Medeski Martin & Wood with Nels Cline have announced they will release their Woodstock Sessions (Vol. 2) on April 22nd. The recordings were made live in front of a studio audience at Applehead Studios in Woodstock, NY on August 27, 2013.

This is part of a newly launched series that brings fans to the recording studio with artists to share in the record making process. Michael Birnbaum from Applehead Studios stated,  “We feel that the presence of the audience in the room with the musicians creates an energetic accelerant to the experience and to the end product that we capture and reproduce. The idea is to honor the craftsmanship that happens on both sides of the glass and lets folks have a rare look into the sanctified space that is the recording studio.”

MMW and Nels had been considering recording together since they performed at The Blue Note in New York City. As to the decision to record live, Medeski said,

“We wanted to play together, record it, and not have to fix everything in the computer. Sometimes you go into the studio and start thinking too much. It changes everything. It might end up great, but it doesn’t have the same feeling as getting together to improvise and create in the moment for the moment. This is our moment with Nels!”

The recording features two hours of improvised live music spread across two sets. These are one of a kind recordings, and what I’m sure was a once in a lifetime experiece for the 75 fans that got to participate in it.

On the outcome of the recording, Wood concluded, “When we play, there is an unspoken rule that requires each of us to sometimes lead and sometimes follow.  As an outsider, it’s hard to join this kind of democracy without altering it. With Nels Cline it’s different. He instantly became a citizen of our twisted democracy and elevated it to a higher realm.”

-Brittney Borruso www.facebook.com/rockstella