- The Grammy-nominated Wood Brothers trio is playing at Penn’s Peak on Sunday
- The group recorded its newest album, ‘Heart is the Hero,’ analog to 16-track tape
- Chris Wood, the group’s bassist, shares his insights with LehighValleyNews.com
JIM THORPE, Pa. — Some say your head will never fail you, while others say to follow your heart.
Though life often seems to be flying by us, sometimes we’ve got to slow down and trust the latter — or we just might miss it all.
Following nearly two decades of music, eight studio records, four live albums and a Grammy nomination for “Best Americana Album,” the Wood Brothers trio — made up of guitarist and frontman Oliver Wood, brother and bassist Chris Wood, alongside drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix — is easing off the throttle with their most recent work released in April.
And they’ll share some of it at 7 p.m. Sunday. Oct. 22 at Penn's Peak near Jim Thorpe. Tickets are $30 general admission.
The stop in Carbon County will be the fourth of the album’s fall tour, which starts Wednesday and will make its way through the Midwest, Northeast, Deep South and eventually across the pond after the turn of the year.
Limitations over expectations
The group's newest work, “Heart is the Hero,” is 39 minutes of highlighting just what makes life worth living, musing on themes of mindfulness, community, love, pain and more.
With that mindfulness comes deliberateness, something the group’s bassist, Chris Wood, said was carried over into the production process behind the album.
“With computers, you can endlessly massage or mix to death, ’til every mistake is perfected and every little thing is sort of dehumanized. And what happens to perfection is, it’s easily forgettable.”Chris Wood of the Wood Brothers
The trio chose trust over takes, instinct over iterations, by recording the tunes analog to 16-track tape instead of choosing more contemporary methods, Wood said.
“With computers, you can endlessly massage or mix to death, ’til every mistake is perfected and every little thing is sort of dehumanized,” he said in a phone call last week. “And what happens to perfection is, it’s easily forgettable.”
He said the band was inspired by old records that were fueled by the “charisma of humanity” — it wanted to tap into that space, “retain the rough edges” and give listeners something that keeps them in the moment, just as the trio was when recording.
‘Remember to remember’
A recurring theme in the album involves the phrase, “Remember to remember.” You’ll hear that in the opening track, “Pilgrim,” as well as the following title track.
Wood said that idea ties into wholesome conversations the band has had among themselves over the years of performing and growing together.
Instead of being constantly overwhelmed at making sure every part of every song is exactly where it needs to be, he said he’s always free to just breathe, be present and trust the group’s talents and chemistry.
And that goes for all of us in anything we do.
“Instead of feeling the weight of the world or the weight of the music on my shoulders — as if every little thing that I play is going to make or break the music — you can choose to trust that if you just listen, your body will know what to do."Chris Wood of the Wood Brothers
“Instead of feeling the weight of the world or the weight of the music on my shoulders — as if every little thing that I play is going to make or break the music — you can choose to trust that if you just listen, your body will know what to do,” Wood said.
In another notable and relevant point in the conversation, Wood mentioned the band’s secret weapon to combat rough moments on stage: BLT, or “Breathe, Listen and Trust.”
“That’s the way we recover from being knocked off of our center or feeling insecure or self-conscious or all the weird feelings that can hit you on stage,” he said. “We BLT ourselves back to [the] center.
“And so, for me, that means simply listening to Jano and Oliver, and trusting, not thinking about it, but just trusting my fingers are going to know what to do.”
Lessons from the new disc's songs
What’s the rush these days? “Pilgrim” explores that question.
The number opens with big hits from around the group, including thick sustains from the strings and keys, cymbal swells and tambourine rolls from Jano, followed by a sweet hook to set the scene for the first verse.
Chris Wood puts up a bouncing bass line while Rix holds it down with his drumming and lines on the keyboard.
The gang sings three-part harmony on a three-line chorus that packs quite a punch.
The title track on “Heart is the Hero” is a conversation with the senses, a reminder to the mind to stay out of the way, words of affirmation and forgiveness to the heart, and a call to action for the ears.
It opens with a quick lick on the keyboard from Rix, preparing the listener for a poignant period of reflection and a revelation to come.
Oliver Wood hands listeners a heartfelt hook while his brother provides the foundation on the double bass and even belts out quite a harmonica solo at one point, also trading off the lead with a keyboard section from Rix.
Another song on the disc, “Far from Alone,” seems to be a reminder that you can’t always take things at just face value.
Relatable lyrics from Oliver Wood, an ebb-and-flow bass line from Chris Wood and a solid backbeat from Rix walk the listener through the track, dropping into a scene with a number of different characters.
And though some of these people may seem different than us, we’re all the same when you get down to it — and we can find comfort in that.
Among Chris Wood's other duties in the group, you’ll also hear him singing lead on “Worst Pain of All” and “Mean Man World.”
The latter is him reflecting on his responsibilities to his family and specifically his young daughter, as she’ll be among the generation taking hold of the world when he’s gone.
At the same time, he’s grappling with the state of current events and a worldwide race for short-term greed as it relates to climate change and habitat loss, something he witnesses firsthand being around his wife’s work as a biologist. The two also run a farm where they live in British Columbia.
In the tune, you’ll hear him strumming chords on his vintage Höfner bass.
Rix’s piano playing in the song sounds straight out of a saloon in an old western, as the notes in the upper register tiptoe around the dense bass tones.
‘Kitchen Floor’
The 10-song album closes with “Kitchen Floor,” a touching look at how notes, words and passion can be formed into a song and become forever ingrained in our being.
But there’s also more to it.
“If you write a good enough song, there’s this idea that it’s ‘life beyond the grave,’” Chris Wood said. “It outlasts you and still touches people after you’re gone.
“But it’s also kind of a love song … It’s almost like this message in a bottle to the future like, ‘Hey, when I’m gone, this song is me and I’ll be there right with you. I might even be harmonizing with you as you sing along to it. It’ll keep me alive in the material world in a certain way.’”
“If you write a good enough song, there’s this idea that it’s ‘life beyond the grave.' It outlasts you and still touches people after you’re gone."Chris Wood of the Wood Brothers, on "Kitchen Floor"
There are moments in the song where the group seems to be reaching out to someone who was loved and lost, both in this life and even beyond.
Oliver Wood’s singing and light guitar strumming take you up on a mountain, then bring you back down again to somewhere as comforting and homey as your kitchen floor.
Chris Wood’s double bass playing is a nice addition, with some light plucking alongside the booms and taps from Jano’s shuitar: an amalgamation of a harnessed guitar outfitted with a variety of percussion instruments and sounds all within reach.
“Kitchen Floor,” while slow, is a closing track that really moves.
'If Charles Mingus and Robert Johnson formed a band'
The Wood Brothers trio continues to do what they do best by offering attractive, danceable — and in the case of the newest album, incredibly organic — music that pleases the ears of both the musically inclined and casual listeners.
“There’s no formula. Nobody’s figured out exactly what makes music good, so that’s why musicians just keep going at it forever because it’s endlessly fascinating.”Chris Wood of the Wood Brothers
As on previous albums, there’s still acoustic guitar alongside the double bass and funky percussion sounds from the rhythm section. And while their tunes have always been relatable, this offering seems especially timely.
The group’s influences are evident. Chris Wood mentioned its love for Bob Dylan, Charles Mingus, Robert Johnson, Chicago, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Delta and Texas blues greats, and many others from around the world.
The Wood Brothers are a staple in modern roots music. But it’s deeper than that when you listen long enough.
“There’s no formula,” Chris Wood said. “Nobody’s figured out exactly what makes music good, so that’s why musicians just keep going at it forever because it’s endlessly fascinating.”
