Vagabond Songwriter

Carinne Carpenter has been sharing her songs at wineries, beer gardens, restaurants and farmer’s markets in the Northwest.

“I performed anywhere I feel my music would fit,” Carpenter said.

Now she’s on the road, heading back to her home base in Denver, Colo. She plans to stop in Moab and share her songs at Eddie McStiff’s on Thursday, Aug. 15.

“The reason for my current tour is the celebration of a new music documentary,” Carpenter said.

While Carpenter was performing at a brew pub in Oregon, she was approached by a man.

“One of the songs was about Oklahoma,” Carpenter said. “He said he was from Oklahoma and liked the song. He said that if I’d play at his son’s birthday party, he’d make a video.”

They used a little schoolhouse in the little town of Friend, Ore., that had excellent lighting and acoustics.

She shares both her songs and her story in “Carinne Carpenter: Vagabond Songwriter”, a nine-minute documentary.

Carpenter has been a musician most of her life. It began with stringed instruments in school orchestra.

Then when she was in high school a friend shared the acoustic guitar with her.

“I fell in love with it and was able to put things together,” Carpenter said. “I’ve been able to sing and play at the same time.”

At 19 she hit the road and became a self-described vagabond.

She began writing songs from her own life. But, she realized, that she would never be able to experience all that life will bring. So she listened to the stories that people would share while drinking and wrote their songs.

“Tales from the tavern so to speak. I met a lot of people that shared a lot of stories with me and I was able to capture some of their history and pain,” Carpenter said. “A lot of stuff I may not ever go through personally.”

As she listened to their stories, she realized that most were told in confidence.

“They don’t think it will escape that moment, but it sticks with me forever,” she said.

This will be Carpenter’s first trip through Moab.

“Mom just went on a road trip through Moab. I heard so many wonderful things,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a new landscape.”

She was researching online for acoustic venues when she found Eddie McStiff’s

“I was looking for somewhere mellow, where I can be myself when I play,” Carpenter said.

Even though she’s just passing through, she’s looking forward to take some time and learn more about town and the surrounding area.

“I’ve never performed in Utah. There’s a lot of love for acoustic players there,” Carpenter said. “I’m excited to come by and spend some time there.”

Author: Moab Sun News Staff Report

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