FAR-West Community
A series of virtually hosted events celebrating
the rich cultural musical diversity of FAR-West
Monday, August 30th at 7 PM PDT
FAR-West Community Presents
“She’s Speaking“
Songs about women, by women, for everyone.
FAR-West Board Emcee: Auntmama Moorman
Hosted by Beth Wood
Featuring Kristen Grainger, Bre Gregg, Shireen Amini,
Gabrielle Louise, Aireene Espiritu, and Beth Wood
at https://youtu.be/5ixtSrQR9UY
Oregon singer-songwriters Beth Wood, Bre Gregg and Kristen Grainger created and launched She’s Speaking, a project devoted to creating forums/spaces where women’s voices and artistry can be heard by all people.
Writer Elizabeth Lesser says, “When women are the storytellers, the human story changes.” “She’s Speaking” believes that women telling women’s stories is one step toward a more balanced and equal world. They put out the call to amazing women songwriters, asking each of them to write and perform an original song about a woman who inspired her – someone who has touched her life in a significant way. The result is a YouTube channel and this growing collection of songs and artists called “She’s Speaking.”
Kristen Grainger wrote speeches for two Oregon governors and three university presidents before she came to her senses and became a performing songwriter. She has won national songwriting awards and was named, with Brandi Carlile and Dolly Parton, one of the Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack by The Bluegrass Situation. https://www.truenorthband.com/
Bre Gregg looks sweet until she opens her mouth, revealing a depth well beyond her years. Her band, Red Bird, has been described as “unabashedly soulful with elements of blues and roots” by Vortex Magazine, and Good Day Oregon compares them to impressive artists including Bonnie Raitt and Joss Stone. https://redbirdsoul.com/
Shireen Amini is a queer, Puerto Rican-Iranian-American, Earth-loving singer-songwriter who blends rock, latin, hip hop, and roots music with socially-conscious themes. Her latest album, “Break Myself Free,” is a proud proclamation of queer identity and an invitation into deeper connection with the Earth. https://shireenamini.com/
Gabrielle Louise is a songwriter and storytelling living in the mountains of Colorado. Her sound is anchored deeply in folk and Americana, but undeniably drawn to rich harmonies and melodic adventurism. She has the earthy feel of early Joni Mitchell while also veering into the versatile delivery of vocalist Eva Cassidy. https://gabriellelouise.com/
Aireene Espiritu plays a mix of stompin’, swayin’ and timeless Americana reminiscent of front porch storytelling, of ghosts and the living, times of laughter and tears. A Color-Coded Symphony is her latest project, a musical experience connecting the audience’s ethnic origins to rhythms of the world. http://www.aireeneespiritu.com/
Beth Wood is a modern-day troubadour, award-winning poet and songwriter, and believer in the power of word and song. Beth has been writing, performing, and teaching full-time for twenty-four years — delighting and inspiring audiences with her exceptional musicianship, intelligent writing, powerhouse voice, and warm and commanding stage presence. https://www.bethwoodmusic.com
FAR-West Community Programming – Born from a union of connection and diversity.
Just as a large city has many neighborhoods with distinct flavors, FAR-West has dozens, maybe hundreds of groups of people with common bonds that are part of their unique Community. Each Community Spotlight tells the story of the genre, location, organization being spotlighted and gives us musical examples from artists of excellence as part of that story.
Community Commonalities can include cities, rural or suburan locations, many styles of music, or dance, or spoken word arts. It can be a product of age, or appreciation of nature, or of bookstores and the variety of listeners, players and presenters they attract and so much more.
In our Community programming, we will be reaching out all over the West (and possibly even beyond) to present a platform where we can all learn and appreciate more about our region.
Our diversity makes us richer. Knowing about each other makes us stronger. We learn from and inspire each other. We are our Community.
