Review of Abigail Washburn and the Wood Brothers

The Orange Peel was pretty full last Thursday night for the Abigail Washburn / Wood Brothers co-bill show. Abigail’s band opened the show with a dramatic set including a surprise performance by banjo great, Bela Fleck, and a self-destructing upright bass. As the bassist, Jon Estes, finished up an incredible solo, the neck of his instrument came right off. The video of that is definitely worth watching on YouTube.

Being a trio, and following very full sounding eight-piece band, I was a little concerned about the Wood Brothers set. A completely futile worry, because seriously, no one grooves like the Wood Brothers. Oliver Wood is the older brother and frontman of the band, doing most of the lead singing and song writing (and he plays guitar). Chris Wood adds harmonies and has upright bass super-powers. The grooves, riffs, leads and back beats he wrestles from his instrument are absolutely astounding. There are two worn-out spots on the top and side of his bass where he uses his fists against the body for additional percussion. Newly added drummer and shitar player, Jano Rix, covers any other possible groove needs. “Shitar” is not a typo, that’s what they called his instrument. It looked like regular guitar with other percussive instruments attached to the body.

The headstock was wrapped in a towel (so clearly the strings were not used or tuned), and it sounded as if the body may have been filled with dried beans or something similar. Rix wore this shitar with a strap over one shoulder, hanging straight down the front of his body, headstock resting next to his left ear. He used his hands to beat on the guitar body in various places creating a very unique hand percussion sound.

The trio debuted some songs off of their upcoming album which will be released August 2. “Shoe Fly Pie” was a stand-out, high energy song, that flowed through about three different time signatures, displayed perfect three-part harmonies, with an absolutely infectious bass line. The band also played some of their older favorites like “Luckiest Man” and “Postcards from Hell,” the latter being sung in unison by most of the audience word-for-word. I would be shocked to learn of anyone who left that show even the slightest bit disappointed.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

4 thoughts on “Review of Abigail Washburn and the Wood Brothers

  1. boatrocker

    Call me crazy, but at with the Mtn X’s Stacy, Wendi, Brian and the ACT’s Laura writing music write-ups as paid employees with each of them also playing music around town, is that a bit of conflict of interest or what? Croooonyism.
    I anxiously await more singer-songwriters being employed here to fawn over their friends’ bands in print. Variety rules.

Leave a Reply to Ken Hanke ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.