Posts Tagged: Ark Music

Things can look great on the outside but if there isn’t quality underneath, what’s the point?  A few years ago, I was in a house fire—we awoke at about 3 in the morning to confusion…smoke so thick you could hardly see your hand in front of your face.  It was complete mayhem as we rushed out of the house with what we could carry, waited for the fire trucks to arrive in the cool Autumn east coast night and watched most everything else be either charred or saturated beyond recognition.  The next day we learned that it was because of the thick, old fashioned beams that this attic fire had not collapsed the ceiling on us while we slept. Good internal construction saved our lives.

Quality ingredients, carefully prepared equals better end result.  This is just something I believe to be inherently true in life…and in music.

So lately I have not been as active with shows on the performance calendar but I have been working hard at my music and have been taking part in some recording projects including a Christmas album for Jeff Johnson which I cannot wait for you to hear, and a jazz album by sultry vocalist Tasha Miller which is still in production. 

I’ve been honing my jazz vocals—combing material for what feels true and works with my voice, and thinking about what it is I’d like to play as a jazz violinist who is more enamored with beautiful lines and tone production than churning out slick hooks.

I’ve also been crossing my T’s and dotting my I’s in regard to my albums licensing, my status as a songwriter and my presence on the web.  It’s not always as much fun as playing and singing for a live audience, but I think it’s very very important to make sure that I’m going about things in the proper way.  It frustrates me immensely that so many artists record and distribute cover songs without getting permission.  While one can argue that it’s the “big record companies” and all that nonsense about the little struggling artist, one can make the same case for stealing stuff from a large department store or not paying taxes.  Okay…maybe some of the same people do that too!  At any rate, I am trying as best I can to make sure that I do things right.  I’m thankful that the people who built the cottage I slept in on that October night a few years back chose to properly construct the beams or I might not be here to be blogging today about my musical journey!

NEXT WENDY GOODWIN SHOW:  THURSDAY, AUGUST 5th at Sherman Clay Moe’s Pianos  7-8:30 PM

I’m struggling to find the right adjectives to properly convey how much I loved singing and playing with George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz and Ron Steen last night at Wilfs.  For one thing, it’s as if these three gentlemen of jazz share a collective brain when they are playing-each giving authoritative pizzazz yet always playing as a team.  As a guest artist, it’s the musical equivalent of being supported by 3 pairs of strong arms… not so scary to lean out over the edge when you’re in such secure company!

I was also blessed to have such a great group of friends come out for the show.  Looking out and seeing the familiar faces dotting the landscape who support and encourage me in so many ways was awesome.

To top it off, some other fantastic jazz artists were at the show and performed a few tunes—the iconic drummer Dick Berk and smashingly talented vocalist and pianist Laura Cunard.

If you are just getting acquainted with me, and wondering why you haven’t seen me around town, it has to do with a few things-

1.  I tend to play in unrelated genres—right now, I’m working with Celtic/Contemplative Seattle based artist Jeff Johnson and Puck Fair Flutist Brian Dunning.  While these two gentlemen actually have plenty of connections to the Portland Jazz Scene, the Celtic trio performs in churches and concert venues and tours seasonally.

2.  I play a LOT of private events—after finishing school, I started Effesenden Music, a wedding and event music company.  Effesenden gives me the opportunity to play lots of styles of music with a variety of musicians.  It gives me an excuse to do a lot of arranging of pop music for strings, and it gives me the chance to help people with a special day in their lives.  And to be totally honest… I LOVE weddings! 

3.  I have played in bands and appeared as a side woman with many different artists including Rising Violet, Lori Willcuts, Drew Grow, Kelly Jones, Nate Macy, Michael Allen Harrison, Michelle Tumes, Laura Gibson, Tasha Miller, Adam Sweeney, Bryan Clark and more, but have only recently begun appearing under my own name.  Though I love performing, I have always been sort of embarrassed about drawing attention to myself.  In the past I’ve often appeared under the name Effesenden.  When I started writing music though, it seemed natural to start appearing… well…as myself!

I’m looking forward to what lies ahead—in a couple of weeks I’ll be at Sherman Clay Moe’s Pianos (August 5th 7-8:30 p.m.) If you’d like to be kept in the loop of future shows, drop me a line. 

Back in 2000, my roommate Cary and I were living in a little vintage apartment on the Park Blocks near Portland State while I was working on my masters.  It was a depressing year… missing friends from college, the end of a relationship and the fact that our apartment’s windows faced a sliver thin inner courtyard meaning virtually no natural light was to be had.

One of the only things that kept us sane was a constant diet of good music and a favorite of ours at the time was the Windham Hill album “A Celtic Christmas.” Okay, Okay I’ll admit it:  I’ve been known to listen to Christmas Music year-round.  Who would have guessed that almost 10 years later, I would find myself going on tour with none other than the writers/performers of three of the songs on the album— Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning.

I’ve already had the chance to play with Jeff this past Spring at the Grotto in Portland and up on Camano Island, Washington.  He and Brian’s music is wonderful—peaceful and joyful at the same time.  I can’t wait to be a part of these special concerts! 

You can check out the tour dates on the Upcoming Shows page of this site.