By: Joe Lang
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Chris and Oliver Wood - Photo by Sara Montour
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Because of a confusion regarding set times and a line around the block for the sold-out Xavier Rudd show, I missed the first couple tracks from the Wood Brothers’ set at the Cabooze. So after hearing Chris Wood’s throbbing upright bass outside the door, I jetted in to see the duo, passing through the torpid and sweaty crowd.
In their hour-long set, the duo played a number of bluesy tracks from their debut Ways Not to Lose, released in March. I wasn’t really familiar with Oliver Wood from King Johnson (named after blues legends Freddie King and Robert Johnson) prior to the Wood Brothers’ debut, probably because the band is more focused in the South, but I was familiar with Chris due to his work with soul-jazz/fusion band Medeski, Martin and Wood. Nevertheless, the tracks I had heard off their debut were nice, stripped-down funkish acoustic blues tunes that I dug. If you’re unfamiliar with the duo, you can spend just a few minutes here and learn all about them.
I came in to see the duo doing a nice version of the Beatles’ “Fixing a Hole,” that had Chris Wood slapping his bass in strange noise breakdowns between verses. After the song, what was wrong was clear: you could hardly hear Oliver’s guitar. He signaled to the sound man and asked for more guitar in the monitor. It was at least two tracks before the quality was improved. Of course, there was also alcohol moving around and people talking over the slow acoustic blues—not exactly the ideal setting to see an acoustic duet.
The highlights of the set were actually songs that aren’t on their debut. The duo did a dark song that I believe was called “Chevrolet,” that sounded in tone and theme like the Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie.” “Where My Baby Might Be,” which is featured on the debut, had Chris Wood doing triple duty—bass, harmonica, and harmony vocals. But the real surprise of the evening was hearing a song called “Gone,” which featured Chris on lead vocals. I was blown away. For a guy who I’d never heard speak on stage, much less sing, well, that motherfucker is one hell of a singer. Even though Oliver does almost all the lead vocals, I think Chris held his own and maybe even eclipsed Oliver on that song. That’s not to say Oliver wasn’t good; he has a subtle rasp and hits the notes consistently to satisfy, but he just didn’t have the same power as Chris.
The Cabooze is a fine setting for a fast electric set by someone like Sonny Landreth or Galactic, but for an acoustic performance I think the Wood Brothers might have adapted better to a quieter venue.
Location Info:
Cabooze
Artist Info: The Wood Brothers
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