the TRIO joins us at Dee’s lounge to play a few songs from their NEW album ‘Puff of Smoke’ and discuss the trust, play, mindfulness and magic that define their creative process

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The Wood Brothers are not control freaks. On the contrary, they know they’re not in charge—and they believe that that’s a good thing.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that we are not in control,” says bassist and vocalist Chris Wood, “and once we accept that, it’s liberating and we can have some fun.”

This let go and let (some kinda) god philosophy is one that the artists apply both to life and what mirrors it: the creative process.

When working on their newest album, Puff of Smoke, the trio came into the studio with many elements undetermined. They didn’t know what instruments they would play, where a song might go. Instead, they left room for surprise, spontaneity and experimentation—as singer, songwriter and guitarist Oliver Wood puts it: “being open to things and letting go of expectations and being kind of childlike.”

They also sought to embrace discomfort—operating from a space where judgment and ego were abandoned in favor of instinct and trust… in themselves, the moment, the music, each other.

Above all, they just made sure to have some fun.

“Every time we do [an album], we like to discover things and surprise ourselves,” Oliver says. “We just try to make sure it’s fun every time.”

About a month after the album’s release—ahead of their packed AMERICANAFEST showcase at Basement East—The Wood Brothers joined us at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge for our live-session series in collaboration with I Know We Should.

The band (Oliver and Chris, plus Jano Rix on keys and percussion — sometimes simultaneously) played three songs from Puff of Smoke: “Witness”; “The Trick”; “Above All Others.” In between tracks, the artists discussed the making of the album—creative trust falls, getting weird and why the first take is often where the magic is (plus joked about an alternate version of the last song, written for the ~adult~ business next door).

While Puff of Smoke is the band’s ninth album (their debut Ways Not to Lose dropped in 2006), this was my first time seeing the band live, and my first instinct—and, as you’ll see via video, response—was how do I join?!

(The answer: manual labor. Which, for the record, I can totally get behind.)

The Wood Brothers will be hitting the stage at the Brooklyn Paramount as part of the Puff of Smoke Tour on Wednesday, December 10th. Grab your tix here, then come on out and join the family.

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Want more AMERICANAFEST? Check out our session with Leslie Jordan , Henhouse Prowlers and Jack Van Cleaf!

Follow The Wood Brothers at @thewoodbros and add the music to your Spotify playlists!

Follow I Know We Should at @iknowweshould and subcribe on YouTube.

Credits: Sam Sumpter – Host // Brad Wagner – Video // Juan M Soria – Audio // Jamie Robertson – Lighting // Anna Lindqvist – Production Assistant // Arieh Samson – Production Assistant

Feature image: Jess Gruneisen