The Deep Woods Band

Artist Information

Biography

It is hardly a secret that some people in the music industry are obsessed with labels. They want to neatly classify everything, putting all of it in little, organized folders somewhere on a musical shelf. This sort of musical obsessive compulsiveness has recently infected many modern bands. They spend more time trying to define their band than they do perfecting their craft. There is one band, however, that would drive all of these label-crazed people up the wall. The members of Oregon's The Deep Woods Band see absolutely no need to worry about titles. They are determined to be known as a rock n' roll band that can make people dance, enjoy themselves, and think about the world in which they live.

The Deep Woods Band is currently doing something that is both ambitious and intriguing. The band is led by the blues-tinged vocals and guitar stylings of Bobby Shade. The guitar pyrotechnics of Matt Royston, from shimmering slide work to pounding blues the Mattbroiler keeps it cooking. The Rev. A. J. Studly adds to the sound with his howling harmonica, while The Don Cruse shines on his keyboard. The very solid rhythm section is composed of drummer B.G. Shade and bassist Isaac Jones. With influences as diverse as The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and Ray Charles, they are difficult to pidgeonhole. It is this eclectic range of inspirations which makes the band nothing short of an experience to see and hear. In the spirit of many of the successful bands of these eras, The Deep Woods Band stands out because they consistently put their own appealing spin on everything they do, be it their carefully chosen cover songs or their infectiously energetic original material.

The band has recently been heading in the direction of jam bands such as The Dead, String Cheese Incident, and Widespread Panic. The setlist is always in flux, and on any given night audiences may hear a psychedelic version of Jim Reeves' 'Room Full Of Roses', followed by the band's latest original song, 'Baby We Got Nothin'. This song keeps with the band's tendency to write social commentaries that are both catchy and thought-provoking. The band is also known for its extended Coltrane-inspired versions of old favorites, such as Donovan's 'Season Of The Witch' and Disney's 'Zip A Dee Doo Da'. This ability to draw creative inspiration from the music that has preceded them has caused The Deep Woods Band to connect with the hundreds of people in the Pacific Northwest who have seen them live.

Every once in a while, a band arrives with the nerve, ambition, and confidence to do something different. Often this attempt is marked by a unique sound or a defining look that separates them from other bands. Other times, a group stands out because they simply do not care what other bands are doing. The guys in The Deep Woods Band have made it abundantly clear that their main reason for working together is their love of music. The band is intent on positively affecting people via their entertaining live show. They are confident that passion for one's craft tends to transcend genres and titles. By bringing this attitude to their project, The Deep Woods Band is simultaneously winning over fans and reeking havoc on modern music's tendency to label and sort. For more information on The Deep Woods Band, visit www.deepwoodsband.com.
Listen to the DWB http://myspace.com/thedeepwoodsband

Instrumentation

Bob Shade - Guitar, Vocals
Don Cruse - Keys, Vocals
Isaac Jones - Bass, Vocals
Matt Royston (the Mattbroiler) - Guitar, Violin, Vocals
The Rev. AJ Studley - Harmonica, Vocals
BG Shade - Drums, Vocals

Discography

We have released several cds. None are in print.
http://myspace.com/deepwoodsband

Audio

• Stand Up Man
  Listen   Download
• You'll See Me Again
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• (dreams of the whether underground)The Wheel Of '68
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Lyrics

• Stand Up Man
• You'll See Me Again
• (dreams of the whether underground)The Wheel Of '68

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• A band must bust its butt [+ Show ]
  

  March 16 - 23, 2007 A band must bust its butt After digging in to grow new material, the Deep ...March 16 - 23, 2007
  
  A band must bust its butt
  
  After digging in to grow new material, the Deep Woods Band sprouts again just in time for St. Patrick’s Day
  
  By Jake TenPas
  The Entertainer
  
  While the advantages of having three qualified ministers in your group might not be immediately apparent, The Deep Woods Band isn’t ruling anything out. After making music for more than seven years, something must be keeping the nucleus of Bobby Shade, the Rev. A.J. Studley and Isaac Jones going strong.
  
  As of yet, they’ve never been propositioned to perform a wedding ceremony mid-set, and when asked if they’d be willing to do so, Shade says, “It’d depend on how much change they had in their pocket.”
  
  Depending on how festive the crowd gets this Saturday night at The Fox & Firkin, Shade might get put to the test.
  
  Formed in the winter of 1999 and 2000 through a strange set of circumstances revolving around a Christmas party at Videx, the original trio of guitarist and songwriter Shade, harp slinger Studley and bassist Jones has played with a revolving cast of musicians that has solidified to include drummer B.G. Shade and keyboard wizard The Pixelated Piano Player.
  
  If you’re wondering why The Pixelated Piano Player’s — or 3P for short — face is always blurred out in photos, don’t ask. Some questions are better left alone. Suffice it to say that some outlaws, musical or otherwise, function better in anonymity.
  
  “He’s on the run from consciousness,” Shade says. “Or to — to Consciousness.”
  
  Whichever it is, the whole band seems to be following suit, playing a mind-bending mix of psychedelic rock, electric blues, folk, jazz and oldies that will definitely alter your consciousness. When you take into consideration that the band’s sets can last in excess of three hours, a tantric component becomes evident, taking both them and their listeners into the outer realms of experience.
  
  Judging by those influences and The Deep Woods Band’s predilection for jamming, it’s not hard to see that its sound was anointed in the oiled-light shows and music of mid- to late-60s California rock. Growing up in Whittier and Laguna Beach, Bobby Shade soaked up the sounds of the era while playing surf music in one of his first bands. From the jugband music of The Holy Modal Rounders to the country blues of Son House to the blistering rave-ups of the Grateful Dead and The Yardbirds, all of it gets thrown into the orbit of Shade’s most recent enterprise.
  
  “The music truly shaped a lot of what I think about,” he says, a statement that is backed up not just by what he plays, but what he says and does, as well. A quick trip to The Deep Woods Band’s Web site, www.deepwoodsband.com, reveals a rolling ticker, counting off the cost of the war in Iraq to date. Shade is outspoken not only in his distrust of the current political regime, but in organizing local music festivals bringing together like-minded musicians and fans.
  
  Last summer, the group held its first concert at Shade and his partner, Jan Gallant’s, forested Nashville property. Once a big stop on the railroad between Corvallis and Toledo, the location seems the perfect symbol of the crossroads of ideas and influences The Deep Woods Band’s music represents.
  
  In addition to the Web site, Shade has made free, downloadable music a top priority of his. “I do love giving music away,” he says. “I never expected to make any money off it.” His stance represents a fairly forward-looking perspective for a group that calls rural Oregon its home. Of course, his house is equipped with DSL service, a prerequisite to him moving there a couple of years ago.
  
  For the past year and a half, The Deep Woods Band has been on a semi-hiatus, woodshedding if you will to write new songs, work on its vocal harmonies, tighten up its instrumental attack and record a new CD, “Relax Ur Mined.”
  
  When they take the stage at The Fox, they’ll be unleashing many of those new songs on the audience, in addition to the strange assortment of covers they’ve become known for over the years. St. Patty’s Day will see both Yardbirds and Tom Waits songs fed through the warped lens of the band’s music.
  
  When pressed as to how they can work so hard and play so long, Shade gets realistic. “We couldn’t do it every night, but I bet we could do it twice a month,” he says, laughing.
  
  He’s not asking too many questions or second-guessing the band’s blessing to be better live than in its rehearsals. “We always sound better onstage,” he says, and that’s enough for him.
  
  Check it Out
  
  The Deep Woods Band plays The Fox & Firkin at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 17. The cover is $5

Setlist

Set 1
Trouble In The Woods = Cm (original DWB)
Stand Up Man = G (original Bob)
I Ain't Got You = E (Clarence Carter)
Kansas City = C (Leiber & Stoller)
Way Down In The Hole = Bb (tom waites)
Drunkards Path = E (original Bob)
You'll See Me Again = Am (Original Isaac)
99 Years Blues = A (Julius Daniels)>
>Viper = A (fats waller)>
>Rider = A (tradtional)

Set 2
Livin With The Animals = D (R.P. St. John)
Never Give A Sucker An Even Break = C (original Bob)
Front Porch Blues = C (original Bob)
Folsom Prison Blues = E (johnny cash)
Jerkin Me Around = C (Original Bob)
Swami = E (60's group william penn V)
A Man Must Bust His Butt = G (Original Isaac)
Hoochee Coochee Man = A (willie dixon)
Baby We Got Nothin = G (original Bob)

Set 3
Once More = E (original Bob)
Coming Into Los Angeles = A (arlo guthrie)
Just Sittin = C (original Bob)
Hang Up Blues = Am (original Bob)
We Gotta Get Outta This Place = C (Animals)
Then Maybe I'd Be Satisfied With Life = E (George M. Cohen)
One Foot In Front Of The Other = E (original Bob)
Season Of The Witch = A (donovan)
Dreams Of The Whether Underground = D (original Bob)
Everything Works = E (original Bob)

Basic Requirements

Calendar