Announcing the 2016 Wood and Stone Songwriting Retreat:

Dates: Thursday June 2 - Monday June 6
Instructors: Wyatt Easterling, Beth Wood, Jen & Scott Smith
Location: FLOC Outdoor Learning Center - Harpers Ferry, WV

Info and Registration: www.woodandstoneretreat.com

We are now accepting applications for the 2016 Retreat. This year, our regular location in Crisfield, MD is under construction so we thought wild, wonderful West Virginia might be fun. The accommodations will be similar - rustic bunk house style, but in a mountain woodland setting. Time will be spent on songwriting and performance workshops, one-on-one mentoring, sharing songs around the campfire, lots of songwriting and especially co-writing, which has turned out to be one of the highlights of the WSRetreats.

We are blown away by the magic that happens at the retreat every year and by what we all continue to achieve throughout the year.

Here's a quick WSR Alumni update:
Chuck McDowell: Chuck just got a spot on the 30A Songwriters Festival. He's also playing with Wyatt Easterling and Dan Navarro in Dan's showcase at Folk Alliance. If that weren't enough, he's releasing an album, and also starting a new album that will be produced by Phil Madeira. He says, "None of this would have happened had it not been for the Wood and Stone Retreat."
Pete Kronowit is planning to leave the corporate world this year and pursue songwriting full time! He recently did some co-writing in Nashville with Phil Madeira and begins recording a new album in March.
Janet Emma Garbe: Her song "Sunflower" is #1 on Bluegrass Chart in VA, #3 Nationwide, and #38 all GENRE on ReverbNation. She is pulling together a new band line up for the first time in year & a half. First gig will be Jan 22nd, at Tally Ho in Leesburg, VA, with Jon Carroll, Ken Wentzel, Juliana Walker McDowell & more. She says, "So excited to get back to my old singing/songwriting self. smile emoticon Oh, and Chuck McDowell has been performing a couple of songs we wrote together at the W&S Retreat. I SO love that."
Candy Fernau is currently finishing up her first full length release, rockin' it Country style in Nashville. Produced by Wyatt Easterling and including some WSR co-writes!
Patty Reese is working on a new album. Here's one of the songs from it: "I Won't Let You Down". You can also subscribe to her new Youtube Channel www.YouTube.com/pattyreese!
Quincy Corbin: Quincy performed with Beth Wood, Phil Madeira & Naked Blue at the Concert on the City Dock in 2015. Right now he's working on stand up comedy and his comment when asked for some Alumni News was: "I found $10! ...And I wrote a couple songs."
Allison Dietz wrote, recorded and is about to release her first full length album, "Pretty Lies", produced by Scott Smith and recorded at The Wood and Stone Room. Check it out!: http://www.allisondietzmusic.com/music
Pete Rogosky has a couple of wonderful co-writes with Phil Madeira, one of which Phil will be recording for his upcoming album.
Annie Sidley is writing for a new album right now including the song "King For a Day" that was inspired and written at the 2015 Retreat. See her performing it here: https://www.facebook.com/Anniesidley
Robert Dale Klein got in some co-writes with Dan Navarro and Phil Madeira and had the pleasure of Dan performing one of his songs at The Rams Head On Stage.
Todd Breck begins his first solo album in January and will be doing a video documentation of the process. Produced in Nashville by Wyatt Easterling.

Apologies to those alumni who I wasn't able to get in touch with in time for this newsletter - please post your news on our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/woodandstoneretreat

Happy New Year, Everyone!
Jen & Scott
www.woodandstoneretreat.com

AND A NELSON HOMESTEAD UPDATE:

Friends of the Nelson Homestead: Thanks to your help and generosity, the project is continuing to build momentum. This year we:

Repaired and resurfaced the almost impassable driveway.
Hired engineers for perc testing, elevation survey and environmental reports.
Removed dead trees and overgrowth from around the house.
Cleared the graveyard (thanks to the Andersons!).
Capped the chimneys and waterproofed the roof.
Had an historic masonry report done with recommendations on how to move forward with the brickwork & chimneys (Thanks to John Sines!).
Carpenters & consultants inspected the foundation and framework (Thank you Henry Snyder, Michael Devonshire, Vince Hosey & Bruce Wooster!).
Installed outdoor temporary electric panel (thanks to Robert Purnell / Purnell Electric!).
Created, with preservation consultants Henry Snyder, Michael Devonshire and Sherri Marsh, a more in-depth rehabilitation 'scope of work'.
Capped off broken plumbing inside house.
Began researching and documenting the family histories of past residents of the house and have found some really interesting stuff.
We partnered with the Crisfield Heritage Foundation to present the 2015 Summer Arts & Education Series which we are hoping to expand in 2016.
AND big news: the Nelson Homestead has just been approved to begin submitting proposals to a MAJOR grant program that wants to fund the raising of the house to a flood safe elevation and repair/rebuild the foundation.

Thanks for all your help and encouragement!!

Announcing the 2016 Wood and Stone Songwriting Retreat:

Repaired and resurfaced the almost impassable driveway.

Hired engineers for perc testing, elevation survey and environmental reports.

Removed dead trees and overgrowth from around the house.

Cleared the graveyard (thanks to the Andersons!).

Capped the chimneys and waterproofed the roof.

Had an historic masonry report done with recommendations on how to move forward with the brickwork & chimneys (Thanks to John Sines!).

Carpenters & consultants inspected the foundation and framework (Thank you Henry Snyder, Michael Devonshire, Vince Hosey & Bruce Wooster!).

Installed outdoor temporary electric panel (thanks to Robert Purnell / Purnell Electric!).

Created, with preservation consultants Henry Snyder, Michael Devonshire and Sherri Marsh, a more in-depth rehabilitation 'scope of work'.

Capped off broken plumbing inside house.

Began researching and documenting the family histories of past residents of the house and have found some really interesting stuff.