Heart is the hero: A conversation with Oliver Wood
The Wood Brothers will play Asheville Dec. 6-7. Shervin Lainez photo
Since its formation in 2004, The Wood Brothers have become one of the premier, marquee acts in the vast sonic realms of Americana and indie-folk in this ongoing whirlwind that is the topsy-turvy 21st century musical landscape.
Initially, the outfit was a duo consisting of siblings Oliver Wood (guitar) and Chris Wood (bass), their vocal harmonies this seamless blend of ancient tones only revealed within family blood and soul — the message within being that of honesty and authenticity, all through this keen lens of constant creative discovery and improvisational prowess.
Not far down the line of The Wood Brothers continued trajectory, multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix came into the fold around 2011. Since that juncture, the trio has conjured, created and cultivated a totally unique sound and swagger of their own.
At its core, The Wood Brothers are a kaleidoscope of musicality, one where roots-rock, Delta blues, folk and jazz elements collide and soar across the live stage, ultimately radiating out onto the audience this genuine message of purpose and compassion.
Smoky Mountain News: What does the current landscape look like for y’all? What are you seeing, where does it stand?
Oliver Wood: Well, in some ways, it’s business as usual. It’s the evolution of our music juxtaposed with the evolution of the world around us. Chris and I started as a duo, and we were traveling in a minivan. And now we have a trio with Jano Rix, who is like two musicians in one.
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So, our band has sonically grown quite a bit over the years. And I think we’ve established a sound of our own that I’m real proud of. We’ve evolved in such a way that has been sustainable and feels natural and organic. It sounds kind of cheesy to say [this], but we’re enjoying a slow rise to the middle, as opposed to a meteoric rise of any kind, [one] that could be fleeting of any kind.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve just gotten a little bigger. And I feel like, in doing that, we’ve been able to really stay true to our music. We’ve never tried to make music for other people or entities or corporations or anything like that. We’ve always kind of followed our hearts when it comes to the music and tried to keep it sounding like Wood Brothers music — no matter what the situation.
SMN: With bands that start out organically, sometimes there’s no intentions, no expectations. When you and Chris decided to start this project 20 years ago, was there any intent?
OW: Honestly, in the early days, I think, if nothing else, our subconscious intention was for my brother and I to bond. We grew up in Colorado and we both went different directions. He went to Boston, then New York. I went to Atlanta and we started working. We were in completely different circles and we really drifted apart musically. We lost connection, just brotherly connection.
We just got super wrapped up. And it was awesome, because those were times that we both got to grow and figure out who we were without any family baggage. So, we always think of that as actually a really healthy thing that we kind of established, “All right, this is who I am. This is what I do. This is what kind of music I am. This is what kind of person I am.”
And then we got together. I was almost 40 [years old] when we started The Wood Brothers. [With] the way we came together, we weren’t feeling competitive. We didn’t feel like we had this baggage.
SMN: It must’ve been a mutual respect, too.
OW: There was a mutual respect. We were doing different and great things, but we both have the same roots and appreciated the same stuff. It was fun for us to get together and say, “Hey, let’s hang out and make sounds and see what we come up with.”
We got really excited about just bringing together our styles, our experiences and our new influences. Seeing what happens. And, in the meantime, it allowed us to grow close as brothers.
And it’s been really great to sort of, with intention, try to stay creative. It’s cool to listen back to what we did before and say, “Screw that. We already did that.” We want to do something we haven’t done yet. Let’s get weird.
SMN: It’s like that Guy Clark quote, “Do you want to be an artist or do you want to be a star?
OW: Yeah, because you have to play these songs for your whole career. And there’s going to be people who only want to hear those songs. And you better be in a frame of mind where you can still sing those and mean it.
SMN: What does it mean for you, 20 years down the line, that the band is not only still here, but it’s still growing — something that people really care about?
OW: I feel a lot of pride. Like all of us, I get pretty burnt out on the lifestyle and leaving our families at home — that part can really wear on you. And I think the redemption side of it is, “Hey, look what we’ve built and it’s a legacy.” It will last forever, this music.
The satisfaction comes from, “Hey, this makes people happy and this can heal people.” And people come up and say, “Thank you for sacrificing your time. This is really important to us. This has got me through a tough time.” Or, “I lost my parent.” Or, “I had a terrible breakup.” Or, “I’m fighting cancer and this is getting me through.”
Then, you realize this is as important as any job — whatever we sacrifice is worth it.
Want to go?
Acclaimed Americana/indie-folk act The Wood Brothers will hit the stage Dec. 6-7 at The Orange Peel in Asheville.
Both performances begin at 8 p.m. with Jobi Riccio opening the two-night run. Doors at 7 p.m. The show is for ages 18 and over.
Tickets are $36 in advance, $41 day of show. There’s also a special two-day pass for $65 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to theorangepeel.net.
