Last night, as the temperatures steadily continued to drop in Madison I managed to pull myself away from the warmth and comfort of my house to head to the Annex to check out The Wood Brothers. Judging from the turnout I speculated that the majority of those in attendance were there to see bass player extraordinaire Chris Wood, who is one-half of the Wood Brothers, but is more well-known for his contributions to the jazz/jam outfit Medeski Martin & Wood. From the first notes of “Tired” off The Wood Brothers 2006 release Ways Not To Lose made it apparent that everyone was very familiar with the material as they quietly sang along to Oliver Wood’s swampy blues vocals.
You’d think a two piece lacking a drummer would leave something to be desired but the Wood Brothers found the perfect formula which translated into a perfect evening on Saturday night. I’ve been listening to this album for quite some time this year and I was thrilled to take in their set in Milwaukee for Summerfest this past July. Since that time the duo has managed to write a few more tunes as well as add a beautiful, yet original take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel.” The new tunes obviously lend to the speculation that we can expect (hopefully) another release from these two, and of the new songs none are more deserving to be released than “Fall Too Fast,” featuring the chorus, “I don’t want to fall fast, I want to fall slowly, I want my fall to last.”
Girls swayed their hips, songs turned into sing-a-longs, and new fans were definitely made as the line to buy albums swelled to double digits after the show. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that those in attendance on Saturday night will get a chance to see Chris Wood again next Friday as he joins up with the rest of the guys in MMW as they welcome guitarist John Scofield into their group to play as a foursome at the Rave in Milwaukee.
Myspace: The Wood Brothers
MP3: Chocolate On My Tongue
MP3: Stealin’
MP3: One More Day
Buy: Amazon ($10.97)
