Kerry Wentworth's Musical Adventures

Reflections on Turning 30

2011-04-08T13:41:00.001-07:00

So many people have been telling me that this birthday is one of the “big ones”… I’m turning 30! Really though, I’ve never been one who’s worried about my age or has really put too much emphasis on my birthday. I really don’t remember my birthdays being very significant when I was a kid. They were family get togethers with one or two presents and a small cake. My 21st birthday was pretty uneventful in the grand scheme of things. It was spent, like most nights in Athens that year, with my best friend at the time Bianca... Going from bar to bar. My next few birthdays were spent with friends at pretty low key house parties. My last few birthdays have been spent working all day and getting together with my sisters and sometimes my parents to have dinner. While I have cherished all of them, I’ve never thought of them as life changing.

As this birthday has approached, I have been reflecting a lot... But I don’t think it really has too much to do with me turning 30… It’s how much has changed in my life over the year. Last year at this time, I was at my older sisters house about to blow out my candles… I never wish for anything specific usually, more like world peace or for a really good year… but last year was different. At the last minute, the wish “I want to meet my husband” flashed into my head. It actually surprised me. It was not preconceived. I had not been thinking of marriage at all. In fact I loved being single and was quite content with the whole thing. I was actually shocked by the thought and the fact I actually wished it! I shrugged it off after a few minutes as some weird glitch in the matrix. One week and just a few hours later, I was running the music at Spring Revfest when I caught the eye of this really cute guy in the crowd. Now a year later, am spend my birthday with that guy… and about 500 other music and art lovers as we run the music for this year’s Spring RevFest together. We’re also getting married in September.

In my first 30 years of life, I look back and am amazed at what I’ve accomplished. While I sometimes still think of things in my past and wonder how exactly I’ve been lucky enough to still be here, I wouldn’t take back anything.

Kerry

Spring Rev Fest!! Saturday, April 9 - 10am to 10pm

2011-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Spring RevFest is this weekend!

Please come on by!

Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011

Time: 10am to 10pm

Address: 1680-B Spring Road Smyrna, GA 30080.

We will have the following local artists performing:

9am - Sound check and set up: Darrell Leven
10am - Clusters of Grey
11am - Brett Schieber
12pm - In-Town Band
1pm - Wesley Cook
2pm - Jonathan Pharis
3pm - Loren Mulville
4pm - He Sang She Sang
5pm - The Phillips Brothers
6pm - The Romans
7pm - Dialect Trio
8pm - Nanyana
9pm - Insidious Interference

We also have several vendors coming out, so please stop by to see all the amazing local artists and their wares!

I look forward to seeing everyone!

Kerry

Dad's Guide for Selecting Drinks

2011-03-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

A while ago... I'm actually talking about around my 21st birthday, so more than just a while ago now... I asked my Dad to write up a good wine guide for me. I have kept this piece of paper in my kitchen since and have relied on it for my basic wine selections. I'm here to share it with you today. :)

Wine Basics:

General Red: Cabernet Sauvignon
White Special: Pouilly-Fuissé
Dryer Red: Beaujolais
Common Rose: Mateus Rose
Italian Champagne: Asti Spumante

For Food/Other:

Port, Sherry (dry-sack), Brandy, and Cognac (VVSOP) are good for appetizer or dessert. They are fortified with high alcohol content
German wines are also good for appetizers or dessert because they are usually fruitier
Poultry, Lamb, and fish: White (go with a sweeter white with Lamb)
Beef, Liver, Venison: Red
Pork: Rose
Chinese: Saki or Rice Wine heated, or Plum Wine or Japanese beer chilled
Black Bread and Cheese or Bean dishes: /russian Vodka and spring water on the side
BBQ: Jack Daniels or Marker Mark
Cajan or hot dishes: Vodka or Rum, suggest Screwdrivers or White Russians
Mexican: Jose Cuervo Gold, suggest shots with lime and salt or mixed for margaritas, or Mexican Beer
Cigars: 25 year Ambassador scotch whiskey, Cognac VVSOP, or Brandy

In general:

Buy California wine with corked bottles.
Always sub Asti Spumante for any champagne.
French and German wines are never very predictable and tend to cost more.
Older Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey, and Bourbon are for sipping.
Young, hard liquor is best for mixers (Green Label Jack, Johnnie Walker Red and Canadian Whiskey/Bourbon)

Lots of Shows, Lots of Things to Do!

2011-02-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

So here we are ladies and gentlemen… Lots of things have been happening! Lots of wedding related things for Darrell and myself, but also a lot of music stuff too!! The Phillips Brothers are very close now to coming out with their very first demo. When this happens, free copies will be available! I’ve also been busy with helping plan the upcoming Spring RevFest 2011. We have all of our bands booked!! Come on out on April 9^th to find some really cool art and listen to some great music!

Wedding-wise... The church has been book, the dress ordered… We both have a good idea about the rest of it and it’s really just all falling into place!

I just wanted to do a quick post for my next 3 upcoming shows…

Minutes to Live

Land of 100 Hills Coffee

February 18^th @8pm

352 South Atlanta Street
Roswell, GA 30075
(770) 645-1149

The Phillips Brothers

Rev Coffee

February 19^th @7pm

1680-B Spring Road
Smyrna, GA 30080-6108
(770) 573-4434

Minutes to Live

Southeastern Flower Show

February 27^th time TBD

Cobb Galleria Centre
Two Galleria Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30339

The Phillps Brothers Music featuring Kerry Wentworth

2010-12-08T19:10:00.001-08:00

"Eye Of The Wolf Productions" & "Rev Coffee" Present an evening featuring the music of

The Dale Capri Quartet (8-9pm)and

The Phillips Bros (9-10pm)@ Rev Coffee
Friday Dec. 10th.

Dale Capri Quartet is made up of Dale Capri on guitar/vocals, Hana Stepanek on Violin/Guitar/Vocals, Ira Kugler on Guitar and Tim Morris on Percussion.

The Phillips Bros are a six piece band featuring the songwriting of Mikey Phillips and Kerry Wentworth.

No Cover. Come try some of Rev's home roasted coffees, and one of their many homemade sandwiches or desserts!

Look forward to seein' ya'll Friday!

Thoughts on Bullying - It Gets Better

2010-11-09T11:22:00.001-08:00

I’M NOT EVEN SURE HOW OLD WE WERE… For those who grew up in Jasper and attended Jasper Elementary (Go Tigers!) in the 80’s, my reasoning behind placing it around 2^nd grade is based purely on my remembering that it happened on the “Big Playground”. My 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th grade years were all spent on the “new playground” and the closed street that ran between the school and the (then) county library. I know I wasn’t in 5^th grade, because other amazingly wonderful “kids will be kids” things happened that year.

The boys name was Allen McCharge. His name will forever be engrained into my head because of the few months he endured at our school, which must have been horrific, taught me a lesson that I still use today. I do remember that he wasn’t the nicest of kids, but it was probably because he had already been the butt of several jokes and bullying for much of his life up to that point. Even at that age, you can see the jading of society on kids who are “different” through their own attitudes and actions. I myself was struggling for being slightly “different”, even at that age, and trying to fit in. Allen was a lost cause the first day he came into the class room. He was larger than everyone, in height and girth, he had super curly red hair, and it was topped off with a pair of “coke bottle” glasses. He was also pretty far behind everyone school wise. I look back and wonder if he was learning disabled or just a late bloomer.

Something I always find interesting is how people, in general, who are lower on society’s totem pole tend to fight amongst themselves more than they fight the injustices of them being down there in the first place. It’s like they are trying to climb said pole by climbing over people, doing and saying things uncharacteristic to their personality for people who probably are unimpressed with anyone who they deem “under” them. It’s the common age old thought process of caring about what people think of you. If you can make someone else look bad, then, comparatively, you look better, right? As children, we do this instinctively. We see it in nature as well. My point is that it’s not society or the TV that train children to act this way when they are young, it’s nature. The main difference between animals and ourselves is that we get to a point in our growth where we grow a conscience. What we do with that conscience is what make the true difference. As a child, you know the clear right and wrongs, I feel, by natural instinct, but it’s the grey areas that kids find the hardest to understand. That is until the light finally comes on. When we decide for ourselves that it’s not OK to hit the kid next to you just because you feel like it. Self control? A conscience? Whatever it may be, I know the exact moment mine came. Not to say I didn’t have slip ups later in life (sorry Jen, for the last part of 5^th grade! I love you and am so glad we grew up!), but I know that from this particular point in my life onward, I knew I wasn’t the only person in the world that mattered. I started watching what I said and did. I went through a section in life where I probably watched myself a little too closely because I cared a little too much about what other people thought, but I also tried my best to watch those around me who were in the same predicament.

So the totem pole… Let’s just say I was down near the bottom when I was younger. I too had red hair. My mom was a teacher, so obviously I was a tattletale. I really wasn’t, I was just a talkative child and would just say things without thinking they would get people in trouble… My mom would ask me how my day went and what I did, and I would tell her. I didn’t think about leaving out things for the benefit of other people. I remember one time when my mom asked me what I did that day and I told her I had a horrible day because I knew that this older girl Christie had stolen the stickers and money from the teachers desk, but was afraid to tell anyone because Christie would beat me up. I didn’t expect my Mom to go and tell my teacher what I had told her. It didn’t dawn on me until years later that she had done it, it took a conversation with Jen in high school reminiscing about our elementary school days to figure that out. I thought the girl had confessed on her own or that someone else had tattled. Jen’s mom was a teacher too, so we had similar experiences in that area.

Knowing my status on the totem pole makes this story a little more understandable. My rant about society and climbing over people shines true here too. Because Allen and I were both redheads… the other kids in our class thought it would be funny to “joke” with us about being meant for each other. I didn’t like Allen to begin with because, as I noted before, he wasn’t the nicest of kids. It might have also been in retaliation for what the kids were saying as well, trying to prove to them that he didn’t like me. One sunny day out on the “Big Playground”, a group of us were playing some game, which Allen was also playing, when Allen suddenly declared “I can’t go on! My battery’s run down!” Which up finishing he pretended to fall to the ground exhausted. Being that his last name was McCharge… we all thought this was hysterical. We started running around and yelling the same thing and falling to the ground. He at first chased after us, but then he fell himself, this time accidently and started crying. We all thought it was part of the show and we all threw ourselves down again and pretended to cry with him. At some point during this episode, I realized that he was really crying. In shame or because he had actually hurt himself, I’ll never know. I wish I could say that I had the courage during this epiphany to stand up and put it all to an end, but I didn’t. I stayed down on the ground and pretended that I was still having fun with the rest of the group, praying that it would end soon. Thankfully the bell rang and I got up and ran to line up so we could go inside. I don’t remember anything but that. I don’t know if he was picked up by the teacher and taken to the nurses office or if he got up and ran for the line as well. I do know that my Mom asked me about it that evening and I remember trying to brush it off as us all having fun… I also remember that Allen didn’t come back to our class after that day. Maybe he was moved to another classroom or maybe to another school. In those days, your world view was pretty limited to the actual class you were in. All I know is that Allen McCharge disappeared from my life and that I was left with this nagging feeling that I was part of the blame for that disappearance.

I often reach back to that moment in my life when I feel like some type of injustice is being done. It helps me remember how shameful and guilty I felt for not speaking up. I’m actually pretty passionate about it now. I learned from that and a few other hiccups along my younger life to not care about the majority and their thoughts, but to look inside and go with what I felt was right and just. It’s helped me brush off those times when I was being targeted. In 7^th grade, my backpack and books were thrown into the dumpster several times. After the first time, I knew where to find them, and so just fished them out myself without saying a word. Eventually (the 4^th time), they got that it didn’t bother me and moved on. I had relentlessly made a place for myself at the “B-list” table only to find that I was doing the same thing after “winning” a spot (told you, I had my lapses) in 6^th grade... So I purposely started sitting with the “unpopular” kids. Of course I lost my “spot” in a short time, but I felt better about myself. In 8^th grade, I did the same thing when I “won” a spot at the “Popular table” for being a cheerleader. By high school.. the crowds kinda died away. Some people from Jasper might argue with me, but I think that we all kind of mingled together. We still had specific “groups”-ish, but again, we all mingled. I couldn’t say if I was in a particular one or not. I don’t think I was popular or unpopular… I was just there. I knew high school was just a stopping point before college when I could get out on my own…

My point? I was bullied, but I bullied too. I think that everyone has been on both sides of the coin at one point. For those who feel like victims, I want you to look deep down and ask yourself if you aren’t guilty of doing the same thing to someone else at some point in your past. Be truthful with yourself. It sucks. BUT IT DOES GET BETTER. Look to your past and grow from it... Don’t let it control your life now. If you’re going through some bullying right now, know that there is light ahead, you just have to keep going. Don’t let it jade you. I now always try to treat other the way I like to be treated. It has confused some, but I’ve gotten a lot more respect and friends out of it than I have enemies. I owe some of that long learned philosophy to Allen McCharge. Whereever you are, I hope that your life has turned out to be amazing.

Revfest!

2010-10-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Yet another great success! The artists were amazing, food was fantastic, music was really top notch! I’ll give you a quick breakdown of my day….

8am: Mom and I get to Rev and grab a bit to eat and a cup of coffee. Darrell is soon to follow with all of the equipment. We packed it all up last night in his truck soooo… we could sleep in a little more actually! Lol

9am: Truck is unloaded and Darrell and I are trying to figure out whose speakers we’re going o use for the main and whose we’re going to use for the monitors. We end up using mine for the monitors because they have more base, but then we had to figure out how THAT was going to work being that our speakers use different cables for the boards, not to mention that his have a built in amp and mine is separate. We ended up using both of our boards, which turned out to be pretty cool.

10am: Darrell goes on for his first full set by himself… and was amazing!! After he finished his set, we played Stumbling Blocks together and then I did a few songs of my own, which was a pretty fun way to start off the day. Christian Michael was on next for a long awaited return to the Atlanta area. He did not disappoint! The InTown Band was our first full band of the day. This trio blew away the audience with their laidback soulful music! Arise the Light was short a member due to a family emergency, so Scott Hall played a solo set with an array of original and cover anthems. At one point, I think he went through the complete 90’s playlist using just 3 chords… It was a lot of fun to sing along! Let Love Live, a duet from our local high school brought out a great crowd. The antics going back and forth between lead singer Loren and his brother off stage was enough to get anyone smiling. The new drummer was very impressive… I look forward to see these two out more often.

3pm: We had a slight nervous breakdown at 3… OK, so I had one… Due to a mix up in scheduling, Julie Gribble thought she was supposed to go on at 4pm instead of 3pm… so she was about 20 minutes late. No worries though, we had a quick break where Dave-O and Christian humored the crowd with beat boxing and improv comedy… OK, so we were pretty excited when Julie showed up… lol Especially when she started singing and playing. I LOVE her music! Brett came on at 4 and wowed the crowd with his different array of musical stylings. I especially loved it when he dedicated a song to Darrell and myself…. Quick story: Last Revfest, Darrell was supposed to come out and play with Brett. He ending up helping someone move a couch from his apartment building (random acts of kindness, love it) and was late to the set. He ended up catching the last part of it and… my eye! Brett actually introduced us after his set and we’ve been together ever since!

5pm: Slight heart attack. Wood Root doesn’t show up at all! (We still haven’t heard from them) Luckily, Darrell and Christian Michael volunteer to help me fill out the hour by playing a few songs each. Darrell actually played lead with both Christian and myself and Christian joined me on vocals.. So we actually had a an impromptu jam on stage. Insidious Interference (thankfully!!) showed up on time and ready to play at 6 for their first live performance together as a band. They really went well above and beyond all expectations! The First Stone, a seasoned band in the area, were up next and had the best transition stage wise we had all day. I really do have to take a moment to say that all the full bands that came out yesterday were fantastic. Very professional, very talented, and really stand up guys. The First Stone really blew me away too. I’m definitely a fan now!

8pm: Phillips Brothers takes the stage…. We probably had one of the best sets we’ve ever played!! It just flowed!! AND this is all from a summer of only 1 gig and very few practices due to health issues that have been rampant in our percussion section! J I love you guys!! We should be getting back into the studio very soon and there’s a possibility that we will be playing out again on the 6th over in Tucker.

9pm: I’m Chinese takes the stage for our last performance of the night…. They WOW-ed the crowd and actually brought in a few people who were just driving by. Just as an FYI: They are available for house parties et all!! They also have a new CD coming out in the next week that they are GIVING away!!*

10pm: Take down and clean up… done in record time! Darrell and I were home with our feet soaking in a bathtub by 11:30… having a nice glass of wine… going over everything that had happened…. Reliving some of the best moments and laughing over the more stressful ones. I want to thank all my family and friends who made it out and hung out with us throughout the day. My mom and sisters with their significants really brightened my day by being there!! Thompsons BBQ (off of Cobb Parkway across from Best Buy) is the most amazing BBQ place ever. They are just… YUM! You have to go and try them out. Thanks to DaVinci’s Pizza for holding it down for the after dark crowd. Nick and all the Rev staff… Thank you so much for hosting this event and putting so much time and effort into its success… it really does mean so much to the community. AND DARRELL!!! Who help out so much and basically ran the board all day Saturday while I was running around. I’m so thankful to have you in my life. I’m so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with you!

OK people, that’s it for my weekend… I’m off to the daily grind after a few days of the fantasy life that is music…

Peace, Love, and Music!

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

*To receive the free I'm Chinese CD, just go to the I'm Chinese Website and sign up for their mailing list.

Bride-like Rock Star!!

2010-09-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

So I’ve been doing this whole initial planning for the wedding thing for the past few weeks… Granted, (we set a date!!!) it’s not for another full year, but planning is fully under way. I think with all the type A personalities in my family… along with me and my own type A-ish-ness, this thing will be completely planned out by the end of the month and we’ll just have to wait a year to see anything come of it! Seriously folks… if I was a super hero, I’d be Type-A Girl! Because, let’s face it, I’m not so much on my day to day, but when important things come up, I can’t help myself. You should see the excel spread sheets I make out sometimes, the diagrams, notebooks full of check lists, etc etc etc. I literally have to step back and stop so I don’t get too obsessive! I really work on being a laid back person. :D

The thing that has me on here this morning though is a little off subject of music I realize, but as a musician and as a woman in general, I have to deal with A LOT. It’s image. It’s wearing the right Rock Star stuff on stage… whether to go with the black sequin blouse with some skinny jeans or some comfy cargo pants with a faded band t-shirt. One could say ”Yea! I look good, professional, and my music sounds even better!” and the other could be saying “I put more thought into my music than how I look, so OBVIOUSLY I rock!” Depending on which venue or even (I’ve found) what type of musician you’re dealing with, each person has good arguments on what they do and do not wear on stage. As a woman, it’s a little trickier because well, let’s face it people, women in the music industry are expected to look good. I battle with my weight a lot and it’s funny that when I’ve put on a few extra pounds, how less likely I am to get a venue than when I’m down to the “correct size”. Unfortunately, it’s the same as when dealing with other musicians too, especially ones that have never heard me play. Well, it’s that way just being a girl too, let’s not kid ourselves here.

So the reason I’m bringing it up today? I’ve been on several “bride” sites in the last few weeks and there are seriously lopsided messages out there. A good thing (I guess) that I’ve seen added to a lot of the sites are sections for “plus sizes”, but in the back of my head, I REALLY don’t want to be the one ordering from that section. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with ordering from that section either! The funny thing is that on one site I was on yesterday, plus sizes started at size 12. Yes, ladies and gentlemen…. Size 12! The AVERAGE size of a woman in America is a size 14!!! I looked into it more and found that the “ideal” size for a woman on most of these sites is a size 8. That’s a 5’7 woman at around 100 pounds, for anyone who wanted to know the “average model” size. I have read over the “bride blogs” and the MAJORITY of them are obsessive about getting off weight for their wedding… to look like the models in their “perfect wedding dress”. I was reading about this one lady… who was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL even before she lost the weight… complaining because she had plateaued at the loss of 50 pounds and trying desperately to get that last 15 pounds off before her last fitting… were she wanted to announce that it had been taken down to a SIZE 6. Instead of the supportive feedback I was expecting about how gorgeous she was and how wonderful she already looked in the dress (really, it was breath-taking), there was advise on how to lose that last 15 pounds. Most of the comments were about how they were trying to do the same thing and little “shortcuts” they were taking to shed the pounds… they were NOT HEALTHY TIPS! The “support” was more along the lines of how wonderful she would feel once she took off those last pounds and how beautiful and triumphant she’d feel on her wedding day for fitting into a size 6. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to take every single one of these girls aside and slap them. Surprisingly enough, several other sites spouted the same thing… most of the sites having “getting in shape” blog sections where women were giving the same type of advice.

I have to confess though… I’m guilty of the same exact thing (ish). I am cringing at the thought of trying on dresses right now. HOWEVER, I’ve been trying to do the “healthy lifestyle” thing. I’m not on a diet, so I’ve been told, I’m doing a “lifestyle change”… where I have to keep up with what I’m eating, and how long I’m exercising every day. Supposedly, the keeping up part is only temporary because once I become a healthy adult, I won’t need to keep up with it, it will come naturally…. But it’s rough going so far. It’s part of my work though. It’s a program that, if I complete, will take off an extra $20 a month on my health insurance. I will say that I feel healthier since starting the program… and fitting into a smaller size pair of pants this morning felt amazing… but I wonder if I’m feeding into the frenzy that I’ve been so harsh on earlier in this blog. I will say though that I’m supporting the healthy human, not the media portrayal of the “model person”. It’s a fine line to walk though.

I admit, I sometimes cringe when I go on stage… when I’m supposed to go for promo pics or record a video of a performance to post on-line. I catch myself over-analyzing how I look instead of listening to how I sound or how having new pictures out will help with marketing my music. Has society gotten the best of me??? I have to work hard not to focus on it… and again, going back to Type A Girl!, not obsessing with the particulars. It’s why I shy away from calorie counting and analyzing everything going in and on my body. I’m hoping that the nutritionist that I’m seeing right now is correct and that “healthy living” with my body will come naturally at some point.

I want to make this point though: I aspire to be that woman that others look up to that has a healthy outlook on life, in mind and spirit, not just the body. I want to show people that I’m happy with being ME, not matter what size pants I put on in the morning. I want to share my talent, and through my talent, the outlook that life is wonderful and amazing. It’s an internal struggle that I think everyone has to deal with… a choice we have to make every single moment of the day… for every thought and action we take… for every word that comes out of our mouths… we do make the difference every day in people’s lives around us, whether we want to or not. I encourage people to embrace the fact that their actions and words affect other people. I want you to realize that just a smile can change someone’s day, just like a frown can. I want you to realize that when you complain about your weight in front of someone, a someone who may not have the self esteem to realize that they are beautiful just the way they are, it can affect their own outlook on their body. Be positive people! I guarantee that your outlook on life will change for the better when you take that extra effort to be thankful for what’s been given to you. I’ll leave you with this quote, along with the article it came from that inspired me to include it, which I hope you all take the time to read.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant?” Who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.”

~Nelson Mandeka (www.fullandfabulous.org, Full in Bloom)

There's Good Reason for My Absence...

2010-09-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Blog blog blog… Yep… I’ve just gotten out of the habit… and I’ve been SO busy! It’s all good though because sometimes, like this, I actually have time to write one!! So projects…

Mike and I are still wowing the crowds with our acoustic duo cover band Minutes to Live. We’re playing at the Roswell’s Riverside Farmers Market September 25 and then at the Land of 1000 Hills Coffee in Roswell on October 22.

We’re working on getting a few other gigs. I keep my Twitter account pretty well up to date as far as when and where I’m playing, so keep checking back. Still playing with the Phillips Brothers. We will be performing on October 1st at Rev, 8pm sharp, hope to see some of you out!! We also have a spot in the upcoming Revfest October 9th. I’ll also be playing a few with Darrell Leven to open up that morning… so stop on by!!

Just an FYI, this is the same Darrell Leven that I’ve fallen totally and completely in love with and will be marrying sometime next Spring or Fall. J So on top of everything else musically, I’m still working full time and starting to plan a wedding. Yup. I really do love my life right now though!! It’s very exciting! I do have quite a few small poems I’m going to try posting in the next few days… no worries people, not all of them are about how gaga I am over my man… but I can’t promise that my happiness hasn’t sneaked its way into verse… lol I really can’t help it!! I wear my heart on paper!!

Minutes to Live Featured on Chef Thomas Minchella's Blog!

2010-06-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Minutes to Live (one of my band projects) was recently featured as part of a blog post about the Sandy Springs Farmers Market.

http://cheftomminchella.blogspot.com/2010/05/sandy-springs-farmers-market.html

Chef Thomas Minchella is the Executive Chef at McKendrick's Steakhouse in Atlanta.

Isn't that cool? :)

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

New Website Look!

2010-06-02T05:37:00.001-07:00

As of this morning, I have launched my new website look!

Stop by, let me know what you think!

More improvements to come.

http://www.kerrywentworth.com

Cinco de Mayo!! :)

2010-05-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Pure Enchilada

8pm
252 West Pike Street, Lawrenceville, GA 30046-4867
No Cover

Ain't Nuthin' I Can't Handle By Myself

2010-03-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Just an observation: So I fell this morning… right out in the parking lot. I got up, dusted myself off, looked around to make sure no one else had shared my embarrassing lack of gravity, and kept walking. I waited until I was sure I was alone before I checked for damage. I, of course, expected the worst but not really. You know the thoughts of blood gushing down your leg and how exactly you could use it to go home early, but in reality, you think it probably didn’t even bruise… well, it was more in the middle. A straight up, old fashion skinned knee.

Had this been 20 to 25 years earlier in life, I probably would have sat down and cried. I was actually pretty tempted… especially when I dutifully cleaned it with hand sanitizer. I will fight showing it off to my co-workers for a little conversation and pity. I already had my 15 minutes this month with the huge bruises I accumulated on my hands and arms from moving things out of unforgiving and surprisingly sturdy door frames.

A skinned knee would put me in some type of accident prone category that I would have to fight to get out of to show that I am a grown up and not a whinny little child who can’t handle anything.

The thing is though that we put our bodies through a lot. Day to day, we scratch, bump, fall on, trip over, bang, cut, and just hurt ourselves in general. I’m pretty sure that I do it a lot more now than when I was a kid, except now I really don’t have the liberty to scream and throw a fit every time I hurt myself. I think we’d be permanently mute if that were the case. Plus, we need to save it up for when we actually hurt ourselves. Think of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. If we cry out every time something little comes up, when something big actually happens, no one will pay any attention to us… and really people, what is the use of something big happening to us if we don’t get attention? ;)

So man up people. While a skinned knee might make for an interesting time for shaving this week, ain’t nuthin’ I can’t handle by myself.

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
www.kerrywentworth.com

Rosebud's is a Success

2010-03-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Great night at Rosebuds last night!! Thanks to everyone who came out!! We did our official 311 tribute, Amber, about halfway through the set for 311 day and the crowd loved it! We also played a few good Dead songs for Rob, the owner. For anyone who isn’t familiar with Rosebuds, the place is teaming with Dead Heads. In fact, Rosebuds is named for Garcia’s famed guitar, his third custom guitar designed by Doug Irwin. :) On a fantastic note, Jeff, the guy who usually books the music there, actually heard us last night and said he’d like us to play a little more often. So look out for more shows at Rosebuds!

Other than that… life in general seems to be going pretty darn good. Todd and I are slowly putting the house together. We have about a million little projects we’ve lined up.. especially concerning the amazing yard we have to play with! First things first.. we need to get the gutters cleaned out and the drains re-directed to where they don’t flood the yard every time it rains (like it’s doing here all weekend). Abi and Gyro are becoming… errr… tolerant of each other. They can be in the same room now without furring out.. small steps…. Lol

Again, as I said before, keep April 17th and May 22 open for festivals! I’ll writ again soon… Until then… Love and Music!

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
www.kerrywentworth.com

Here to Make Music!

2010-03-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been very busy with work and life in general! First of all, we had a program move at work, so I’ve had to put music on the back burner for the past few months to take care of training. What can I say… I have to take care of the financial backing of my passion sometimes! I’ve also moved this past week. The house is amazing. It’s kind of like an Alice in Wonderland house. We keep finding all these interesting things about the house. Todd and I will be having a housewarming/birthday party in the next month. As some of you know, both of our birthdays are in April, so we thought it would be fun to have a joint celebration! We’ll keep everyone updated concerning the date. :D

As far as music goes, Mike and I are playing at Rosebuds in the Highlands this Thursday at 8pm. I hope to see some of you out there. A few other dates to consider.. April 15th is Spring Revfest. Nick and I finally hammered out the musicians lineup. I’ll be playing with Phillips Brothers… who I’ve actually been playing with a lot lately. We’re playing all originals; a mix between Mikey’s stuff and mine. We will hopefully be playing out at different venues soon, but as for now, you can catch us most Wednesdays at Rev’s open mic on Wednesdays. Talking about which, we’ve really started booming at open mic! It’s to the point where all 12 spots are filled by 7:30. We’re debating on extending the time from 7pm-10pm. Thoughts?

Also keep in mind AIF’s interfaith festival is right around the corner. The festival is set to be on May 22, but the exact location is still TBD. Fundraising for the event is in full swing and if you'd like to contribute, you can either email AIF at info@americanislamicfellowship.com or visit the AIF website at www.americanislamicfellowship.com to find out how to donate. As you most of you know, AIF is a non-profit, so any help will keep the festival growing!

That’s about it in my world. I’ll have a little more time to post now, so check back soon!

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
www.kerrywentworth.com

Rosebud's on March 11!

2010-03-08T11:57:00.001-08:00

Thursday, March 11, 2010
Rosebud's
8pm - 11pm
1397 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306
No Cover - Please enjoy some tasty food and beverages from Rosebud's

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I hope everyone’s holiday season has been safe and happy!

Rev Coffee on Wednesday nights has been excellent!! I know that I’ve been noticeably absent for the most part from Open Mic for the past month… I have been stopping by!! I just haven’t been able to stay. We’ve had a steady amount of players every time I’ve been in. This past week (which I did stay the whole time to run the system :D ) we had 12 different players/groups. We had a good jam session with Dale’s time slot about half way through and then we had an awesome drum jam at the end headed up by new comer Ismail. The energy was amazing and I encourage all of you to try to make it out some Wednesday to enjoy our local flavor!

Gigs coming up for Minutes to Live!! We’re playing at Rosebuds on the 21st and should have a gig at Caribou in Marietta sometime in the week of January 11th. I have a gig at Rev on the 15th, which Mike might come and play with me, but I haven’t gotten a definite on that yet. We’re adding some percussion in the new year, so watch for new recordings! Also, Mike’s bound and determined to get some video feed up on youtube in the coming month. J

We’re still looking for a bass player for SNM. Until we can find a good and reliable one, I think we’re going to put the project on hold. Playing with a full band in the last couple of months has reminded me of how wonderful a full sound can be and how important having people you share not only a common goal musically with, but a common life ideal as well. Hopefully, we’ll find a bass player who will be a perfect fit soon!!! If you know of anyone or might be interested in the position yourself, drop me a line!

Alright everyone! Have a safe and fun New Year!

Peace, Love, and Music!

Kerry

RevFest 2009 Rocked!!

2009-10-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

I laid wide awake last night thinking of the events of the day... Wow... Revfest 2009 had to have been the best festival I've ever had the pleasure of helping run. Murphy's Law states "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." While this particular phenomenon reared its ugly head from time to time yesterday, the crew took it with the ease and professionalism that could only be described as Rev Fashion.

Musically, I believe everything went very smoothly. We only had 3 acts cancel, but two were within enough time to replace easily.

I started out the show around 12 with the welcome and a raffle (me and my amazing speaker skills... right....) and then Jaime Quiñones and I transitioned into my own set of originals. I'm pretty confidant with the way things sounded. :)

Next, the amazing Taylor Tutt, a last minute replacement for Low June, entertained the crowd with his acoustic guitar slapping.

Mika and Robert jammed out with the keys and guitar doing their famous cover duets and were followed by Arise the Light another acoustic duo comprised of James Fulford and Scott Hall.

Teel Montague Cook filled in for a last minute cancellation due to a stomach virus carrying Hill Roberts (hope you're feeling better!).. so thank you Teel!!

Next we had John Michael Rose who's new CD The Portrait is currently in production. Please check him out at www.JohnMichaelRoseMusic.com; you will be a fan!

Then Rachel Leigh wowed the crowd, like usual, with the keys. She will be in the Eddie's Attic shoot out on November 2nd. (Tickets are available now at www.eddiesattic.com) Good Luck Rachel!

Jeremy Taylor jump-started the full band category for the day with an impressive show and was followed by Teel's encore performance. Teel always amazes me with her love of kids and music. She definitely made two girls’ day by taking time out of her own set to play a song for them to sing together for their grandmother.

Michael C Smith a long time mutual friend of Gary Hamrick and myself who I've been trying to get to Rev for over a year, finally made his first Rev debut!

This was followed by another Rev debut by Julie Gribble.

Both Julie and Michael were definitely worth the wait and I hope will both become regular performers at Rev. :)

A newly formed band under direction of local artist and songwriter Aaron Whitehouse was next. I was super impressed, especially with the cello. I look forward to hearing the three of you out again soon!

I'm Chinese totally rocked out after that to a pretty good sized crowd. I really can't express how great these guys were... Nick showed tribute by setting off fireworks. ;D

The impressive styling of Nancy K rounded out the acoustic sets and then joined The Law as they popped their band cherry in their first public performance!! I was super impressed and am looking forward to their debut album coming out within the next few months. They have definitely gained many fans last night, including me!

I want to thank Rev Coffee for hosting this even and all of the participants for coming out and making RevFest a great success. I'd also like to say a special thanks to Onewithit.com.

Peace, Love and Music,

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

www.kerrywentworth.com

Two New Gigs

2009-09-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

Great News!

I have two new gigs scheduled with Minutes to Live!

One is close and one gives you more time to plan:

Friday, October 2, 2009
Caribou Coffee - Marietta - playing with Minutes to Live
7pm
1275 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068
No Cover - Please enjoy the wonderful food and drinks Caribou has to offer!

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Rosebud - playing with Minutes to Live
7pm
1397 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306
No Cover - Please enjoy the wonderful food of Rosebud!

Hope to see you enjoying the music!

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

New Directions!

2009-09-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

So I’ve been super busy with the new band over the last few. We’re starting to come into our own sound, which is exciting. So far, we’ve completely gotten down Stupid Girl, Sober, and BYOB (I know, you’re all waiting in anticipation on how exactly I pulled off two of those… lol). We also have one original in the works with a second right around the corner. It’s very exciting to be in a full band again! I know that this is a huge growing opportunity musically!

Minutes to Live hasn’t gone away! We actually have a gig at Caribou Coffee (1275 Johnson Ferry Rd, Marietta GA) on Saturday from 1-4. We also keep expanding our playlist by leaps and bounds! For the next month, Mike will probably be pretty busy with his wedding (congrats Mike and Dianna!), but when he gets back from everything, we will be playing out a little more frequently. J

Alright people! I expect to see some of you out on Saturday!

Peace, Love, & Music!

Kerry

Gig This Saturday at Caribou Coffee in Marietta!!

2009-09-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Playing with Minutes to Live
1-4pm
Caribou Coffee

View Larger Map

Riverside Farmers Market on Saturday, September 5!

2009-09-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Come join me Saturday, September 5, 2009 at the Riverside Farmers Market in Roswell, GA. I'll be playing with Minutes to Live from 9:30am - 12pm. There is no cover, so please enjoy the wonderful things the market has to offer!

Market Address: Riverside Park, 575 Riverside Rd, Roswell, GA 30075

Are you going to go my way?

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
www.kerrywentworth.com

Lots of Things!

2009-08-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to give you an update of everything that's been going on lately. I've successfully moved into my new place. There will be a house warming party at some point in the near future, so keep an ear out for that next month. I've had several gigs with Minutes to Live over the past few weeks including two parties, a wedding, and a few farmer markets! Our next show is Saturday August 29 from 7-9pm at the Amici Italian Cafe in Covington, GA. I will be updating all the websites tonight sometime hopefully to show this show, along with address. :)

On to band news.... I've been playing with Dan lately on originals, so hopefully we'll have something together within the next month or two... A full band play all originals! We have a perspective drummer and are currently looking for a bassist. We've already been working some of my older songs that I used to play with 18 Miles to Freedom... It feels great!

Minutes to Live will also be recording again very soon to mix up the sampling on our website (www.myspace.com/minutestoliveatl). We also now have a facebook page! So if you happen to be on either networking site, please add us!

That's about it in Kerry World right now. I look forward to seeing you all of you out soon!

Peace, Love, and Music!

Kerry
www.kerrywentworth.com
www.myspace.com/kerrywentworth
www.facebook.com/pages/Kerry-Wentworth/15947566741
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
770-893-7400

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it...

2009-07-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

Exciting times! I'll be playing for the next 3 weekends with Minutes to Live at various venues including the Riverside Farmers Market this Saturday at 10am and Caribou Coffee in North Druid Hills the following Saturday night! The following weekend, we have a few private events we've been asked to play, which means that we and maybe a few of you out there are doing a good job at getting the word out about Minutes to Live! On a side note, I'll be moving during this time to a great little pad near Rev. My new landlord is a great guitarist and we've been putting our minds together and contemplating world domination in the music industry... Mwahaha... So stay tuned my minions... errr I mean my willing followers... ;) Hope to see ya'll out in the next few weeks!!!

2009-07-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

So last night was the kick off of a brand new project Nick came up for John and me to put together...a jam night at Rev. It was a great success! In all we had around 10 people show up with varying instruments including guitars, violins, banjos, bass, and several percussion instruments. We did round robin in a circle for a little over 2 hours filled with every type of music you could imagine.

The skill level of the musicians varied from just a few months of playing at home to ones who'd been playing the circuit for years. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and intrigue as people milled in and out for coffee, stopping for a few minutes to checkout the eclectic mix of people sitting at the back of the shop.

I have a feeling jam night at Rev will become as much of an institution as Rev's Wednesday Open Mic.

I urge everyone to come out to Rev on Thursdays with whatever you can play (guitar, bongos, shakers, or even just your voice) and join our circle. :)

~~~~~

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

Happily Ever After

2009-07-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

You know in my dreams
Everything always goes differently
Books and movies have poisoned our minds
Into believing in Happily Ever After

The question remains at hand
What exactly happens when you get what you want
Are you finally satisfied
Or do you go on seeking more?

Do you ever just want to throw it all away?
See if the next hand dealt might be
Anything or everything better than here
Can I close my eyes and wish for another day?

Stop all the talking
Some things you can't take back
Holding the tongue is a martial art
Only few have mastered it

I can't take the lapping of the niceties
I crave the storm on the horizon
Reach out my sands to invite it to my shores
Raise up and meet it with equal resilience

Can you take me with you as you dissipate?
On to the next universe
Fading in and out of existence at our pleasure
Molding ourselves to the fates

~~~~~

Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

Kerry to Play at Canton Farmers' Market

2009-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 27 from 9am to 1pm, Kerry will be playing with Minutes to Live at the Canton Farmers' Market.

The Canton Farmers' Market is located in downtown Canton, GA at 200 W. Main Street.

Please come by to enjoy some fantastic music by Minutes to Live and to peruse the wonderful produce and other products offered by local vendors!

~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Rev Coffee Represented at Eddie's Attic!

2009-06-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

So this has turned out to be a pretty interesting week. First I'll rewind back a few weeks and let you guys know how well the festival went. It was super hot, but we had some great performers and a really good turn out. I defiantly met some really cool people that I hope to stay in touch with in the future! Tomorrow, of course, I'll be at Rev. We have had some great new talent come in lately and I'm excited to see some of the bands coming up there. On the 19th, Cavan Cross will be performing and on the 26th, Rachel Leigh will be gracing us with her musical abilities! Talking about Rachel Leigh, both of us will be at Eddie’s Attic Open Mic on Thursday. I'll be there around 7:30, so come on out and support Rev's locals at Eddies!

Some updates on Minutes to Live... we have about 3 hours or more worth of material. It's everything from the 60's and up. If you have a party or event you'd like to have live music for, please keep us in mind! We have a drummer for larger performances and I'm currently playing bass on quite a few of the songs. It's actually pretty fun and I have definitely gained a lot of respect for bass players in general!

Otherwise, still working on the new album and trying to finalize the songs that will be on it. I do have 2 more songs I recently wrote. I've played one of them out and it went over pretty well with the crowd. :) I'm still trying to iron out the 2nd one, but I should be playing that one out pretty soon. Again, thanks for the support and I look forward to see everyone out soon!!

Love, peace and music...

Kerry http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Rockin' in the Real World

2009-05-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great night last night at Eddie's Attic! I sang back up for Nimara on her song Funny Face and we got lots of amazing feedback. :) While Nimara didn't make it to the final round (this time), she was still a shinning star among some fantastic artist! The professionalism displayed by the artists was notable... I definitely took a lot away from the experience... including my own date to play. So make your calendars for August 31st at 7:30.

Talking about marking dates, the 2nd annual AIF music festival is quickly coming. It will be at Coan Park (1530 Woodbine Ave SE, Atlanta, 30317) again this year on May 30th, starting at 4pm. We have some great groups coming to play including Takiya Lovechild, The Divide, WAR, The Dawah Ensemble, and our ever favorite The Wayne Fishell Experiment. You can buy tickets and find out more on the festival website http://events.signup4.com/aifmusicfestival.

Also, I've finally gotten onto the twitter bandwagon... I really blame the ungodly amount of time that I spend listening to NPR. I figure if Jim Lehrer twitters... haha. To follow my musical adventures in real time, go to http://www.twitter.com/kerrywentworth.

Love and music!

Kerry

The Critics and Cynics

2009-04-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

True fears are completely unfounded
to anyone looking in
clicking their tongues and shaking their heads
deep down they understand
blame is no where but in the actions
that is masked by saying
"it's what's best"
truly it's just,
now in the shade of the day,
wishes for the courage
to have done it a different way
There comes a moment where
empathy is no longer an option
sympathy is the only thing to give

~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Looking Forward

2009-03-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

I feel more like myself today than I have in a while
The burdens of the near past are shedding
the coils of of the dead and dry flaking away
What kept me from sleeping just a few days back
Now barely passes in my head
melting shame

The heart of my inner self is waking now
After being near death for so long
Comatose filtering in animation once again
The leisure of looking around me once more
instead of only down so not to miss
The quiet beat

Opportunity with neon sign saying here! here!
lighting up in green, reds, and blues
The electricity is catching in my bones
The time of today, the lessons of past
melding into something more like
the me

~~~~~
Kerry
kerry@kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

Kind words will unlock an iron door - Turkish Proverb

2009-03-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was very busy musically speaking. Friday night, Mike and I opened for one my friend’s bands at Rev. It was a very big crowd and the feedback was great! It was our first time playing out together as a duo and hopefully this will be a continuing trend. Saturday was amazing. The speakers at Not in Our Name were very moving and the food was phenomenal.... like usual. Anyway, this weekend turned out a new song as well, one that I think is playing out worthy. I think I'll try to get it down and play it next week at Rev. Russ and I have been talking about putting something together sometime soon for a show at Rev in the near future, and Jon and I have been brainstorming an Alison Krauss/Nickel Creek cover type band with Barefoot. Lots of irons in the pot; so keep visiting and I'll keep updating! Much music and love!

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

"...just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist."

2009-02-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy
The shadow from my dreams
fades into my own reality
meanings and signs
soft moments of déjà vu
trickle down my spine

If I'm not seeing things
Then why do I see you
ushering in and out of time
a whisper of what was
a flash of what will be
seeping into my being

This moment in the 4th dimension
Where time does not occur
feeling I've been here before
because I have
because I already am
one enormous figure eight
~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Each flower is a soul opening out to nature.

2009-01-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

Concert!! 2009 Southeastern Flower Show

I will be playing with the group Statis on Sunday, February 1 from 12:15pm to 2pm.

Learn about other players at: http://www.flowershow.org/events.html

Hope to see you there!!

~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Life gives us brief moments with another...

2009-01-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

An old caller knocked on memory's door
tried hard to turn away
but I let the door open
and allowed my mind to wander
through the old stomping grounds
of that time that marched on
I could hear the old footsteps
and I turned around
saw the ghost of what was once
my life, your life, our life
the floor boards moaned
from the lack of use
after being worn down to almost nothing
so long ago
the dust settled was disturbed once again
my fingerprints still visable from my last trip
through this house of unlocked doors
no stone, no trinket left unturned
when meaning was trying to be found
on why this place stood empty
and yet never hollow
yes, there is something lingering there
is it anything but me
is it anyone but a fading memory

~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Only looking forward, building on the past, but not living in it

2009-01-19T04:53:00.001-08:00

Only looking forward, building on the past, but not living in it

If I spent any more tears
If I tried to pick up lost time
If I went on unfounded fears
If I forgot that I was fine
I just can't
Not anymore
Never again
if not on my own terms
If not a reciprocation of actions
If not for lessons already learned
If not for all the gone by facts then...
but I won't
not any more
Never again since you can't be there for me
since I can't be there for you
since there can't be a we
since there's only room for new
not the past
not any more
never again

~~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

There's music in all things, if men had ears, The earth is but the music of the spheres. ~Lord Byron

2009-01-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Open mic at Rev has become a beacon of amazing talent in the North Atlanta area. It's a unique mixture of originals and covers, however the performers are great at making the covers their own.

I'm thoroughly impressed with the amount of female performers who have started to call Rev their own. A younger ensemble called Bella's Wings (I think) has graced Rev twice now with their exceptional sound. They will be performing a solo show at Rev on Saturday, January 17th.

I urge everyone to go out and support them. I should be out at Rev next Wednesday, if anyone would like to join me!

~~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It’s my favorite part of the business.

2009-01-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last month, I had the privilege to open for Nadira Shakoor at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center. My friend and producer of my CD Russ Bledsoe came to accompany me and we had a wonderful performance.

Nadira and her group were amazing musicians that really inspired. Several of them actually live and work in the Atlanta and surrounding communities.

The shelter and interfaith group that hosted the event reached their goal for the holiday season.

I want to thank everyone who made this possible!

~~~~~~

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Open Mic is Back!

2008-12-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

So, open mic has officially resumed at Rev Coffee under the new ownership of Nick. I'm no longer officially running open mic. I do help out as needed and love being there when I can, but due to other commitments, I do best as an assistant.

This past week was fantastic fun. We had around 7 different players/groups, all of which played a variety of music in the acoustic rock and country genres. We had mostly originals with just a splash of covers, mainly non-mainstream covers. If some of the performers had not said "so this is a cover...” no one would have realized the performer hadn't written the song themselves.

The next Rev Coffee open mic is Wednesday, January 7th. If you find yourself needing some good music to listen to or want to get some jam time in with the regulars, come on out to Rev that night and I'm sure you'll find exactly what you’ve been looking for... :)

Kerry
http://www.kerrywentworth.com/
kerry@kerrywentworth.com

Concert Details! - December 12

2008-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to everyone to remind you about my concert this Friday. I'm really looking forward to it!!! New update! Tickets will now be sold at the door for $15 a piece. You can still get your tickets on line for $10 at the below link!

Kerry Wentworth, accompanied by Russ Bledsoe, will be opening for two time Grammy nominated artist Nadirah Shakoor. Buy your tickets online now! Cost: $15 - VIP Seats$10 - General Admission$7 - Groups of 10 or morehttp://baitulsalaam.eventbrite.com/To benefit:Baitul Salaam - http://www.baitulsalaam.net/(domestic violence shelter)American Islamic Fellowship - http://www.americanislamicfellowship.com(interfaith/philosophy organization)

Time and Place
Date: Friday, December 12, 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
Location: Clayton County Performing Arts Center - Lloyd Tarpley Theatre
Street: 2530 Mt. Zion Parkway
City/Town: Jonesboro, GA

Proceeds will help give temporary support to women and children who are in need due to some form of abuse and aid in bringing a better understanding of faiths through collaborative work. The concert is hosted by Baitul Salaam Network, Inc. and the American Islamic Fellowship.

Can't make it to the show? You can still buy a ticket and donate it to one of the people who are currently staying at the shelter! Just go to http://baitulsalaam.eventbrite.com/ to purchase a ticket and then e-mail Kerry at kerry@kerrywentworth.com to let her know that you are donating your ticket! If you want to donate anything without transaction fees, you can give money directly to the organizations, both of their websites are posted :)

“You have to do it yourself; no one else will do it for you. You must work out your own salvation.”

2008-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

I see that in you
that lost look in you eye
You want to move on
but not sure if you can get by
all alone just this once
No one to rely on but you

How freeing that would be
Just to stand on your own
two feet with no crutch, no chair,
no cushion to take
the brunt when you fall
you'll proudly take it all

Stand proudly my love
and take that first step
I won't be there for you
atleast not yet
Prove to yourself
You are your own man

Concert in December!

2008-11-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 12, 2008

Concert
feat Nadirah Shakoor and Kerry Wentworth

7:30pm - 10:30pm

Location: Clayton County Performing Arts Center - Lloyd Tarpley Theatre (Map)

Cost: $15 - VIP Seats
$10 - General Admission
$7 - Groups of 10 or more

Limited Seating - Reserve Online

No tickets will be sold at the door!!

Today I never slowed my walk

2008-10-10T08:04:00.000-07:00

OK, so this was actually written by my friend Mikhail and it's only the first part of this amazing song (I highly recommend going to one of his shows, check him out, Shimmergloom (www.myspace.com/shimmergloomproject). This is exactly what I felt today, and there was no other way of explaining it.

Today I took her picture down
And hid it in a small red box.
It turns out the chains to which I was bound
Were self-imposed, they had no locks.
They weren't tied.
They weren't fastened.
I simply shrugged and they fell off.

And oblivious to pain
I changed today.
Today I never slowed my walk.
And seven days from Sunday,
A week a month and one day from now
Today will feel like yesterday,
And from now until next May
It's going to feel like yesterday.

~~~~~
Kerry
http://kerrywentworth.blogspot.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

Rebuild

2008-10-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Back to square one
Should have known better
Got to stop building it up
Just to watch it fall

And all I have is this corner stone in hand
it's stronger and dependable
Because when everything is washed away with the sand
It stays to help me rebuild again

Back to the beginning
and the map is gone
Blueprints washed away
in the height of the storm

Back to where I need to be
a clean slate
No expectations
To live up to anymore

And all I have is this corner stone in hand
it's stronger and dependable
Because when everything is washed away with the sand
It stays to help me rebuild again

And here I am my cornerstone in hand
Ready to rebuild again

~~~~~
Kerry
http://kerrywentworth.blogspot.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com

"'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked. 'Begin at the beginning...'"

2008-09-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

To a time when everything is left behind
to this place where I can't seem to find
Any reason to stay
Walking swiftly into the deep sunset
Tomorrow will be a new day

I can't help the past but the future I see
can be anything, be where I want to be
any place but here
I go crawling quietly into the dawn
The rays are slowly showing now

Bust forth the sun warmth on my face
This against I don't want to brace
for anything
Experience every particle as it soaks in
As my smile triggers a beginning

~~~~~

Kerry
http://adventures.kerrywentworth.com
http://www.kerrywentworth.com