so far, i'd die for...so i'd like to say i'm on the right track of this living thing. and in the meantime i'm waking up each day (at some point) and doing my best, even though at times it doesn't feel like it...i know i'm doing it.
it's too heartbreaking, how much sadness and angst and anger and hatred is practiced in the world today - now more than ever. i see we make strides and i feel so good about that, then i see the huge steps backward, daily, as a race, a human race...
it's the little, good, Loving people who make such a sweet difference day to day...you know who they are...thank God for them.
i was trying to think of something inspiring to say...but i'm coming up small in the scheme of how large this Life is...be and teach Peace. let Peace teach and be...
a happy and healthy new year. Peace.
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| hard, but so good...nothing is better...
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Posted: Nov 26, 2006
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than Loving, feeling so deeply, exchanging it, saying it, nourishing it, telling it, not speaking a word...
it's hard to Love someone who is so far away...when you want them so close there is no space between you...
then it's hard Loving someone so closeby you can feel them...but you don't hear from them. i feel pained for someone so beautiful, but so afraid of the power of Love that is available.
but i will keep writing about it, feeling it deeply. i wouldn't want to be any other way. thank God i like my own company... :)
musically, i've been writing a lot. not playing so many shows. this time of year i just Love going to others' gigs, parties, homes... and i Love staying at home on a chilly evening with my cats and my candles, and my guitar.
awesome internet shows continue to support and play my music. they are so sweet to me. i'm going to mention them all, cause they are all so worthy of praise and mention:
seems like every other day, www.artistlaunch.com lets me know that my songs "move on" and "self-righteous s.o.b." are charting, and featured...and my profile is often on their home page. thanks so much to Paul and Paul at artistlaunch.com and www.freeworldradio.com!
the lovely and talented 'Nette continues to spin my songs on her show, www.netteradio.com, based out of her studio in dallas. she plays inspired, unsigned women from piano to punk! and 'Nette is a sweet musician in her own right: www.edenautomatic.com
many thanks to Lazlo of www.lazlosden.com, based out of new jersey. Lazlo continues to play my music among some of the finest musicians ever. so nice to be included by someone with such great taste!
next is Martin, live from Germany, and his nextbigthing podcast: www.nextbigthing.libsyn.com. Martin includes my song "move on" again and again on his fab podcast! and he is such a sweet-heart too!
then, thanks to Dave at www.nessmp3.com. nessmp3.com is based out of Scotland, and my songs are doing well - have been in the top 20 on several occasions now. :) Also their live broadcaster "Retrosmith" has included my "lover from last summer" in his first podcast on podbean and says very nice things about my music. thanks Dave and Retrosmith!
and last but not least is my darling Les Lewellyn, based out of alabama. Les continues to feature my music on his various podcasts, which are #1 out of millions: the Chill Pill show, and No Man's Land podcasts: www.preyinglizardmusic.com/podcast.htm. i cannot thank Les enough for his support and encouragement. he has become a dear friend...
Love and gratitude to all of my friends, fans and family.
Music, Life and Love are privileges that i will never take for granted. i promise to open my heart to the world, and open the world to my heart.
Safe and Happy Holidays to all...
God Bless you Isgo, i will miss you and never forget you.
Peace,
beth
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| from nashville to venice...
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Posted: Oct 6, 2006
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Hooooweeee! my, what a week it's been! just got back from Nashville where i had the best time ever – hearing music, playing music, making music. bein' good and bein' bad. my first trip there was ever so fortifying. had a blast thanks to playing some songs at Billy Block's Western Beat, then at BBKing's Blues Club for another set of tunes later in the week. (many thanks to billy block, and michael oneill for puttin' me up there).
saw some smokingly beautiful music...james mcmurtry, anne mccue, randy weeks - to name some of my favorites... the music just kept spilling over me like warm honey. gosh-damn. :)
and it helped that i was being held up and swayed with. that was fun.
came back to cali to the festivities of the abbot kinney street faire in venice, CA, where i was fortunate enough to play a set of my tunes with my dear billy watts on electric guitar before thousands of people! what a fun, extremely warm, festive venice day! the sun on my back was baking my behind and that felt so nice! thank you so much to all my friends for coming out and diggin' in with me.
so, my song 'self righteous som-bitch' is a finalist in the Dallas Songwriting Competition... wish me luck - more on that later.
can't wait to see you again...
beth
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| Son-of-a-Bitch songs continues to connect...
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Posted: Aug 31, 2006
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hello my friends...
i've been feeling a bit...quiet for some time now. but you know, a closed mouth gathers no foot.
but alas, the storm is coming - and i'm here & there, playing with music and life. so here's my latest musical news, and please know i invite you to write back and clue me in on what's new with you. after all, i have missed you. hope this note finds you well and enjoying your summer...
* my song about an honest look at an unhealthy relationship, Self Righteous Son-of-a-Bitch, is currently a semi-finalist in the Dallas Songwriters Association 2006 Songwriting Contest. woo-hoo! wish me luck and cast some good-mojo thoughts to the judges. 'Self-Righteous' also recently finished in The Unisong Intntl Songwriting Contest in the Top 20 finalists of the Alt-Rock category.
* this Sunday, Sept.3rd, i'm happy to be featured playing live for the multi-cam, streaming video broadcast of V.K. Lynne's Bare Bones 5. the effervescent V.K. Lynne's music-video show is brought to us by Flashrock.com and its very cool. find out more on v.k. lynne's myspace page (she's in my top friends). i'll let you know when the broadcast is up online and where to find it.
* Sept 13th and 19th find me in fine company playing songs at Billy Block's Western Beat show on Weds, Sep.13th in Hollywood, CA at Highland Grounds, for Billy's 15-year-Anniv show, and on Tues, Sep.19th in Nashville, at 12th & Porter, for Billy's 10th year hosting Western Beat in Nashville! COME OUT and see these unparalleled Western Beat shows - they are the bomb, filled with kind people and incredible Americana talent from all over the country. more details below and at www.westernbeat.com
* October 13th (Friday) and November 9th (Thursday), i'll be playing 45 minute acoustic sets at Gayle's Perks, in Northridge, CA. 9028 Balboa Blvd, 91325 i'll give you more details as the shows get closer (or see my website or myspace page for more info).
* October 29th, Sunday night, i'll be at Synergy Cafe Lounge for an intimate, acoustic evening there along with some wicked-cool, talented friends - making music and merry.
* my songs are featured regularly on Preying Lizard's Chill Pill Podcast show. Les Lewellyn hosts a supreme, eclectic choice of #1 weekly podcast shows. he is a GREAT d.j., with an acute appreciation for the myriad of quality, unsigned bands and music in the world. www.preyinglizardmusic.com/podcast.htm
* please, please go see An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's presentation film on the crucial truth about what's happening with our planet. it's playing for FREE on Tues, Sep.26 at the Santa Monica Pier, CA, outdoors and under the night sky. www.santamonicapier.org www.climatecrisis.net
* also special thanks, as always, to www.netteradio.com and www.lazlosden.com for their continued support and airplay. xoxo
thanks so much for reading, and for spanning time with me. manythanks and muchLove,
beth
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| Self Righteous Son-of-a-Bitch Top 20 finalist!
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Posted: Jul 7, 2006
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Hey there, i hope all's swell in your world. i thought i'd let you know the latest in my musicworld:
My song, Self Righteous Son-of-a-Bitch finished in The Unisong International Songwriting Contest 2005 in the Top 20 finalists (in the Rock-Alternative category)! Woo-hoo! My guess is it probably would have been #1 if it were an all-female judging panel. :) The ladies seem to connect with that song especially, though it does strike a certain chord with the men... :) Anyway, i'm grateful, not bitter. really. So that was kind of neato. www.unisong.com
A huge thank you to my friend Les Lewellyn of the band Dixie Lizard! Les continues to champion my music with his innovative internet radio shows and podcasts. Please visit his website at www.preyinglizardmusic.com Les plays my music regularly, alongside today's best indie music, on his weekly "Pirate Radio Indie Soft Rock Show", and on his daily podcast, "The Chill Pill Show." www.preyinglizardmusic.com/podcast.htm and Les has a brand new channel at TowerPod (yes, Tower Records sponsored) with his weekly podcast called "Preying Lizard Eclectic Pod." Les has wonderful taste in music, and he is putting forth amazing energy and effort into getting unsigned music out there and appreciated. All Les' shows are all riding high at number one on Google. That is just too cool!
Also big thanks to Annette of www.netteradio.com 'Nette continues to play my songs on her fine radio program! 'NetteRadio is a weekly 2-hour internet radio show that is dedicated to promoting unsigned women musicians. Hosted by Annette Conlon from rock band Eden Automatic, the show broadcasts live each week from their studio in Dallas, TX. Tune in Wednesdays from 8-10 Central Time (6-8pm pacific) for the LIVE show. www.NETTERADIO.com and you can CHAT while listening at www.netteradio.com/chat.html and that's a fun little trip in itself. Just 2 weeks ago, 'Nette played my song "With Our Eyes Closed" - that song was a virgin to radio till she got her hands on it! :)
Oh - I recently played an extraordinary solo show at David's Tavern in Newburyport MA! (June 25). The audience and energy were the BEST! i grew up in MA, so i was just thrilled and touched to see so many familiar (and looking mahvelous) faces from my old haunts (like...school) out at my show. Thanks so much to leslie and dave, richelle, diane, tim and jody and the gang, mi familia, maria, sue, pamela, valerie, all the new faces, everyone else, and the amazing staff at David's Tavern for welcoming me - what a great night! (David's Tavern, 11 Brown Square, Newburyport, MA, 01950. 978.462.8077)
And lastly but most importantly - please, please go see Al Gore's riveting presentation on the Earth and Global Warming. "An Inconvenient Truth" is confronting, yes, but still there is hope if WE ALL act now. We need to. www.climatecrisis.net.
Love and Music,
Please and Thank you,
beth
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| disappointed yet blessed...
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Posted: Apr 11, 2006
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and i call myself a writer...i feel like a mere typer these days. and i hadn't typed any greetings for far too many days here on the ol' website. with myspace messages, emails, thank yous (which i'm grateful to have reason to write), follow-ups, more follow-ups, giving my word, using my words, reading your words plus lots of other words... anyway, point is, i don't feel i've had the chance to be creative of late - to be quiet, attentive to the moment, creative and free. i shall be. i'll keep you posted on that progress.
NEWS NEWS NEWS...let's see:
my song "Live Within Live Without" is in the Top 10 best songs of www.Broadjam.com in their Rock/psychedelic genre! that's neat. thanks to all the Broadjam members and their generous listening and support.
i have a new friend via the internet who is super-sweet and talented. his name is Les Lewellyn, he's living in Dothan, AL and he is a huge Lover, supporter, and maker of independent music. he has my music on his edgy and insightful music website and on his radio show this week!
on www.preyinglizardmusic.com/pirateradio.htm
Les is also one of my friends on myspace - his profile is Dixie Lizard... and I'M on myspace at: www.myspace.com/bethwimmer it's crazy and fun! i've found some really great music on myspace, and met some very interesting people from far, far away - it's pretty amazing.
two wonderful internet radio broadcasts have been featuring my music pretty regularly:
~on tuesdays and thursdays at 5pm-PST, 8pm-EST, the refreshing Lazlo has a phenomenal online radio show: www.upstageradio.com to listen, or www.lazlosden.com - out of new jersey!
~on wednesdays, 6-8pm PST on www.netteradio.com LIVE on www.RenegadeRadio.net oh, the lovely sounds 'Nette plays - live from texas!
my music is also on these great music sites:
www.limelightradio.com
www.freeworldradio.com
www.broadjam.com
and the KAOS Music Department at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA
www.kaosradio.org
kaos_music@evergreen.edu
request line:(360)867-KAOS
so there's all that...thanks for reading!
i have been playing gigs and writing tunes...and trying to stay healthy and happy in a world which can make no sense and alienate and infuriate. i can't believe how much we (the people) are willing to take - with this current violently crooked administration, with the man trying to sell us everything, and with society and even our own peers asking us to compare ourselves and sell up...sell up.
i generally do not wax political...but i guess i needed that. i feel better now.
Peace and Music.
Love,
beth
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| Beth's 'Situations' enters Broadjam's Top 10!
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Posted: Mar 3, 2006
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hey Lovers, fighters and harley riders...
i know you’re out there – and i hope everyone is doing as well as can be in these strange days of divinity and deception.
thanks so much to everyone for coming out to my Temple Bar show last week – what a great night that was! i had a blast, and i am so grateful and inspired by your support and your warmth.
during this time of acceptance speeches, i want to thank Broadjam and its members and listeners, at www.broadjam.com, for their support! – my song ‘Situations’ has made it into their TOP 10 in the Folk-Alternative category...it’s been there for four days now – yeeha!
now, here’s what’s cookin’ for my tunes in the land of internet radio-play:
Two, fine internet radio programs have been playing my tunes pretty regularly! – such swell folks, i’m grateful:
Every Wednesday, www.netteradio.com (6-8pm PST, 8-10pm Central time) the darling host ‘Nette plays some outstanding female artists, from piano to punk. ‘Nette featured my heart-achey ‘Calling All Hearts’, on her valentine’s show. this show is based outta Texas, check their SHOWS page for rebroadcasts.
And every Thursday on Lazlo’s Den, on www.upstageradio.com (5pm PST, 8pm EST) Lazlo played my song ‘Every Time’ last week on the 23rd, amidst some very fine, well-Loved artists. i was honored. ya never know what Lazlo’s gonna play, but he seems to have taken a shine to my music, bless him. also, be-friend him on www.myspace.com/lazlosden
i’m playing more live shows on the near horizon (is there such thing as a near horizon?)...
this Monday, March 6th, at the LAMN (LA Music Network) Jam!!
@ The Scene, 806 E. Colorado St. Glendale CA 91205
7-9pm 818.241.7029 Free, all ages!
i’ll be playing 2 songs, (as will several other musicians), then receiving critique on my songs and performance from industry professionals. (not sure which industry they’re from – maybe the steel industry??)
and FRIDAY March 10th
at Genghis Cohen!!
740 N. Fairfax Ave. L.A, 90046
8:15pm, $7, playing a 45 minute set of acoustic music. (no critique necessary)
323.653.0640 www.genghiscohen.com
please come and be with me at Genghis Cohen! especially all you hollywood types who never seem to make it to the westside. :) i Love you guys.
catch you later!
Peace,
beth
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| radio airplay for beth!
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Posted: Feb 14, 2006
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hey kids,
happy valentine's day to all you Lovers - and damn that valentine's day for all those who hate it! (see how diplomatic i can be)??
so, my music's getting some attention from internet radio and college radio stations - yay! friends, please contact me if you need help with accessing any of these sites, or choosing a 'player' to stream through...it can be confusing if you're not so computery inclined (like me - i prefer wood and strings)!
here's a list of online features and radio airplay happening for beth wimmer music:
my CD, LIVE WITHIN LIVE WITHOUT, is being featured on the front page of www.ArtistLaunch.com. Artist Launch is a great site for discovering new, independent music! browse away...my CD will be up there for a few days.
Artist Launch has added my song “Move On” at No 10 on the playlist of their internet radio station Enchantress Radio at http://www.artistlaunch.com/enchantressradio. The station features the music of outstanding female artists including Etta James, Michelle Branch - and now me. :)
KAOS Music – Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
www.kaosradio.org. request line: (360)867-KAOS
on “Lazlo’s Den” Thursdays at 5pm PST/8pm EST. Lazlo's Den airs on www.upstageradio.com.
on Gatorzilla3000, DJ for *** BUZZ *** Yesterday's Music Today
http://www.live365.com/stations/gatorzilla3000
on www.Limelightradio.com based out of New Jersey. they’re playing my song “Lover from Last Summer.” request it whenever you want by visiting their site!
on... D'Art Radio "Where Indie Music Hits the Spot!" http://www.dartradio.com
on Eric’s podcast of indie music, ‘Amplified’ - http://www.amplifiedpodcast.com.
on www.netteradio.com LIVE on www.RenegadeRadio.net
Wednesdays 7-9PM PST/8-10 PM CT
From piano to punk the best unsigned women's music from around the world.
(Rebroadcast on Free Radio Jackson http://www.live365.com/stations/aaronchilds Saturdays 2-4 CT)
...and more to come. i'll keep you in the soup. thank you so much for your support.
Love,
beth
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| Creating myself...
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Posted: Jan 20, 2006
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i can create myself, i can control myself, i can think positively...i know the universe sometimes works in reverse...the only way to get it is to let it be.
new lyric idea...just had to put it somewhere.
hope you are enjoying a healthy new year so far, with ease and creativity abounding. i have a bunch of shows coming up, i'm psyched about them. each one is important, thrilling, empowering, humbling...and brings me closer to true Love. i would Love to see you there.
spanning time...we're spanning time...
xo for all.
bw
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| happy hopeful new year
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Posted: Jan 10, 2006
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greetings in this new year of 2006. here we go into the future!! watch out for the past, cause it's looming ahead...but i invite you to put it back where it belongs, in the past, and create something new for yourself and your life in this moment, and the next, and the next...
last time i logged, or blogged in to write something to you all, i was overwhelmed by man's (and nature's largely, though quite likely karmically brought on by man) inhumanity to man. (tho i should be p.c. and call it HUman, not just man...in all fairness to all the fine men out there). but i digress...
anyway, i (as were most of you) was devastated and shocked by current events. and we're living in the most difficult of times. i had mentioned i would write again when i thought of something i could do.
well, i'm still overwhelmed, but i did "do" some stuff which may have helped in some small way. i donated. time, money, and energy...to MuchLove animal rescue, to AIDS Project LA, to Project Angel Food, to Union Rescue Mission, to Amnesty International, and to my 93-year-old friend Marygrace Gordon who is very weak and lonely (among others). my secret desire is to drop out and join the Peace Corps and drop back in somewhere, unknown, and get my hands filthy and worn. but i have many desires i don't act on (thank God).
my commitment, however, is to be an integral part of creating a world in which there is Love, generosity, and compassion happening for humankind (and animalkind) in every corner of the earth. i intend to do this through making myself aware of what's going on in the world, writing proactive letters to the people in "power" who speak for the rest of us, and by making money to share with the masses less fortunate. and by being a positive, open, supportive person on all levels.
and of course, i have a continued commitment to making music that makes a difference - to me and to others. i hope to move and inspire people wherever i go. and to rock out!! or rock on! just plain rock, baby.
happy new year.
with Love and gratitude.
beth
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| this difficult world.
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Posted: Oct 20, 2005
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October 20, 2005:
unbelievable! all the tragedies everywhere! pakistan’s earthquake; guatemala’s hurricane and mudslides, small Mayan villages covered under 20 feet of mud; the U.S. east coast flooding; new orleans...more hurricanes on the way! my God, there are some huge spiritual-physical purifications happening in the world. understandably so.
i looked online today and read that the Arctic ice caps are 20% less in mass than they were in 1978. they are melting at a rate of about 8% every decade. that’s got to be due to global warming, and in turn continuing the cycle of the warming, and i would think it’s changing the very earth and the atmosphere. i’m no scientist but i’m not too dumb either. :) it will be astonishing, i'm sure, to see what major catastrophe(s) i may see when i’m an old woman...or long before. yikes!
it's time to do something. be more involved. i'll let you know what i come up with - there are so many avenues one can take.
i hope you and yours are well in your corner of the world.
Love and Light,
beth
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| mid-September
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Posted: Sep 14, 2005
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Hello friends: If you haven't already done so, please go to redcross.org to donate for hurricane katrina victims! i urge you to help, help is and will be needed for a long time to come.
...feeling melancholy these days. so much sadness happening to people. it's everywhere. usually i'm inspired to be a better person by every injustice and hardship i'm aware of...but this time i'm just too tired and saddened by it all. i just want to lie down and go to sleep for a few days...
but, i know i have nothing to complain about. i am blessed, i am safe, i am well. i believe challenges happen for a reason...just not sure what it is this time. i wonder if anyone has any idea what the reason is.
my friend meredith is asking for help with the animal rescue organization she works closely with. 'MuchLove' needs volunteers and supplies of all kinds to help with the influx of displaced and orphaned animals that are hurricane katrina victims. please go to Muchlove.org to help.
next time i write, it will be something funny...to help relieve the stress of life. let me meditate and levitate and graduate to a lighter place.
Namaste,
beth
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| First greeting from beth's new home-site.
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Posted: Sep 1, 2005
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Hi friends, and thanks for visiting my new website. I hope this day finds you well and counting your blessings.
Heartfelt condolences and Prayers of Healing go out to all of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Please help: Besides donating money, needed items and/or time through RedCross.org to aid people in the beloved South of the USA, music lovers can go to www.CDBaby.com and browse through the many cds by artists (including me) that are currently donating all of their proceeds from their sales to the relief effort for the hurricane victims as well. A wonderful idea put forth by CDBaby - thank you Derek Sivers.
Please share your thoughts with me in the 'talk to me' section.
More to come...
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