Article by: Sabrina Miles
Photos by: Wendy Podmenik Darugar
Richmond, VA — The Wood Brothers traveled to southeastern Virginia recently, much to the delight of their many loyal fans. Their last time in this area was in the sweltering heat in the middle of August at an outside venue in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The trio entered the stage and was immediately greeted with an explosion of applause. Chris Wood had his harmonica and stand up bass, big brother Oliver entered the arena with a sole guitar and stepped up to a lone microphone, and Jano Rix, who provided amazing harmony vocals as well as percussive support, had many instruments at his disposal. Jano started their set off by tapping and thumping on his acoustic guitar in what would be the underlying feeling of the music of their cool folk sounds. As they began to play, there was a raw musical style that grabbed the attention of everyone. There was a distinct and purposeful rhythm of percussion, as Jano created unique sounds from tapping and thumping his guitar. They are also often quick to joke and “cut up” which creates a fun and energetic atmosphere for their fans.
Fans waited to see if Chris would perform his “dance,” which has historically been one of the greatest highlights of their show — similar to the “Futterwacken Mad Hatter Dance” that was performed by Johnny Depp in “Alice In Wonderland” — while still holding on to his standup bass. Chris would perform the dance several times throughout the night, much to the delight of the crowd. The most memorable thing about these guys was their incredible harmonies. Cool earthy vocals and lead guitar, combined with their family harmony, made for a folky bluegrass sound that can only be The Wood Brothers. You can catch them at one of these venues:
Hickory North Carolina November 17, 2017
Charlottesville, Virginia January 25, 2018
Washington, D.C. January 26, 2018.
