I met a really talented, funny, friendly, all-around-cool-guy songwriter a couple of weeks back who hails from Seattle, Washington: Wes Weddell. Of course, I couldn’t resist pinning him down to help me get to know about the songwriting scene in his area. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: How would you describe the Seattle songwriting scene?
A: Streaky… Perhaps waiting for the pendulum to swing back around. There are some tremendously talented writers around, and the resources to keep a vibrant scene humming when everything is clicking. This past year the Northwest Folklife Festival—the largest free community music/arts festival in the country, held annually every Memorial Day weekend—added singer/songwriters to its list of communities deserving of its own ‘show,’ which I’m hoping can help songwriters locally continue to identify and act as a unit.
Seattle is always brimming with arts activity (music/theater/dance/visual art performances, exhibits, etc.), so much so that it can intimidate locals looking to go out—and we don’t get nearly the arts-tourism traffic we might (lame duck Mayor Greg Nickels had hoped to address this with his Office of Film and Music). But I’m often surprised at the ‘genre-ness’ of performers themselves, and the lack of consistent cross-pollination among songwriters who associate across many different points on the acoustic (or not) music spectrum: contemporary; bluegrass/old-time; busker (good town for that, especially summer!); maritime; etc. In Seattle Weekly’s music year-in-review last December the author mentioned how strong Seattle ’s ‘folk’ scene was—yet the article didn’t mention a single person whose hand I’d ever shaken. I didn’t take this as a personal affront (nor draw the conclusion that I need to get [further] out!), but rather it reminded me of how different the commercial labels are from the everyday interactions.
Having said all of this, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I sink my roots deep and defend my town! Portland ( Ore. ) is hot right now, and a lot of performers are moving down I-5, but I would rather build on my own turf and terms!
Q: What are the top venues attractive to performing songwriters in the area?
A: This may be our most exposed area, though that wouldn’t make us that different from other locales: the dearth of real, quality listening rooms. Egan’s Ballard Jamhouse is a wonderful space, and Empty Sea Studios has emerged as a nice small venue; Seattle Folklore Society keeps the Emerald City on the nationally-touring folk-screen. BeatWalk is a wonderful monthly music showcase in the burgeoning Columbia City neighborhood. Puget’s Sound Productions, a non-profit I founded some years back, has taken personally the challenge of creating community live-music spaces, and though we’re between venues right now on our primary series (at our busiest, we ran two regular, monthly series, with involvement from community radio stations), we still co-sponsor singer/songwriter showcases at Crossroads in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue. And Seattle Drum School ’s Little Auditorium in the Back (‘LAB’) just started doing monthly songwriter nights, which feature a delightful (almost daring) assortment of not-the-usual-suspects performers and styles.
If pubs are more your scene, try Tractor Tavern (they do fewer songwriters than they used to), Conor Byrne’s, the Triple Door’s Musicquarium Lounge, High Dive, TōST, Nectar, Pink Door, or Le Pichet (the latter two more restaurants than bars).
The above list is by no means complete. And there are, of course, no shortage of other spots that’ll let you move the chairs yourself and set up in a corner to play for free, but until they’re willing to underwrite something for acts they’ll remain nameless here.
What many people, including a fair share of locals, don’t realize is that there are many other communities not part of the Seattle metro-area that support very vibrant music venues and series. Google a local writer and search past gigs for hints to some of these gems.
Q: what other kinds of events/opportunities are there in Seattle as far as songwriting? Groups, festivals, open mics, house concerts, etc.?
A: Groups and gatherings come and go—often a visit from an out-of-town writer will spark interest and pull one together! Victory Music hosts some nice open-mics, as does Tim Noah’s Thumbnail Theater up north in Snohomish and many of the pubs as well. Regionally, the Tumbleweed Music Festival in Richland, WA, every Labor Day weekend is a delight and favorite of many area performers, and its songwriting contest has done as much as anything to keep us sharp. One can find house concerts, though ongoing series are scarcer than one might think.
Q: What do you like most about being a songwriter in Seattle?
A: The people, and the talent—hands-down. Every so often a performer comes to town and plugs in in a way that reminds us just what we’ve got cooking here, holding up a symbolic mirror for any of us that care to pay attention. Ian Lang, a veteran of many circles and circuits in the UK , is the most recent to do this: look for Seattle cameos on his recent and forthcoming work. And you Kerrville-verts [That's the Kerrville Folk Festival, folks] best not forget where the ‘Camp Coho’ name originated: ain’t no salmon in Dallas !
Q: What are the biggest challenges about coming to Seattle as a touring songwriter or being a local songwriter?
A: Geographic location…and the country’s perception of it! From Nashville, for instance, you can drive eight hours any direction and be so many different places; from Seattle, however, you can’t go much further west (or north and stay in the country), and distance between cities is much greater as you head east or south. But we’re not nearly so remote as common perception would have you think, and if you’re willing to trust your axe to the airlines travel to Seattle is quite easy and accessible!
Thanks for sharing all of this terrific info, Wes! ~ Sharon
