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Whenever Oliver Wood isn’t touring with The Wood Brothers, the Grammy-nominated roots trio that he co-founded in 2006, he typically begins his mornings the same way: in Nashville, at home, with a coffee cup in his hand and a notebook in his lap, sitting in a chair in front of the window. Many of the songs from his latest solo effort ‘Fat Cat Silhouette’ began taking shape in that chair. Produced by his Wood Brothers’ bandmate Jano Rix, it’s an album of unexpected twists & turns. Longtime fans will recognize the earnest, elastic voice that has always anchored the Wood Brothers’ mix of forward-looking folk and southern country-funk, but Fat Cat Silhouette doesn’t spend much time looking backward. Instead, it abandons convention, breaks a few rules, and positions Oliver Wood as a roots-music innovator who’s every bit as interested in the process as the product. Oliver wanted to step out of the norm on this one. On the album’s opener, “Light and Sweet,” he matches an imaginative storyline with a melody that leaps from ground level into the stratosphere. Eight songs later, he brings things to a close with “Fortune Drives the Bus,” which he recorded on an iPhone in his own backyard. While tracking the rest of the album to analog tape, Wood pushed himself to keep things weird. Wood’s years of experience have left him with a wide circle of collaborators, and ‘Fat Cat Silhouette’ features performances from guests like Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin (whose saxophone can be heard on the groove-heavy numbers “Whom I Adore” and “Yo I Surrender”), Ted Pecchio who handles bass duties throughout the collection and Marcus Henderson (who contributes flute & fife to “Whom I Adore”). Co-writers like Sean McConnell, Seth Walker, & Ric Robertson lend their help, too, while Katie Pruitt tackles a verse on the heartbroken soul ballad “Have You No Shame,” which was written by one of Wood’s mentors, the legendary Atlanta musician and songwriter Donnie McCormick. Jano even pulls double-duty as producer & musician, anchoring the album’s mix of mystery & melody with his percussion & keyboards. Despite the stacked guest list, some of Fat Cat Silhouette‘s best moments find Wood and Rix working together as a duo. On “Little Worries,” Wood sketches a picture of a reflective morning in his armchair, a cat in the window, pancakes in the skillet, anxieties crossing and leaving his mind — over Rix’s inventive pulse. Later, when time constraints prevented them from adding horns to “Star in the Corner,” they chose to sing the horn parts instead. A little less typical, indeed. That might as well be Fat Cat Silhouette’s mission statement. This is an album that finds the art in the unexpected, and Oliver Wood, whose songwriting & vocal chops remain as sharp as ever, at his most adventurous.

It has been a long time that Oliver Wood and I have been catching up about what is going on. I have had his brother Chris on a few times as well to talk Wood Brothers, but t s typically Oliver who plays catch-up. He is going to be at the Stoughton Opera House on April 30th with Dave & Dave of Trampled By Turtles, and Seth Walker. We north marveled over the possibilities of what his night could be bringing and then got into what a solo set of his could shape up into. He reminded us a little about how his most recent release, ‘Fat Cat Silhouette’ went down and we even got into a little bit about his work on Seth Walker’s new album which dropped on April 4th. It’s always nice to hear his voice on the other end of the phone, not quite as great as hearing it singing songs, but I am thinking this treat we will be getting at the Opera House is going to be one of those that is hard to forGet.

Photo-by: Alysse Gafkjen

In the midst of recording his 12th album, wavering in his resolve to finish what he’d started, Seth Walker came to a realization. No album is trapped in amber, no song is set in stone. Distance colors compositions over the years and each album is left as a reflection of its own period in time. This idea played a big part in shaping ‘Why The Worry’. Now, the other half of knowing is letting go; letting go of the worry about perception, the worry of over-preparation, and the worry that seeps in constantly from the news and noise of everyday life. The new album finds Walker reunited with old friends and familiar names. Once again Jano Rix steps behind the boards, co-producing the album with Seth & engineer Brook Sutton. In the producer’s 5th outing he’s become an invaluable sounding board, the kind who knows what’s missing and, just as importantly, what needs to be taken away. Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) lends a pen to the title track, and Seth’s classically trained father Scott adds strings to “I’m Getting Ready,” a song penned by Walker’s contemporary Michael Kiwanuka. Mostly, though, the record was shepherded into shape by Walker’s trio, rounded out by longtime confidants Rhees Williams (Guitar, Piano) & Mark Raudabaugh (Drums). The 3 let the studio guide them, entering without agenda, set straight by the title’s mantra to stop worrying where they’d end up. But worry always tries to creep in. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? The album was just about finished when Hurricane Helene hit Walker’s region in the mountains around Asheville, and as a result, the record almost didn’t see light. As catastrophe took shape and literal bridges were broken, the album’s importance wavered in Seth’s mind until the central theme came back into view. The worry wouldn’t undo any damage, and there was still service in song. There’s a telling nod in the album closing with Bobby Charles’ seminal ode “I Must Be In a Good Place Now.” Why The Worry is a spiritual reset, watching the sunrise over the mountains. It soaks in like warmth on the skin after a night of shivering in the dark. Charles isn’t the only notable scribe among the track list, an even mix of Walker’s originals and a carefully curated crop of covers that rifle through the past and present. Setting the course are two gems from JJ Cale, whose sanguine saunter leans well into the album’s themes of amble and ease. Walker opens the album with the smoke ring sway of Bill Withers, turning the lights low for a gently funked rendition of “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh.” The groove grows deeper on Al Green’s “Take Me To The River,” putting a distinctly reclined feel on the soul classic. The breezy feeling extends to the originals as well, injecting a bit of Cale’s country funk into “Up On The Mountain,” soaking spring air and hope into “Supernatural Thing,” and melting nostalgia into meditation on “Midway Girl.” Why The Worry follows a string of critically acclaimed albums from Walker, garnering praise from NPR to The Washington Post. He’s been found on the road with The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster among others. He recently penned “Moon and Stars” – the title track to The Mavericks new album, sung as a duet with Sierra Ferrell. Walker’s latest album Why The Worry is out on tomorrow, on Royal Potato Family.

I had the chance to catch back up with Seth Walker (it has been a few years since last we spoke and I’ve been paying attention) and he will be back this way on April 30th at the Stoughton Opera House with Dave & Dave of Trampled By Turtles and his longtime pal (doing a short run with) Oliver Wood. What a incredible line-up for all of us who get to be a part of it. He sounded as blown away as I feel about it. We got into the joy of this upcoming show, but we started with getting into his brand new (just dropped April 4th) album ‘Why The Worry’ on Royal Potato Family Records. We kinda go seed to flower, dissect a few tunes off the release, and discuss how he and Oliver worked on their offering on the record and more. When I said I have been paying attention, it all comes back to this moment and this album, it’s really got that truth to it that I search for. Seth also gives some thought to a setlist and he gives love and props to our pal Kevin over at Royal Potato Family. Finally, we will have to check in and find out who wins the tennis matches on this short run. Deuce.

Photo by: Parker Pfister

mssv, made of guitarist Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges on drums & mike watt on bass, creates music that is an unimagined hybrid of a punk power-trio, noir-tinged adventure music & a dreamy experimental rock band, though they prefer the term “post-genre.” Their latest full-length album On And On is the 3rd studio album featuring brand new songs that were written by Mike Baggetta before their 58-show 2023 US tour and performed every night, then recorded & produced by Chris Schlarb at BIG EGO Studio in Long Beach, CA immediately after, and features artwork by the great John Herndon (Tortoise, A Grape Dope, Isotope 217). The digital version of the album features these 8 separate, boundary-pushing tracks, while the limited edition vinyl features these pieces joined into 2 continuous side-long movements by 6 additional band-improvised interludes. The subject matter here, while being universally relatable, is filled with personal references, stories of his and the band’s friends & relationships, and one song Despair & Hilarity includes lyrics written by one of Baggetta’s most important musical collaborators, Steve Gigante (currently of OMFU + The Scrapers, (VIP) Ditchfork, formerly of W-S Burn, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle). Continuing to explore the seemingly endless depths of Hodges’ & watt’s musicianship & skill over the many tours & albums in mssv has grown an instantly identifiable sound from Baggetta’s songwriting for this band. But the trust that has formed between them, that comes from long-running musical partnerships, has also made it possible for mssv to explore more interesting ways to incorporate improvised music into the lives of their songs. On And On skillfully combines all of these elements into a newly evolved lens for the music of mssv, deftly displayed in this album as a high concept love letter to everyday life. There’s no telling which way the band will turn at any given moment, a proposition that becomes a promise when they break down and reassemble these songs live, with an instinct for restraint and an openness to anarchy.

I had the pleasure of catching up aGain with Mike Baggetta as mms embarks on a new tour (52 shows in a row) with a stop here in Madison on April 17th at the Gamma Ray Bar. We get into talk about the live experience. I was ready to share my thoughts after seeing them the last time they were here. There is not a lot of ways to describe the journey the trio takes you on when we all are aboard in the same room. We go head long into the new album, ‘On & On’, getting a taste of what it was like working through the songs while they were out on the last long run of live shows. We talk a 7 inch new single called ‘Even So’, on the flip side of Thousand Dollar Movies’ ‘Block Out The Sun’ on Four Fingers Records as well as working in more lyrical content. So many people would like to get a chance to go see this trio live, I say take a trip to the closest space they are going to be at – it’ll be worth the ride(s).