Artist Bio
Hailing from the heart of West Yorkshire, Woody brings a touch of Leeds to his guitar playing. With a passion for blues, rock and funk, his playing harkens back to the guitar greats of old. He is also well versed on the bass and keyboard, but guitar is where he really shines.
Whether it was honing his skills in local pubs or jamming with friends, Woody's musical journey has led him to create music with funk bands, hard rock bands, acoustic bands and psych bands.
Drawing inspiration from Clapton, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, Woody's guitar work adds a tasteful touch to any performance, that's restrained but also poignant and powerful.
One significant milestone for Woody was playing at Northern Guitars with the Boogiemen. This was a paid gig on a Friday night at a bustling guitar shop/bar/venue in the heart of Leeds. They played for an hour and a half and did a mix of funk covers, interpretations and originals. The atmosphere was great and people who had never heard them before sang along in the chant sections of our originals. Additionally, Woody played one of his best solos using a wah pedal, during an extended, ‘funkified’ cover of Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics. They received lots of praise after this gig, and an encore was requested.
Woody is working towards his BTEC Level 3 in Music performance, and he has received a scholarship offer to study folk music at Leeds Conservatoire.
On guitar, he can play in a wide range of styles, but his main style and technical approach stem from the blues. This means that Woody plays jam style songs, with a loose structure, in which he plays mainly using the pentatonic scale, but adding the tritone, and the major third along with other notes from many scales. Additionally, he has a strong focus on rhythm, such that his right hand rarely stops moving, and he use the left hand to mute and unmute strings to create funky rhythms and textures.
In 2019, He played at the Wardrobe, and Zach Lount of King No One was playing guitar alongside. Other notable collaborations include with members of The North, Acetate and Green Skoda.
Stay tuned for upcoming gigs and hear Woody weave his magic on the strings, like on the 18th May when he performs with the Licensed at Hyde Park Book Club.