New Times article by Kathy Johnston

Best-album backstory One local music highlight of 2012 was the New Times Music Awards, where husband-and-wife duo Bob and Wendy’s recording Your Beautiful Life won the Best Album of the Year. New Times asked singer and songwriter Wendy Liepman to share some stories about the album, which was produced by longtime local musician Jill Knight. “Recording with Jill was like joining a mutual admiration society. She was so easy to work with, it was as comfortable as playing music in a living room. We went for a simple live sound, with not much extra adornment. (Although I couldn’t have Jill in the next room and not have her singing harmony vocals, could I?) “Jill also loves Bob’s cello and really captured the sound. Recording at Jill’s was like being in a cabin in the forest, lots of light streaming in the windows and a view of trees. It was really relaxing, and low pressure. “Jill originally offered to record and produce a few of our songs, but we were all enjoying ourselves so much that we kept playing new songs for her, and she generously offered to keep recording. “I can tell you something about the inspiration for some of the songs. ‘Your Beautiful Life’ was written after viewing pictures of Katrina and the devastation in Haiti. But I also remember a book called Material World, where people from all over the world had to put all of their possessions in their front yard to be photographed. That made a big impression on me, how we have so much and yet it could be gone in an instant. “I was looking through Bob’s mom’s photo album and found a picture of her and her young family from the early 1950s. Bob is pushing his sister Joan in a stroller, brother Peter stands by, and Mom looks up, beaming. They are walking on a boardwalk near Gloucester, Mass. I remember Bob telling me the story about how the family used to spend summers there, until a hurricane washed it away. So from that time on, they started going to Maine, a place that really influenced Bob. “I wrote the songs ‘Maine’ and ‘Song for Myles’ from my perception of Bob’s point of view. Myles was his favorite cousin who also spent summers in Maine and ended up running the Maine Diner. Bob’s mom passed away Sept. 26, so the cover photo of Your Beautiful Life ended up being sort of a tribute to her. “‘In My Song’ is a love song to Bob (my favorite cello player besides Yo Yo Ma). He has always supported my music, even when I lose faith in myself.” http://www.newtimesslo.com/music/

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