Out Behind the Woodshed

A couple of years back, a friend of mine let me listen to his Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli CDs. The few short days they were in my possession took me back seventy years and reintroduced me to the world of swing-jazz. I had been rewarded with the crisp clean sound of a violin, masterfully played and the upbeat thrums and intricate chords of an acoustic guitar. I was even more impressed when I learned of Django’s tragic story and the fact that the intricate chords I was listening to were made with only two fingers.

Fast forward to just a few months ago and the same friend tosses a seemingly blank CD on my desk and suggests that I ‘give it a listen’. Initially, I thought he had given me more “Quintette du Hot Club de France” or Mark O’Connor to enjoy, but it somehow sounded a little less refined, even, dare I say, gritty. I was even more excited to learn that “The Woodshedders” were in my own backyard.

The Woodshedders avoid the term ’swing-jazz’ when describing their band as they feel that encases them in a “little genre shaped box”. Instead they have created their own moniker they call “original Hot Appalachian Jazz”. The band’s seven members claim (not surprisingly) influences by the swing-jazz greats like Reinhardt and Grappelli, but also more traditional forms such as old-time, bluegrass, country, (gasp) even rap and yodeling. During live performances, The Woodshedders have been known to cover many artist music such as The Boswell Sisters, Milton Brown, Hank Williams, Freddie Taylor, Robert Johnson, Stephen Foster, and James Brown.

The band consists of Dwayne Brooke (guitar, vocals), Aimee Curl (vocals, upright bass), Morgan Morrison (vocals), Ryan Mayo (upright bass), Stuart Orser (guitar), Jesse Schultzaberger (drums, skiffle trap), and David VanDeventer (fiddle, vocals). Examples of their music, including scheduled live events, and booking information can be found on their site.