Wandering Gypsy Update July 2007

Hello Very Beautiful Peeps! As always, I hope all is wonderful in your lives, or if not, I hope you are finding ways to reach out & locate the little glimmers of light that help get us thru... Once again I apologize for not sending this out more frequently, but... I don't know, sometimes I feel we're better off planting flowers in our gardens or writing songs or eating crumpets with friends than reading email... Call me wrong... I just find my feet in the dirt dancing... & then time's gone... & it was good. I AM grateful for y'all's patience in keeping track of me & of my music despite my... bouts of silence! On to the scoop! 1~ CONCERTS 2~ RECORDINGS 3~ NEWS 4~ GETTING OFF 5~ OTHER COOL LINKS 6~ MYSPACE.COM/ANNIEWENZ 7~ JOY & BLESSINGS & TATA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1~ CONCERTS I've decided to fewer but larger, more special shows/festivals/teaching in the next months as I'm back to writing a bunch & I am expecting delivery of a new resonator guitar & 2 Pakistani flutes which I want to melt down over & learn... (yaaay) Hope some of you can join me if you're in the area of any of my shows or workshops! (& always feel free to let me know you're there!) ~~ Thursday, July 12th Kerrville Folk Festival~ Songschool for Teens, Kerrville TX I know it's too late for any of you to attend this year, but it's so wonderful you may know of a young person who may be interested for next year. Anyway, I'm SO EXCITED about returning to teach at this very special song school for teens, sponsored by Kerrville Festival Productions, Boys & Girls Clubs of America & Microsoft. For more info- check the Kerrville website & contact the festival office. http://www.kerrville-music.com/ ~~ Thursday, July 26th- Sunday, July 29th Falcon Ridge Folk Festival   Hillsdale NY   WaHOOO!!! I Love Falcon Ridge!!! It's truly one of the premier festivals in the US... I'll be busy playing all over several stages... so check the schedule! The lineup includes Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, Jimmy LaFave, John Gorka, Lowen & Navaro, Lucy Kaplansky, Marshall Crenshaw, Tracy Grammar & Me!!! Weekend tix are totally reasonable. It's just a BLAST. http://www.falconridgefolk.com/ ~~ Sunday, August 12th- Thursday, August 16 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest. Song School,  Lyons CO http://www.bluegrass.com/ I return to teach at the BEST songwriting school in the country... Stellar faculty, including Darrell Scott (who's written for Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw), Steve Seskin (Waylon Jennings, Peter Yarrow, Alabama) ,  Catie Curtis, Ben Wisch (produced "Walkin in Memphis for Mark Cohen) many others... Oh Yea... & ME! Gorgeous setting, huge heart. Limited enrollment, so don't wait too long! ~~ Friday, August 17th- Sunday, August 19th Rocky Mountain Folks Festival  Lyons CO The festival which follows the song school... http://www.bluegrass.com/ I'll be performing on the "Wildflower Stage". Other performers include Judy Collins, Gillian Welch, Darrell Scott, Cheryl Wheeler & MORE! ~~ September~ looks like Larry & I will be riding motorcycles thru SPain! Any performance leads/suggestions??? Love to hear them! ~~ Thursday October 25h- Sunday, October 28th Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park~ Magfest 2007! Live Oak FL Get your early tix soon! http://www.magmusic.com/ I return to one of the most joyful festivals on the planet. ALWAYS a brilliant lineup, HUGE FUN, BURSTING with heart on the gorgeous Swannee River. I perform & teach percussion (dance & party too!) There will be a huge Pine Island contingent, so please join us in the BLISS! ~~ As always, be sure to check venue websites for any changes! I'm sure there will be additions to the schedule, so check my website for updates too! ~~ 2~ RECORDINGS Thanks to Y'all, my recordings... older & newest continue to sell (Yaaay!!!) Many are giving the gift of music & in turn that enables me to continue to create new music. You SO rock! As always, you can buy my CD's: "Winds of the World"~ All instrumental w/ Indigenous/Native flutes on each song,  60 min long peaceful journey to nirvana type recording used for massage, yoga, dinner, romance;) "Poets Dance"~ "A Magical Musical Travelogue" songs about life, love, travel to far off places like Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Bali & Saskatoon Skies" "Time is Magic" ~ Full on band production, produced by Grammy winning producer Norman Blain. * Via my website : http://www.anniewenz.com/products.html where there are links to CD Baby for purchase of the actual CD *or follow links to download via iTunes (quick/easy/cheap~ $9.99!) *At WildChild Gallery on Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL *At Pine Island Variety & Gift Store on Stringfellow Rd, St James City, FL *At Ada's Natural & Organic Foods~ S. Cleveland Ave. Ft Myers, FL & FYI~ RN magazine http://www.rnweb.com/rnweb/ has a new addition to their very cool online mag. at the "Lifestyles" section called "The Break Room" which lists products for nurses by nurses. They have a link to my instrumental recording "Winds of the World" & it's bringing my music into the ears of nurses & those who are finding music healing! YAAAY Nurses! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3~ NEWS Well... since I last wrote, it's been the usual swirl of life & art. So many wonderful things happening right close to home on Pine Island (2 mi from Sanibel Is.) They call us the "Arts Coast" for a reason! I was very busy at WildChild Gallery teaching percussion & hosting Songwriter Sundays... we will continue in the fall, plus there are many folks requesting a flute workshop, so I promise we'll let you know as soon as we set a date!  Other gigs~Performances in Monteverde Costa Rica again were just a Blast as usual (thanks SO MUCH to Federico, Walter & Richard for joining me!) Susquanna Music & Arts Fest in May/Havre De Grace, MD- WOW WOW. Check it out next year! Wilfest is a sweet FL musical home away from home & of COURSE Springfest is ALWAYS just SO SO special... My music bro & friend Alan Rowoth, founder of folkmusic.org, the folk music listserv, & brainman behind the "Internet Quartets" which launched the careers of dozens of artists, amazing human & computer wizard is now doing ALL sorts of freelance music related computer business. If any of you are in need, or know of someone in need of any of that type of service, please DO contact him at the following... (he's THE BEST!) Alan Rowoth/Internet Guru alan@folkmusic.org (315) 474-4800 My dear friend Nancy Glickman continues to bring a wonderful variety of music to the Tarpon Lodge in Pineland (also on Pine Is.) http://www.tarponlodge.com/home/ So be sure to support the artists if you can (& be sure to tell Nancy & the general manager Nancy rocks!) I am SO SO SO excited that my sister/friend & cohort Dr Jerri Nielsen of the book & movie "Ice Bound" (remember the doctor who discovered a breast lump while working at the S. Pole who had to do her own biopsy, have meds air dropped since she was too iced in for evacuation, & was finally airlifted from the pole???) decided it was time to collaborate on a song! I took some of the lyrics from words & ideas in her book, & we both added to make it a song we really love & I am proud of! It's called "Laughing at the Hurricane" & it's about a coupla wild goilz who keep on keeping on when the chips fall, pushing the edge, laughing thru it all (who could that be???;) I do hope to record it soon & in the meantime, Jerri's book makes an amazing gift! (& she also travels the world speaking & inspiring folks if you need it!) http://www.nationwidespeakers.com/speakers/jerri_nielsen.htm My other dear doctor buddy & sister Batool Kazim with whom I went to Pakistan last year decided it was time for me to dive back into Pakistani & Indian music, so she connected me, my wonderfully talented musical bro Tom Prasada-Rao & world renowned tabla (Indian drum) master Jerry Leake with Pakistani & Indian friends of hers who wanted something multicultural & special for their international wedding! We learned, played & all felt we did justice & more to some instrumental music by the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, & Tom & I sang the beautiful love song "Rahe na rahe hum" by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi! I really plan to continue to work on that music so that I may return to India & Pakistan someday to continue to use music to bring people together... AND speaking of that... Doctors Samina Ahmad, & Salman Ahmad (Salman of the band Junoon who performed with me at last year's Philly Fest) along with their friend Bono (yea- that Bono!) have a new Tshirt fundraiser project... The shirt features the Sufi words "Ghoom Tana" which mean co-existance/interconnectedness... It has pictures of symbols of all major religions and a dark & light hand intertwined in a circle... the back says "we are all connected". All money raised goes to the group of women with HIV/AIDS in S. Africa who make the shirts. The message hopes to promote religious & cultural tolerance. It's 1 of those ways you can make a donation as a birthday or other gift for someone AND get a shirt as thanks! I LOVE my shirt! http://www.junoon.com/home2.htm Other newz... since y'all have been asking me... yes, there will be a new CD... what & when exactly, I'm not sure, but your urging has me starting to plan! I owe you a new "song CD" & a new "instrumental CD" (which will have rhythms from Pakistan & India all over it, I promise!) and I haven't forgotten a kids project... Things always find their way & so it goes & so it will... & I still want to record my biker song "Ride" & pitch it to Harley for their compilation & then do my own version of the "Motorcycle Diaries" riding & playing from ralley to ralley with my little Martin in my saddlebag & my hair in the wind! My journey last week from FL to ME with my soulsister Lynn Holdsworth included some adventure... including my van croaking at 4am July 4th in Jacksonville, FL loaded down with a motorcycle trailer, hundreds of pounds of mangoes, guitars, drums, a bird & duffelbags of other gear. As always, we laughed it off, as we juggled lack of sleep, coffee & chocolate with taxi's, rental cars & traded vehicles. We towed, got covered with grease & mango goo (so sorry for the rash Lynn!), waited & waited some more & decided the message in it all is that "stuff happens" & you may as well find something in the ride & breathe & push on. What kept it all in perspective was the beautiful people I'd met last year in the earthquake zone in Pakistan who experienced a REAL tragedy & somehow rose above it all... You all still bring tears to my eyes, inspire me & fill my heart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4~ GETTING OFF There's a link at the bottom of this note if you'd like to be removed. If it doesn't work, email me & I'll see to it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5~ OTHER COOL LINKS As I mentioned, Pine Island is a virtual MELTING POT of amazing internationally acclaimed artists... I encourage you to check out the work of these folks I'm honored to call my friends: Author Robert Macomber http://www.robertmacomber.com/ SongGoddess Wendy Webb http://wendywebbmusic.com/ Author Randy Wayne White http://rwwhite.com/ ~~~~ And don't please don't forget my 3 amazing sponsors (whom I TOTALLY ADORE!): Rocky Mountain Slides http://www.rockymountainslides.com/ Elixir Guitar Strings http://locator.elixirstrings.com/locator/elixir/StartLoc.jsp Island Flutes http://www.islandflutes.com/ And for those of you who love to travel... I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this lovely family farm/cabinas just a wee walk outside the cloud forest of Monteverde/Santa Elena Costa Rica. (write & tell Raina & Leo I sent you!) Cabinas Valle Campanas http://www.vallecampanas.com/ 6~ MYSPACE.COM/ANNIEWENZ Yes... I have a "MY Space" page... I don't "live there", but I visit once in a while... so feel free to do the same. My goal is to have a gazillion friends by the time I die, so there are enough people to pick me up & dip me in chocolate... 7~ JOY & BLESSINGS & TATA As always... I THANK YOU ALL for your kindness & support... & I urge you to do what you can to be kind... & to work for PEACE & EQUALITY for every single one! Peace, Pura Vida, Oneh, Namaste, Nasdorovia, Assalam-O- Alaikum, Annie -- Annie Wenz http://www.anniewenz.com http://www.musicforyoga.org http://www.musicformassage.org http://www.myspace.com/anniewenz Performing Artist/ Songpoet/ RN/ Educator Player of Indigenous Flutes & Percussion Guitar, Piano & Harleys

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