Ina May Wool

Biography

"If her next CD is called "Songs About Sitting in the Waiting Area at H&R Block," I'll buy it. She discovers the mystery and meaning in a loaf of bread and a jug of wine, small gestures, a layer of ice, and lying awake at night."
from Indie-Music.com, by Jennifer Layton, 6/01

In the past year Ina May Wool has opened for Richard Thompson and Leo Kottke, played the Kennedy Center in D.C., and the Bottom Line in New York City, and she's toured from Portland, Maine, to Vancouver. In the recent past, Ina May has toured in Europe and in the U.K.

She released her debut CD, "Moon Over 97th Street," in 1999 on BangZoom Records to critical acclaim and airplay on radio stations worldwide. A second CD, "Crack It Open," is in the works. Both CD's are co-written and produced by Daniel A. Weiss.

ASCAP and BMI voted Ina May one of the 15 best unsigned acoustic artists worldwide in 1998. In 2001 her song, "Elephant Learning to Dance," won Best Song by a Female Singer/Songwriter in the JP Folks Awards.

Now based in New York City, Ina May grew up in Massachusetts. Back home she toured solo and with a band playing her original songs along with country, blues, folk, and jazz in an energetic fusion. She opened for acts such as Mose Allison, Janis Ian, Taj Mahal and NRBQ.

When she moved to New York, Ina May continued to work as a musician. Artists she sang and wrote with include Marc Shaiman, now an Oscar-nominated soundtrack writer, Wayne Kramer of MC5, and Mark Ribot, the underground guitar legend, who is a contributing musician on the new CD.

Ina May thanks the Songwriters' Exchange for all the support and inspiration over the past few years.

Contact info: ina@inamaywool.com
website url: http://www.inamaywool.com

Comments about 'Boxcutters and Knives':

Like so many people immediately after September 11th, I spent hours and hours in front of the tv screen, and I kept thinking, "Oh, no, don't do it. Don't go out with all that technology and pulverize thousands of people just to strike back without knowing what you're going after." I was astonished that all that damage came about from people wielding boxcutters and knives, and I wrote the song as a
plea for a reaction that wouldn't be just a useless show of force.

I played it at a meeting of the Songwriters' Exchange soon after the event. At that point no one else in the group had written about the attacks, and a few people thanked me for writing about the subject. I hadn't really finished it when Suzanne put out the call for songs for this project, because it was painful to sing it. I wasn't sure it was still relevant, so I had put it away unfiinished. Now I think
the song is very relevant and, sad to say, probably will be for a long time to come..
- Ina May Wool

Ina May Wool points out the ingenuity of the terrorists and simplicity of their tools, versus our technology.
- Suzanne Vega

'Boxcutters and Knives'

[ mp3 sound clip ]

Boxcutters and knives
Hatred and flight instruction
A chance to die for something
I heard it on the news
This is what they used

Bomb threats and manuals
Fake id's and freedom of movement
Humiliation brewing
Nothing left to lose
This is what they used

Stealth bombers/F16's
Hundreds of thousands of men
We need to protect and
We need to defend
Consider what they used

Boxcutters and knives
And anonymity
Disintegrated countries
The fuel, the fire, the fuse
This is what they used