Watch Warren perform a song he wrote on NPR Video click here to go to NPR Website to view.
WKSU,April 15, 2008 -
The last time I has seen The Waybacks they were tiny. It's not that
they were small, but whenever they played on one of the 15 stages at
MerleFest in North Carolina they drew such a crowd that we had to stand
"way in the back." (But I don't think that's how they got their name.)
When they visited our Folk Alley studios, I realized that they were
normal sized people, though they were enormously talented. Adding
fiddler Warren Hood to the mix only made them better. Since Warren is
classically skilled, now the Bay Area roots band can add Mozart riffs
along with those of Charlie Parker.
As they set up, in addition to talking about their new CD Loaded,
I wondered how I could ask them about the loss of founder and
fingerstyle guitarist Stevie Coyle. Would they be touchy about it? What
did James Nash mean as he described the new line up as "a power trio
with a fiddle"? Well, we did get into all of that as you'll hear. Not
only were they not touchy, they were excited about their new direction
and thrilled with the chance to impress. There's a reason why Bob Weir
of the Grateful Dead often chooses The Waybacks to open when he tours.
Listen to this session and you'll find out why.
More About The Waybacks
In
1999, Nashville guitar boy James Nash hooked up with a group of
acoustic musicians in San Francisco. And, the clouds parted and the
angels sang. Not really, but the experience did have a profound effect
on the course of his life. He switched from solid-body to acoustic
guitar and became recognized for his picking. The Waybacks, the group
that grew out of this experiment, tested their wings with a variety of
musical styles. Not satisfied to settle only on bluegrass melodies,
they drew from jazz, swing, folk and even classical for inspiration.
Fast forward past four CDs to 2008's Loaded,
an album that sees an increase in original tunes thanks in part to new
Wayback, fiddle phenom Warren Hood. An accomplished classical musician,
Hood is also a righteous fiddler, more than up to Nash's goal of
shaking up the acoustic world. Joe Kyle Jr. on upright bass and drummer
Chuck Hamilton complete the line-up.
Press & Publicity
Warren 9/10/06 photo courtesy of (c)John Grubbs, Rockslide Photography
I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH SEE THE GREAT CHAMP HOOD PLAY WITH TONI PRICE FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS. I WAS HOOKED WHEN I SAW THE MAGIC THAT THE FOUR PLAYERS TOSSED BACK AND FORTH ON STAGE. THERE WERE NOT MANY TUESDAZE NIGHTS THAT I MISSED DURING THAT TIME. FROM TIME TO TIME, CHAMP WOULD SHIFT THE SPOTLIGHT TO HIS SON, WARREN. WARREN WOULD SIT IN FOR A FEW SONGS AND KNOCK THE CROWD SILENT WITH HIS FIDDLE. IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THIS MUCH TALENT ON A STAGE. WARREN WAS ONLY IN HIGH SCHOOL AT THE TIME. I BEGAN TO FOLLOW WARREN’S EXPLOITS IN THE DIFFERENT BANDS HE PLAYED WITH. THE SOUTH AUSTIN JUG BAND WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM PLAY IN HIS OWN BAND. I WAS HOOKED. HE LEFT THAT BAND AND WENT TO SCHOOL AND HE WOULD RETURN NOW AND AGAIN. HE IS BACK NOW AND SITS IN MOST FIERCLEY WITH TONI PRICE. HE SITS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STAGE WHERE CHAMP WAS THRONED. WHEN HE TAKES A SOLO, HE IS LIKE A MAD WIZARD. THE MUSICAL JOURNEY THAT HE TAKES THE ROOM ON IS OTHER WORDLY AND IT FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE HISTORY OF TUESDAZE NIGHTS AT THE CONTINENTAL.. I HAVE HEARD THAT WARREN’S SUNDAZE NIGHT GIG AT MOMOS IS AWESOME. YOU WILL, NO DOUBT HEAR MORE FROM WARREN HOOD IN THE FUTURE. MY ADVICE IS TO CATCH HIM LIVE (LOCALLY) WHILE YOU CAN. HERE ARE SOME WORDS WE SHARED:
Austin DAZE: -How old were you when you first started playing fiddle and mandolin?
Warren Hood: - I started Playing violin at age 11. In my district the schools forced all 6th graders to join the band, orchestra, or choir for at least a year. I chose Orch. and never looked back I didn’t start mandolin until I was 17.
AD: -I understand you are a classically trained violin player, please elaborate.
WH: - I was strictly classical until I was 15 and I discovered Stephane Grappelli. He inspired me on a classical level with his beautiful tone and command of the instrument but it was his improvising abilities that moved me most of all. He was a major reason I crossed over from classical to jazz, swing, country, bluegrass, and ect… From the time I was born I was always listening to my fathers shows. So, even before I started playing my ears were in training without me knowing. Though I say I was strictly classical when I started, my father did teach a small handful of fiddle tunes. I have never competed in fiddle contest, but I did compete in a many solo contests. I won many awards but the greatest was the Austin Symphony youth award. My prize was a concert series as a soloist with the Austin Symphony. I give a lot of credit to my private violin Teacher Bill Dick. I studied with him from the age of 15-19. I give him as much credit for the player I am as I do my dad.
AD: - And what the hell is the difference between a violin and an fiddle anyway?
WH: - A Fiddle and Violin are the same instrument. The difference is the style.
I can switch from a classical approach to a song to a fiddle approach as if it were flipping a light switch.
AD: - Champ told one of our staff members that you were a better player than he was when you were still in High School. Why do you think he said that and what do you think the differences are between your playing and your Dad’s?
WH: - Champ did tell people I was a better fiddler than he was when I was in High school, but Champ didn’t give himself much credit for anything. He, in my opinion, was a better song writer than 95% of the song writers he backed up, But you never heard about that because he was too humble to do his own songs. In Highschool I could play faster and cleaner than Champ, but who cares? It takes a life time to achieve what I call his “old man tone” and melodic sensibilities. That is what music is all about.
AD: - What do you enjoy most about being a musician? The least?
WH: - The thing I enjoy most of all about being a musician is the traveling. I get to travel the world to amazing places and meet all kinds of people. All of my good friends I met in some kind of music setting. We either played together or met backstage or they were just a fan I met when the show was over. The thing I don’t like is the uncertainty. Sometimes I hit slow months and I don’t know if I’ll make rent. But sometimes I’ll make two months rent in a weekend. It can get stressful like any job. I hate the business end of music industry.
AD: - Where do you see yourself in the next 5 -10 years?
WH: - In 5 years, I see myself either having my own band or being a part of a band where I am an equal member. I write and sing too, and I need an outlet for that. Being a hired gun is already getting old and it won’t be long before I make a change. In ten years, I would like to be traveling across the country with a band of my creation, selling out small theaters that seat 500 people and playing all the major festivals as a headlining act.
AD: - What do you want to accomplish overall?
WH: - Overall, I want the respect of true music fans as well as my musical peers. I want to show up to a bluegrass festival and have people like Sam Bush or Bela Fleck invite me up to sit in. I want my music to change and further the course of popular music.
AD: - WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
WH: - There have been a few highlights that will be hard to top in my career, so far.
#1 would have to be performing with Lyle Lovette and friends at the Austin Music Awards in a tribute to my father. Others includ performing on Austin City Limits, The Grand Ole Opry, and winning the band contest at Teluride.
AD: - WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT AUSTIN?
WH: - Austin is a great place because of the great music, food, and people.
As long a people keep going out to support the clubs and artists, Austin will continue to be the Live Music Capital of the World. We throw the term “live musical capital of the world” around loosely here, and some people around here are jaded and don’t think it is true. I have lived on the west and east coasts and traveled between many times. Believe me, there is no place like Austin when it comes to live music.
AD: - WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SXSW?
WH: - SXSW is a great festival that generates a lot of money for the local economy and gives many musicians a chance to be heard by a much larger audience than they would otherwise.
AD: - WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CLUB/VENUE TO PLAY AND WHY?
WH: - My favorite venue to play is the Continental Club. It does’t sound as good as some of the other rooms in town, but I have been going there since I was 10. I used to hear my dad there with Toni Price on Tues. while shooting pool. Now I play with Toni on Tues. and it feels very natural. Though Champ stopped playing there 3 years ago It feels like it was so long go. Almost as if those days were a dream and I have been in that chair on the side of the stage the whole time.
AD: - WHAT MUSICAL PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW? WHERE CAN WE SEE YOU?
WH: - Right now, I am playing primarily in four bands. I play with Toni Price, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, and The Waybacks when I can. My favorite thing to do is my new Sunday night residency at Momo’s. Every Sunday night from 10-12 I play with my group called “Warren Hood and the Hoodlums.” the band consists of me, Seth Walker, Mike Keller, Andrew Nafziger and Nate Roe. It’s mostly blues but we give it our own twist.
AD: - WHERE IS YOUR MIND WHEN YOU ARE DEEP IN A SOLO? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? ARE YOU HERE AND NOW OR ARE YOU SOMEPLACE ELSE?
WH: - When I am In a solo, nothing in the world exists but me and my fiddle.
To a venue that has yet to host a musical concert comes a band with a sound unlike any local audiences have heard...The Waybacks' newest member, Warren Hood, son of late Spartanburg native and Uncle Walt's Band alumnus Champ Hood, said in an interview from his Austin, Texas, home that while the band plays to large audiences at outdoor festivals, smaller venues such as The Showroom are the kinds of engagements they relish.
"We like playing places where it's packed with people and they're packed right up against the stage and we can talk to them," he said. "When they're that close, you can really put on an intimate show."...unlike more pretentious, avant-garde musical explorations, their easy-going candor keeps their sound accessible to even the most casual music lovers as they traverse seamlessly from fierce instrumentals into free-flowing melodies, from Celtic romps into swampy Cajun stomps.
While Hood said the band was firmly established in a range of styles before he joined, he has added his own musical flavor. "I think I kind of bring them a little bit of Western swing, and some of the singer-songwriter stuff," he said. He said his voice also adds a different texture. "I think also, with the addition of a third singer that couldn't be more different from the other two, it helps out with the harmonies," he said. "James, the guitar player, comes from more of a rock background. Finger-picking guitar player Steve sings more folky, kind of a singer-songwriter background, and I come from more of a swinging kind of jazzy vocal." Even though he is the newest and youngest member of the group, Hood has the musical maturity of a veteran player.
"Although I'm only 23, I've been touring since I was 16," he said. "I've actually played in every state in the U.S. a couple of times, if not more -- that and Europe." Hood's personal musical roots run deep, and he said even before he became interested in playing music, his upbringing taught him how to listen. "I was still listening and developing my ears," he said. "So when I finally picked up an instrument, music was already in there and I could figure it out." Hood finally picked up an instrument at age 11.Raised in a musical household and educated at the Berklee College of Music, his influences are diverse. He combines formal training with down-home musical common sense. "The stuff I learned at Berklee and the formal training I've had has helped me with my technical stuff, but sometimes that gets in the way when I'm trying to just play," he said.
However, Hood takes his musical quests in stride as he considers his lifelong pursuit. "It's still blending," he said. "I haven't really settled on a sound yet or found my voice, I just kind of hear at moments this one, and at moments that one. It's still kind of meshing together, but I'm thinking by the time I'm 60 I'll have it figured out." 8-3-06 Tad Taylor, Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Warren w/Waybacks @ Merlefest in April 2006 Click on photo for more images!
Out there in the vast expanses of the musical universe, you can take your pick of the number of bands capable of delivering a decent performance. What occurs less frequently is a band that features musicians who operate their instruments with amazing precision...often...one must venture into the jazz genre...The Waybacks...give the listener pause to consider if perhaps the members aren't channeling the ghosts of some long-gone jazz greats...jaw-dropping talent that appears almost effortless...Some might call the Waybacks a band with a musical multiple-personality disorder...everything the band plays is acoustic in nature...using acoustic instruments to explore other musical environments is business as usual.
(Warren) Hood, the newest member to the band, also has roots in the Palmetto State, Austin, Texas, native Hood is the son of Champ Hood, a South Carolinian who no doubt will be familiar to fans of the Spartanburg folk outfit Uncle Walt's Band.
While Hood joined the Waybacks just after the release of "From the Pasture to the Future," the youngest member of the band quickly has proven that he has musical chops. The fact that Hood has been playing fiddle since age 11 and that he graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music certainly don't hurt the 23-year old's resume...there is no telling what sort of musical styles are going to surface...half the fun will be hearing just which sounds the band decides to tackle." 8/3/06 Devin Grant - Charleston Post and Courier (edited for space and content)
Warren and James Nash tear it up at Merlefest 2006
Gritz Magazine - an online Southern magazine about music features the Waybacks and spotlights Warren Hood in their July/August 2006 article. To read the Merlefest review by their roving reporter, click here. Or read it below:
"The musical magic has been building at this festival, and it is about to break loose with maybe the best jam of the weekend. The Waybacks are supposed to play a 45-minute set. It turns into an hour and a half jam that will be talked about for years. As their set starts, guitarist James Nash tells the crowd that he is hearing Doc Watson in his ear monitor playing somewhere else at the festival, which he says sounds great and wishes he could share with the crowd. Waybacks guitarist Steve Coyle also acknowledges from the stage that Merlefest has been good to them, and has played a big part in their success. They are about to pay some of that goodwill back with the jam that is to come.
The Waybacks come out first by themselves and played two cuts from their new album called “From The Pasture To The Future.” The band consists of James Nash on guitar, Steve Coyle on fingerpick guitar, vocals, and witty stage banter, John Kyle Jr. on bass, and Chuck Hamilton on drums and percussion. Joining the group since the album was recorded is a young multi-instrumentalist named Warren Hood who is a fantastic addition to the band. Hood is a heck of a 23-year-old fiddler and mandolin player who takes many awesome leads throughout the night. This young man is the real deal. Some of you might remember his dad, Champ Hood, a guitar player and fiddler who was based out of Spartanburg, South Carolina and Texas who played for Lyle Lovett and others.
As the second song ends, an awesome instrumental called “Hot Kranski,” out comes Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. He pays tribute to the late and great Marty Robbins with a western take on the classic “El Paso.” Weir stays for the rest of the concert. After “El Paso,” Sam Bush is introduced, and he, Weir, and the Waybacks launch into a funky version of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” that sends the already excited crowd to another level. It is quickly evident that we are watching a heck of a jam work itself out. Bush also stays for the rest of the concert.
The cool thing about this jam, in my opinion, is that Bob Weir is surrounded by top-notch bluegrass-schooled pickers who are ready to duke it out. Bob sings, is playing some great rhythm, and he does play a lead or two, but when Sam Bush, Warren Hood, Steve Coyle, and James Nash are going at it and trading riffs he knows to stay out of that fray and let the master improvisers dual it out. A perfect example of this is the next song, a western swing romp called “Bright Place” from the Waybacks’ “Burger After Church” album. As Nash takes the lead vocals and Weir strums his capable rhythm guitar, the solos started to fly. What a blast it is to see folks dancing in the crowd as Coyle, Nash, Hood, and Bush bounced fired up riffs off of each other’s forehead. It is on now.
After that jam, the stage crew comes out and sets up yet more microphones. Out come Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, fresh from their history making Creekside Stage set a few hours earlier. Now there are nine people onstage. Welch’s beautiful voice and Rawlings’ equally adept harmony singing and unique flatpicking stir the pot even more. Rawlings is the only musician onstage not plugged in, as he plays his 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop straight into the mic. But, being the professionals that they are, the other musicians know when to bring it down so he can be heard.
The band then goes into the classic song "The Weight," and the already captivated crowd is singing along. Next up is "All Along The Watch Tower," and Rawlings' solo during the song is cracking me up. He has this shit-eating grin on his face as he is holding his guitar up to the mic. He is feeding off the crowd, the crowd is feeding off of him, his solo is awesome, and he is obviously having fun. The next song they chose to play is an old favorite, "Broke Down Palace."
"Broke Down Palace” is to be the last song played, as the sun has gone down and there are no lights backstage and little in the way of lights onstage. By the end of the song the musicians have a joyous look on their faces as it is obvious how spontaneous and great this combination turned out to be. They are all hugging each other as they try to leave the stage, but the crowd will not let them go. It isn't a selfish demand by the audience to keep the jam going per se, as the musicians have played long past their allotted time. But instead, it is a combination of musicians and music that you feel might never happen again. It just all came together, for whatever reason, and no one wants it to end.
The onstage announcer is trying to let the audience know that the jam is over, but with little success. It is an amazing scene. Even the VIP sections on the side of the stage are full of people stomping on the rafters underneath them so the musicians can hear it below, which I have never seen before at Merlefest. Also, there are no lights at all in the musician tents backstage. In fact, after the jam is over they have to make a call for flashlights just so the musicians can pack up their gear. And, it is clear that the musicians did not expect to play any longer, so as the crowd goes monkeys-making-ketchup nuts they have to confer and figure out what unplanned song to close with. Then, they come back onstage with a twilight sky in front of them and play "Like A Rolling Stone." Finally, the show is over. As the last light of the day lingers behind the Blue Ridge foothills, the musicians are leaving in golf carts and find themselves surrounded by the sound of spontaneous applause and ‘thanks’ from the appreciative crowd that is walking back down the hill around them." July 2006 Gritz Magazine - Merlefest by Derek Halsey
Recent Press - Takin' Note of Warren
"There were some highlights to the show, exceptions to this rule. The tunes sung by the newest band member, the stellar Warren Hood, a vocalist of great skill, break the mold filling the theater with emotion in a way that the others can't match. Sounding like Harry Connick Jr. at times, but looking like he's yet to finish his 2nd decade of life, this young man's ability shines through. For their final tune...the Waybacks let Hood step forward and play a new piece, "Black Cat." This classically influenced piece made me sit up and take notice. Here was a band with a dynamic song, something which is fresh, and which they can all sink their teeth into. If this is the new direction of this band, then count me in." 2/28/06 Portland's Aladdin Theater Review
"The other big Wayback news, at least for the Austin crowd, was the return of favorite son fiddler Warren Hood, who has decamped to joined the San Francisco-based band full-time. The hot-fiddling, baby-faced son of the late Champ Hood brings another lead instrumental voice to the band's electic mix of jazz, rock, blues and folk styles. Hood was welcomed by the audience as a returning hero." 4/25/06 - Old Settler's Music Festival (Festival Preview Blog)
"With all the attention on Bob Weir, it would be a shame to overlook the talented Waybacks,…multi-instrumentalist Warren Hood was excellent, blazing fiddle lines around the rest of the band." 5/27/06 – Jambase-Anson Burtch (www.leftovercheese.com)
The Waybacks "recently broadened the territory with the addition of Austin native Warren Hood...a recent, post-record addition to the band, his fiddling prowess and time-out-of-mind vocals have already had a profound impact on the group’s live shows. Alongside James Nash’s truly breathtaking fretwork and Coyle’s intricate fingerstylings, he’s helped raise the bar of the band’s front line higher still. Add the muddy boots of the rhythm section and you have a band that plays like nobody’s business." June 2006 – Throcktmorton Theatre
"Robyn Ludwick enters the bluegrass world without any doubt that she can overcome anything that gets in her way. She proves this with her album "For So Long…"Harpers Ferry Blues" showcases Warren Hood on fiddle and he proves himself to be a great fiddle player, just as he does on "Far From Enough." May 2006 United Kingdom’s www.astro-zombie.com
"Who'd have thought that one fiddle and one mandolin could do such justice to the strings section of that classic rock anthem?...Some of Weir's most expressive and impressive guitar work came to light in a New Orleans-style number in the Waybacks' repertoire. Perfectly complementing Warren Hood's sweet, smooth vocals, Weir brandished a slide and coaxed a soulful solo that elicited appreciative shouts from the floor and balconies." 4/27/06 MP3.com / TV.com Waybacks morph into Weirbacks by Matt Kramer
"Petrified Man" featured the talents of the boyish newcomer Warren Hood, who led a nice interplay with lead guitarist James Nash. Hood delivered an energetic spark that carried the band through their improv moments and he even introduced his own material, which included the soulful "Savannah." Feb 2006 Glide Magazine February 2006 show review
"Honorary Sapphires include Warren Hood on fiddle, Craig Bagby on drums and Texas music legend Lloyd Maines on dobro and pedal steel. The roots and Americana sound is truly a roots experience with musicians from varied backgrounds and parts of the U.S. that have found their way to each other and created a sound that combines the roots of music in all genres and wraps it up in a tight package of country, bluegrass and rockabilly." 6/2006 Vol. 2, Issue 5, Stars of Texas Magazine by Brad Springs - review of Texas Sapphires Valley So Steep album
"The Waybacks come back and prove that even with an ever-changing lineup, they still can have a remarkably consistant sound... while leaving room for growth. This album was recorded in between the time they had a revolving door of guest fiddlers and finally the permanant addition of the amazingly talented Warren Hood, whose absence on this album is a disappointment." 5/1/06 Amazon.com Brilliant Acoustic Mayhem - review of From the Pasture to the Future
"Worth noting was the way James Nash (on guitar and mandolin) and Warren Hood (on fiddle and mandolin) sometimes filled the lead guitar space. At times, the fiddling acted as a slidy, melty surrogate in the places where Jerry (Garcia) might have played...Dark Star, which was short but quirkily sultry with Warren's lazy, slidy-sounding fiddle." 4/28/06 Tribe Deadheads: Recommendation - Waybacks w/Bob Weir
"It was therefore our treat to hear a guy named Warren Hood, who is adept on both instruments and at least approaches the style of the great Stephane Grappelli in the swing numbers. There's nothing like that swing, either, especially when it speaks with a "gypsy" inflection. You know: "it don't mean a thing.." 6/25/05 TennesseTicket.comNightfall & Riverbend (*Editor's Note: What I've always said - Yeah!)
"Warren Hood and the Hoodlums - 2005 Best of Music Poll by Austin Chronicle scored: #2 Bluegrass Band, #6 Best Roots Rock Band, #10 Best Country Band"
"The Austin music scene has long been home to musicians of all kinds: jazz, blues, folk, funk, blue grass, rock, swing, etc. When they are not touring with their regular bands, frontmen and sidemen switch bands and places, reforming to play local gigs for the music not the money...Being an old Uncle Walt's Band fan, one of my favorite local gigs is Warren Hood and the Hoodlums. Warren’s motto is you can’t have too many Walter Hyatt songs in a set, so there are plenty of tributes to the past. Don't think this is just Uncle Walt's Band revisited, however—Warren’s originals and choices for covers definitely hold their own." See photos of The Hoodlums - 9/14/06 John Grubbs -Rockslide Photography Blog
"Our fair city easily sustains enough musical talent to support its own satellite-radio service. See for yourself...NO ELECTRICITY, NO PROBLEM - Smokin' blue and punk grass - Warren Hood and the Hoodlums." 3/17/06 Austin Chronicle: Music:TCB-Music News: Satellite of Love by Christopher Gray
"Still, there's plenty of musical accomplishment in James McMurtry's Childish Things. On "Memorial Day," full of scenes of family dysfunction, Warren Hood's fiddle enhances the song's ironic chorus: "Let's remember our fallen heroes / In the land of free." 12/8/05 Tucson Weekly: Rhythm & Views - Jarret Keene
"What makes Old Settler's work is that few acts take themselves too seriously. Sure there are Civil War tunes, gospel numbers and banjo (less than you might think) and mandolin instrumentals, but irreverent, fun songs reign. There's even swing and jazz, evidenced by the Waybacks, Californians making good use of freshman member Warren Hood, an Austinite whose boys'-choir voice is still catching up to his fiddle-playing maturity." 4/25/06 Austin American-Statesman: XL Weekend Reviews by Ed Crowell
"Stepping in with the hangover cure is former Firedog Bobby Earl Smith with the low-key, heartfelt Turn Row Blues. Smith's subdued South Plains twang suits the careful acoustic arrangements, thus TRB sounds like a bunch of friends getting together. It is: Lloyd Maines, John X Reed, Casper Rawls, Freddie Krc, former Elvis guitarist James Burton, and son of Champ, Warren Hood, who shines on "Little Fiddle Lick" 11/11/05 Austin Chronicle: Music Texas Platters Country Mile by Christopher Grey
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