Hello Beth Whitney
Photo by Eratosthenes Fackenthall
Hey Beth, how’s life?
It seems like sometimes life is so obviously good right up close, and other times you have to zoom way way out to remember it’s beauty. My family lost my sister and grandpa mid-March and we are each walking through grief in our own ways. Nevertheless, I still give life 5 stars. Even solely based on the insect book I read to my kids this morning. Life is uncomfortable and painful, and beautiful too. How’s that for overthinking a simple question?
That is the most detailed answer I’ve had to that question. Where are you right now? And what are you up to today?
All the lights in my car have been flashing at me for a couple days so I was headed to the mechanic. Just before I got there, they turned off. Did the car give up? Fix itself? Who knows? So now I’m at a big open park in Wenatchee, WA by the Columbia River. After I’m done here I’ll go pick up food for the chickens.
Introduce yourself to our lovely campers.
Hi! I’m Beth. I grew up on a small farm in a big family and now I live in the big mountains with my little family. In between the farm and the mountains, I travelled, studied conflict resolution at university, got married, made lots of music, toured some, planted plants, and had some babies.
Tell us something about you that we won’t know.
As a kid I showed rabbits at the state fair. Won a participation ribbon too.
It’s been four years since you released The Wild Unrest, what have you been up to since then?
Has it been four years?? I gave birth to our second child about the same time I released The Wild Unrest. So there was a season of sleepy and sacred nights for a while there. I put on a couple songwriting retreats, had my first successful season of gardening, and, somewhere in there, wrote songs for Into The Ground.
What can you tell me about your upcoming album, Into The Ground, in two sentences?
Why do some things grow and flourish while others wilt and die? My hope is that Into The Ground awakens moments of sinking into ancient wisdom and the natural world around and beneath us.
‘Wild Horse’ is a terrific song, talk to me about it.
It sprang from a vivid dream I had when I was young where I took off galloping on a big wild horse. I want to be unafraid like that.. to run fast enough to hop onto a moving train, to dance like I own every muscle and bone in my body, to sing with every corner of my breath. I feel separate from this kind of freedom, but I’ll keep on trying.
You’ve got a Bob Dylan cover on the album, that’s a bit brave isn’t it? Why did you choose ‘Shelter From The Storm’?
I am drawn to images and stories of being taken in... of arms outstretched to bring in a whole person. Moments in my life where someone treated me with compassion are moments I still draw strength from today. I think this song embodies that idea and many of its complexities.
I also really love ‘In Another Life’, what’s that song about?
It’s a song about storylines that are unrealized.
Looking back on the album now, which of the songs are you the most happy with?
I really love how ‘Wild Roses’ and ‘Moonlight’ turned out. Both are a contemplation of things we can easily look past. Brandon Bee (who produced the album) really did a fantastic job letting those breathe and also grow all at once. The strings by Natalie Mai Hall and Aaron Fishburn are really celebrated in these two also.
What’s the most exciting thing that you’ve been up to over the last 12 months?
The thing that comes to mind is the moment I saw the first big purple flower on one of my eggplant plants last season. Eggplants are not delicious to me (yet) but those black stems, vivid green leaves, and bright purple flowers are just stunning. I literally gasped when I saw that first bloom.
What can we expect from you for the rest of 2021?
Well, the new album comes out on May 28th. We’ll play some regional shows and hopefully be able to branch out a little bit from there. I’ve started to write some after a bit of hiatus. There’s a lot to unravel these days and songwriting has been a faithful friend to help with some with that.
Who (or what) has inspired you?
I’ve drawn a lot of my recent ideas from walks in the wilderness or remembering moments backpacking. These days my kids inspire me a great deal. Their new minds are so interested and interesting. I’m also realizing more and more how much the Gladiator soundtrack (Hans Zimmer) has worked its way into my songs.
If you could recommend one artist to hear this week, who would it be?
What’s the question we should have asked you today but haven’t?
Were you voted MVP of your 5th-grade basketball team? (Yes) Did your team lose every game? (Yes)
Finally, how do you take your coffee?
Americano with cream, right after a pile of vitamins.
To find out more about Beth you can visit her official website, or you can check out what she’s up to on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Beth’s new album, Into The Ground, is out on the 28th May 2021.
