For the better part of 2 decades, The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. The Grammy-nominated leaders of American roots music have cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, & community builders, while creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who’ve grown alongside them through the years. Dubbed “masters of soulful folk” by Paste, The Wood Brothers formed after brothers Chris & Oliver Wood pursued separate musical careers for fifteen years. Chris already had legions of devoted fans for his incomparable work as one-third of Medeski Martin & Wood, while Oliver toured with friend of the proGram Tinsley Ellis before releasing a half-dozen albums with his band King Johnson. Drummer Jano Rix was soon added as a permanent third member. This is a trio of artists that wants to continue to grow as people and artists and that evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band’s 8th studio album. Recorded analog to 16-track tape, this latest effort finds its three creators embracing the chemistry of their acclaimed live shows by capturing their performances in real-time direct from the studio floor with nary a computer in sight. An acoustic-driven album that electrifies, Heart is the Hero is filled up with songs that target not only the heart, but the head a& hips, too. A continued sense of exploration pumps its way through Heart is the Hero like lifeblood. Arriving on the heels of 2019’s Live at The Fillmore, 2020’s Kingdom In My Mind, and Oliver Wood’s solo album Always Smilin’, all of which were released on Honey Jar Records, the band’s independent label, Heart is the Hero is bold, bright, & singularly creative, a fully realized collective effort ultimately greater than the sum of its parts. Perhaps that’s to be expected from a group whose willingness to experiment has earned acclaim from Rolling Stone & NPR, as well as an annual touring schedule of sold-out music halls and theaters on both sides of the Atlantic. Ask The Wood Brothers, though, and they’ll tell you to keep expecting the unexpected.
I had a chance to do my yearly check in with Oliver Wood ahead of us getting to spend time with The Wood Brothers, who will perform at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, WI on Sunday, April 7 in support of this brilliant new album. Oliver and I get into trying to define what a Wood Brothers show is like in less than two sentences. Not easy. We dive into the creation of Heart Is A Hero and how the ear is really the gut during this process, and we get into the inner working of the title track. I am always happy when the time of year rolls around to talk a little music wit Oliver, but I also remember that these 3 are not afraid of the give-back and I wanted to make sure to give Oliver a little time to talk about some of the who, what and how around a couple recent ways they are doing their part. I type this with a smile as preparing to see Oliver, Chis & Jano live gets me deep into the ‘ear’ of things on my end also.
Photo by: by Shervin Lainez
