Nancy Beaudette traveled to Egypt in 2018. She was captivated by the beauty of the land, the Egyptian people, and of course, all the mystery and intrigue surrounding their ancient culture. She wrote the song “River Nile” and created this video to try and capture a bit of her experience while visiting this amazing country.
The Kelly Girls on Tour
UPDATE: Shows have been cancelled or postponed due to Corvid19. Stay safe! Wash your hands!!
March is always high holiday for The Kelly Girls! We hope we’ll see you at one of these shows this month. The Bull Run Restaurant Concert is always a highlight! Get your tickets Now!
Artist Residency in Fiji
Moonlit Pond Records is pleased to announce that it is sponsoring an Artist Residency program in Fiji.
After a month long songwriter retreat at Safe Landing Eco Lodge on Nacula Island, MPR artist Nancy Beaudette has made arrangement with the Lodge owners to welcome other songwriters and artists to experience the creative energy in Fiji too.
Artist–in-residence programs give Creatives the opportunity to live and work outside of their usual environments, providing them with time to reflect, research, or produce work. The experience often times has long term effects on the their life and work.
If you, or an musician/artist you know, is interested in an experiencial travel and retreat opportunity, get more information and apply here.
Kerrville North 2020 Line Up
On January 16, 2020 Kerrville North presents: Teghan Devon, Eric Kilburn along with host Nancy Beaudette.
We have an incredible line up for the first six months of our 2020 Kerrville North Songwriter Series. Every third Thursday of the month, three songwriters will share the Ballroom Stage at The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA. The series is hosted by award-winning songwriter Nancy Beaudette.
“Kerrville North – Singer Songwriter Series” includes artists who have been finalists or winners in the esteemed Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriter Competition, held annually as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas since 1972.
Nancy At Folk Stage Chicago
Folkstage is an uninterrupted, one-hour concert featuring some of the best traditional and singer-songwriter talent in folk music. The live concerts can be heard Saturday’s at 8 PM on WFMT, immediately preceding The Midnight Special.
Nancy Beaudette will be in the studio on Saturday, November 23rd.
About 26 concerts per year are broadcast live from our studio in front of an audience. The remainder of the concerts are from our archives that stretch back 55 years, recent recordings made in the Chicago area, live broadcasts from the Old Town School of Folk Music, or recorded portions of our live studio concerts that were not previously broadcast.
The series is totally listener funded, and made possible in part by Nancy Clark, Andy & Becky Anderson, Freddi Greenberg & Dan Pinkert, an Anonymous Family Foundation and the members of the WFMT Fine Arts Circle.
Kerrville North in Massachusetts
Moonlit Pond Records is excited to announce a new partnership with The Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA. “Kerrville North – Singer Songwriter Series” will include artists who have been finalists or winners in the esteemed Grassy Hill New Folk Songwriter Competition, held annually as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas since 1972.
The 2020 dates are currently being worked on and we will announce new performances as they are confirmed.
On November 13, 2019, the series premiers with: Susan Cattaneo (Finalist 2015 & 2018), Jordi Baizan (Finalist 2019), and Nancy Beaudette (Finalist 2019).
For Grammy Consideration
Louisa Branscomb‘s 2019 release is a contender in the first round of voting for a Grammy. She is nominated in two catagories, Best Bluegrass Album and Best American Roots Performance.
This is a spectacular recording which is currently at the top of the bluegrass and roots music charts. We are really proud to have one of Nancy’s songs included on this recording! “End of the Line” was co-written by Louisa Branscomb and Nancy Beaudette, and features the vocals of two-time Grammy winner Becky Buller.
Bests of luck and may the Grammy winds be in your favour!
“End Of The Line” Is Just The Beginning!
Nancy Beaudette met Louisa Branscomb at a festival a few years back, and they’ve been friends and co-writers ever since. We are thrilled to tell you their song “End Of The Line” is included on Louisa’s new CD release, “Gonna Love Anyway”.
Bluegrass fans will surely know the song, “Steel Rails”, recorded by Alison Krauss in 1990 which was a billboard success and went on to earn her a grammy. That song was written by Louisa and helped to propel her songwriting career to what it is today – she has either won or has been nominated for the industries most prestigious bluegrass awards.
This album features a new version of “Steel Rails” and a phenomenal group of singers and instrumentalists, like Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, Alison Brown, and many more, all performing their versions of Branscomb’s songs. Two-time Grammy winner Becky Buller takes the lead vocals on “End of the Line”.
Co-producer Missy Raines helped select the songs for the album and explains, “We took a designer approach to thinking of who we felt best matched each song.”
There is a wonderful theme of ‘trains’ that rolls through this project. In Louisa’s own words, “Trains know where they are going. They are going to take every bend, it’s just the way it is. They go through it all– the mountains, deserts, seaboard cities, deserted farms, hobo camps. They carry people to their dreams, their homes, and their deaths. They are courageous in their power and in their giving in. Even with all that iron and steel and fire, they accept. They surrender to the track, to what lies ahead.They are hope, wisdom, and courage.”
We sincerely hope you’ll get yourself a copy of “Gonna Love Anyway”, and especially have a listen to “End of the Line”, appropriately placed as the last cut on the album, but certainly not the least among this superb song collection.
“New Folk Competition” An Amazing Experience!
From the moment I set foot on Quiet Valley Ranch, I knew I was in for a truly rare and exceptional weekend. At the Kerrville Folk Festival registration building, I was given a special button that said, “Performer”, and among festival goers, the prestige of being a “NEW FOLK ARTIST” was the equivalent of rock star status.
Me and thirty-one other New Folk Finalists were invited to make Rouse House our home base for the duration of the festival. Deb and Lindsey, our hosts, went above and beyond to make sure we felt at home, and their camp was the perfect place to get to know one another and build community throughout our stay. I can’t thank them enough for all they do to support artists. Deb and Lindsey are extraordinary people.
The songwriting competition itself was less competitive than one would think. We learned from the judges, previous finalists or winners, and the festival director Dalis Allen, the real impetus for New Folk is to create a place where great songwriters from around the world can connect and collaborate with one another. It really is a beautiful mandate and one I certainly took to heart.
I was among the first eight performers to play on Saturday, May 26th, on the ThreadgillStage. Thankfully I was able to switch out nervousness for excitement and was pleased with how I presented my two songs. (By the way, we had to play the two songs we used to enter the contest which for me were “Reeds on the River” and “Six Pack”)
Out of thirty-two performers, only six can win. Everyone else places seventh, and over the years this has become known as Club Seven; I’m proud to be a full-fledged member. I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity to showcase alongside so many fabulous songwriters at such a prestigious venue. Thank you.
Nancy
p.s. KC Cafe Radio interviewed the New Folk Artists. Click here to see mine.
SongC.R.A.F.T. – BOOK RELEASE MAY 30 on Amazon
This book is focused on the ‘craft’ of songwriting and the care and nurturing of your ‘creative being’. Intended for both novice and experienced songwriters, “SongC.R.A.F.T. – Writing In Your Authentic Voice” is an invitation to dig deep into your personal memories and experiences and write in your most vulnerable, courageous voice.
- Nurture your creative process
- Learn to find ideas from personal experiences
- Write fabulous and meaningful songs
- Find out why having a special creative room is important
- Recognize and avoid common mistakes
- How to find an audience to perform your song to
- Leave the critic behind and write your best work
Award-winning songwriters and authors, Nancy Beaudette and Laura Zucker, will guide you through a series of exercises and reflections which will help you write a song lyric by the end of the book. Nancy and Laura have been using the “SongC.R.A.F.T.” method throughout their professional careers, and teach this process to writers across the country.
Forward by Berklee College of Music Songwriting Professor – Susan Cattaneo.
The Author’s have created a special website with additional video content and blog. Visit www.mysongcraft.com for more details.