The Wood Brothers, Oliver Wood - Music as Medicine
Americana Rawness Rules
Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers, a cornerstone of modern Americana for two decades, reveals the surprising shift in their songwriting that keeps their sound soulful and timeless.
The acclaimed band, beloved by critics and fans alike, has carved a unique path.
But how did they maintain their signature sound while navigating the pressures of bigger venues and broader appeal?
Discover the power of "less is more" and the magic of brotherly telepathy that fuels their captivating performances.
Learn how they balance intimacy and impact, on stage and in the studio and the importance of a great sound man.
You'll also Discover:
-When Subtlety Beats the Spectacle on the Road
-The Surprising Lesson from Bill Murray
-The Power of Music as Medicine
-How to Embrace Your Inner Dork
What's your favorite Wood Brothers song and why?
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Check out the music from Oliver Wood: https://www.oliverwoodmusic.com/
And! The Wood Brothers: https://www.thewoodbros.com/
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Transcript
When Wood Brothers started, we were just a duo.
Speaker A:A lot of our songs on that record are just me and him playing and singing and trying to fill the space.
Speaker B:Was there a moment of, okay, we're starting, we're having success.
Speaker B:Would we be filling the 30,000 person venue?
Speaker A:I don't think that's us.
Speaker A:In the Wood Brothers, we have a little joke that we're enjoying a slow ride to the middle.
Speaker B:The Wood Brothers, cornerstone of modern Americana for two decades.
Speaker B:The acclaimed band known for their soulful blues, folk and timeless sound.
Speaker B:Graph.
Speaker B:Emmy nominated and beloved by critics and fans alike.
Speaker B:When did you guys discover brother telepathy and know that this music thing was gonna be a connection we're gonna have.
Speaker A:For a long time?
Speaker A:We were both learning a language that we could communicate in a different way.
Speaker A:And I just stood next to my brother and we just clicked musically and it did feel very telepathic.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker B:The road is a teacher.
Speaker B:Would you mind sharing one of those stories?
Speaker A:We played in Charleston year after year.
Speaker A:Bill Murray couldn't make it, but then one day he.
Speaker C:Americana music transforms the world and unfortunately, too many are unaware of its profound impact.
Speaker C:Americana musicians are the unsung heroes and here you'll join us in exploring these passionate artists and how they offer inspiration and hope for the future.
Speaker C:This show makes it happen in a fun and entertaining way.
Speaker C:You'll discover new music that you'll love.
Speaker C:Hard earned lessons from the road, the story behind favorite songs, a big dose of inspiration for you and your friends, and a good laugh along the way.
Speaker C:I'm Ben Fannink and my co host is Zach Schultz.
Speaker C:It's time to get Americana curious.
Speaker B:Hey there everybody.
Speaker B:In Americana curious Nation, we've got a truly special one today.
Speaker B:Cornerstone of modern Americana for two decades, the Wood Brothers.
Speaker B:The acclaimed band for their known for their soulful blues, folk and timeless sound.
Speaker B:Grammy nominated and beloved by critics and fans alike, and certainly by.
Speaker B:Zach and I were diving deep with Oliver Wood, the raw voice and guitar genius behind their nine albums.
Speaker B:Plus we're going to explore his solo evolution, including his latest, fat cat silhouette.
Speaker B:Let's get Americana curious with Oliver Wood.
Speaker B:Oliver, welcome.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Good to be with you guys.
Speaker A:Thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you listeners maybe wonder where Zach is today.
Speaker B:He had a family obligation and we could not miss this.
Speaker B:He texted me.
Speaker B:He's like, this is too big to have Oliver on to try to reschedule him.
Speaker B:So we got, we, we, we got it done today.
Speaker B:It's going to be so, so good.
Speaker B:So, Oliver, there are a lot of directions.
Speaker B:We could take this.
Speaker B:But one of the things I've known.
Speaker B:I've been to probably about six or seven of your shows, and consistently, the sound and the lyrics are intelligible.
Speaker B:You can hear them clearly, and people might be saying, well, big deal, y'all.
Speaker B:You've been to concerts where you've.
Speaker B:You've heard the album and you get there and you're like, what are they saying?
Speaker B:Or, I can't understand the lyric.
Speaker B:It's so balanced.
Speaker B:It's so clear.
Speaker B:You're singing the lyrics.
Speaker B:Is this a priority for you?
Speaker A:Well, I've got to give credit to our sound man, Daniel Ramirez.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He gets it and he.
Speaker A:He is consummate pro, so that he, you know, no matter what I do up there, it wouldn't work without somebody like that out front.
Speaker A:But, yeah, it is.
Speaker A:It is important.
Speaker A:And I think, you know, we're not trying to recreate albums when we play live, but we are trying to make them impactful.
Speaker A:And that's something you do consciously to some degree.
Speaker A:But you also.
Speaker A:I think it's a subconscious thing.
Speaker A:You're.
Speaker A:You're.
Speaker A:You're intuiting what the room needs.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And I think after years of, like, if you're a stage actor, for instance, you know how they just project and they just.
Speaker A:That just becomes the.
Speaker A:The automatic way is to present something.
Speaker A:So it's like a good speaker or anything else.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:After years of doing it, hopefully you get pretty good at it.
Speaker A:And then, of course, it takes a team of people to do what we do.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And that's within the band.
Speaker A:Like when I'm singing or when anyone's singing in the band, you know, we're not trying to step on each other.
Speaker A:We're trying to leave a space for it so that you can hear the story.
Speaker A:But then when there's a soloist, that becomes the feature.
Speaker A:And I think the band sort of mixes itself to a certain level degree.
Speaker A:And then, of course, our super amazing sound guy, and for that matter, the light guy, also emphasizes things and he's.
Speaker A:These people are basically in the band with us, even though they're not on stage.
Speaker B:And people forget that.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's not just the folks on stage.
Speaker B:It's a team effort.
Speaker B:And, you know, I've seen you outdoors.
Speaker B:I've seen you on a beach stage at the Avis.
Speaker B:At the beach.
Speaker B:You know, I've seen you here in Charleston and the indoor outer.
Speaker B:It is so consistent.
Speaker B:So you've got a mighty team.
Speaker B:And I like to explain this so when the Wood Brothers or Oliver solos coming through your town, go check it out.
Speaker B:You're going to see for yourself.
Speaker B:It's so special.
Speaker B:You mentioned and.
Speaker B:And I've.
Speaker B:I've listened to several or many of your interviews out there, and you mentioned a shift in your songwriting philosophy, specifically moving towards less is more.
Speaker B:I believe that that's a term that I've heard especially on Fat Cat Silhouette.
Speaker B:Can you tell us a story behind that evolution or maybe what specifically triggered that change?
Speaker B:And I'm thinking of songs like Whom I Adore, Yo I Surrender.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:And you ment facing earlier.
Speaker A:Yeah, when I listen to my favorite stuff.
Speaker A:And again, these.
Speaker A:A lot of these things are subconscious versus intentional.
Speaker A:You know, unconsciously intentional.
Speaker A:But I think I.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I just like the.
Speaker A:I'm finding I'm more.
Speaker A:More and more appreciate the essence of something.
Speaker A:So some of my favorite things are like Ray Charles, for instance, and.
Speaker A:And old Ray Charles records.
Speaker A:Like, sometimes he's got a big band behind him and it's all incredible, but somehow it's presented where you hear his and his voice and there's a simplicity to it, even with all those people on the recording.
Speaker A:But then you say some of my favorite Dylan records, for instance, like Blood on the Tracks or even his earliest records where it's just him, like, that's my favorite stuff.
Speaker A:And I think it's because it's so raw and exposed and.
Speaker A:And I will say too, I've gone back and listened to the first Wood Brothers record, which I haven't done in a long time.
Speaker A:And I really.
Speaker A:When the Wood Brothers started, we were just a duo.
Speaker A:And so a lot of our songs on that record are just me and him playing and singing and trying to fill the space with less stuff.
Speaker A:And I think as an artist's career path, you grow and you maybe get a bigger following and you need to play in a bigger venue.
Speaker A:And then eventually you gotta be louder and you gotta fill up.
Speaker A:Feel like you gotta fill up more space.
Speaker A:And you kind of do.
Speaker A:To compete, you do have to get louder and you have to keep it interesting.
Speaker A:And you lose a little bit of the subtlety.
Speaker A:And you lose.
Speaker A:Lose when you're on stage and you lose some of that intimacy.
Speaker A:Beautiful thing about making an album is you can do whatever you want.
Speaker A:And so you can kind of get some of that back.
Speaker A:And I will say, you know, when the Wood Brothers are in situations like, hey, we'll go and play at a radio station or we'll do something really stripped down and acoustic.
Speaker A:We still have that same thing where we stay out of each other's way and we try to put the focus on the soloist or the riff that's happening and then the story as it unfolds in the lyrics.
Speaker A:And that's just really easy to do when you have less things going on.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker B:And I'm glad you brought that up about the production and the bigger venues.
Speaker B:So I heard bands including the Aver Brothers, who started a great example.
Speaker B:Just the three.
Speaker B:But then they're like, hey.
Speaker B:Well, they didn't say exactly like this, but they kind of alluded to, hey, we need to add the drums so we can headline festivals.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because they want that bigger.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And they've kind of gone in that direction.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:How do you.
Speaker A:Lots of bands have.
Speaker A:Lots of bands have.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:And I will say, and I love the Avett Brothers.
Speaker A:Like, they're incredible and they're great no matter what.
Speaker A:And I do remember seeing them 15 years ago at a festival when they were just getting started or when they were just getting some notoriety and it was just the three of them.
Speaker A:And that was one of the coolest things I ever saw.
Speaker A:Like, I was so darn good.
Speaker A:It was like the essence of it.
Speaker A:And they can still do that, of course, but you got.
Speaker A:When you get.
Speaker A:And then they're playing in arenas and so they have to have some support to headline.
Speaker B:So were you not tempted?
Speaker B:Do you have that in Temptation as part of the things of some of your songs?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like we like the Siren of.
Speaker B:Well, what if we amp up our production?
Speaker B:What if we aren't as raw?
Speaker B:Would we be filling the, you know, the 30,000 person venue?
Speaker B:Kind of.
Speaker B:Or you're like, that's just not us.
Speaker A:I have.
Speaker A:I have no interest in that.
Speaker A:No, that's.
Speaker A:I don't think that's us.
Speaker A:And that's nothing against anyone who aspires to do that.
Speaker A:Because I think the more people you bring, the more people you make happy.
Speaker A:And Ava Brothers are great at that.
Speaker A:And so are all the giant rock stars that play in stadiums.
Speaker A:You know, that's.
Speaker A:There's an art to that too.
Speaker A:And we have a.
Speaker A:In the Wood Brothers.
Speaker A:We have a little joke that we're enjoying a slow rise to the middle.
Speaker A:And that's kind of.
Speaker A:That's kind of the way it feels like we like playing to a thousand people, really love it and less sometimes, like we go to Europe and we're not that well known over there.
Speaker A:We play generally, unless it's a festival we play in smaller venues, and I love it.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And it makes me realize I really miss it, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:I've heard this line from you guys.
Speaker B:On the Slow Rise to the Middle, there were a lot of bands like, oh, we're gonna, you know, play these monster arenas.
Speaker B:Like, now we're the Slow Rise to the Middle.
Speaker B:And you seem so happy with that, like, you're accepting it.
Speaker B:And I was wondering, like, thinking back, like, was there a moment where you decided, like, made that conscious decision of, okay, we're starting, we're having success?
Speaker B:Those first couple albums were just.
Speaker B:I mean, they.
Speaker B:They all albums are incredible.
Speaker B:Those first two, you know, you kind of were hinting at major.
Speaker B:Probably could have made a decision there to go major.
Speaker B:Was there anything that happened or.
Speaker A:I mean, at no point did we side.
Speaker A:Okay, this is big enough or anything like that.
Speaker A:Because, I mean, honestly, if you talk to our management and booking agent, it's hard just to stay.
Speaker A:You got to work hard just to stay on the tier that you're.
Speaker A:You're at, much less move to a higher tier, whatever that means or looks like.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:So I don't think we ever decided to.
Speaker A:I think we just.
Speaker A:There's certain things that we say no to, but I don't.
Speaker A:I just don't think we're popular enough.
Speaker A:It's a niche we found, and it's really great, and we're really grateful for it.
Speaker A:And I think in order move to some other level, which just meaning maybe have more fans and have bigger shows, I don't.
Speaker A:I think that would.
Speaker A:If we were 30 years old and doing it and just earlier in the career, maybe there would be a push like that, But I feel like, no, this is.
Speaker A:We've been doing this a long time.
Speaker A:This feels great.
Speaker A:Let's play it at the Ryman and the Fillmore, and every couple years, we'll play it at Red Rocks.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And that's a great.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That feels like us, for sure.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker B:I feel like I say, hey, Wood Brothers.
Speaker B:And they're like, who are my people?
Speaker B:Friends are like, who are the Wood Brothers?
Speaker B:I think, like, once they hear one song, yeah, they.
Speaker B:They go deep instantly.
Speaker B:It's like, boom, boom, boom.
Speaker B:And it's so funny.
Speaker B:Years ago, I was.
Speaker B:We were at a brunch with my family in Charleston, and Ward Buck Easter, from.
Speaker B:Who was doing a solo thing with.
Speaker B:From Soul Driven Train, was playing a song, and I was like, man, that is a great song.
Speaker B:And I started thinking, did Ward write this song?
Speaker B:Like, where did this song come from?
Speaker B:At the end, he goes, that's from one of my favorite bands, the Wood Brothers.
Speaker B:And his postcard, those cars from Hell.
Speaker B:And I immediately went home, and my dad did the same.
Speaker B:We were listening.
Speaker B:Like, these guys are incredible.
Speaker B:That's songwriting.
Speaker A:That's sweet.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I just.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I think about that and how once people get a taste of the Wood Brothers, this is what usually happens.
Speaker B:You know, they go deep in the catalog and enjoy it.
Speaker A:Well, I do feel like, I would say, I don't know, just being a little bit in touch with the fans.
Speaker A:I feel like the fans that I've gotten to know a little bit are real music people, you know, who really are a little nerdy about music.
Speaker A:And whether they're instrumentalists, like a monster bass, you know, bass players who admire Chris's bass work or.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, singer, you know, singer, songwriter, nerds, or.
Speaker A:Or whatever it is.
Speaker A:They're not just people who listen to pop radio or something, which is another great thing, but it's not what we do.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But it's a much smaller.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's a smaller community of people who really like music.
Speaker A:So it's great.
Speaker B:The musicians for musicians and aspire musician musicians, for sure.
Speaker D:My whole Saturday Sunday, too, I was thinking bout ways not to lose?
Speaker D:Lay down my weapons is what I've done?
Speaker D:Too late to hide, feet too soft to run?
Speaker D:When people say I'm the luckiest man?
Speaker D:And yeah, they say running as useless fighting is foolish you're not gonna win but still you're the luckiest man?
Speaker D:You're up against too many horses and mysterious forces?
Speaker D:What you don't know is you are the luckiest man?
Speaker D:You're the luckiest.
Speaker B:So thinking about this one of your.
Speaker B:A Wood Brothers classic, luckiest man.
Speaker B:There's a lot to so first.
Speaker B:And this.
Speaker B:And this is.
Speaker B:I was texting back and forth with Zach.
Speaker B:He's like, but I'm not going to make it.
Speaker B:But I've got to ask about how they think about bringing that live.
Speaker B:Because he.
Speaker B:Every time he has seen you guys do it, and I think I've seen you do it, you seem to always do it differently.
Speaker B:Like, there's a different approach.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And what.
Speaker B:When did you.
Speaker B:Is that, like, a plan?
Speaker B:Like, you're like, okay, we're gonna.
Speaker B:We have these 20 ways we can do it, or how are we feeling inspired tonight?
Speaker B:How are you making that decision?
Speaker A:Well, I think, you know, that's definitely the most requested song.
Speaker A:And we rarely go a night without playing it.
Speaker A:And I'm not tired of it.
Speaker A:I never get tired of it.
Speaker A:Because most.
Speaker A:That's one of the songs where everybody sings along and the real fans just know it.
Speaker A:And if you do something too many times the same way, it just doesn't feel.
Speaker A:Every once in a while, you just need inspiration, and so you need a challenge or a new challenge.
Speaker A:You know, what.
Speaker A:What's in what?
Speaker A:What haven't we done with this song yet?
Speaker A:Or let's do it the old way, or let's do it the way we did it a couple years ago or whatever.
Speaker A:I think that's partly for us, just to keep us on our toes and keep us keep it.
Speaker A:Keep the variety in there.
Speaker A:And, you know, some nights it's like, Jono, you take the solo on keyboards, and other nights it's I got the.
Speaker A:I got it tonight or so there's a flexibility there that makes it fun.
Speaker A:Every once in a while, we'll do it on the strip down the single mic, bluegrass style, and just do it.
Speaker A:Just do it like that and let everybody sing along.
Speaker A:And I think the variety is good for us, and it's good for the fans.
Speaker A:Like, I like hearing that when people say, oh, every time you do it sounds different.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's really.
Speaker B:I think every time I've heard it, I'm like, oh, yeah, I haven't heard that way before.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's so, so good.
Speaker B:That song, too, as I understand it and your research, when you wrote it, it was a little bit more of a different mindset from how the song evolved and the meaning that it came.
Speaker B:Maybe I have read that maybe you thought a little more cynical about the Luckiest man, like that line.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And now it's on different meaning.
Speaker B:Like, what happened when you wrote it, and then what was that moment where it began to take on new life?
Speaker A:Well, let's see.
Speaker A:I mean, this is a pretty old song.
Speaker A:It was written back before Wood Brothers and I had a band called King Johnson, and it's a King Johnson song.
Speaker A:When I was living in Atlanta, and that was a real formative time, and also a real part of that time was really challenging.
Speaker A:And I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't need to go in the specifics of it, but, yeah, I think it was a little bit more cynical at the time.
Speaker A:And I think I've said this maybe in interviews before, where one of the things that's beautiful about a song like that is, and most of my favorite songs coming from other people is that there's enough ambiguity to it that anybody could give it their own meaning, whatever they need it to mean.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:And that's kind of the beautiful thing about some of the classic songs, like Dylan songs, for instance, or Leonard Cohen or whatever, any.
Speaker A:Any songwriter, Tom Waits, like, what are they exactly singing about?
Speaker A:And it can be very obvious to somebody, but two different people might have two different takes on it.
Speaker A:And I love that.
Speaker A:And I think what happens is we are also different people over the years and we evolve and we experience new things and we have different attitudes.
Speaker A:So now I do feel like that' that's a song that I'm very grateful for because a lot of people want to hear it and it's making me hundreds of dollars.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's not a smash or anything, but it is important that it's part of.
Speaker A:It's part of what we do.
Speaker A:And so.
Speaker A:So, yeah, now it's more of a song of gratitude and less.
Speaker A:Less cynical.
Speaker A:But that doesn't mean it can't be cynical for somebody else if they.
Speaker A:If they hear it that way.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Well, in the research when I had found that, I had never thought of it as a cynical way because I'd only heard it as you have performed.
Speaker B:And I think that comes through, and that's how I think.
Speaker B:But I can easily see how a younger person experiencing rough times in business or love or whatever it is, could be like the Luckiest Man.
Speaker B:Like that.
Speaker B:That just doesn't seem like a light, like a real.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, you know, an interesting thing I learned years later, after that song was written, was that Lou Gehrig, a famous baseball player, he died of als, but his book, his autobiography, is called the Luckiest man and Our MOT died of Lou Gehrig's Disease, or als, it's called.
Speaker A:So I thought that was a cool connection because for him that, you know, he.
Speaker A:He made some.
Speaker A:He made something very positive out of his situation, like he was very grateful.
Speaker A:So I think that's where I'm at with that song now, too.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker B:And for listeners, you can YouTube that speech he gave at the ballpark where he said, yeah, luckiest.
Speaker B:And there's.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:But you did not known about that when you wrote the song.
Speaker B:You didn't know that history about Lou Gehrig.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:No, I didn't make that connection to that.
Speaker A:I didn't make that connection now.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:And, you know, when I think about it, the songs that I wrote and was involved in writing in that era of my life, for instance, One More Day is another Song like Luckiest man that Came, that was on our first Wood Brothers album, but it also kind of predates the Wood Brothers a little bit.
Speaker A:And I remember that song was kind of a song to myself at the time.
Speaker A:I was like, just hang in there.
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:And now it's more of a song like, hey, I'm doing fine.
Speaker A:Now I'm going to sing for other people.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:So it's kind of cool.
Speaker A:Like you.
Speaker A:I think a lot of things happen subconsciously when you.
Speaker A:When you create something.
Speaker A:A lot of times you.
Speaker A:Your subconscious might know something that you don't or you're not aware of.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That goes deeper or that lasts longer, and that's kind of cool.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:And y'all, that is why we love Americana.
Speaker B:And that is what a timeless song is all about it reaching different points in your life.
Speaker B:And even it's.
Speaker B:Isn't it.
Speaker B:It's so cool to hear that the writer of the song is having a same.
Speaker B:A similar experience to us where we hear songs differently.
Speaker B:Different points in our life, and we can use them as almost like a prism to see.
Speaker B:See a way forward.
Speaker B:I really like that one.
Speaker B:One that strikes me.
Speaker B:I wanted to ask you about too is better a more recent song.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:This lyric.
Speaker B:Bittersweet that's the way love is made and then and then Meant to be.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker B:Can you give us a little background on that tune And.
Speaker A:Well, let's see.
Speaker A:That was a song.
Speaker A:I think that's the first song that we wrote for our Kingdom In My Mind album.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And it was the first time we.
Speaker A:We have a studio here in Nashville, and it was the first time we even played in that studio and just made noise and got used to the way the room sounded and.
Speaker A:And we just moved.
Speaker A:Started moving into it and we just started that jam.
Speaker A:It was just a little.
Speaker A:A little guitar riff.
Speaker A:And then Chris came up with this really cool bass line and.
Speaker A:And we.
Speaker A:We were in a recording studio, so we.
Speaker A:We recorded a lot of that stuff, that early stuff, just to.
Speaker A:Just to see what it would sound like.
Speaker A:And so that.
Speaker A:So musically it just came out of that experiment lyrically, trying to think what was going on then.
Speaker A:But I just think about the lyrics and I don't know.
Speaker A:I found.
Speaker A:Like, I'm not the only songwriter, but for me, I feel like some of the more inspiring moments are when I'm think and Circle of Life.
Speaker A:Kind of deep thoughts of parents passing and kids being born, growing up and.
Speaker B:Very Circle of Life song.
Speaker B:It starts out with the grave.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And, you know, some of those images, you know, things that I can absolutely picture that come from.
Speaker A:From reality, you know, And I feel like, you know, when you hear people singing and painting little pictures like that, they.
Speaker A:You can make stuff like that up, but it's usually.
Speaker A:I bet it's some kind of real thing that you've seen, you know, so we.
Speaker A:Chris, I grew up in.
Speaker A:In Colorado, and we lived right across the fence from a cemetery, which is where our mom and now our dad are buried.
Speaker A:Are buried.
Speaker A:And there really is a hill with trees up on it.
Speaker A:And, you know, so sometimes and.
Speaker A:And from my solo record, you know, the Fat Cat Silhouette record, there's plenty of things where I can just.
Speaker A:I'm just sitting on a chair with a notebook and looking out the window and, hey, there's a.
Speaker A:There's a bird.
Speaker A:What if he was on the phone?
Speaker A:And et cetera.
Speaker A:There's like.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker A:I guess what I'm trying to say is a lot of times Im get you just get you started, and they're sort of this gateway into your subconscious, which is kind of a deep and vague thing to say.
Speaker A:But it really.
Speaker A:It's like, I don't think.
Speaker A:I think the better is the times when I've been more successful to my.
Speaker A:At least where I enjoyed and appreciated my songs the most was when I didn't feel like I was doing anything.
Speaker A:Like, I just somehow got lucky and I accessed something that was in there.
Speaker A:And I think I, I.
Speaker A:Sometimes I'm able to do that.
Speaker A:And I bet other songwriters are too, by just.
Speaker A:You just need to start.
Speaker A:It's like just starting a walk or starting a run or something.
Speaker A:And you start just by looking at.
Speaker A:Noticing things.
Speaker A:And what do you notice?
Speaker A:You know, and while you're noticing things, they take on meaning in your subconscious.
Speaker A:And then either a story comes out or likely an emotion somehow forms words and melodies and.
Speaker B:So it's what you mean by like, trusting the song?
Speaker B:Song.
Speaker B:Yeah, I.
Speaker B:I've heard you talk about that a few times.
Speaker B:The first time I heard it, I was like, trusting the song, but I don't know, it seems like it's coming through what you're.
Speaker B:What you're talking.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's like.
Speaker A:But it's.
Speaker A:And I didn't come up with that.
Speaker A:I mean, I.
Speaker A:I've.
Speaker A:I'm a nerd about other songwriters.
Speaker A:I've read biographies about everybody.
Speaker A:And I think.
Speaker A:I think maybe Paul Simon or McCartney or somebody said like, you try to follow the song, not try to lead it.
Speaker A:In other words, I think the.
Speaker A:The bottom line is you're not really in control.
Speaker A:All you can do is kind of show up up and start walking.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:And if you do that, you have a better chance of capturing something or something coming to you.
Speaker A:And it's not.
Speaker A:Some of those guys like a McCartney or Paul Simon, obviously their craft is amazing and they could write a song about anything, anytime.
Speaker A:But I'm talking about a song that like really feels, really gets you confusion.
Speaker D:The heart's turned on its head.
Speaker D:It's got me so tender.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker D:But like a sword in the sunlight.
Speaker D:No notion of dying.
Speaker D:The heart is persistent.
Speaker D:Just look at it shine.
Speaker D:You have surrender.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker D:You have surrender.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker D:I don't know anything.
Speaker A:And those songs I think are generally the ones that the inspiration part, the non craft part is.
Speaker A:Is beyond your control.
Speaker A:You have to access something that could be woo woo or whatever it is or just taking credit for it is the worst, the worst thing you can do.
Speaker B:Well, it's like your song the Muse, which is one of the best, you know, think about inspiration that I've heard like in a song.
Speaker B:That's the way like it, like it comes, it goes.
Speaker B:You appreciate it, the beauty.
Speaker B:And that's another amazing one to hear live well.
Speaker B:You talk a lot about or have talked about with Chris, your brother Telepathy.
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:When did you guys discover brother Telepathy and know that this music thing was going to be a connection?
Speaker B:Yeah, you're gonna have for a long time.
Speaker A:We probably both tell the same story, but several years before the Wood brothers even was an idea and actually this might have started the idea, but Chris and I, our two bands, his band Modesky Martin Wood that was way more known and successful than.
Speaker A:Than my band out of Atlanta at King Johnson.
Speaker A:But we, we played a show together and we opened.
Speaker A:My band opened for his band and I got to sit in with Modusky Martin Wood and we hadn't.
Speaker A:We had been somewhat disconnected just as brothers and you know, not spent a lot of time together.
Speaker A:Been where we were in our 20s and just, you know, on our own path.
Speaker A:We lived in different parts of the country, different bands ran in different circles.
Speaker A:So we were somewhat disconnected.
Speaker A:However, we had both been playing a lot of music and so that we were both learning a language that we could, we could communicate in a different way.
Speaker A:And so When I sat in with them, I just stood next to my brother and we just, like, clicked musically.
Speaker A:And it did feel very telepathic.
Speaker A:And that's what the other guys in the band said too.
Speaker A:And that's what we just felt, that we were just like, whoa.
Speaker A:It's like we.
Speaker A:We just had this amazing musical conversation and we could anticipate each other's moves and sounds and, you know, a very, very esoteric sort of feeling, like, hard to really articulate, but telepathy is a decent way to say, yeah, we got super connected super fast, and it was just really blissful.
Speaker A:From then on, we made it a point to play with each other whenever we could see each other.
Speaker A:And that certainly led to the idea that the Wood Brothers could be a.
Speaker A:A thing, which started out as a small little side project.
Speaker A:And I had some songs left over and.
Speaker A:And we just made a demo one time just for fun.
Speaker A:And then next thing you know, we got a record deal with Blue Note Records.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And then I got really lucky in that we.
Speaker A:Chris had a great manager already and booking agent and everything, and so I got.
Speaker A:I got lucky in that I was able to put my 10,000 hours to.
Speaker A:To use and given an opportunity, you know, to.
Speaker A:To get a little boost.
Speaker B:Oh, that is so cool.
Speaker B:It sounds like two people in the music, but yet you had, like, superpowers in different worlds.
Speaker B:And by bringing them together, it was like a complete team, so to speak.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was a really cool team.
Speaker A:And something kind of unique, like something very different than what we were doing with our other bands.
Speaker A:Something, in fact, we always like to shout out to our dad at that point, because something that we, to some degree took.
Speaker A:It took for granted we were growing up is.
Speaker A:Our dad was a great, great folk musician and played.
Speaker A:Playing the old Martin guitar.
Speaker A:And he was in.
Speaker A:He used to play in college with.
Speaker A:In high school he played in John Hartford, a band with John Hartford.
Speaker A:And in college he played with Joan Baez.
Speaker A:And he knew hundreds of folk songs and was a great guitar picker and entertainer.
Speaker A:And though he didn't end up trying to make a living doing that, he ended up being a biology, a scientist and professor.
Speaker A:But he.
Speaker A:We saw him playing our whole lives growing up just playing by himself and singing or in a way, I think Chris and I were both.
Speaker A:I talked about the bigger, louder versus the more intimate.
Speaker A:We were both wanting something small and that just had some intimacy to it and subtlety to it, and we really found that together.
Speaker A:And of course, you know, it's grown into Something sonically, with more gears than we used to, we started with.
Speaker A:But that's still one of my favorite things.
Speaker A:When we're just playing acoustically together, it's just the two of us or three of us, with Jono playing a shitar that you mentioned earlier.
Speaker A:Earlier, percussion.
Speaker A:And we're just sort of stripped down.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I live for that.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Still my favorite.
Speaker B:Well, we enjoy it in the crowd, so, so much.
Speaker B:But I gotta ask you.
Speaker B:All right, so y'all sound great together.
Speaker B:Interesting background.
Speaker B:You kind of complete each other.
Speaker B:One brother clearly loves to dance, but the other brother doesn't.
Speaker B:I've never seen the other brother really do that.
Speaker B:So, Chris versus Oliver.
Speaker B:So where.
Speaker B:Where.
Speaker B:How does the dance out of the dancing emerge from Chris?
Speaker B:And have you ever joined in the dance or dared into that world with him during the show?
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:I don't know exactly where that came from, but one night he just got inspired and started dancing, and people went nuts.
Speaker A:And I think it was pretty liberating for him.
Speaker A:As you know, it may have started as just an outlet for feeling good, and then eventually it just sort of became like.
Speaker A:People are, like, disappointed if he doesn't dance every time.
Speaker B:I look forward to it.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So it's awesome.
Speaker A:And I've probably gotten into it a little bit with him just, you know, he's gotten me moving a little bit, but I'm.
Speaker A:I'm too.
Speaker A:I feel too dorky.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:I don't have the same freedom, I suppose, in that area anyway.
Speaker B:And for listeners that have not been to a show, it looks like his body's being taken over by, like, a spirit from another world.
Speaker B:And he's a giant bass guitar he's slinging around.
Speaker B:I don't even know how he does all this stuff, but is truly unique.
Speaker A:Yeah, totally.
Speaker A:Totally.
Speaker B:Well, you.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker B:That you've talked about in the past, too, that saying that the road is a teacher.
Speaker B:And sometimes we like to talk about, you know, wild stories in the road.
Speaker B:Something surprising that happened, you know, while you're on tour.
Speaker B:Would you mind sharing one of those stories or two of them, and what you learned?
Speaker A:Well, let's see.
Speaker A:The first one that came to mind is a show, or more than one show, but one in particular.
Speaker A:We played in Charlo Charleston, and a good friend of ours that lives there for years was.
Speaker A:She's friends with Bill Murray, and she said she's going to bring him out.
Speaker A:And then year after year, it's like, oh, Bill could make it or whatever, like, all right, whatever.
Speaker A:But then one day he came and just hung out and was just a regular doode music nerd guy.
Speaker A:And of course people in Charleston probably already know that because he's always around, right?
Speaker B:But that's awesome.
Speaker A:But I, I, I, I compare it and you know, later on he took us and we hung out, we had a party and it was, it was really fun, super nice.
Speaker B:Bite me.
Speaker A:And he, and he was just, but he just talked about music and you know, regular old stuff, no big deal.
Speaker A:But I really, I really, I just, sometimes I think about that when I meet.
Speaker A:You meet a lot of people who are sort of iconic once.
Speaker A:Once in a while you meet those people and it's so cool to actually connect and be reminded that everybody, we're all alike, you know, it's like none of these people are any better or worse than anybody else.
Speaker A:And as a performer, when you're a young performer performer, you there's an indulgence to it.
Speaker A:Like there's an adult.
Speaker A:It's, ooh, people are awesome.
Speaker A:People are clapping and cheering and singing along.
Speaker A:I have this completely different outlook now that is like, hey, I'm just singing along with you guys and we're all trying to feel good and take care of each other and if this can help, I'm all for it.
Speaker A:But I'm, you know, I've grown, I've grown tired of the showbiz part and all the non music stuff, the travel which used to be exciting and the, you know, meeting tons of people all the time.
Speaker A:I'm kind of an introvert.
Speaker A:I like being home a lot and I feel like the road is a big sacrifice if you have a family, especially if you have a family at home.
Speaker A:And that's as, at least as or more important than career.
Speaker A:And so to be gone and missing like, oh, I missed the soccer game and I missed the recital and I missed this and that.
Speaker A:I missed the birthday and it's like that's a big sacrifice place and it gets me down.
Speaker A:Like it really does.
Speaker A:And the thing that turns it around every time is just we'll get an email or something.
Speaker A:My just lost my dad and you got me through this time.
Speaker A:Your music's got me through something.
Speaker A:Or somebody's in the hospital.
Speaker A:Can you send them a video and help cheer them up?
Speaker A:And it's like people come up and just give you this feedback that's real honest, non show biz stuff.
Speaker A:It's all about just like this stuff is medicine and that's the part that makes it everything okay.
Speaker A:That means, like, okay, this is important work.
Speaker A:It's not indulgent anymore because I don't need that.
Speaker A:I just want to feel like there's a purpose and a meaning to it, and that's what the purpose is.
Speaker A:It's like, it's medicine.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:People need it.
Speaker A:It's like everybody.
Speaker A:When you're playing a concert, you know, there's a thousand, two thousand people there.
Speaker A:They probably have all kinds of different opinions and politics and religions and all kinds of things, and none of it matters because you're all just singing Luckiest man or, or you're dancing to something or whatever, but you're feeling happy and you need, you know, everybody needs that.
Speaker A:And so, like, okay, my job's important.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker B:It's so cool to hear that your music is medicine for us, which I knew.
Speaker B:But it's cool to hear it's also reciprocal.
Speaker B:Reciprocally medicine for you.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:It's medicine for me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And you realize that, like, when I think about Bill Murray, oddly, I'm just thinking, well, there's something to that.
Speaker A:Like, he.
Speaker A:I've been watching Bill Murray movies since I was in high school, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:And just, I can't.
Speaker A:So many times that was just Bill Murray lines among my friends, you know, or just like a big connector.
Speaker A:And it's such a weird, abstract thing, but it's for real, you know those.
Speaker A:It's very positive stuff.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I believe.
Speaker B:And this may or may not be true, I believe I was at that show with Bill Murray sitting on the same row, and I believe he brought his stack of vinyl Hope signed.
Speaker A:That was one.
Speaker A:That was one of more recent show.
Speaker A:I think the first show where I saw him, he showed up in a, In a hat with fake dreadlocks and he had a bottle of wine.
Speaker B:Oh, man.
Speaker A:It's been, there's been a few shows now, but, but yeah, I, I, he was also, which was so cool.
Speaker A:Bought like a stack of albums and how to.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I was on the same road.
Speaker B:I was like, oh, my God, I've got Bill Murray on this row.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I'm listening to Wood Brothers right in front of me, doing incredible job.
Speaker B:It was a good night for everybody.
Speaker B:Wow, Oliver, what a fun interview today.
Speaker B:Thank you for your generous time.
Speaker A:My pleasure, man.
Speaker B:So many insights.
Speaker B:What's your parting thought for our listeners?
Speaker B:Thinking where you want, man?
Speaker A:Just take care of each other.
Speaker B:Take care.
Speaker A:Take care of each other.
Speaker A:I think that's what we should keep.
Speaker B:Doing and get out there, get a dose of medicine, go hear some of the Wood Brothers on tour.
Speaker B:Or at least go listen to them right now.
Speaker B:Yeah, about a lot today.
Speaker B:Thanks, Oliver.
Speaker A:Thank you, man.
Speaker A:I appreciate it.
Speaker A:Thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Thanks for joining Zach and I for.
Speaker C:This episode of Americana Curious.
Speaker C:Subscribe where you listen to your podcast so you are notified when a new episode is released.
Speaker C:I'm Ben Fanning and it's been great sharing these artists and music with you.
Speaker C:Until next time, stay Americana Curious.
