{"id":4,"date":"2015-08-27T23:13:10","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T06:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wesweddell.com\/Wordpress\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2022-04-14T14:18:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T21:18:32","slug":"bio","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wesweddell.com\/Wordpress\/bio\/","title":{"rendered":"Bio"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0\u201cAlways provide[s] a thoughtful reading\u2026songs always heartfelt and well-constructed.\u201d \u00a0\u2013Seattle Weekly<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
\u00a0\u201cA jewel of the Emerald City\u2019s musical crown\u201d \u00a0\u2013Wildy\u2019s World<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
\u201cFolk meets rockabilly meets lonesome cowboy waltzes\u201d \u00a0\u2013Performing Songwriter Magazine<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n

\"WW-TMF2013\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"WW-RM1\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/a>\"WW-TownHall\"<\/p>\n

For the past twenty years, Wes Weddell<\/strong> has worked multiple shifts in the engine room of Seattle\u2019s roots music scene. A diligent tortoise in a sea of oft-distracted hares, the veteran performer keeps his hands in abundant projects as frontman, sideman, writer, teacher, and community-builder.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways heartfelt and well-constructed\u201d (Seattle Weekly<\/em>), listeners have come to expect Weddell\u2019s songs to \u201cspeak for themselves\u201d (No Depression<\/em>). Yet performed live\u2014solo or with his band behind him\u2014the melodic stories deepen further against the backdrop of the multi-instrumentalist\u2019s relatable presence and quick wit.<\/p>\n

And whose stories are these? Fans and peers everywhere find easy points of connection in the music, but the residents of Weddell\u2019s native Northwest are on particular display in these narratives. In 2001 Weddell received the inaugural Mary Gates Venture Fellowship from the University of Washington to travel the region<\/a> gathering local lore and turning it into song (My Northwest Home<\/em>). Celebrated for its thoughtful and accessible approach, the effort earned a \u201cModern-Day Woody Guthrie\u201d comparison from the Seattle Times<\/em> and set Weddell on a mission to give voice to his neighbors that continues today.<\/p>\n

Settling into a career with global awareness but dedicated local focus, many more stages, albums, collaborations, and honors have followed. Weddell founded community-music non-profit Puget\u2019s Sound Productions<\/a> in 2003, while also putting considerable time and energy toward the efforts of other organizations celebrating working musicians. A 13-year association with beloved folksinging duo Reilly & Maloney<\/a> ensued. Songs to Get You From Here to There<\/em> (2006) saw the formation of the Wes Weddell Band. By the Side of the Lake<\/em> (2010) found some traction in the Folk and Americana radio landscape. The sideman portfolio grew on multiple instruments, as did the scope of lesson and workshop offerings. Through it all those regional roots sink deeper, continuing to spread.<\/p>\n

In 2010, Weddell began working with The Bushwick Book Club Seattle<\/a>, an expanding collective of songwriters who each compose new music inspired by literature to share in monthly showcases focused around specific books. Songs from this catalog appear on his latest release, Somewhere in the Middle<\/em> (2019), and comprise the entirety of the full-band showpiece Nobody\u2019s Flag<\/em> (2015).<\/p>\n

A native of Pullman, WA, Weddell has held a full-time Seattle Mariners media credential and participated in a major university study of mountain huckleberry harvesters.<\/p>\n

\"WW-MandoTractor\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"Weddellecaster\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/a>\"WW-GtrHands\"<\/p>\n