Bethel Steele: News

Hello everyone!

(Plus, an especially lovely hello to all of y'all that I met while on the road in March and April with Sierra! I'm so glad to have met you!)

So, I think that I'm mostly finished with the decompression of post-tour... But I'm sure there is plenty more synthesis left to be done. Sierra and I made it back safely to Boston after 31 days and drum roll, please, a total of 19 shows! It was truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life...


Top Five things I learned from the 4500 mile journey:

-bring a camera everywhere

-blog, blog, blog, blog or at least write in a journal! (I have a couple of really great entries in my journal, but overall a very inadequate summary of the trip)

-don't plan on doing anything until at least 3 days after you get back home (unfortunately, I had jury duty the day after our last show in NYC... no wonder I didn't get seated.)

-Mountain House meals (freeze-dried food in a bag) are super fabulous on the road... as are mini coffee press mugs

-the people who put you up and feed you are angels. (thank you mom, Hannah, Jess, Andrea & Kimmy, Allison, Carrie & Michael, Melisssa, and Sierra's mom!)


Now, back in Boston, I'm glad to see leaves on the trees and the weather is gently warming... now if it will just quit being gray outside!

I'm really excited about the show I have coming up this month. I've been asked to play in the Club Passim campfire.! I'll be performing with Sierra, Tim Riordan, and Julia Brown from 1:15 until 2:25 on Monday, May 31st (Memorial Day). You can get tickets at www.clubpassim.org - it's only $10 for the day, and an even better deal: $30 for the entire awesome weekend. Check out the schedule. Come on out and catch some music between your grillin' and enjoy yourself!

I hope to see y'all soon,

Bethel

Monday, May 31st, 2010
campfire. w/ Sierra West, Timmy Riordan, and Julia Brown - 1:15
Club Passim
47 Palmer St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Price: $30 weekend pass (28-31), $10 one day pass

Helloooo Everyone!

Sierra and I are beginning our month-long tour today. As you can see from the subject of this email we are going to be traveling to 10 states over the next 31 days! As this email is being written, I am packing up the last bits and pieces of what we need to have a wicked and awesome tour! Lots of coffee, dry foodstuffs, and instant Mountain House meals. This tour is sure to be eventful and a great learning experience. I hope that you'll join us along the way!

Friday, March 26th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 9pm
The Tramontane Cafe
1105 Lincoln Avenue
Utica, NY 13502
315-732-8257
Price: No cover. Notes: So excited to get back to this place - amazing people, great coffee and food! So excited to see my Tram Fam!

Saturday, March 27th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 7:30
Black Eyed Susan Acoustic Cafe
22 W. Main St
Angelica, NY 14709
585-466-3399
Price: No cover. Notes: Dinner reservations encouraged!

Sunday, March 28th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 7-10pm
The Giving Tree Cafe
308-310 Stewart Avenue
Ithaca, NY 14851
Price: No cover. Notes: Dinner served until 9pm

Monday, March 29th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8pm
Boulder Coffee - South Wedge
100 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY 14620
(585)454-7140
Price: No Cover

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
w/ Sierra - 7pm
Solid Grounds Coffeehouse
133 W. Main Street, Ste. 222
Northville, MI 48167
(248) 348 - 9737
Price: No cover.

Friday, April 2nd, 2010
w/ Sierra - 10pm
Uncommon Ground (Clark)
3800 N. Clark St
Chicago, IL 60613
773-929-3680
Price: $5 suggested donation Notes: Please make dinner reservations

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010
w/ Sierra - 7-8:30
Lazy Daze Coffee House
10 Johnson Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46219
317.353.0777
Price: No cover

Monday, April 5th, 2010
Open Mic - 6pm
Bluebird Cafe
4101 Hillsboro Rd.
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 262-0883
Notes: Sierra and I are going to try to get onto the stage here! Cross your fingers that the name we throw our hat into gets us good luck!

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 10p
The Acoustic Coffeehouse
415 W walnut st.
Johnson City, TN 37601
Price: No cover.

Saturday, April 10th, 2010
w/ Allison Adams, Sierra Rocks and Andrea Wirth - 8pm
Lena's Place Coffeehouse
2676 Clairmont Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
Price: $5

Monday, April 12th, 2010
Songwriter Open Mic - Doors at 7, Show at 7:30
Eddie's Attic
515 N Mcdonough St
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 377-4976
Price: $5

Thursday, April 15th, 2010
On-Air interview on WUAG
WUAG - Stream it LIVE!
From 3-5pm!
Friday, April 16th, 2010
w/ Sierra opening for The Radials! - 10pm
The Flatiron
221 Summit Avenue
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-272-7774
Price: $5 cover

Saturday, April 17th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 9pm
The Blue Vine
209 S Main St
Salisbury, NC 28144
(704) 797-0093

Monday, April 19th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 9:30 until whenever!!
Fellini's #9
200 W. Market
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Price: No cover

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8pm
upstairs @ LICKETY SPLIT
401 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Saturday, April 24th, 2010
returning again with Sierra! - 7pm
Funky Monkey Cafe and Gallery
130 Elm St
Cheshire, CT 06410
203-439-9161

Sunday, April 25th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8pm
Sidewalk Cafe
94 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
212-473-7373
Price: free admission, 2 drink minimum


I'm looking forward to seeing y'all!

Love,
Bethel

Hey everyone!!

It's really March already (and mid-March at that)?! Sierra and I hit the road on our East Coast tour in TWELVE DAYS! I can hardly believe that the last 6 months of planning has passed and is sitting on my doorstep! We'll be heading through sections of the midwest, then down to Atlanta, and back up along the coast... 29 days, 16 shows (and still a few more in the final stages of confirmation).

Before we leave, though, I've got two great (and very different) shows in the greater Boston area: the Tom Petty Tribute Night at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA on March 15th and a co-billed show with Carlyn Hutchins down at the South Shore Folk Music Club on the 19th. If you've never been to a tribute night at Club Passim, you should get out to one - it's a bunch of awesome local and regional musicians each performing one song - and this time 'round we're all doing Tom Petty songs! Whoop!

I hope y'all enjoy the Spring as it begins to reveal itself! I hope to see y'all soon. Also, if you know of people in any of the towns or the surrounding areas where we're playing, please, Please, let them know we're coming to town and they should put the date in their calendar! We need y'alls help to have a super great amazing tour!

Peace and see you on the road!

Bethel


Alright, now! Let's get down to the details! Here's where I'm going to be over the next month and a half:

Monday, March 15th, 2010
Tom Petty Tribute! - 7pm
Club Passim
47 Palmer St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Price: $10 non-members/$5 members

Friday, March 19th, 2010
with Carlyn Hutchins - 8pm
South Shore Folk Music Club at the Beal House
- Hide quoted text -
222 Main St.
Kingston, MA 02364
Price: $6 non-members/$5 members

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 2-4pm
Taste Budds
40 West Market Street
Red Hook, NY 12571
Price: Free!

Hey y'all!

January flew by for me, I spent a lot of time cooking food, spending time with lovely people, writing new tunes and getting my life organized for 2010! This year is going to be amazing - lots of shows already, and the list is just continuing to grow and grow!

Last month, I made a trip up to the Me and Thee up in Marblehead, which was incredibly lovely - even got to hear a bunch of new voices and make some great friends... and big news from my buddy Sierra, she had an incredible CD release party at the Lizard on the 21st! Speaking of Sierra, we've confirmed a bunch of dates for our March/April tour - if you're anywhere on the East Coast, or know anyone in these cities, please, Please let them know we're coming - we'd love lots of wonderful smiling faces everywhere we go!

So, it's February and it's already in full swing in the music department! On the 1st of this month, I had the pleasure of writing a song for my dear friend, Timmy Riordan's song-a-day project. www.timmyriordan.com The deal is you get to write a new song on your day, then send it to Tim and he's going to write a song on that day, too! We decided to write about buildings and structure - true to form, the little ditty I wrote turned into a love song. You can check it out on Tim's website, it's called "Where We'll Build." Tim is going to be writing a song every day until March, paired up with a bunch of INCREDIBLE artists, so, if you haven't yet, go to www.timmyriordan.com and check it out!!

As for shows this month, there are plenty, so don't miss out!


Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Peter, Paul, & Mary Tribute with Dave Simmons & Friends - 7pm
Gulu-Gulu Cafe
247 Essex St
Salem, MA 01970
978-740-8882
Sierra and I will be performing a small collection of Peter, Paul and Mary songs along with a bunch of other artists!

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8pm
Langdon Street Cafe
4 Langdon Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802)223-8667
Sierra and I are headed to our first show in the lovely state of Vermont and we'll be co-billing with us will be Chris Sand, the rappin' cowboy who performs @ 9pm!

Saturday, February 20th, 2010
w/ Sierra and Brief Awakening - 7p
Gulu Gulu Cafe
56 Central Square
Salem, MA 01901
617-848-5967
A week after the Peter, Paul and Mary Tribute with Dave Simmons, we're headed back up to Salem to play a nearly full night of music. You don't want to miss this, really.

Thursday, February 25th, 2010
6:30p
The Chapters Cafe @ The Dormann Library
101 West Morris St.
Bath, NY 14810
Hey Central New York! Come check it out, Sierra's going to be joining me for a lovely evening of music at the Chapter's Cafe - come on out and enjoy the tunes!

Friday, February 26th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8pm
Blue Frog Coffeehouse
64 Main Street
Cortland, NY 13045
607.758.7989
So excited to get back to the Blue Frog, back at home - and this time with my buddy, Sierra! Bring your friends and family! Oh, and don't forget, the Blue Frog is offering beer and wine now, too!

Saturday, February 27th, 2010
w/ Sierra - 8:30p
The Yellow Sofa
24 Main St.
Northampton, MA 01060
Sierra and I will be making our delightfully-haunting harmonies at the Yellow Sofa in Northampton, MA! Come on out for some good music and drinks!



That's all for now, folks! I hope you are all enjoying the winter season and I hope that I get to see you in a warm place filled with delightful live music soon!


Bethel

Hello everyone!

I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I was able to plump
myself up with a day of cooking and lots of food - I even got to help
make rolls from scratch for the first time - meaning, I sifted the
flower. :) November was a whirlwind of music all over the Northeast. I
made new friends in New Hampshire and Connecticut, and Sierra and I
got ourselves to upstate New York for an incredible weekend of music
and very little sleep at the North East Regional Folk Alliance
Conference. But it's not November anymore!

So here are some of the things that I love about this glorious month:
the snow (which has not yet arrived in Boston), warm clothes and hats
to match and occaisional scarf wearing (though not all of said
accessories have been taken out of my closet), fire in the fireplace
(except my fireplace is of the faux kind,so there will be no fire
there), and MUSIC! Lots and lots of music!!! So here's what's going on
this month:

Friday, December 4th, 2009
supporting Sierra - 8-10p
Jitter's Night Club <http://www.jittersclub.com/>
1273 Queen St.
Southington, CT 06489
860-747-1100
Price: $5 cover, plus donation to artists.
So excited to be back at Jitters so soon! I had a great time last
month, and this month should be even more amazing!

Saturday, December 5th, 2009
w/ Sierra - 7-9p
Funky Monkey Cafe and Gallery <http://www.thefunkymonkeycafe.com>
130 Elm St
Cheshire, CT 06410
203-439-9161
Price: Free!

Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Singer-Songwriter Series hosted by Danielle Miraglia - 9p
The Burren <http://www.burren.com>
247 Elm St
Somerville, MA 02144
Price: Free!
Come catch a great show - Tim Riordan at 8p and I'll be on at 9p with
Sierra joining me! They've got great foods and drinks and goodness
gracious it's free, so come on out!

Monday, December 28th, 2009
Tribute Night: A tribute to the '90s - 7pm
Club Passim <http://www.clubpassim.org>
47 Palmer St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
I'm incredibly excited to perform at Passim on this night! It's such
an honor to get the chance to play here. Come on out to see some
fabulous performers at Club Passim's renowned Tribute Night! I'd tell
you what incredibly fun and ridiculous song I'm performing, but that
would ruin the fun. You'll just have to show up to see how fabulous
this night of remembering the '90s through song will be!
That's all from me for now, I hope to see you folks soon! Happy
holidays!

Hugs,
B

Hey there everyone! I hope you're enjoying the change of seasons! It's always a beautiful time of year - I'm so excited to drive to some other areas in New England to see the colors! (That is, if there are any leaves left for me to see!)


Here are the big happenings for November:


Thursday, November 5th, 2009
w/ Sierra! - 8-11pm
Blue Mermaid Island Grill
409 The Hill
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603.427.2583


Friday, November 6th, 2009
8pm
Jitters Night Club/Coffeehouse
1273 Queen St
Southington, CT 06489

Price: $5 cover, $5 suggested donation

Saturday, November 7th, 2009
8-10p
Mocha Coffeehouse
3 Glen Rd
Sandy Hook, CT
203-364-9200

Price: Free!


The following weekend, November 12-15th, Sierra and I are headed to NERFA in Kerhonkson, NY to have some late nights of hallway-performances and mischief as we run around spreading Sierra and Bethel tunes to a hungry folk crowd.


For those of you in the Boston area who feel left out, don't worry - throw this date on your calendar: December 6th at the Burren in Somerville! Go forth and mark your calendar!!! My buddy Tim Riordan is playing at 8pm, then Sierra will be joining me from 9pm on. This Sunday show is free!


Hope to see y'all soon!!

Bethel

Hey all! Happy Fall!


After the busiest music month I've had to date, I'm excited to say that October will keep me closer to home and will hold many a chance to see and hear my music with a new twist: my buddy Sierra on vocals! You'll be able to catch this at most of my upcoming shows, and you'll likely get to see me join Sierra on her tunes, too!

I'm going to start blogging about gigs as I have time - telling little stories about my travels and late-nights... I have a ton of stories from September's adventures, but I'm saving them for the blog, and not for my newsletter - SO! If you want to hear about all the crazy and ridiculous things that happen in my life around music, you'll have to read about it here: http://bethelsteele.com/news.html.

Okay, now on to all the good stuff happening in October!

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
JP Unplugged - 8pm
Loring Greenough House
12 South St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Price: $10
A new season of JPUnplugged - I'll be sharing the night with Chris Wilhelm, an incredibly talented singer-songwriter, and Sierra's going to be joining me as a very special guest. This concert series is held in the lovely parlor room of the historic Loring-Greenough House which is right at the intersection of Center and South Streets in JP. I'd definitely suggest making reservations if you plan on seeing this show, as it's a small room and seats fill up fast! (email reservations@jpunplugged.org to reserve your seats!) If you bring a friend to this show, let me know, and I'm going to hook you up with some sweet Bethel Steele merchandise as a thank you!

Friday, October 16th, 2009
w/ Sierra! - 7pm
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, NY 13820
Sierra and I will be sharing the stage for our second gig on the road, with a special student singer-songwriter opening for us! We're delighted to take part in SUNY Oneonta's Pride Week festivities, sharing a little Boston musical love with the folks at SUNY Oneonta.

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
7-10p
The Channel Cafe - ECHO Acoustic Performances
300 Summer St.
Boston, MA
Price: Free!
The Channel is great venue with AMAZING food and drink - this place is in the historic Fort Point district of Boston, easily accessible by the T (red line to South Station, then walk over the Fort Point Channel and the venue is on the right side). Come for dinner and a drink, stay for the music and to hear Sierra and I banter about silly things and join in on each others music!

On October 25th, I'll be making a cameo appearance at my friend, Pastor Branwen Cook's, installation as Pastor at the Roslindale Congregational Church in Roslindale, MA. This is going to be a fun day of celebration. I'm delighted that she asked me to come and play a tune. If you're interested in joining in on the celebration, it's taking place at 2pm.


I hope to see y'all soon. I've pulled out my warm and lovely sweaters and Carhartt vests in honor of the changing of seasons... mmm, sweaters and vests!!


Love,
B


(And for those of you who are wondering why I'm so excited about performing with Sierra, check out her website, listen to her music and get on her mailing list: www.sierrarocks.com... and then come to a show... or two... or seven.)

That's right, folks! I'll be on the road for most of September (I'm headed to NH, NY, OH... a jaunt through PA and some time in NJ), but before I leave town, I've got a huuuuge new show announcement to make!

I was recently asked to do a short-notice show at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA with Nadia Swartz and Danielle Doyle on Wednesday, September 2. This is going to be a rockin' show, but you have to be there to make it complete. I'll be playing at 11, but Nadia starts the night at 9 and Danielle plays at 10 - yes, it's a Wednesday night, but you should at least try to come out to the show, 'cause if we pack out this place, we'll likely be able to play at this or associated venues again. Cover is $5, they have an incredible amount of tap-beers and great food available. (They also have coffee!!)

The Utica Music and Arts Festival is also this month - September 10-12, over 250 bands and musicians will perform at over 20 venues in Utica, NY - and you can see as many performances as you want for $25! Go to www.uticamusicfest.net for more details. I'll be performing 4 times during the festival - see below for when and where!

I'll also be returning to Oberlin College this month (Cat in the Cream, Sept 19th). I played at the Cat last April and had a great time - a lovely bunch of people and a great venue. On the way out there, I'm going to stop by Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY and perform at their open mic on the 17th - it starts at 7:30, if you want to join! After traveling out to Ohio, I'm going to head to Philly Rising Open Stage at World Cafe Live on the 21st - another great place to see great local and regional performers.

I hope to see y'all soon!

Take good care,
Bethel



Here's the abbreviated run-down of the shows for this month:

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
with Nadia Swartz and Danielle Doyle - 9p
Lizard Lounge

1667 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138

Price: $5 cover, 21+
9p - Nadia Swartz
10p - Danielle Doyle
11p - Bethel Steele
12p - all three of us in the round!

Sunday, September 6th, 2009
8-10pm
The Highlands Inn

Bethlehem, NH
603-869-3978
Price: Free for guests/Donation for non-guests
For more information, call the venue or send me an email.

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Utica Music and Arts Festival - 7:00-7:45
Nail Creek Pub and Brewery

Varick St.
Utica, NY 13502
Price: $25 for all shows of the fest
21+ only. Get tickets and details at uticamusicfest.net!

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Utica Music and Arts Festival - Midnight
Griffin's Pub

226 Genessee St
Utica, NY 13502
USA
Price: $25 for all shows of UMAF
Headlining spot!! Whoop!!!

Friday, September 11th, 2009
Utica Music and Arts Festival - 4-4:45
Tramontane

1105 Lincoln Ave.
Utica, NY 13502
Price: $25 for all shows of UMAF
All ages! Go to uticamusicfest.net for tickets and details!

Saturday, September 12th, 2009
Utica Music and Arts Festival - 7:30-8:30
Kozar's Grill

1000 Sunset Ave.
Utica, NY 13502
Price: $25 for all shows of UMAF
21+ only. For tickets and more info go to uticamusicfest.net

Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Cafe Lena - Open Mic
47 Phila St.
P.O. Box 245
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(http://www.caffelena.org/open-mic.htm#w) for more details.

Saturday, September 19th, 2009
8pm
The Cat in the Cream
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
Price: Free!

Monday, September 21st, 2009
World Cafe Live - Philly Rising Open Stage
Sign up at 6.30, Open Stage begins at 7:30
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-222-1400

Hello everyone!

So, it's stopped raining here in Boston... finally. I really, really, really thought that I had moved - without all the packing and unpacking and heavy lifting - to a place that has "rainy" as a season. Please remind me when I try to move to Seattle (or some other place with a similar climate) of this past month and how it makes me
relatively unhappy...

Some great things have happened since I last emailed y'all! I've got my finished, packaged, gorgeous (both sounding and looking) CD! And a whole bunch of them! I know you really want a copy - so you should go to http://www.bethelsteele.com and get a copy if you don't have one already. All pre-orders will be mailed out on Monday... so y'all will be receiving them over the next
week! Yeaaaah!

There's always another way that you can get a CD... by coming to see me perform! I've got just a couple of gigs this month:

Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Sowa Open Market <http://southendopenmarket.com> 540 Harrison Ave
Boston, MA
Price: Free
This is a great not-so-little market. I'll be playing from about 11.30 until 1.30 - plus or minus a bit. Come on down and shop around, hear some great music and enjoy the sunshine! The market is super easy to get to by T - just visit
http://www.southendopenmarket.com/directions.htm for details! I hope to see you!

Monday, July 27th, 2009
8pm
The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN) <http://www.natickarts.org> 14 Summer St
Natick, MA 01760
USA
Price: $5 non-members, Free for members
This is one of the most beautiful sounding performance spaces. This is an open mic hosted by Phil and Trisha Knudsen, who are amazing! Please, come out and support myself and some other local musicians who
play a tune or two - or come play for yourself. I'm the feature, so I'll be playing for 30+ minutes. Please, make the trip out to this place, it's an incredible room!

In other news, my website is going through some changes (but you won't see them for a bit)... I'm hoping I can launch the new website in the next month or so - the preliminary art looks SO good. My buddy Corey is Amazing and is making it look really great. I'll let you know
when that lil adventure is ready.

That's all for now, folks!

I hope I get to see y'all soon!

Bethel

Hi there, everyone!

I hope you all are well! I hibernated for most of May - read: all my free time was spent finishing up "Come Home," my first full-length release! So, yes, the CD is finished and is being replicated as I write this update to you! The CD sounds so wonderful and I am so proud of it. I can't wait to share it with the rest of you.

I have really great news - there's going to be a couple of celebrations of my CD release, but one that I'm particularly excited about. (Sorry that I've left out those of you who aren't in the Boston area from all of the release fun, but I hope that you'll forgive me!) I'll be performing at the Hallway in Jamaica Plain, MA on the last day of this month (June 30th) for my official CD release party!! Brent, the owner of the Hallway, has been overhearing me play on the back porch of my house for the last month or so as he's been preparing his gallery for its opening. He's put together an awesome party with the artists who are showing and myself to celebrate the last night that folks will be available to be seen at the Hallway, as well as my CD release. I'm really excited about this show - there's more available on my main page here - but really, don't miss it if you're in the area and can make it.

You can also catch the special pre-release party at the Roslindale Congregational Church in Roslindale, MA (see my main profile page for details on this show, too) on Monday June 22nd. I'm going to have some pre-release goodies at that show, too, so if you come out, you're going to get a live Bethel Steele performance AND walk away with something super exciting from me!

For those of you who pre-ordered or donated to the process and have been waiting, waiting, waiting, your CDs will be sent out at the end of the month! And for those of you who haven't pre-ordered yet, it's okay! I will be accepting pre-orders until the 30th - and when you pre-order the album, you'll also get a copy of my EP, "Beautiful Woman" AND unreleased tracks that didn't make the album! These things are going to be collector's items, so gobble them up and pre-order now! To do so, just go here: www.bethelsteele.com/products.html and click on the "Buy Now" button. If you don't feel comfortable with that means of payment, just email me and we'll work something out!

In the spirit of my CD release, I want to reward a few of those who actually read this blog! The first, fifth and tenth emails I receive to bethel (at) bethelsteele.com in response to this blog and tell me what four tracks of the new album, "Come Home" you can listen to on my myspace page will get a free copy of "Come Home" mailed to you at the end of the month! If you're one of the lucky winners, I'll let you know and get your mailing address of where to send the CD!

I hope to hear from y'all soon!

Hey there, everyone! I'm currently writing you from Oberlin, Ohio, the first stop on my two-week vacation/mini-tour. I've got a number of things to update you on, so let's just get right on into it. Here's the rundown on the contents of this newsletter:



I. March happenings

II. April tour so far

III. Record update - Mix, Master, Release

IV. April's remaining shows - NY and MA





I. March happenings



March was a fun, but busy month for me. I worked pretty steadily at the studio, recorded some new drum tracks, got a bass player in and layed some of the finishing touches onto the record. I also played a couple of shows, one at the Midway Cafe in Boston and one at Java Jo's Coffeehouse, also in Boston. The show at the Midway was pretty rockin', I opened up for a band called Brief Awakening - myspace.com/briefawakening, who I'll also be sharing the stage with on April 19th at the Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge.



I also featured at Java Jo's and that was an incredibly fabulous time. There was a lovely crowd that turned out there - so many folks who came to share their music and so many just to listen. My momma and aunt even made it to the show, coming all the way from New York - we had talked earlier and the week and I asked her what her plans were for the weekend - her response was, "Well, I'm thinking about traveling East" - for about a minute I had no idea what she was alluding to, then I was like, "Aww, mommy, are you going to come to Boston?!" Yeah, I'm a momma's girl and often pretty dense.





II. April tour so far

So, as I said, I'm in Oberlin, Ohio right now. My very first live performance on the radio took place on the Oberlin College radio station, WOBC 91.5 last Thursday morning. Many thanks to Sophie and Julia who let me play during their show (and the shameless plug: their show is called "In Anticipation of a Stew" and you can catch it streaming on www.wobc.org on Thursdays from 9 to 10am). And good news to all of y'all who didn't hear the performance, you'll be able to download a podcast of the whole show soon. Julia and Sophie post it on their blog after the show (http://anticipatingastew.blogspot.com/). The show isn't up yet, but should be soon.



While here at Oberlin, I also had the pleasure to play for a surprisingly large crowd at OC's Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse. Thank you so much to all of you who showed up at the Cat, it was such a pleasure to perform for you and chat with you after. Musta' been the appearance on the radio, or the plastering of my posters on campus... or maybe due to the kind soul from the Cat put a banner with my name on it on one of the main campus buildings next to banners of other happenings for the week. I foolishly didn't take a picture of it, but I'm scheming of how i can get my hands on that banner... though what I'll do with it I have no idea.





III. Record update - Mix, Master, Release

I've had the pleasure of carrying around a bootleg copy of the new CD, "Come Home" to the show at the Cat, and I have some bootlegs left for the remainder of the tour. It's basically the finished product, we've done about 75% of the mixing and now I just have to make the decision of whether or not I'm going to add any final musical touches to the project. I'm hoping to get the finished product mastered before the end of the month. If you come to one of the shows on the tour and have pre-ordered the CD, I'll be happy to fork over a bootleg to ya, if you haven't pre-ordered yet, get yourself in gear and pre-order it here: http://bethelsteele.com/products.html. If you pre-order, you're also going to get some fun schwag, so get on it. Be sure to save this date, too:

Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Official CD Release Party! - 7pm
The Roslindale Open Mic @ the Roslindale Congregational Church

The CD will be released before the party, but this will be the official celebration.





IV. April's remaining shows - NY and MA

If you're in upstate New York, don't miss these upcoming dates in April, as I ramble my way through Albany, Cortland and Rosendale and don't miss the show in Cambridge for all of you in Boston:



Friday, April 10th, 2009

7pm-10pm

Emack and Bolio's

366 Delaware Ave
Albany, NY 12209

I'll be playing alternating sets with Steve Scarlata (http://stevescarlata.tripod.com/) from 7 until 10.

Saturday, April 11th, 2009
8pm

The Blue Frog Coffeehouse
434 Main St
Cortland, NY 13045


Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
8pm

Rosendale Cafe
434 Main St
Rosendale, NY 12472

Part of the Rosendale Cafe Singer-Songwriter Sessions

Sunday, April 19th, 2009
8pm

Out of the Blue Gallery
106 Prospect St.
Cambridge, MA
With a number of female musicians and poets! Don't miss this night.





Alright folks, that's all for now! I hope to see you soon!



~Bethel

Alright, so it's pretty obvious how bad I am at the email thing...
But here's the latest news on the CD, shows, and videos! Sorry for the
delay!

The CD, "Come Home," is still in the studio... it's getting closer
to a place of being finished. I'm hoping to have everything mixed and
mastered before I leave town in April, so when I'm back in Boston, I
have CDs waiting at my doorstep to send to all of you who have
pre-ordered them! If you didn't get a sneak peak at the album in
January, just let me know, and I'll send you a track from the CD for
FREE!


I've got a couple of shows this month, here are the details:

Thursday, March 12th, 2009
8:30
Midway Cafe
3496 Washington St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
USA

Price: $5
Supporting Brief Awakening - I'll be playing for about
half an hour, then Brief Awakening will play, and then it's Queeraoke
time! Whoop! Brought to you by Wonky Productions.

Friday, March 20th, 2009
7:00
Java Jo's Coffeehouse
Hyde Park Ave
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
USA

Price: Free, with a hat passed
I'm the feature this week at the
lovely Java Jo's Coffeehouse! The open mic starts at 7, come early to
sign up, then I'll play a set at 8, and the open mic continues after my
set!

Also, if you check out my website, you'll see that I'm going to be
playing some shows outside of Boston! (Like in upstate New York and
the Hudson Valley!) Along with a show at Oberlin College. I'm calling
this little stint my pre-release CD tour! I'm planning on bringing
bootleg copies with me so y'all can hear the record! Don't miss these
shows! I may not be back in the area until September!



Finally, after a few months, I've also got some great video courtesy of some amazing people and venues:

A live cut of Eighty-Five,
a track on the new Album (Come Home). Kathy Sands-Boehmer recorded this
at the Me & Thee Coffeehouse up on the North Shore! Thanks Kathy!

Also, a clip of a new song,Whiskey, recorded by the folks at 80 Border Street (a super awesome venue), when I opened for Kristen Ford.

You can find all of these on my myspace page: myspace.com/bethelsteele

I'll try to be better at sending you all updates... You folks are too amazing for me to neglect you!

I hope you are all well and that I see you soon!

Bethel

Hello friends and family!

First of all, I will admit it has been way too long since I last
wrote you all! I apologize! I've been busy in the studio since
August. I've hit a couple of super-huge speed bumps along the way,
so all of you folks who pre-ordered my new album know - and perhaps
only because it hasn't arrived at your doorstep - it's not quite
finished yet!

As of right now, I have a few more folks to record in the new year,
and then Steve (from Melville Park) and I are going to be mixing and
heading into the mastering stage. When I was working in ecology, we
used to plan that everything we wanted to do would take 3 times as
long as we expected them to. I really wanted to get this project
done this year, but it's more realistic that the project will be
finished in February of 2009. I'm really excited about how this
project is coming about - the tracks sound FABULOUS, even without
having been mixed, so that means that when they are finished and
mixed, they are going to sound INCREDIBLE!!!

I've been making some resolutions for this new year - the first of
which is to send out a monthly email to keep you all informed, the
second is to book more gigs, including a tour of NE at some point
this summer. I'll give you more details on this soon!

Lastly, I have a gift for all of you - I'm going to send you one of
the rough cuts from the album for the holidays! All you have to do
is email me (bethel (at) bethelsteele.com), and I'll send it to you as an attachment! Get
excited, folks, this album is going to be great and I hope you all
are as excited as I am!

Warm wishes to all of you during this Holiday season!

Bethel

Hi all! I hope you are all having a GREAT summer! Here's the latest
news in my little world of music:

Status of the upcoming CD
Alright, so we've tracked out all of the vocal and guitar
parts and I'm working with some other musicians to get the rest of
the "sound" complete. There is going to be some lovely percussion by
my buddy Ken Porter (from JP Unplugged), and cello, dobro and fiddle.
This CD is going to have a very interesting feel and sound. Also,
I've been contemplating a handful of names for this upcoming album,
and I think it's going to be "Familiar Places" ... We'll see if it
sticks.
I also just finished up with my photographer, the amazing Liz
Linder! We shot about 600 photos and have gotten it down to about
90... and now I need to get it down to about 5. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO
BE INVOLVED in selecting the photos for this project, email me and
I'll send you the link so that I can get your input!! I'd really
love to hear from you.
And yes, there is also a shameless plug in this section,
there's still plenty to be underwritten in this process! I've
received some generous donations (thank you thank you thank you) and
quite a few pre-orders (thank you, thank you, thank you), but it's
not too late to join in! If you're interested in playing a role in
this project, head on over to bethelsteele.com and click "products"
in the left column. There you can donate or pre-order the CD!! By
doing this you're helping me defray the direct costs, like studio
time, musicians, mastering, design, duplication, etc! It's HUGE!!
(Plus you get free merchandise, and lots of love and hugs and
smiles... and hugs.)



Upcoming Shows in August:

Aug 6, 2008 8pm (doors 7.30)
Concert in the round with all of the members from JP Unplugged
(jpunplugged.org)
Cafe 939
939 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02130
$10 general admission/$5 Students

Aug 23, 2008 5pm
Soule Homestead Emerging Artist Showcase!
I'll be joining 6 others in a showcase of wonderful talent in
Middleborough, MA! The best performer gets a slot in the Folk
Festival in September (pretty much opening for the Kennedy's!!!!!)
Come support local rising musicians (and me) and hear some new
music!
Soule Homestead Education Center
46 Soule St.
Middleborough, MA 02346
$7 general admission



CD Release Tour of New England:
I'm planning a mini release tour for this CD - if you know of
a place that you'd like to see me play at in the Fall, please, shoot
me an email with the name and city, and I'll see if I can put it into
the schedule! Or, if you don't know a venue, but want me to come to
your town, let me know - send me an email like this:

"Hi Bethel, I REALLY want you to come play in Buffalo, NY! I love
you and your music and I want to see you in person!" (This will make
me feel really good and also lets me know that you want to hear
me!!!)


Alrighty, that's all for now! Hopefully I'll see you all soon!!


Bethel

Hello friends!

In this month's newsletter:
1) I'm going into the studio!
2) Joining JP Unplugged
3) Future shows


1) The Studio!!

I can't tell you how excited I am about this... I'm going to be
working with Steve Friedman of Melville Park Studios in Hyde Park,
MA. As of now, the folks that will be joining me in the studio are
Ken Porter (amazing hand percussionist) and Steve Rapson (incredible
guitarist). I'm hoping to bring in some other artists on bass, keys
and background vocals, too!

So the countdown has begun for me in this adventure... I've been
furiously making lead sheets to about 24 songs that may be going into
the studio with me. This Saturday I'm having a small group of friends
join me at my home to help me pick which 16 or 18 will go into the
studio. I'll be going in to record the scratch tracks and the
guitar/vocal tracks on Monday the 7th and then working with Steve to
get the rest of the team in to record to make this an unforgettable
and wonderful album. SOOOO EXCITED!

This is a huge step, leap may be more accurate, from my EP "release"
in 2006. That was recorded in my living room when I was living in
Millbrook, NY. I remember my friend Collin pulling me aside to say,
Bethel, you're not going to make any money if you don't have
something for people to buy. He also said that he wouldn't let me
perform the following month if I didn't have an album with me... So I
spent one day recording in my living room when no one was around and
the result was the Beautiful Woman EP.

Anyway, all that said, I do need help from all of you. This is not
an inexpensive endeavor. I'm taking pre-orders for the CD on my
website, www.bethelsteele.com to help offset the up-front costs. If
you want to play an even bigger role in helping me get this CD off
the ground, you can also contribute to the CD in the form of a
donation (for which you will also receive some fun gifts). Also, I
send out a huge "thank you!!!" to all of you who have already donated
or placed pre-orders, you are making this process possible!!

I'm hoping to release this project in September. If you want to
receive updates about the process via email, write to
NewAlbum@bethelsteele.com with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject. I'll send
weekly-ish updates on how things are going.


2) JP Unplugged

In other exciting news, I was asked to join the group JP Unplugged
(www.jpunplugged.org), a collective of volunteers bringing music to
Jamaica Plain, MA, the community in which I live! This is really
exciting, and if you visit the JPU website, you'll understand why -
this is a group of amazing ESTABLISHED musicians. I'm so excited to
learn from them, grow in my music, collaborate (Ken Porter, the
percussionist joining me in the studio is a member of this group),
and bring acoustic music to JP!! Whoop! And for a musician who is
trying to plant her feet in the Boston area (that's me), this is a
fabulous group of people to be surrounded by!


3) Future Shows

Err... future show:

August 6th, 2008
JP Unplugged in-the-round
Show @8, Doors at 7.30
Cafe 939
939 Boylston
Boston, MA
Tickets: $10 general admission/ $8 students
This is going to be a GREAT night. You'll see most (if not all) of
the members of JPU play at one of the nicest venues in Boston.


Thanks for sticking around to read this email! I hope you're looking
forward to future newsletters/studio updates/live show dates!

If you have any questions, comments, etc, please feel free to contact
me at bethel (at) bethelsteele (dot) com.

Hi friends!

That's right, the long-awaited full-length album is in the works! I've found a studio that I really like, with a sound engineer who's fabulous. It just so happens that it's the same space where Martin Sexton recorded his first album, with the money he had made from playing on the streets!

I go into the studio to record the scratch tracks and start planning out the recording process on July 7th. I'm hoping to finish the process by late fall - meaning you all have CDs in your hands!

In order to do all of this, I need your help! I'm taking pre-orders and donations, both of which you can do securely via PayPal or via mail if you feel more comfortable with that.

There are a number of perks that you get with a pre-order or donation:

With your pre-order of $15, I'll send you a signed CD personalized to you as soon as I get them in to my hands!

If you would like to contribute to the process and help with this project even more, you'll receive recognition here on my website and some additional gifts:

Friends: A gift of $25 gets you a signed CD and stickers.

Sweethearts: A gift of $50 gets you a signed CD, a T-Shirt and stickers.

Lovers: A gift of $100 or more will get you 3 signed CDs, a T-Shirt, a personal thank you by phone, as well as here, on my website.

Soulmates: A gift of $250 or more will get you 5 signed CDs, 2 T-Shirts, stickers, some "deep cuts" from the studio, a personal thank you by phone... and possibly some other goodies that I come up with as the studio process goes along.

I'm so excited about this project and I hope you are too! I'll keep you all updated on the process as I spend more time in the studio.

Take good care, everyone!

~Bethel

Hey all!

This past week has been wonderful! I spent nearly every evening playing at open mikes all over Boston. So great to play in rooms with listening ears and gaining great feedback from those who are willing to give it. I'm excited about what the future holds - about where I'm headed in the next year or so.

Also, on Saturday, I did my first stint at the Park Street T stop. That was a great time. I was only there for a couple of hours, but it's so rewarding to be doing what you love and getting paid for it! It's even fun to see the little ones stare, too... sometimes the parents will give them some change to come over and put in my case - and oh goodness the kids are so stinkin' cute - some of them are really shy and others are so excited and slap the change in my case so excitedly, then hurry back to their parents so they can catch the next train.

In other news, I got to see Ellis and Edie Carey play tonight - it was in a great little venue. I love going to shows where the performers are so amazing on stage... I'd take notes, but that would be kind of weird, so instead I pay close attention to the performers, then when I get home, I take notes. HA!

Plus, these two ladies are great and incredibly encouraging. If you haven't heard their music yet, please check them out!

That's all for now, but keep checking back for updates about performing on the T, open mikes, and other exciting news!

Hey all!

This summer is going to be a time of change and interesting experiences. I'm winding down with many of the projects I'm working on in my scientific professional life and am starting to focus on my music.

I re-recorded the first five tracks on the 2006 Beautiful Woman EP. I was never completely happy with the album... and I still have my qualms, but overall, I am pleased. I'm working on getting the new versions of these songs up, so keep checking back for new news on this. (You can check out my "Music" section to get some previews of the re-recorded tracks.)

ALSO!! I am now officially licensed to perform in the subways in Boston! I'll be starting this adventure in June, so if you're ever riding the T, keep an eye (and a couple of ears) on the prowl for the sweet croon of Bethel Steele.

Those are the big updates for now. Keep checking back for more news.

Thank you all again for your incredible support!

Bethel

This video was posted on MySpace a while back, but wanted y'all to have a link to it here!

Bethel Steele "Hundred Year Flood"

Hey all, so I know how much you all want to see me play live (and how I would love to see your faces in the audience), so here's what you've got to do:

(1) Send me an email telling me the venue in your town that would be a good place for me to play at.

(2) I'll get in touch with the venue and see if they are booking/looking for new acts. If they are, I'm going to send them my press kit....

(3) THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT: You then need to go to that venue/call the venue and tell them that you want me to play there! If they have people asking for me to come perform, there's a greater chance that I'll be able to come play in your town!!

So, you've made it here, now look around! You'll find lots of little jems on here, in the near future, including some pretty photos I've taken over the last couple of years!

Don't hesitate to send me an email (like love letters, notes telling me how much you love me, or hate mail disguised as a love letter that doesn't make me want to cry) with your comments, questions, ramblings.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and please do often, because there will be updates on here often!