It took Oliver Wood and Chris Wood more than 30 years to realize something seemingly obvious: That they should be playing music together. Not until older brother Oliver sat in with Medeski, Martin & Wood at a show in North Carolina in 2001 did the idea of the Wood brothers becoming The Wood Brothers first take hold. Now, more than two decades and nine studio albums later, this three-piece outfit—which also features honorary brother Jano Rix on a variety of instruments—stands firmly as a staple of the roots music scene, thanks to much more than just family ties.
The Wood Brothers brought their act to the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA as part of their ongoing tour in support of the band’s 2023 release, Heart is the Hero. Over the course of a set spanning nearly two hours, the trio gave fans more than a taste of their latest release while touching on some of the many highlights from across their catalog.
Heart is the Hero factored heavily into the band’s song choices for the evening. The album’s title track made the cut, as did “Pilgrim”, “Rollin’ On”, and “Mean Man World”. Those tunes all blended seamlessly into The Wood Brothers’ setlist, just as they have into the group’s repertoire since the LP was released in April 2023. They stood out not so much for their freshness as for their beauty and sentiment.
The same applies to just about every song that The Wood Brothers have spun into staples, including “Sing About It”, “Little Bit Sweet”, “Keep Me Around”, “One Drop of Truth”, and “Atlas”, all of which formed the backbone of their set above Sunset Boulevard along with funkier fan-favorites like “Stumbled In” and “Alabaster”.
All throughout, Chris and Jano kept things interesting with their respective panoplies of instruments. While Oliver stuck to guitar and vocals, Chris flipped between his standup double bass and bass guitar. Jano outdid them both, managing drums and keys simultaneously, and switching to shuitar for portions of the show. And for all that Oliver did (and does) to shine as a roots singer, Chris and Jano more than held their own on vocals when their turns came to croon.
For all the surprises and old-school flair that they displayed during their main set, The Wood Brothers still managed to save some surprises for the encore. They began the extra stanza by busting out a retro-style condenser microphone, which lent an added pastoral feel to a vibe that was already decidedly reflective of the American countryside. The Wood Brothers leaned into that single mic together for “The Muse”. They then welcomed Rainbow Girls, an all-female roots act that’s opened for them on this tour, for a touching rendition of “The Luckiest Man” before retaking the stage by themselves to close with “One More Day”.
Fortunately for fans of both The Wood Brothers and roots music more broadly, this was just the beginning of an extensive U.S. tour. Oliver, Chris, and Jano are scheduled for stops from Oregon to Florida and nearly every state along the way through mid-June. Then, after a six-week break, they’ll be back in action in August, with an appearance at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO—less than 20 miles from Oliver and Chris’ hometown of Boulder. For a full list of the band’s upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit their website.
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