Jared Woods

If there is one thing Jared Woods knows about himself, it’s that he’s huge in Kodiak, Alaska.

“They treat me like a king when I am there,” he said. “They rent me a car and everything. A crappy car, but a car.” If there is one thing Alaskans know about Woods, it’s that he’s a hit everywhere he plays in Alaska.

“(Woods) talks with a loud voice, laughs even louder and sings, strums, walks and dresses (he's a shopaholic who loves vintage clothing) with a visible self-confidence,” Josh Niva of the Anchorage Daily News wrote.

He’s the type of guy Alaskans would proudly show off to friends in the rest of the US but would first consider hoarding for themselves. Anchorage fans voted Woods best singer and best guitar player in 2006 and is often referred to as the town’s most popular acoustic performer.

“If you know anything about anything where local music is concerned, chances are you’ve heard of Jared Woods,” Monica Bradbury of the Anchorage Press wrote. Woods plays shows up to five times a week, either solo or with his band Woodrow. He also hosts Anchorage’s most popular open mic night at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse.

“If I could play every night for four hours, I would do it,” Woods said. “It is kind of all or nothing for me.” He is Alaska’s working musician. He makes his living on playing music in a State where that is almost unheard of.

Last winter, Woods ventured out to do a three-month national tour with fellow Alaskan, Andrew Norsworthy. They played gigs in all over, from small coffeehouses in Dallas, Texas to The Fox Theater in Boulder, Colo. The 50-date tour had the two musicians covering 14,500 miles in a small sedan they called "The Warrior.” Upon returning to Alaska, Woods recorded a 4-track acoustic EP titled “Wren,” which was released in December 2006.

In the coming months he will record a full-length, pop-rock album, which he hopes to promote heavily through touring. Alaskans, enjoy him while you can.

--Rosey Robards

GIGGED WITH:

John Gorka, Shawn Mullins, Erin McKeown, The Gin Blossoms, The Donnas, Rose Polenzani, Kristen Hoffmann, The Young Dubliners, Steve Forbert, Maura O'Connell, Tony Moore (Cutting Crew), Marty Jones, Hamell On Trial, Palomino, Matt Lewis Band, The Whipsaws, Andrew Norsworthy, Sleep Machine, Delmag, Yesman, Xavier Rudd, and Kate Earl.

Press Quotes:

"He's got a big sound for a lone guy with a string instrument."
-Anchorage Daily News (Dec. '06)

“…Woodrow demonstrated to the Anchorage audience that the Alaska music scene is as exciting as witnessing a breaching whale.”
–Northern Light (July 2005)

“Woodrow’s set was one of the highlights of the evening. Jared Woods, accompanied by his brother Christian Woods on bass guitar and Michael Holtz on drums, was in fine form. Woods is in a class with sensitive singer-songwriter types like Elliot Smith and could easily slide into the mainstream pop world in this full-band format.” –Anchorage Press (2003)

“The Bi-polar Bears lit up the student union for two hours and shook the foundation the whole time.”
–Northern Light (November 2004)

“He’s turned out to be pretty valuable. On Monday night, you can’t get a seat in here, Humpy's manager Cyndi Ramirez said.”
–Anchorage Daily News (February 2004)