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Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

(Previously posted on my Twitter and Facebook feeds.)
As you may know, I released my debut album on Friday, October 22, called Looking For Buildings. The album was produced by Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, and he also played and sang on it. 

On the following Monday, a KUOW story came out, in which multiple women accused him of abuse and even rape.

I believe the women 100%.

I was (and still am) very happy about and proud of the way the album came out, and I will always be grateful to Ken for the work he put into it and the generous gift of his talent toward my debut album. But I am sad and angry at everything else.

Though I’ve known Ken a little bit for 33 years now, I was not aware of the allegations or anything like that before the project started. The only thing I knew was that he was a womanizer back in the day, but figured that wasn’t my business since I wasn’t dating him, just working with him on music (and remotely, at that, because of COVID).  I’ve never really kept close tabs on Posies-related gossip.

So, like many, the news on October 25 came out of nowhere for me. I am horrified at the story, immensely sad and angry on behalf of the women involved, and saddened as well for Ken’s bandmates and friends who are also mourning now. And I can only imagine what his wife and daughter are going through.

My situation is a tiny nothing in comparison to the victims in this case, and I don’t want to pull any spotlight away from them, so I waited before posting this. However, with the album release being so recent when the news broke, I figure I should say a  couple of things.

  1. Ken receives no further proceeds from Looking For Buildings

    Looking For Buildings originally had 11 songs, one of which was Ken’s song “Known Diamond,” which I covered. It was my vocals and Ken’s piano and strings.  As of October 25, I have pulled the song from the album entirely. People who buy the CD still get it but it is not in the digital version, or on streaming services, nor will it be on any future CD should I be fortunate enough to be able to make some more.

    Additionally, the fees I paid Ken for making the album have already been fully paid.  He does not have any percentage of sales.

  2. I won’t be working with him any more, of course.

  3. I am planning to do some kind of donation or benefit record or silent auction or something to a relevant organization such as RAINN.

    I don’t have a huge following yet so a percentage of the album might not be very much. But I want to do something. (If anyone else is in a similar situation and wants to get together to do a benefit record or some similar project, by all means, contact me!)

Thank you for reading this. I really appreciate everyone who has been supportive since the news broke. Some of you definitely did not need to be thinking about me during all this, considering what you have gone through, but you did, and I am grateful.

—Wendi

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We have a release date now for Looking For Buildings: October 22, 2021! But if you can’t wait, album pre-orders are available now via my label, Futureman Records. If you’re a CD listener, Futureman has CDs for sale as well.

With the pre-order, you get an early download of the song “Buildings” to start listening to right away!

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This week’s song from Looking For Buildings is “Field Of View,” a song I co-wrote with Kyle Richards. I really enjoyed building this from a fragment Kyle sent me to start with. 

I was warned 
I might get into something
More than I needed to be
My friends said
“You gotta watch out for this one”
Maybe

Good advice
But I chose to ignore it
It was a chance meant to take
How would I
Know I should believe it
Heartache

Chorus:
There’s not a chance in Hades
I wouldn’t take that chance with you
In the center of my field of view
It’s true and you belong there

One step up
It’s a matter of feeling
I’m feeling more than you know
Two steps back
Taking moments to listen
Hello

Not so bad
Tell our friends we believe in
A love despite our mistakes
You and I
Understanding each other
Keepsakes

Bridge:
Sometimes you know
Something is right and extraordinary
And when you know 
You go right on through
And break into
That rendezvous is you

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This week’s song from Looking For Buildings is “Known Diamond,” written and originally performed by Ken Stringfellow. I love this song and recorded it once previously, for the Theme Music group on Facebook:

Since I didn’t write this one, and lyrics are readily available on the web, I won’t put the lyrics here. But here’s a behind-the-scenes video about the song (it won’t be visible until 11 am on July 14).



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This week’s song from Looking For Buildings is “Follow,” an oddly bouncy song about a broken relationship. Well, you know, I always had a thing for that bouncy minor key like in “Happy Together”…

The past is a foreign land so this was far away 
When we two met by accident and jumped into the fray
He expected to meet someone else and so in fact did I
 
It was years ago December and the snow was falling down
We laughed and fell together and made angels on the ground
Who needs to take vacation when you’ve got the warmth of two
 
And soon the rest would follow 
 
Chorus:
Like a downhill racing sled
It might have been predicted
Where this cold snowfall led
 
It was closer to a blizzard than I ever thought I’d see
We took forever vows among our friends and family
We left together for a honeymoon in sunny climes
 
And soon the rest would follow
 
Chorus:
Like a downhill racing sled
It might have been predicted
Where this cold snowfall led
 
It was snowing hard again on another winter day
I asked him where he’ d been and he didn’t want to say
His body was still here but his eyes were far away
 
And soon the rest would follow
 
Like a downhill racing sled
It might have been predicted
Where this cold snowfall led

The year turns round 
the snow returns over and again
 
And soon the rest will follow
And soon the rest will follow
And soon the rest will follow 

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This week’s song is one of the two covers on Looking For Buildings: “Love Is Real” by Dave Scarbrough. I’ve loved this song since 1988. Here are the lyrics, short and sweet:

 Were it not for love, oh
 I still would have a friend
 No more am I haunted by 
 The thought that it might end
 I know it’s all behind me now
 but I still feel so insecure
 but I know love is real
 
 I can see the firelight reflecting in your eyes
 And I find I think too much and now I realize
 I'd give my whole self to you
 And you'd give me so much more
 I know, I know love is real
 love is real
 oh, oh

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This week’s song is a hooky little pop song that I wrote in 2016. I honestly didn’t recall anything about what inspired it, but I knew I originally recorded the demo for the Theme Music group on Facebook, so I looked it up. Here’s what I said back then.

“So I felt bad because I didn’t really do anything for a theme that should have been easy. The result? Late Sunday evening, I challenged myself to write a song on the spot for the theme in time to submit it. Achievement unlocked!…

“Song is basically about a relationship falling apart, inspired by my divorce.”

— Facebook, May 2016

Huh, I don’t remember that being the inspiration. In fact, I thought it was a completely different relationship… Anyway, here are the lyrics. I’ll add a link to the song later.

Wonder Whys

You're the kind of guy
Makes me wonder why
But I’m guessing I will never know
There’s a situation starting to grow
More than yesterday
I could never tell
If you wish me well
But I’m guessing and I don’t have a clue
And I have to think that neither do you
Or did you anyway?
I wish that I could understand 
The thoughts behind those eyes
And realize the answer to the Whys
Chorus:
I wonder why you’re not there
And if you care
But it seems to me that you are asking too
You wonder why it’s not right
And why we fight
But inside I know the answer, so do you
Once you were that guy 
Made me wonder why
You were glorious in every way
I wanted you in my life every day
But that’s over now
I wish that I could understand 
The thoughts behind those eyes
And realize the answer to the Whys
Chorus:
I wonder why you’re not there
And if you care
But it seems to me that you are asking too
You wonder why it’s not right
And why we fight
But inside I know the answer, so do you
Bridge:
I could ask you
If I thought it mattered
You could tell me 
If you wanted to
Chorus:
I wonder why you’re not there
And if you care
But it seems to me that you are asking too
You wonder why it’s not right
And why we fight
But inside I know the answer, so do you

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Like last week’s song, “You = Spring” is one of the songs I wrote for Learning Not To Be Perfect, a collection of demos written and recorded for NASOALMO (National Solo Album Month). On the last day of the challenge, I was still one song short, so I decided it would be fun to try something synthpoppy. It felt like that would be quick to write for some reason. And it was, and so I finished the “album.” 🙂 Here are the lyrics:

It’s dark but I can’t see it
Winter but I can’t feel it
’Cause you’re better than the sun
 
No cold is gonna reach me
Not when I’ve you to teach me
We two are more than 1 + 1
 
I feel a springtime and it’s coming from the heart
With you any time of year is fine
 
So warm your affection
Now it’s the right direction
For me — I don’t doubt anymore
 
You say we’re gonna make it
This time I believe it’s 
True — I don’t doubt anymore
 
Faith and forgiveness of the past
Makes me sure it’s going to last
Even when we make mistakes
 
I trust the smile in your eyes
’Cause you’ve made me realize
You and me are what it takes
 
I feel a springtime and it’s coming from the heart
With you any time of year is fine
 
So warm your affection
Now it’s the right direction
For me — I don’t doubt anymore
 
You say we’re gonna make it
This time I believe it’s 
True — I don’t doubt anymore