Wood

Wood is the name used by several different acts in the input, including an experimental noise and ambient project started in 2023, a traditional rock and Americana group led by James Maddock, a Houston rapper, an instrumental band from Wheaton, Illinois, a project by Wouter “Wood” Loderichs from Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, a Norwegian pop act also known as Elsa Marie Skjong, a stoner doom metal band from Rennes, and a French rapper who starts in 2020 and is signed to GrintaRecords.

Experimental noise and ambient project

One Wood project is an experimental noise and ambient music project that starts in 2023.

James Maddock’s Wood

Another Wood is a traditional rock and Americana group centred on James Maddock, who comes from Leicester in the English Midlands. Maddock begins with the ukulele at the age of eight, using an instrument his grandfather plays in wartime bands. His father is an optician and fills the house with jazz.

By his mid-teens he focuses seriously on guitar and is influenced by artists including Neil Young, Ry Cooder, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, The Band, Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival. He moves to London at 20 and learns his craft in cover bands on the London Irish pub circuit, including regular weekend gigs at the Arsenal Tavern in North London.

The band originally uses the name The Gift Of Love before settling on Wood, a name Maddock chooses after thinking about the sound and atmosphere of records by artists such as Dylan and The Band. Early demos are recorded at Abbey Road Studios. A demo later impresses Columbia Records executives in New York, leading to a record deal and a performance at the label’s offices.

The main line-up named in the text is James Maddock on vocals, Bill Newsinger on guitar, Jim O’Malley on bass and Steve Jackson on drums. Producer Dave “Stiff” Johnson works on the recording of the album in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at Tongue & Groove Studio.

The first Wood album is Songs From Stamford Hill. Its title comes from the area of London where Maddock lives while much of the material is written. The record includes “Stay You”, which appears on the compilation Songs From Dawson’s Creek; “Never Ending”, a song about growing up in Leicester and losing touch with schoolfriends; “Knock It On The Head”, about one last attempt to make music before giving up; “Our Time Has Come”; and “You Make Me Feel Bad”, about a girlfriend who keeps asking for the apartment to be redecorated.

Maddock describes his approach as combining melody and story, with a gentle, acoustic feel. He also identifies Late For The Sky by Jackson Browne and Harvest by Neil Young as particularly important albums.

Other artists using the name Wood

Wood is also a rapper from Houston, Texas, who is a member of S.U.C. and Half Dead Organization. Another Wood is an instrumental band from Wheaton, Illinois. A further project is by Wouter “Wood” Loderichs, based in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, whose debut mixes hip hop, funk, rock, blues and a touch of industrial music. There is also a young Norwegian pop act known as Elsa Marie Skjong, and a French rapper from Rennes who starts in 2020 and is signed to GrintaRecords.