May 16, 2008, 7:00 pm: my live recording at Hot Spot Coffee Shop in my hometown of River Falls, WI. I felt right at home with the crowd of friends and passersby that gathered to support me and hear my new songlist, with Peggy Gantt, Hot Spot Open Mic Host, as the sound person, and Kyle Bonderson of Velvet Brick Studios as the recording engineer. Kyle and Peggy did all the hard work and helped my recording turn out great, and Latashia West's barristas thankfully only let the coffee machines speak their piece in between songs! What a great incubator for musical talent River Falls has been!
Peggy played her quick and nimble bodhran, too, on the final cut of "Black Willow Tree," and Beth Ray added her beautiful rising and falling harmony vocals to "In the Stillness." We celebrated Fred P.'s birthday and I had a chance to thank friends, family, and fellow local songwriter Brad Dunse and his wife...
The support and listening ears that night, to me, where a golden treasure. The responsive listening of the crowd really brought out the best in my performance.
These songs were written over the last couple of years, some of them are second takes, some of them are inaugural versions of unrecorded compositions.
These songs arise from my thoughts in the quiet hours, the miniscule and unexpected inspirations; a stone, a bird's tracks in the snow, a green leaf, a blue petal, a trail, a child's wellworn t-shirt.
I must credit Ashland Folk Festival, and a songwriting workshop I attended there, with giving me courage to continue. A musician I heard there, Greg Hodapp, wrote a beautiful tune called "Standing By the Water." It is this tune that I mainly incorporated as the a-part melody in the song "Soil and the Stream," adding a b-part, revving up the tempo a bit, and it is with mixed feelings that I borrow this tune from someone I hardly know; it is a great tune and inspired me to put some serious thoughts to music. As Greg said when I awkwardly informed him of my transgression, "this is the folk process." If I ever earn money from this song I will be sure that Greg is rewarded in fair dollars, not just in fair words. This song as well as a few others I did that night, I took back to the studio for better versions, and these are found with other new songs for 2008, on my latest cd, "The Soil and the Stream."
I hope that these songs find their place within the folk process, and that they live beyond me, and that seeing the green leaf, the stone, the blue petal, somehow, someday, folks will think of one of my songs. They come from my heart.
This CD, along with the cuts that appear on The Soil and the Stream, won Rural Roots Music Commissions, "Folk Music CD of the Year Award 2009." This is my 15 minutes of fame, and I am very grateful to Bob and Sheila Everhart, Bob Phillips, the Rural Roots Music Commission, and The National Traditional Country Music Association for this recognition and for all the marvelous work they do in promoting folk and traditional music, and in heralding the often unsung musicians that perform it.
CD Review of 2008's Sue West Live:
"Just when I despaired that authentic folk music was eliminated from our culture, here it is, alive and well, and extremely alive and well done...In the very wonderful old time folk way, Sue has not only written some incredibly beautiful songs, she also performs them incredibly well. I haven't heard a good "folk" cd in a long time, and this one redeems all the lacking I've had. I love her voice, it's that very nice, gentle, tremulous, beautiful quality one expects in a good folk singer...Sue has accomplished what many folk singers only wish they could accomplish...A finely honed cd of simply wonderful songs done in a simply wonderful way...submitted to the Rural Roots Music Commission for 'Folk CD of the Year' award...all the music you do is well done." words of Bob Everhart, National Traditional Country Music Association, Tradition Magazine, in cd review of 2008 "Sue West: Live at Hot Spot Coffee Shop."
Kind words from eatingliberally.org's "kat:"
"I’m not sure what to call this musical genre: green bluegrass? Low carbon country? Whatever it is, I love it, and I think a lot of other people would embrace Wisconsin singer Sue West’s green-tinged, gospel-flavored folk music, too; it’s an authentic, timeless kind of music that hugs you back...I’ve never been to Wisconsin, don’t know that I’ll ever have a chance to go, but thanks to Sue West and her determination to share the “peace, joy, and healing” that she finds “in nature and in my own sustainable farming efforts,” I can be transported to a rural community with whom this diehard New Yorker has more in common than conventional wisdom might suggest. And after all, who’s more in need of a soothing sustainable soundtrack than us harried city dwellers?"
"Area folk legend Sue West"
-Woody McBride, music event organizer
"Astoundlingly talented women songwriters"
-River Falls Journal, re. RF Public Library show w/
Thea Ennen, Peggy Gantt, Beth Ray, and Phyliis Goldin, 10/24/08
About the Rush River Ramblers:
"Hoedown music for your ears"
Volume One, 11/15/08
"Everyone seems to be having a really good time even on the breaks. If you get a chance see and hear the Rush River Ramblers. I believe you should they are really GREAT! It was fun to watch people dancing in the yarn shop...what a GREAT group! everyone had such a good time! Where else but Elmwood can you dance in a yarn shop. Erik is a really good clogger, Everyone loved watching him clog. " -Highland Hollow Emporium blog, 2006
"There’s also musical entertainment by groups such as Capital City Brass and the Rush River Ramblers on Saturdays during summer. ..."
from online article,
"St. Paul's Attractions Among Top 10 Best in the US" 2008
MORE ABOUT SUE WEST and Kingfisher Farm:
I am part of a string band that is available most of the year for wedding music, square dances, special music at churches or school events, and for harvest festivals.
I am a member of the Kinni Songsisters, a women's songwriting troupe from River Falls.
Read more...