Stillwood

The most amazing thing about Stillwood’s debut CD Untangled is that it’s their debut. This hard-rocking southern jam quintet from the Florida panhandle sounds like they’ve been at it for years, cranking out roadhouse tunes steeped in Southern soul, Texas blues and swamp funk.
Stillwood (formerly known as Tanglewood, until they found out a Symphony from Boston had trademarked the name) stews up the best of Southern rock by melding country, blues, gospel, and all the roots forms that made rock what it is. They get it.
“ River Junction” is just one of a handful of finely cultivated songs that are more aligned with folk in their craftsmanship, but rock with abandon in their often jammed-out execution.
The sonic quality of the record–produced by live recording guru Doug Oade et. al.—is outstanding, the performances sublime the songs articulate. “Untangled” is a solid debut in every way.- T.S. - An Honest Tune Magazine

Name: Tanglewood
Musicians: Danny Goddard (Guitar, Vocals, Banjo), Topher (Percussion), Barry Gulker (Bass),
Jeff Hileman (Drums, Vocals), Tucker Riordan (Guitar), Thomas "T-Byrd" Taylor
(Keyboards, Vocals)
Birth: 2000
Main Groove: Roots Rock
Median Age: 28
----On the corner of Rosemary and Tanglewood stands the headquarters of one of
Tallahassee's most promising bands. The multiple-story, aged brown house
(home to bassist Barry Gulker) hides protected under the shade of tall trees and
residential splendor. But twice a week, the house rocks the quiet neighborhood
as Tanglewood gathers for their practice sessions. Made up of six musicians as
dedicated to their music as they are to each other, Tanglewood is proud to call
Tallahassee its home. "We play at J.P.'s in Valdosta and Skipper's in Tampa,
and yeah, the crowds are great," says guitarist and lead singer Danny Goddard.
" But there's nothing like coming home and feeling the energy from a crowd full of
our friends."
Tanglewood knows what it feels like to come home, as they completed their first
tour in the summer of 2002. Under the management of Progressive Global (who
have put on tours for such noted jam bands as Widespread Panic and R.E.M.),
Tanglewood traveled the South, sharing their roots-based, folk-influenced,
Southern-rock music to eager and responsive crowds. A Tanglewood show is
never empty, never dull, and most of all the crowd never sits. What started out as
a bunch of friends getting together to jam, became an underground phenomenon
rooted by the strong commitment to good music and the bond of family.
Tanglewood is family. The fans, the musicians and the music create a bond hard
to describe, but nonetheless omnipresent. As common in bands such as the
Grateful Dead and Phish, success comes quietly but deservedly. Tanglewood is,
simply put, on its way.
" We weren't looking to get famous," says guitarist Tucker Riordan, "we just
wanted to play." That's how it all started anyway. The band currently completed a
studio session in the fall of 2002 and will put out an album to complement their
sampler albums already roaming the streets.
Goddard, who writes most of the lyrics and music, describes their foundation as
" lyrical imagery," finding a basis in country-folk artists such as Guy Clark. "It's
been a real organic process," Goddard says on the creation of Tanglewood and
their style. "Sure we have all been influenced by the Grateful Dead and the
Beatles, Led Zeppelin, all the greats," percussionist Topher adds, "but we each
have our own influences too." From Pachebel, to Count Basie, to the Doobie
Brothers, Tanglewood's influences have created a style that can be explained as
unique, deep, entrancing and magnetic.
" No matter what happens, we'll keep playing," says keyboardist Thomas "T-Byrd"
Taylor. At the rate they are going though, something will happen and hopefully
we will all get to enjoy the show.
Check out their web site at www.tanglewoodjams.com for album information and
upcoming shows. - Tallahassee Magazine

By John Stoehr for the Savannah Morning News
Until three years ago, guitarist and singer Danny Goddard lived out of a van. He left his father's house when he was 17 and for a long time, the 24-year-old spiritual leader of Tallahassee's Tanglewood did what every red-blooded, youthful American dreams of.
" I did the exploration-of-America thing," Goddard said. "I went to California and all over the U.S."
Goddard's friends were avid fans of a number of touring rock bands. To get to the bands' nationwide gigs, they drafted Goddard to schlep them cross-country in his old-but-reliable Volkswagen bus.
" I was like their in-house mechanic," he said. "I never paid for anything; I just drove and fixed the bus when it broke down. We went everywhere."
His vagabond lifestyle put him in situations that he calls "weird."
" I lived in a teepee in the woods of Virginia for a while," Goddard said. "I'd ask myself, 'Why am I here sleeping with the spiders and ants?' "
Alternative, neo-hippie, granola; call it what you will. But without the restrictions of everyday living -- like showering -- Goddard discovered a deep sense of freedom. And it was this freedom that inspired him to take up the guitar, write his own songs and put a band together. The result was Tanglewood, and the do-it-yourself ethos that is the benchmark of the six-man ensemble is something of which Goddard is proud.
" We figured out how to do everything on our own -- booking, song writing, publicity, everything," Goddard said. "There's a ton of pride in that."
" I used to play the drums in punk bands," he continued. "I've experienced the DIY thing. I knew that you can do it all on your own. It's hard, but you can do it."
The precision and velocity of Goddard's punk pedigree don't seem to interfere with Tanglewoods classic, rocking-chair pace. Goddard, who does most of the song craft, said his songs typically grow into something larger on stage than he originally intended.
" The music is a kind of folkie folk-rock," he said, "but the guys tend to make into something much bigger than I first imagined it to be. It's much different when I do an acoustic set.
" People group us into the jam band category," he continued. "But we're much more song-oriented and concerned with good passages. When we're live, we definitely have a jam band audience and we cater to that crowd."
Congealed in August 2000, Tanglewood only happened at Goddard's urging. He was the one who persuaded the others -- Thomas "T-Byrd" Taylor (keyboards, vocals), Tucker Riordan (guitar) and Barry Gulker (bass) -- to stop treating Tanglewood as a hobby for their friends and make the commitment to succeed.
Goddard, who'd made a go as a soloist in Austin, Texas, knew he needed a band. And he knew it would work with Tanglewood.
" After a while, we knew that this was the best feeling we'd ever had musically," Goddard said. "At first we sucked. Our keyboard player, guitarist and bass player pretty much started from scratch. But over the years, the music has grown. Eventually I knew that we had to try. I knew that this was the moment I'd been waiting for."

- Savannah Morning News

" All good music falls in the cracks as one tries to
define it. Stillwood plays music designed for live
listening, and fortunately they have finally been
" caught on tape". When I heard the production work of
Doug Oade, a true "yoda" of live recording and a most
prolific live music fan, I was amazed at the high
resolution recording that he captured from the band.
The band mixes a dirty dark hard rock edge with a
truly literary-sensible Americana-vibed song base as
they journey through roots, country and literally all
kinds of rock. Underpinned by Danny Goddard's
visionary writing he he guides Stillwood's live shows
and their audiances in a skillful, yet respectful way
centric to the band and crowd. He truly has the "it's
not about me" vibe and over time these players have
stayed together and formed a cohesive and original
sound and this recording will finally match what they
have been doing so well for so long. Doug Oade has
done it before and now he has done it again with a
true band of great musicians who listen to one
another. Sit down with a good high fidelity system and
don't miss this truly great recording of Stillwood,
one of the finest bands you will ever hear."
" Rev" Jeff Mosier (Blueground Undergrass) - by Jeff Mosier (Blueground Undergrass)

...On Saturday, everyone was good but the bands that did the most to inspire the crowd's dancing feet were The Dirty Dozen (sporting significantly less than a dozen players but featuring a couple of blazing special appearances by Charlie Hunter and his sax player John Ellis), and Tanglewood. While a dancing good time is no surprise from The Dirty Dozen, I'll admit to being surprised at the set by Tanglewood. These guys are from my town, Tallahassee, and have developed a well-deserved reputation in the region for their constant touring and tight connection between themselves and their ferociously dedicated fans. My opinion of their music was that it was solidly within the jamband genre, leaning heavily in the direction of the Grateful Dead, sometimes rather too heavily for a band performing their own compositions. I'll also admit to being surprised that they were playing at this fest, and being followed by The Charlie Hunter Trio.


It's always seemed to me that the most difficult thing for a band to do is to find its own voice that sounds at once unique but still connected to the music of others. Too many bands in the jamband genre are downright derivative, pale imitators of the sound of their precursors, usually The Dead, The Allmans, or Phish. But let me be the first to say in print that it seems to me Tanglewood accepted and met the challenge in impressive fashion bursting past the bounds of their obvious influences. They played fairly early but it was clear after a couple of tunes that they were succeeding in drawing folks out of their tents and onto the dance floor. It should be noted that though there were at most a sprinkling of folks who had seen them before, I feel confident that among the 90% or so of the audience who hadn't, a good number will be looking for their next local show and bringing friends along. If this set was an example of where they're at now, where they're going is up. I hope they continue to develop and evolve their own sound and material.... - JAMBANDS.COM

By Kati Schardl
Democrat Staff Writer 4.18.03


Leave room for the magic, and then stand back and watch it happen. That's been the motto of local band Tanglewood since it formed four years ago as a loose conglomeration of musicians who liked jamming together for fun. There's potent magic indeed in Tanglewood's evolution since then. The band has established a solid presence on the jam band circuit, with performances at festivals ranging from the Florida Music Harvest to this weekend's inaugural Suwannee Bound Weekend Music Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.
"We've just kind of made it up as we've gone along", said guitarist, singer and primary songwriter Danny Goddard. "The whole process has been really organic. Our whole concept has been that chance favors the prepared mind, and we've put ourselves in a position where things can happen. As of right now, we're like Rhode Island- the biggest little state. We want to play music and we want to be involved, but we don't want to be the biggest thing. Our roots lie in playing for our friends, which gives us a way to blow off steam from the B.S. of the regular bar scene".
Goddard said the band expected Tanglewood's first gig- a going away party for original drummer Topher Derry- to be it's last. But band members had so much fun and got such a positive response that they decided to keep going. The Tanglewood family of fans grew through the band's annual parties, sweaty tribal gatherings that allowed the group to polish its self-described mix of "cosmic jams and earthy roots". The band's sound, which has a distinct Southern rock edge, has tightened over time into a heady sonic brew that reflects members' diverse musical interests.
"There's such a wide range of people in the band", said Goddard. "We have five distinct angles of approach to the music". Goddard's deep appreciation of alt-country music is augmented by the musical contributions of fellow guitarist Tucker Riordan, bassist Barry Gulker, drummer and vocalist, Jeff Hileman and laid-back keyboardist T-Byrd Taylor. The band has spent some time in the studio trying to capture its live energy and infectiously danceable sound, but it still considers live shows its stock in trade.
"Playing at the festivals is really great because we get to be included with musicians we really look up to", Goddard said. "We get to hang out with our idols backstage". Tanglewood will definitely perform in august company at this weekend's festival. The headliners include bluegrass-based Colorado jam band String Cheese Incident, jazz fusion group Charlie Hunter Quintet, scorching psychedelic blues roots unit North Mississippi Allstars (with special guest Dickey Betts), Southern rock stalwart Gov't. Mule, Big Easy horn posse Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more. - TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

William Shakespeare wrote: "What’s in a name?" Apparently a lot, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). And here is the story of why we changed our name:
We thought that Tanglewood was a great name which suited us and our music, and a lot of people agreed. So ,we figured we ought to trademark it, and we filed it with the USPTO. As soon as we did, an attorney for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO)wrote us a letter explaining that the BSO had a summer concert facility and music school called Tanglewood and that they objected to our using the name for our band. or something. Well, we told them that we didn’t think it would be a problem, and we went ahead with the trademark process.
After what seemed like forever, the USPTO told us that they agreed with the BSO and that there was a "likelihood of confusion" between us and the BSO’s Tanglewood. While we thought we had a chance of fighting their decision, we determined that the time and money involved would be better spent playing music. After all, we’re rockers, not fighters. Plus, it would be at least a couple of years before we got a final decision, and it might not have gone in our favor after all that.
at just FELT right to us. We think we did it with Stillwood, and we hope you agree. - www.stillwood.us

By Jonathan Tully
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


On the band's Web site, Stillwood writes that while the five-piece from Tallahassee jams, please do not call them a "jam band."

OK. I won't. Actually, I really can't.

A couple of things define the kind of psychedelic sound that brings the sometimes disparaging label of "jam band": 1. meandering, long songs; and 2. a constant laid-back vibe.

Neither applies to Stillwood.

Mind you, there are elements that could link them to the "j" word. For one thing, they sometimes have a guitar sound that runs very close to that of the progenitors of the "jam band" (oops) sound, the Grateful Dead. But that's a compliment to guitarist-singer Danny Goddard and fellow guitarist Tucker Riordan, who intertwine guitar lines intricately.

There are big differences between Stillwood and "jam bands," as evidenced by the band's album, Untangled. For one thing, many jam bands don't get as funky as Stillwood does. Songs like Texas El Camino and Scarecrow have a strong underpinning of funk, with the rhythm section Barry Gulker (bass) and Jeff Hileman (drums) driving those songs forward.

Stillwood also keeps things tight, as songs rarely range past four minutes, but there's enough energy to realize that they could easily stretch in concert — which might be the case tonight at the Bamboo Room.

Untangled brings across the sense of fun the band shows live — even the name of the album is a play on words: The band used to be called Tanglewood before the Boston Symphony Orchestra objected to them using the name of their summer concert home. So they became Stillwood, and were "untangled" from the situation.

Grade: B-

- Palm Beach Post

Put another candle on that cake
Local band invites friends old and new to celebrate its 5th anniversary

by Christina M. Lanier
September 06, 2005

Stillwood, formerly Tanglewood, refuses to be labeled as a 'jam band,' despite the fact that it is often classified as such.

'We don't waste notes. We think it's about the lyrics too,' lead vocalist and frontman Danny Goddard said in reference to Stillwood's effort to distance itself from the genre.

Instead, Goddard suggests that Stillwood is 'roots music,' drawing from a number of styles ranging from freeform, to blues, to rock 'n' roll. Part of the group's difficulty in pinning down a genre seems to stem from the wide range of influences each of the five members brings to Stillwood.

In spite of its various sources of inspiration, Stillwood sees itself as a source of originality. Goddard pens many of the band's songs himself, drawing upon his experiences and those of his band-mates. Stillwood has been known to slip in a classic cover now and then, but much of the material is the band's own. Goddard believes that Stillwood's flexibility has allowed the group to remain a consistent player in the local music scene.

'We leave room for the magic,' Goddard said. 'We're prepared, but we are able to improvise. We let the audience dictate the direction of the show.'

In addition to its shows at smaller venues, Stillwood will also frequent the festival scene. The band can be spotted at Live Oak's MagnoliaFest in late October and at Quincy's Down on the Farm Festival in mid-November. Stillwood has even sunk its roots into television. SunSport's popular, Miami-based extreme fishing show The Bite TV brings rock music and large fish together in 6.1 million households by featuring Stillwood on its soundtrack. Stillwood hopes that this unconventional marriage of fish and music will help to widen its fan base and spread the group's message.

Goddard believes that the essence of Stillwood is incorporating 'musical freedom' into fundamental musical principles.

'We play simple music,' Goddard said. 'Sometimes, it doesn't come out like that' but it's what we try to do.'

Stillwood feels that establishing a sense of community is a high priority. Acknowledging that music has the power to bring people together, Stillwood regularly performs benefits for St. Mark's. In addition, Stillwood is currently working with the Web site http://www.blanksandpostage.com to send a musical compilation to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stillwood's contribution will be recorded live at its Warehouse show this weekend.

Stillwood's debut studio release, Untangled, is a distilled version of its live show. It includes both new material and old fan favorites and is available through Vinyl Fever and CD Warehouse, as well as the group's Web site: http://www.stillwood.us/.

The members of Stillwood feel blessed to have been making music for the past five years.

'Stillwood is a meeting place for friends,' Goddard said. 'We're still growing. We are a tribe.'

While Stillwood may often rely on its perennial fan base, it hopes that new students will join in on the festivities this weekend and taste a bit of musical freedom. - Florida Flambeau