Music
Press
“If you like…the Black Crows, the Rolling Stones, and Bruce Springsteen, you’ll Dig Chris Batten and the Woods. You’ll hear all of those acts in various degrees throughout the largely impressive disc. The Springsteen-like Batten is a great lyricist and a soulful singer…and might go far in the same retro scene that spawned the Crows and Lenny Kravitz.”
- Bob Makin
June 12, 2004
- The Courier News - NJ
"Chris Batten and the Woods debut CD is reminiscent of the days of Elvis Costello. The band is capable of great arrangements that suck you in with their intensity. The CD flows and the songs are fantastically written and sung by Chris Batten Produced by the band themselves, they never lose site of what's important.... the song."
- Janis Tate
August 2004 - IndieMusicExplosion.com
“A Bridgewater-based four-piece very much under the influence of Paul Westerberg circa-Pleased To Meet Me, five of six tracks on this outstanding EP are passionate, confessional, well-written, loud ‘n’ loose rockers that explode with an unbridled energy, ‘Stones-like swagger and Batten’s do-or-die desire to somehow, someway get it all off his chest. The exception…a wistful, gently churning, Toad-The-Wet-Springsteen alt. twang thinker called “Driver” that lays it all on the line."
- Al Muzer
October 6, 2004 - The Aquarian
“…their live shows feature a non-stop explosion of energy with band members jumping around, sweating to the tilt, and giving their all on stage. It’s an intense experience, which is one reason the band is quickly asked back at every venue they’ve played.” - Upstage Magazine
“… these renegades have managed to win over many fans, earning their spots and they've done it with pure musicianship and songwriting…” - The Rutgers Daily Targum
Discography
Chris Batten and the Woods - "If We Never Stop Moving...ep" (released 11/07)
Chris Batten and the Woods - "On The Banks of the old Raritan EP" (released 9/07)
Chris Batten and the Woods - 5-song demo (released 10/05)
Chris Batten and the Woods - self titled ep (released 04/04)
- FOX'S Fearless Music TV featured a live performance of "Swagger" and after being voted back, the following week "A Little More Time" was aired.
- "Swagger" and "Driver" featured on Rutgers' WRSU
- "Sad Songs" in rotation on many NJ and NYC radio stations.
- "Driver" featured on Independent Music Explosion, streaming radio
- "Driver" featured on Wondermore Records Compilation
- "Swagger" featured on Upstage Magazine's "Come Back to the Jersey Shore Vol. 1" Compilation
Photos
Bio
Playing soul music in the truest aspect of the genre, taken for granted by most and deeply treasured by others; The Woods pride themselves on honest music with an even more honest heart. Taking equal parts Stax inspired blue-eyed soul and the song-comes-first brand of rock and roll that burgeoned from it, they mend a natural, authentic sound that harks back to Otis, Springsteen and Thin Lizzy and mingles in the same back alleys as contemporaries such as Wilco, Counting Crows, and The Hold Steady.
The Woods' latest EP bears the title "If We Never Stop Moving," a lyric from the band's semi-autobiographical song "Lions." However, the title has become more of a battle cry then the mere ending to a verse, as The Woods' short 3+ year existence has seen them put out a string of musical gems that rival the quality and catchiness of those on popular radio today. "I just want to put out music that's timeless" Batten says, "With music, there should be no gap, whether it be
age, time or genre. People will like something if it speaks to them and I want to speak to everyone…to build a relationship with our audience, not just a one night stand".
Batten and the Woods have gone out to support this "relationship" with consistent shows focusing on the tri-state area and a touring history through all major, mid Atlantic markets, playing in front of audiences as big as 7,000+ and opening for national headliners like: Gavin DeGraw, Butch Walker, Dropkick Murphy's, Pete Yorn, Army of Me, Jesse Malin, Dispatch, Nils Lofgren, Soozie Tyrell, John Eddie.
Raised on rock and soul legends, Batten's broad inspirations are showcased in his diverse song writing. Tracks like "Sad Songs" and the aforementioned "Lions" hark back to an era where musical emotion jumped off the speakers and into the listener's heart, while "Doncha Wanna be Doin' (Something New)" is the kind of fast spoken boogie that no one can help but dance to. But it doesn't stop there, on tracks like "Gone For Good" and "The End Of the Line" The Woods pull back to a California breeze that demands the listeners to roll down the windows and put the car in drive, all guided by Batten's steady, powerful vocals. "Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with music. I crave the passion that it brings, but I think that passion has gone missing and the audience has been looking for it." Batten laments "I can only hope that we can do our part in bringing that back….to restore some faith."
The Woods look to the past for an inspiration that delivers music ready to move a new generation and they continue to prove this night after night with live shows that have gotten the adults in the room just as excited as their jaded teenagers. As Batten says, "It's nice to play a show and have a teenage kid AND their father come up and say how much they liked the set. It lets us know that we're succeeding in what we set out to do."
For more info and content visit www.andthewoods.com
PRESS
* Featured on Fearless Music TV, Held the #1 spot on Reverbnation.com for 3 weeks in 2008, regularly charting on Purevolume's soul and blues charts, In regular rotation on many college radio stations, some major stations in the northeast, and many podcasts and internet radio stations.
"...Unsigned? Huh, are you serious? As fate may have it, they overshadow the music of those shoved in our faces every day as "popular" music on the ever-dulling radio stations. Record companies don't know it yet, but they're missing out: There is no denying their surging popularity in the tri-state area..." - The Aquarian Weekly
"...Impressive tonality, engaging lyrics, and pure sweet rock: comforting while still offering a kick to the senses. The Woods have a gift in their vocal lead, a unique and appealing voice that can stand out from the crowd of analogous rock bands and withstand the test of a 60 minute disc..." - IndieInTune.com
"...A nice example of soul music in the truest aspect of the genre - convincing and heavy with feeling..." - AmieStreet.com
"...After the release of their stellar new EP 'If We Never Stop Moving...', they've been true to that motto. They are not about following trends, but about delivering soul laden performances coupled with timeless songwriting..." - The Aquarian
"...They convincingly command the attention of the entire room, and stand as a rare credible musical entity..." - East Coast Rocker
"...Chris Batten and The Woods play a hard-charging, barroom style of bluesy rock, yet have become one of the hottest bands in the post-hardcore and emo-intensified New Brunswick scene..." - Home New Tribune
www.andthewoods.com/press
Links
