REVIEWS and RAVES

"...Carves Out His Own Niche..."
By: Andrew Gilbert
Times Correspondent
San Francisco - Friday, June 18 2004

WOOD CARVES OUT HIS OWN NICHE IN THE BLUES WORLD

When Congress officially declared 2003 "The Year of the Blues," it was certainly a positive step for the music and many working musicians.
But the blues is a life sentence, not a 12-month stretch. The gesture and the Martin Scorsese-produced PBS documentary series brought some welcome attention to this perennially underappreciated art form, but for musicians toiling night after night on the blues circuit of clubs, joints and festivals, it was way too little and far too late.
I was thinking of the nature of the blues life the other day while talking to Paul Wood between sets of a recent lightly attended Friday night show at Sweet Jimmie's nightspot in Oakland. The Memphis-based guitarist broke in with John Lee Hooker in the early '70s, joining the Coast to Coast Blues Band at 19, and he's been a journeyman guitar-slinger ever since.
After more than three decades on the scene, the Oakland-raised guitarist is now starting to come into his own as a bandleader and songwroter, with a focused, hard-driving Chicago style. He's released three CDs in the past five years, including his latest, "Pirate Radio" (Broadway Productions), which features his lived-in originals like "Good Day 4 Bad Whiskey" and "Sleepin' With the TV On," an antidote for a bad breakup.
Wood dabbledi in rock 'n' roll early in his career, opening for such groups as the Steve Miller Band, the Youngbloods and Sons of Champlin, but he has mostly hewn the blues path, a road that offers virtually no hope for pop music's possible payoff and audience.
So why did Wood choose the blues route? "It wasn't like I picked it as much as it picked me," said Wood, who plays tonight at Sweet Jimmie's and holds forth June 25 at Vinnie's in Concord, a warm-up gig for his June 27 performance at the Monterey Blues Festival. "The blues, much more than any other form of guitar playing, is a highly personalized form of self-expression. You use that form as your personal voice. I wasalways intrigued with blues players. A lot of these guys couldn't read or write, and were so eloquent with the guitar. That was their only mode of expression."
Like so many blues musicians of his generation, Wood discovered the music through the recordings of British bands, including the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds. The British invaders often vociferously lauded their African-American idols, blues icons such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Skip James, Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson, The praise sent aspiring American musicians out to record stores to discover their own musical heritage.
At Sweet Jimmie's, Wood mostly focused on tunes by blues giants, opening the first set with a potent rendition of Robert Johnson's "Stop Breakin' Down." He followed with Willie Dixon's immortal boast for Wuddy Waters, "The Seventh Son," laying down a mean guitar line that ricocheted around the club. He added some country twang to his sound on a tune borrowed from the Charlie Daniels book, with a moodified Bo Diddley beat that coaxed several women up on the dance floor.
Playing with a power trio featuring hard-working drummer Dickie McDonough and Ernie Rodriguez on electric bass and occasional vocals, Wood belted out the songs with his deep, pleasingly gruff baritone. For his gig at Vinnie's and in Monterey, he'll be joined by a horn section lead by Mic Gillette, the former Tower of Power trumpet Star. Though Wood has been based in Memphis for about eight years, Gillette takes hometown pride in Wood's growing noteriety as a solo artist.
"The first time I heard Paul was years ago with John Lee Hooker," Gillette said. "I'll work with him anywhere, anytime. See, I;m a horn guy, and I need somebody who can tune into what's going on around them. Paul pays a lot of attention to the intricate parts of an arrangement. He hasn't had much chance to bask in the limelight, so I'm proud of him now he's really coming into his own."
One reason that Wood is gaining attention is that he's putting in the requisite time on the road. He cut out of the Bay Area in 1995 and settled in Amsterdam, where he quickly established himself as one of the top players on the DUtch Scene. He was just starting to break into the bigger GErman market in Hamburg, the city where the Beatles honed their blues chops when he was coaxed back to the United States by a lucrative offer in Memphis. When that deal fell through, he broke into the Beale Street scene, though as performing fees have fallen, he's found himself working far more outside of Memphis.
"To make a living I have to go way out of town: Little Rock, Springfielf, Missouri; Oklahome City; Grand Junction, Colorado," Wood said. "I had to hit every place inbetween Memphis and here to get out to the coast. That's the way any of the blues cats built a reputation, by staying on the road for years. I don't mind, actually, because if I stay in one place, I start to get bored. If I ain't moving, I ain't grooving."

"GREAT"
La Hora Del Blues, May, 2004
Pirate Radio (Lucy003)
Paul Wood
Broadway Productions

"Third Paul Wood’s cd recorded for Lucy records. This guitar player is very well known at the ‘Bay Area’, where he normally lives and plays. Paul’s new piece of work is full of rolling energy and passionate feeling. His suggestive flamming guitar playing makes evident he is more mature than on his previous cds. He shows himself as pleasant versatile guitar player and singer, but also as an excellent composer and song writer with delightful thoughtful lyrics reflectng his own personal experiences and subtle feelings. You will also find two songs of former Lynyrd Skynyrd legendary band late member Steve Gaines’ which on Paul Wood’s hands become totally demolishing. A precious americana music and rock-blues cd, specially devoted to those of you who enjoy with bright technique tasteful cool guitar players. GREAT."
VICENTE P. ZÚMEL
Radio PICA / La Hora Del Blues
Apartado de Correos 12.085
08080 Barcelona - Spain

"Red Hot In Memphis"
The Commercial Appeal, July 29, 2001
Blues Is My Business
Paul Wood
Broadway Productions
***1/2
"Ex-John Lee Hooker guitarist Paul Wood, who's been lending his electric skills to the Reba Russell Band, releases his second album since arriving in town, "Blues Is My Business". Produced by Jack Holder at Sounds Unreel, Wood's latest is a much better calling card than the previous "Bridgeburner", which relied on his mentor's mojo a bit too much. Not here. This time, Wood explores a more persuasive soul-blues path, highlighted by the Bluebirds/Cate Brothers songwriting collaboration, She Don't Play by the Rules, and a number of fine originals including the cool, catchy Another Day, the horn-spiked, Bobby Bland-inspired twosome Cryin' Won't Help Ya' and Don't Call Me, and the standout track Everything Dies But The Blues, where Wood personalizes his Hooker boogie musically and lyically -- the words are by Wood's late father, Beat poet Paul Tulley.
And with the rhythm section that features the A-list of Bluff City pros -- drummer Steve Potts, bassist Dave Smith, keyboardist Al Gamble, Holder on second guitar and horns by Jim Spake and Scott Thompson -- every song gets an engaging polish. Wood more than holds his own with in-the-pocket singing and playing; he manhandles the genre so well, in fact, Walter Trout and other club-touring titans may want to make room."
Bill Ellis

"With the recent passing of blues giant John Lee Hooker, there are now few of the true..."
Tom Branson
Bluesrockers.ws

CELEBRITY RAVES

"It's great! We keep it in the CD player at the office so we can listen to it every day... Man, you have a soulful voice."
Jorge Santana
Santana Management
San Francisco, California

"... the best and most authentic blues-rock I've heard come out of Memphis in a long time. I Just leave it on my disc player... keep up the good work, Paul."
Prairie Prince, Drummer extraordinaire
The Tubes, Jefferson Airplane, Todd Rundgren

"I’ve heard a lot of great players in my life…I’ve been in many spots where great music was being played, and I feel fortunate to be able to attest to this fact…radio, concert promotions, stage hand, a player myself, and I’m here to testify to the world that Paul Wood is the Real Deal Blues Machine…This Artist is a master of his craft!"
Jackie Gisclar, AKA Jabeaux
BLUEDOG ENTERTAINMENT
DJ for KAFM & KVNF
Grand Junction, Colorado

"Loved it because it wasn't the same old 1 - 4 - 5 - 1 stuff. This is slammin'! I play it all the time. Let's jam!"
Bill Spooner
Tubes Founder, Mastermind head guitar, and vocals.

"Rockin' blues at its BEST!"
I've heard so many good rockin' blues cds this year already I was totally blown away when this cd arrived in the mail.
It sounds great has great set of songs and is loaded with killer guitar work. I have Paul's first cd and it's good but I wasn't expecting this. Surrounded by Memphis's best studio musicians Paul lets rip on ten killer tunes with a production major label artist would kill for. If your a fan of great blues on the rockier side with plenty of great guitar soloing you should run out and buy this album Now!!!"
Steve Albanese
Two Guys Music
Warwick, Rhode Island

"I love this CD. I will play it on my show - All the tracks are hot!! All the other DJs at the station love it, too!"
Michele Rundgren
DJ , KKCR Kauai, Hawaii