Interview: Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers)

This interview was supposed to happen over two years ago.

The Wood Brothers had booked three consecutive nights at The Orange Peel in April 2020 in support of their new album, Kingdom In My Mind, and the band’s PR agent, Kevin Calabro, was working on scheduling an interview with guitarist/vocalist Oliver Wood. Then the world went into lockdown and the concerts were reshuffled multiple times — but barring unusual circumstances, they’re currently set to occur Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2.

Back on the road, Wood spoke with Asheville Stages about productive uses of his time during the COVID-19 pandemic, making his solo debut, and his storied history as a youth athlete.

Edwin Arnaudin: Looking forward to y’all being back in Asheville. I know you’ve been busy with touring, but in your down time, have you been able to get to many shows lately?

Oliver Wood: You know what? I have not. And I honestly don't go to that many shows anyway. [laughs] I'm sort of balancing life between on the road with The Wood Brothers and then family life at home and I don't get out that much otherwise. Now, I do see shows if I'm at a festival. I'll see some of my favorite other bands that are at festivals and stuff, but I'm not the go-out man that I used to be.

EA: You’re a pretty big guy, too, so I could see it being tough to blend in. But maybe wearing a mask helps a little.

OW: [laughs] I’ve also been, and it's not as bad as it was, but most of us have been a little paranoid about not wanting to jeopardize a Wood Brothers tour by going into a big audience and watching the show. It's that paranoia that's been with us for the last couple of years, and hopefully that's starting to chill out a little bit. It's still a concern, but I still love seeing a good show once in a while, for sure.

EA: And before we get fully into the music talk, I understand that you’re a fellow tennis player.

OW: Ah! Now where did you hear that? 

EA: Kevin told me over two years ago when we were working on setting up this interview the first time. I spoke with Marco Benevento, who’s also a player, and Kevin said, “Well, you can talk more tennis when you interview Oliver.” 

OW: [laughs] That’s hilarious. I definitely, as a younger man, was very serious about tennis and played competitively. And I still love it, but I hardly ever play anymore.

EA: I hear ya. Yeah, I was joking with Kevin that he should set up a tournament with all the musicians he knows who play tennis and call it the Calabro Classic. [laughs]

OW: Oh, that's a great idea. [laughs] I know another guy on his roster that's a buddy of mine named Seth Walker who actually lives in Asheville. Seth's a tennis player, too. In fact, he's one of the few guys I've played with in the last few years. He's a good player.

EA: Nice! I’ll be sure to ask Seth about his game whenever I interview him, too. Anyway, thanks for taking that detour, but back to music: Thinking back to when these shows were originally scheduled. My partner and I saw y’all at LEAF in fall 2019, then got psyched for the nights at the Peel, then…COVID.

OW: Yeah.

EA: Then rescheduled and canceled again. Now, it’s looking like the third time’s the charm, but I wonder what kind of toll that start/stop nature of nailing down tour dates takes on you and your bandmates.

OW: Well, it wasn't so much "stop/ start." It was just like "stop" for a long time. As far as the touring, there was plenty of rebooking and stuff, but it wasn't like anybody got to just start touring and then they had to stop — unless they got sick, of course, or something. Like everyone else, I think, I felt the financial part of it and the longing just to play music and connect with people. Obviously, it was not easy. And you notice that more now that we're out and connecting with fans. It's like, "How did we do without this? This is awesome!” 

And I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way: A lot of us really enjoyed the rat race just coming to a halt — not just touring-wise, but just the world and everybody just sort of stopping what they're doing. There was a positive thing about that, but I know a lot of people have talked about it. I certainly felt it, too. I had nothing I had to do for a few days in a row and I could just sit there and be very present. And that's just a feeling that you forget about when you're constantly working. It gave me a lot of perspective and got me really into meditating and trying to stay more present. As we move forward back into the rat race, I'm trying to keep some of that.

EA: And it’s weird to think, but y’all had pretty much got in a full tour in support of Kingdom In My Mind before the pandemic shut things down. So, I’m curious about your relationship with those songs this far removed from the album’s release and even farther from them being written and recorded. Do you feel motivated to focus on them when you play shows, or have you already moved on to the next batch?

OW: Like you said, we got one, maybe one and a half tours in before the shutdown with the record, so the record was really new. We were just starting to play the songs and we were just getting excited about them, and then we got shut down for a year. So, as we picked back up — which has already been since last June, so already beyond half a year into touring — that was very much a conscious role to play those songs from that album, for our own sake and also for the fans to get to know that music because it's become a big part of our repertoire. 

And it still is. We're playing it every night on our current tour, but not the whole album. We're mixing in old songs and covers and all kinds of stuff. So, I will say, at this point, now that we've been playing it all year, I think we are in new album mode to the extent that, although we're playing all this stuff live still, in the background we're writing a lot of new music. So, we're excited about new music, although we're not playing it live yet. We're writing for a new album, basically.

EA: And as much as I was looking forward to y’all playing three nights in a row here, I’m glad that it worked out for two. Now, with those multi-night…I don’t know if “residencies” is the right word, but multi-night runs at the same venue, how do you approach those? Do you mix things up each night a good bit or have a fairly similar setlist?

OW: That's the fun thing about doing a two-night residency is that, you know, we don't want to play the same show two nights in a row. And although there's a handful of songs that we know people are going to want to hear both nights, we'll probably play those both nights but our goal is usually to create two different shows that are quite different in pace and vibe and mostly just repertoire.

EA: And even though you played LEAF the last time you were in the area, it feels like you’ve made somewhat of a home at The Orange Peel. From your side of the stage, what qualities about that space stand out to you?

OW: You know, I am so in love with The Orange Peel. [laughs] I have just fantastic memories of playing shows there. One of my fondest memories is when Chris and I first started The Wood Brothers. We were just a duo and and we were just getting started. Chris was quite well known as a member of Medeski, Martin, and Wood, but otherwise, our project was brand new and nobody really knew what to think of it.

So, for some reason they booked us at The Orange Peel, which was way too big of a venue, and there were literally 17 people there. And they put out some folding chairs and there was this little smattering of applause, but I'll tell you what — we had an awesome show and there's actually a recording of it, and I cherish it. So, you know, this is 15 years ago, so to then, years later, being able to sell it out and then be able to sell two or three nights out, and to actually see that as a growth marker is really cool. 

But also, more importantly, it's nostalgic, and I have sentimental vibes about it because I just love the town and venue. I think it's a great sized venue and I have memories of fun shows where, as Chris and I got a little bit bigger, we'd open some shows there. We opened for Grace Potter once and had a really fun show. And then as we started headlining, we had some great openers. We had Steve Poltz, for instance, a few years ago who's a favorite. Anyway, I just love the size of that venue. Any place that can make a thousand people feel connected and it feels intimate still…I love that place. [laughs].

EA: It’s great to hear that. It’s fun to get that insight from folks, especially ones who love coming back there. I don’t want to say that I take it for granted, but sometime we forget how lucky we are to have such a top venue right here.

OW: I mean, it's one of those things where I just feel so grateful that we're able to play two nights and can actually just really soak it in and get comfortable. That's a big deal. And I also try to, you know, as far as just taking it for granted if you lived in Asheville…every time we're in a city and there's a cool venue — we're in Boise, Idaho, tomorrow, so I'm not sure what it's going to be like there, but I always tell the audience, I'm like, "Man, support your venue, because this is an awesome place. Don't take it for granted because this makes a lot of people happy, including bands and people that work here and, of course, the fans that get to see the music."

EA: And then your solo album [Always Smilin’] was also a nice surprise, especially so soon after Kingdom In My Mind. Was that something that had been in the works prior to 2020 or was it a product of the pandemic?

OW: A little bit of both. I had been excited a little bit about just co-writing with some other friends outside of The Wood Brothers before the pandemic, just for fun. I know so many great songwriters and a lot of them are close friends. It's just fun to collaborate, you know? 

So, I'd written a couple songs with other people: Phil Cook and Carsie Blanton...friends who would come through and I would just get them to come to the studio and hang out and we'd write some songs. And for the most part, that was just for fun, but once the pandemic settled in and we got stranded and I found myself with all that free time, it was definitely that space created by the quarantine that allowed me and motivated me to just say, "Hey, you can do an entire project here. You've got plenty of time. Nothing's happening." 

So, a couple of months in, I put out a single ["Soul Of This Town”] with me and Phil Cook, and then my manager was like, "Why don't you just do a whole album?" "Well, might as well!" It was something I likely would never do otherwise because I'm always, like I said, I'm so busy between family and The Wood Brothers almost full time, that usually keeps me really busy. I'm just not that good of a multitasker. But it was an awesome space just to do a project like that.

EA: And in terms of deciding what’s an Oliver Wood song and what’s a Wood Brothers song, I didn’t know if you see certain qualities that make the difference — but it sounds like working with others was more the impetus for the solo album.

OW: Yeah, I think that was the main thing. I mean, I did write a couple of songs on my own that, had we been in “Wood Brothers mode,” I may have presented to the band. But at the same time, it was a chance to break out of the pattern for a little while — especially after 15 years of doing The Wood Brothers, it's just cool to stretch out and just try something that you wouldn't ordinarily try. There's even a couple of older songs — there's a song called "Fine Line" on there from my old band King Johnson that predates The Wood Brothers, and I've always wanted to do that song. That was my chance to sort of remake that song. And then, like you said, collaborate with some other outsiders.

EA: I also dug your track with local boys Steep Canyon Rangers on “Take My Mind” 

OW: Oh yeah! My buddies. I love those guys.

EA: How did that opportunity come about? 

OW: We’ve known each other for a while and just sort of been on the same circuit and we've crossed paths at festivals. Some of those guys have come to sit in with us. I remember Graham [Sharp], the banjo player, has sat in with us at The Orange Peel a couple of times when we've come through town, and I sat in with them recently when they did their [Mountain Song] Festival in Brevard — that was last spring.

But yeah, we've just sort of known each other and been pals, and they were in Nashville recording their album a couple of years ago and just asked if I wanted to get in on it. So, yeah, it was an honor just to be creative with those guys. And they're just so good. They're such nice guys, and it was really pretty effortless just getting in there and trying stuff out with them. 

EA: I’ve actually known [lead singer] Woody Platt my whole life. Our dads are architecture colleagues and it’s been neat seeing him have so much success in music.

OW: Yeah, he's a sweetheart. Those guys are just great.

EA: Did you get to explore Brevard much — and did you see a white squirrel?

OW: [laughs] I have seen a white squirrel. I actually have several friends in Brevard besides those guys, and I've stayed in Brevard with my friend, Tim Gaffney, who puts me up there. He's an old buddy. And Jeff Sipe is an old buddy. I've known him since the Atlanta days. But yeah, I did see the white squirrels and I did get to an awesome little barbecue joint. And I've been to the little diner in the strip mall that's always consistently good. And and I got to go see, you know, Sliding Rock and all the cool waterfalls. I love that area. Love it.

IF YOU GO

Who: The Wood Brothers with Sean Hayes
When: Friday, April 1 & Saturday, April 2, 8 p.m.
Where: The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., theorangepeel.net
Tickets: Sold out

(Photos by Alysse Gafkjen)