October has been a tough month so far for The Wood Brothers and Medeski Martin & Wood. It has also proved that the bands are adept at making the best out of bad situations. The tumultuous times started on October 9th, when The Wood Brothers’ show at the Brooklyn Arts Center in Wilmington, NC was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. True to their nature, the ensemble dodged the weather warnings and headed to Augusta, GA to play an intimate show at the Southbound Smokehouse for fans and evacuees of the storm.
Just a few days later, bassist Chris Wood of both band was hospitalized in Charleston, SC. After undergoing emergency surgery earlier in the week, we are happy to hear that Chris Wood is on the mend! While he is recovering, shows scheduled for both of his bands have been retooled in the coming weeks.
In response to the cancelled tour dates resulting from the medical emergency, the Wood Brothers are working to reschedule the dates for April 2017. For their set this weekend at Hangtown Musical Festival in Placerville, CA, guitarist Oliver Wood and drummer Jano Rix will continue their appearance as planned and are inviting some friends along for the ride. Ric Robertson from the Rondo Rigs will stepping in for Chris Wood on bass, and the band has already announced some special guests who will be stopping by, including Joe Craven, Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), and members of the Infamous Stringdusters.
The festival has also replaced a scheduled Medeski Martin & Wood set with a performance hosted by John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, featuring Kirk Joseph of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (tuba), Will Bernard (guitar) and Billy Martin. Dubbed Medeski Martin & Mad Skillet will perform “a dynamic mix of MMW tunes and hard-hitting grooves.” Find out more info here.
Meanwhile, the scheduled Medeski Martin & Wood shows at NYC’s le Poisson Rouge have been rescheduled to January, but some exciting shows are still on tap for this week in lieu of those performances. John Medeski will be playing with The Campbell Brothers tomorrow, October 19th, and Medeski will also team with Billy Martin and Nels Cline (of Wilco fame) for a performance on October 20th. More information about those shows can be found here.
Hopefully, the Wood Brothers be back on the road soon, and we’re sending good vibes and healing thoughts their way. You can check out their website for more information and tour updates.