Biography

Wes Weddell, info@wesweddell.com

Nobody’s Flag is the fifth release from Seattle’s Wes Weddell and his band, a rootsy romp across the songwriter-Americana landscape with each of the ten original songs drawing inspiration from the written word.

Since 2010 Weddell has worked closely with The Bushwick Book Club Seattle, a collective of musicians and artists who write and perform new works inspired by a different literary selection each month. The source materials here range from classic to contemporary, famous authors to emerging locals, fiction and non-fiction alike - but “inspired by” doesn’t mean “strictly based upon,” and part of the fun is guessing the connection.

“Gray” opens the album likening Dorothy’s choice to leave Oz to Weddell’s own decisions to limit touring and dedicate himself to the Seattle scene. “The Movie That Plays in My Head” and “Everything I Ever Wanted to Do” confront issues of legacy. “Not Enough” says no thanks to the gift of time-travel. “Too Many” has almost exactly the same number of words as the story on which it’s based.

Alongside Weddell’s guitar, mandolin, and vocals, band members Alicia Healey (bass, vocals; also co-producer), Brian Hoskins (piano, organ), and Dave Bush (drums, percussion) support the songs capably through a variety of different feels: bluesy grooves; country waltzes; hints of bluegrass and old-time; honkytonk; and more. Guests drop in to add extra harmonies, fiddle, and even horns.

Nobody’s Flag stands and a strong listen from top-to-bottom, full of thoughtful and fun songs that at once assert their individuality yet sit together as-a-piece. Considering the songs in the context of their respective inspirations, though not essential to appreciating the album, adds another compelling layer. Enjoy!

WES WEDDELL BAND - Nobody’s Flag

1. Gray (3:46)
Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz
2. Just Like Me (3:20)
Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451
3. The Movie That Plays in My Head (3:29)
Inspired by Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity
4. The Stance (4:19)
Inspired by Nick Wong’s essay A Fight for Shared Spaces
5. Not Enough (5:07)
Inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five
6. To Have and to Hold (4:55)
Inspired by Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
7. Everything I Ever Wanted to Do (4:18)
Inspired by Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove
8. Memory and Make-Believe (4:17)
Inspired by Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States
9. Too Many (3:27)
Inspired by Dr. Seuss’ Too Many Daves
10. One Year Older (3:41)
Inspired by Ed Skoog’s poem Like Night Catching Jackrabbits in Its Barbed Wire

All songs written by Wes Weddell
Produced by Wes Weddell with Alicia Healey
Dusty Shadows Music: DSM 15-01
©/℗ 2015 Dusty Shadows Music/ASCAP

PREVIOUS RELEASES
* By the Side of the Lake (2010)
* Songs to Get You From Here to There (2007)
* My Northwest Home (2001)

“Where’s Wes Weddell?” asked the Seattle Times in 2001, after Wes set off on a grant-funded adventure turning regional stories into songs. These days that answer is likely “in or around Seattle,” but a better question might be “What’s he doing today?” Performing, writing, recording, teaching, sitting-in, presenting - all have become regular parts of the Seattle singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s repertoire.

Since My Northwest Home introduced him to the scene in 2001, many more stages, albums, collaborations, and honors have followed. Touring increased, airplay accrued. A 12-year association with beloved folksinging duo Reilly & Maloney began. Life happened, and the touring slowed (Seattle’s not exactly centrally-located). Wes’ Northwest roots sank deeper and spread.

Beginning in 2010, Wes began working with The Bushwick Book Club Seattle, a collective of songwriters and artists who write and perform original works inspired by a different literary selection each month. Songs from this catalogue comprise the selections on 2015’s Nobody’s Flag, a full-band effort firmly in the rootsy-Americana vein.

A native of Pullman, WA, Wes is also an avid baseball fan and mountain huckleberry picker.

On the backsides of mountains and the alleys between,
In the high-desert moonlight and the motels off-screen,
Dirt roads and dive bars like neon cathedrals
Ain’t nobody’s flag that can claim me right here
- “One Year Older”

www.wesweddell.com