Gates 4:30pm / Show 5:30pm / End 9:30pm
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THE WOOD BROTHERS
The Wood Brothers have learned to trust their hearts. For the better part of two decades, they've cemented their reputation as freethinking songwriters, road warriors, and community builders, creating a catalog of diverse music and a loyal audience who've grown alongside them through the years. That evolution continues with Heart is the Hero, the band's eighth 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 stocked with songs that target not only the heart, but the head and hips, too.
"We love records that come from the era of less tracks and more care," explains co-founder Oliver Wood. "When you use a computer during the tracking process, you have an infinite number of tracks at your disposal, which implies that nothing is permanent, and everything can be fixed. Tape gives you limitations that force you to be creative and intentional. You don't look at the music on a screen; you listen to it, and you learn to focus on the feeling of the performance."
Throughout Heart Is The Hero, those performances are matched by the visceral storytelling and songwriting chops that have turned The Wood Brothers into Grammy-nominated leaders of American roots music, even as their music reaches far beyond the genre's borders. The strippeddown swagger of "Pilgrim" underscores Oliver's reminder to slow down and experience each moment as an interactive observer, rather than a passive tourist. A similar theme anchors "Between the Beats," where Oliver draws upon a meditation technique — maintaining one's focus on the space between heartbeats — to reach a new level of presence. The gentle sway of country soul gem "Rollin' On," featuring horns by Matt Glassmeyer and Roy Agee, expounds on the timehonored tradition of love as the guiding light through darkness, while "Mean Man World" finds Chris Wood singing about his responsibilities as a father whose young daughter is poised to inherit an uncertain future. "Line Those Pockets" is a universal call for mercy and understanding over materialism. "Everybody's just trying to be happy, so put your money away; line those pockets with grace," the band sings in three-part harmony during the song's chorus, which emphasizes compassion over cash as the world's true currency. Together, these songs offer a snapshot of a spirited, independent-minded group at the peak of its powers, always pushing forward and seeking to evolve beyond what's come before.
"There's still acoustic guitar, upright bass, and percussion on this album — things people use all the time — but we're always thinking, 'How can we make this sound like us, but not like something we've already done?'" Oliver says. "Sometimes, the only way to do that is to get weird."
That 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, and 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 and 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 expect the unexpected.
"We are never satisfied if we are not searching for new musical recipes," says Jano Rix, nodding to the uncharted territory that Heart is the Hero covers. Chris Wood agrees, adding, "We are one of those bands that isn't easily categorized. We know what our strengths are, but we can't help but push the envelope, as well. It's too much fun."
THE LONE BELLOW
The Lone Bellow burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut in 2013. The Nashville-based trio (Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist, Kanene Pipkin) quickly became known for their transcendent harmonies, serious musicianship and raucous live performance — creating what NPR calls, 'earnest and magnetic folk-pop built to shake the rafters.' In 2015, the band released Then Came The Morning, produced by The National's Aaron Dessner. The album was nominated for an Americana Music Award and took the band to numerous late night shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Show With David Letterman and Later…with Jools Holland, among others. In 2017, The Lone Bellow returned with Walk Into A Storm, produced by legendary music producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson), followed by 2020's Half Moon Light, an artistic triumph the band worked toward for years.
In a departure from their past work with elite producers Dessner and Cobb, the trio struck out on their own for their fifth full-length album Love Songs for Losers, dreaming up a singular sound encompassing everything from arena-ready rock anthems to the gorgeously sprawling Americana tunes the band refers to as "little redneck symphonies." Recorded at the possibly haunted former home of the legendary Roy Orbison, the result is an intimate meditation on the pain and joy and ineffable wonder of being human, at turns heartbreaking, irreverent, and sublimely transcendent.
After sketching the album's 11 songs in a nearby church, the band holed up for eight weeks at Orbison's house on Old Hickory Lake, slowly carving out their most expansive and eclectic body of work yet. Co-produced by Elmquist and Jacob Sooter, Love Songs for Losers also finds Pipkin taking the reins as vocal producer, expertly harnessing the rarefied vocal magic they've brought to the stage in touring with the likes of Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves.
For The Lone Bellow, the triumph of completing their first self-produced album marks the start of a thrilling new chapter in the band's journey. "At the outset it was scary to take away the safety net of working with a big-name producer and lean on each other instead," says Pipkin. "It took an incredible amount of trust, but in the end it was so exciting to see each other rise to new heights." And with the release of Love Songs for Losers, the trio feel newly emboldened to create without limits. "This album confirmed that we still have beauty to create and put out into the world, and that we're still having fun doing that after ten years together," says Elmquist. "It reminded us of our passion for pushing ourselves out onto the limb and letting our minds wander into new places, and it sets me on fire to think of what we might make next."
THE BYGONES
It’s human nature to look back, and to try to make sense of that which has gone by. For the luminous
indie folk duo of Joshua Lee Turner and Allison Young, it’s a question not only of what should be
relinquished, but also what might be worth taking with you. “There’s goodness in every decade of
music. And there’s goodness in every season of life,” Josh shares. “For us, it’s about finding what’s
golden in the past and bringing that forward.”
The pair share an eclectic nostalgia for sounds of the past—Jazz and Classical, Golden Age musicals,
big bands of the ‘40s, singer-songwriters of the ‘60s, dewy indie rock of the early 2010s—as well as
a passion for instrumental music and covers. These points of connection began online, culminated in
an impromptu recording session in Nashville, and compelled an unexpected path forward.
The duo’s first release together, a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” gathered massive enthusiasm
online as well as the fervent demand of one UK promoter that they tour overseas. Josh and Allison
accepted the invitation and rushed to record an EP to have something—anything—to play for
audiences, audiences which sold out venues and applauded The (yet-to-be-named) Bygones with
standing ovations before they even strummed a note. “It didn’t make any sense,” Josh says. “We
weren’t a band yet.” But to see The Bygones live is to comprehend the hype. Allison’s stylish,
luminescent presence and vocal finesse, Josh’s astonishing technical aptitude, and the palpable joy in
their onstage dynamic create a live show experience that demands multiple encores.
Rather than a band asking the world to listen, the world asked these two musicians to be a band.
Their debut album ‘The Bygones’ will be released April 4, 2024 on Tonetree.