Oliver Wood Trio making rare stop in Montgomery this weekend
This Labor Day weekend, Montgomery is in for a rare — and free — treat at Montgomery Whitewater.
“I’ve been living in the Southeast for 30 years now, and I’ve played in Montgomery maybe two times,” said Oliver Wood.
He’ll have his Oliver Wood Trio here as part of two days of music on the outdoor stage — set on the green that’s smack in the middle of artificial whitewater river channels.
It’s the first Golden Hour Festival, with six music acts happening Saturday and Sunday at 1100 Maxwell Boulevard. Joining the Oliver Wood Trio this weekend are Moon Taxi, North Mississippi Allstars, Madeline Edwards, Early James and Mountain Grass Unit. The concerts happen both days at 4, 6 and 8 p.m.
“I hope we get some good weather, since it’s kind of winding down the summer season,” Wood said. “I hope everyone will come and relax, and hear some good music.”
The concerts are free, and so is the parking.
Oliver Wood Trio is Sunday at 6 p.m., and he said they’ll have a unique recipe of music they’ll create as they perform.
“Some new songs. Some cover songs. A little bit of freeform improv,” Wood said. “Who knows what’s going to happen?”
Montgomery Whitewater will also throw in events to get your heart pumping this weekend — yoga, a kids triathlon, kayak cross, and freestyle kayaking. Other than yoga, these events require registration. Both the kayak cross and freestyle also require a $25 pass.
If you want, Montgomery Whitewater also offers rafting adventures that range from family friendly to a truly wild ride. You can learn more about booking one at https://montgomerywhitewater.com/
Wood said he’s been whitewater rafting before, having grown up in Colorado.
“That was definitely a summertime thing that we would do every once in a while,” Wood said.
After this weekend, hopefully Wood will be back before too long.
“I’d love to make Montgomery a regular stop,” Wood said. “It’s nice to know there’s a cool place to play.”
Oliver Wood has a variety of music to pick from
When it comes to categorizing Wood’s music, Americana is kind of the economic label that sticks — both with Oliver Wood Trio and the Grammy-nominated group The Wood Brothers. But Americana feels kind of limiting.
“We’re sensitive artists,” Wood said. “We don’t like to be misunderstood.”
Still, he realizes people want to know what they’re buying, and they want a name for it.
“Americana is kind of the lump that we got put in,” Wood said. “But I feel like it just depends on what you think that word means. To me, it means not just country and bluegrass, but blues, gospel, jazz and improvisation. Whatever you want to call that, that’s what it is.”
To him, it harkens back to when his dad used to go around the house singing folk and blues songs.
“He had a great record collection of old music,” Wood said. “Anything from Bob Dylan, Beatles, Joni Mitchell, to stuff like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed and blues stuff like that. I was always drawn toward that, which took me to Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.”
Wood was also drawn to a variety of American roots music — African American, Appalachian, jazz, gospel and secular.
“All those things combine to fascinate me,” Wood sad. “All those different genres, they overlap so much.”
With The Wood Brothers, Oliver works with his brother, Chris. They grew up in Colorado, and formed the group in 2004. Their latest album Heart is the Hero was released in April from Honey Jar Records.
Wood said his Oliver Wood Trio is in a “similar ballpark” to The Wood Brothers.
“It’s a little different chemistry of people,” he said.
In addition to Wood, both trio groups share multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. “He’s a drummer, but also a keyboard player and percussionist and singer,” Wood said.
Longtime friend Ted Pecchio rounds out the trio on bass. Wood and Pecchio used to live in Atlanta and were part of that music scene, Wood said.
With Oliver Wood Trio, Wood gets into the music he makes with his brother. He also brings in music that predates it.
“I had a band in Atlanta called King Johnson,” Wood said. “A lot of those songs are part of my lifelong repertoire.”
Of course, Wood will also include songs from his 2021 solo album Always Smilin,’ which he said came out of his time in lockdown during the pandemic. Wood said Always Smilin’ was the first time he’d had time to collaborate with people outside of The Wood Brothers. He co-wrote the songs just for the fun of it.
“I wasn’t even planning on making an album,” he said. “But during that time, I amassed enough tunes where my manager just said you should put out an album. There’s a lot of good songs here.”
Wood didn’t really go into the album with a theme in mind. Still, the songs fit together.
“There’s a lot of songs about compassion toward others, compassion toward yourself,” he said. “I like those kinds of themes, you know.”
Golden Hour Festival lineup
SATURDAY
The festival begins with beginner-friendly yoga at 8:30 a.m. Bring a water bottle, plus a mat or towel to join in.
From 8-10 a.m. it’s the Lil’ Tri Triathlon. Kids age 6-14 will run, bike and paddle duckies on Montgomery Whitewater’s flatwater pond. They’ll have it broken into different age groups. Ages 6-10 have to partner with a parent or guardian (age 18 and older) for the water portion. Register online at montgomerywhitewater.com/event/lil-tri-triathlon
At 10 a.m., the Kid Lot opens.
From 3-4 p.m. is Kayak Cross (formerly called extreme slalom). Participants will race down the Montgomery Whitewater’s Competition Channel. Races take place in plastic boats under 9 feet. $25 kayak day pass or season pass required for each entry. Register online at montgomerywhitewater.com/event/kayak-x
Music begins at 4 p.m. Saturday with Mountain Grass Unit, 6 p.m. with Madeline Edwards, and 8 p.m. with North Mississippi Allstars.
SUNDAY
9 a.m. More beginner-friendly yoga.
1-2 p.m. there’s a freestyle event on the upper pond play wave. Requires a $25 kayak day pass or season pass. Register online at montgomerywhitewater.com/event/freestyle-event
Music begins at 4 p.m. with Early James. The Oliver Wood Trio is on at 6 p.m., and Moon Taxi at 8 p.m.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Oliver Wood Trio making rare stop in Montgomery this weekend
