Sue West - Sustainability Songstress
My family lives on a small hobby farm in beautiful Pierce County, Wisconsin. I have lived here since I was a child. I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Geology from UWRF, and worked for Minnesota Geological Survey for four years.
As a good Wisconsin kid, I enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, gardening, and nature study all year round. I am a UWEX Master Gardener. I also enjoy doing traditional crafts like quilting and spinning. I try to make four quilts per month to give to Lutheran World Relief. I am a member of a Natural Step for Communities study group on sustainability. I hold open mics and poetry nights at my local town hall. I am a member of Mensa of America, and am starting a new Mensa Special Interest Group on Songwriting.
I was very close to my farmer grandmother, who in her spare time between canning food, chopping wood, and raising children, wrote many novels and poems. When I lost her in June of 2006, something must have been passed on to me from her, because I began writing songs. I penned over 70 songs in about 4 months. I joke around that it almost killed me, but that's actually pretty close to the truth - it was an amazing experience. This flood of creativity left me with a thick stack of lyrics and chords that I then had to learn to play and perform. In 2007 I had over 80 gigs at coffeeshops, churches, and festivals, doing just that - just being a folksinger.
The cds that I have for sale on CD Baby were a record of that creative explosion. I would write a song at 2 am, and then go in the next morning and record it. I treasure my songs and hope to pass them on to future generations. I consider them to be gentle lessons on things I find important - faith, family, community, tolerance, farming, peace.
I enjoy writing and recording songs about life here in rural Wisconsin. I find such a peace, joy, and healing in nature and in my own sustainable farming efforts, and this is what I hope to communicate to others.
All of my songs are relevant to rural issues, and I have written some that especially address sustainability. I have performed them at local venues including Soup Stock-Hunt Hill Audubon, the Amateur Psychologist's Convention, MOSES, Franconia Sculpture Park Fall Gala, River Falls Community Garden, St. Paul Farmer's Market, and many others. I have a special interest in performing my original songs for educational events that address sustainability.
I also provide deeply moving original old-fashioned music for weddings, funerals, and other services.
For five years I have also played old time music in a 3-piece string band, the Rush River Ramblers. We provide concert sets, or dances with professional callers for your event or community.
If you live in Western Wisconsin, you can often find me playing at some of my favorite hangouts - Blue Moon Coffeehouse in Red Wing, Hot Spot Coffee in River Falls, or Sneakers in Spring Valley. I do square dances throughout the region, such as those at Community Homestead, River Falls Second Saturday Barn Dance, Maiden Rock Apples, Common Harvest CSA, and Smith Gardens Community Farm. I play each summer with the Rush River Ramblers at the St. Paul Farmer's Market.
The open mic experience has been so important to my development as a songwriter and performer. The support, commaraderie, collaboration, challenge, and inspiration I find at these gatherings is worth a whole lot to me.
Growing up here, the influence of local musicians and teachers has been the most important ingredient in my musical development. Brian Barnes, Thea Ennen, Phil Heywood, Pop Wagner, Chris Silver, Beth Ray, and John Lenarz are some that come to mind. Hearing live music performed is the most important thing a new musician can do. And living here, I've heard lots of wonderful folk music over the years.
The influence and support of my family is what keeps me going. It would be hard to find a more loving group of people anywhere. It's always fun to include them in all the musical activities. You can even hear my mom doing the whistling on my "Wild Fruit" cd.
I am working on recording a cd right now, so performing will be at the minimum, but please let me know if you are looking for a performer for an upcoming event. I especially love to play music at churches and for events that have to do with teaching the public about nature, farming, the local foods movement, and sustainability.
Please feel free to contact me with any performing opportunities or questions at wildfruit@wildfruitfolkmusic.com