The band draws on influences from a number of musical traditions, from funk to Hip Hop, and is known for an unconventional style sometimes described as "avant-groove".
MMW has found moderate mainstream success—often working with noted guitarist John Scofield—and touring on the jam band circuit.
The band members were introduced to each other by jazz drummer Bob Moses, who had performed with Medeski and Wood , and was Martin's instructor.
Medeski Martin & Wood's first performances together were at the Village Gate, a popular New York jazz club. They were initially an acoustic jazz trio, but Medeski added a Hammond organ when the difficulties of touring with a piano became apparent. Their first album, Notes from the Underground, is a record of their entirely-acoustic era. All of their subsequent albums reveal Medeski's use of a wide variety of keyboards, including mellotron, melodica, and a clavinet. Wood entirely eschewed the electric bass for MMW's first three albums, and still relies heavily on the acoustic upright bass in recordings and during live performances. Their earlier albums reveal a Hip Hop influenced updating of classic soul jazz sounds, which is the primary theme of their well-known 1996 album, Shack-man.
The band received some of their first significant exposure outside of the New York City jazz scene by performing with Phish at their October 14, 1995 concert, which led to the association of the group as a jam band.[1] In addition, their performance on John Scofield's 1997 album A Go Go helped to further their exposure. The band collaborated further with Scofield again in 2006, releasing the album Out Louder under the name Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood. This was the first album released on MMW's own Indirecto Records.
From 1998–2005, MMW were signed to leading jazz label Blue Note Records, and showed them delving deeper into dense, electronic funk than their earlier albums, although the band continued to experiment with free jazz and free improvisation both on their albums and in concert.
Medeski Martin & Wood's live performances are renowned for their exploratory nature. Their concerts usually involve extended improvisations, which may be both arrhythmic and atonal, an aspect of their musicianship that is rarely documented in the studio. They occasionally tour using only acoustic instruments, reverting back to the instrumentation that they began their career with. Their album Tonic is an example of these more contemporary acoustic performances. They have also done short tours of entirely improvisatory performances. These shows usually consisted of two sets of improvisation, followed by an encore of a song from an album.
Their song "End of the World Party" was featured on the show Grey's Anatomy and can be found on the show's soundtrack.
Each of the trio's three members are involved in a large music community, and have participated in numerous side projects over the years.
In 2001 John Medeski collaborated with the North Mississippi Allstars and slide-guitarist Robert Randolph; together, these five musicians formed The Word, a bluesy gospel band. They released one self-titled album and toured extensively.
Beginning around 2005 Chris Wood formed The Wood Brothers with his brother, blues guitarist Oliver Wood. They have released several albums to date and continue to tour and record together.
In 2007 John Medeski and Billy Martin released an album as a duo, called Mago. They performed that material together at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival
Let's Go Everywhere
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And of your games, and of the television,
When you're done with chores and homework
Then it's time to make a big decision,
You might need a change of scenery,
It might be time to go
Over mountains, over oceans,
Through dark jungles down below
On a tall ship with the tide
All you need's a little music.
Howzaboutit, whaddya say you buckle
up and we go for a little ride?
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go everywhere, man
There's lots of fun out there, man
We gotta have our share, man
Get out of your chair, man
Let's go everywhere.
We'll go to
Bombay, Taipei, Mandalay, Bora Bora
Deauville, Louisville, Whoville, Glocca Morra
Havana, Montana, Savannah, Varanasi
Bermuda, Barbuda, Or Yehuda, Tallahassee
Khartoum, Rangoon, Cancun, Saskatoon
Kowloon, Cameroon, Brigadoon, to the moon
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go everywhere, man
There's lots of fun out there, man
We gotta have our share, man
Get out of your chair, man
Let's go everywhere.
Cairo, Shiloh, Moscow, Chichen Itza
Krakatoa, Shenandoah, Mauna Loa, Tower of Pisa
Hamburg, Frankfurt, Beantown, Montecristo
Cayenne, Salt Lake, Cocoa Beach, San Francisco
Saigon, Amman, Dijon, Yokahama
Tijuana, Grand Bahama, don't forget to call your mama
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go everywhere, man
There's lots of fun out there, man
We gotta have our share, man
Get out of your chair, man
Let's go everywhere.
Xi'an, San Juan, Pusan, Sri Lanka
Chambertin, Canton, Avalon, Casablanca
Warsaw, Aqaba, Shangri-La, Transylvania
Nome, Rome, Stockholm, Lyon, Mauretania
Hong Kong, Guangdong, Haiphong, Tonga
Salamanga, Rarotonga, Cucamonga, sing-a-long-a
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go everywhere, man
There's lots of fun out there, man
We gotta have our share, man
Get out of your chair, man
Let's go everywhere.
Xanadu, Kathmandu, Timbuktu, Santiago
Tasmania, Slovenia, Rumania, Pago Pago
Sedona, Pamplona, Daytona, Patagonia
Winona, Bologna, Barcelona, Caledonia
Bangkok, Sliding Rock, Antioch, Tuba City
Sun City, Cloud City, Emerald City, ain't it pretty
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go everywhere, man
There's lots of fun out there, man
We gotta have our share, man
Get out of your chair, man
Let's go everywhere.
The song "Let's Go Everywhere" by Medeski Martin and Wood speaks about the joy of travelling, exploring new places, and experiencing new cultures. The opening lines suggest that there are moments in life when you might get bored of watching television or playing with toys. It's time for a change and that change is a new adventure. The lyrics describe a sense of restlessness, hinting at the idea that there is always something new waiting to be discovered.
The central message of the song is that the world is a vast and wonderful place, full of unique and exciting destinations waiting to be explored. The chorus emphasises the sense of fun and energy that comes with travel. It encourages listeners to get up and out of their comfort zones, to shake off their routines and explore new horizons.
The song's lyrics list an impressive array of global cities and countries, ranging from Bora Bora to Tallahassee, from Moscow to Maui. While such exotic names might seem overwhelming, the overall message remains one of genuine curiosity and eagerness to discover what lies beyond one's own backyard. "Let's Go Everywhere" serves as an invitation to embrace the world with open arms, to jump aboard a metaphorical train (or plane), and to embark on an adventure that is as exciting as it is unpredictable.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're tired of your toys,
When you have played enough with your toys,
And of your games, and of the television,
And you are no longer interested in playing games and watching TV,
When you're done with chores and homework
When you have finished all your household work and school assignments,
Then it's time to make a big decision,
Then it is time to make an important decision,
You might need a change of scenery,
You might need to go to a new place,
It might be time to go
It might be time for you to leave,
Over mountains, over oceans,
Traveling over the mountains and seas,
Through dark jungles down below
And exploring the dense forests under the canopy,
On an airplane, on a railroad
You can travel by airplane or train,
On a tall ship with the tide
Or you can sail on a tall ship with the tide,
All you need's a little music.
All you need is some music to accompany you,
Howzaboutit, whaddya say you buckle up and we go for a little ride?
So, what do you say? Shall we buckle up and go on a little adventure?
We'll go to
We will visit
Bombay, Taipei, Mandalay, Bora Bora
Places like Bombay, Taipei, Mandalay, and Bora Bora,
Deauville, Louisville, Whoville, Glocca Morra
Also places like Deauville, Louisville, Whoville, and Glocca Morra,
Havana, Montana, Savannah, Varanasi
And other places like Havana, Montana, Savannah, and Varanasi,
Bermuda, Barbuda, Or Yehuda, Tallahassee
As well as Bermuda, Barbuda, Or Yehuda, and Tallahassee,
Khartoum, Rangoon, Cancun, Saskatoon
And also Khartoum, Rangoon, Cancun, and Saskatoon,
Kowloon, Cameroon, Brigadoon, to the moon
And even Kowloon, Cameroon, Brigadoon and to the moon,
Cairo, Shiloh, Moscow, Chichen Itza
We can go to Cairo, Shiloh, Moscow, and Chichen Itza,
Krakatoa, Shenandoah, Mauna Loa, Tower of Pisa
And also Krakatoa, Shenandoah, Mauna Loa, and the Tower of Pisa,
Hamburg, Frankfurt, Beantown, Montecristo
As well as Hamburg, Frankfurt, Beantown, and Montecristo,
Cayenne, Salt Lake, Cocoa Beach, San Francisco
And also Cayenne, Salt Lake, Cocoa Beach, and San Francisco,
Saigon, Amman, Dijon, Yokahama
We can visit Saigon, Amman, Dijon, and Yokahama,
Tijuana, Grand Bahama, don't forget to call your mama
Also Tijuana, Grand Bahama. But don't forget to call your mom back home,
Xi'an, San Juan, Pusan, Sri Lanka
We can also travel to Xi'an, San Juan, Pusan, and Sri Lanka,
Chambertin, Canton, Avalon, Casablanca
And Chambertin, Canton, Avalon, and Casablanca,
Warsaw, Aqaba, Shangri-La, Transylvania
As well as Warsaw, Aqaba, Shangri-La, and Transylvania,
Nome, Rome, Stockholm, Lyon, Mauretania
Also Nome, Rome, Stockholm, Lyon, and Mauretania,
Hong Kong, Guangdong, Haiphong, Tonga
We can explore Hong Kong, Guangdong, Haiphong, and Tonga,
Salamanga, Rarotonga, Cucamonga, sing-a-long-a
And places like Salamanga, Rarotonga, Cucamonga, where we can sing along,
Xanadu, Kathmandu, Timbuktu, Santiago
We can also explore Xanadu, Kathmandu, Timbuktu, and Santiago,
Tasmania, Slovenia, Rumania, Pago Pago
As well as Tasmania, Slovenia, Rumania, and Pago Pago,
Sedona, Pamplona, Daytona, Patagonia
We can also visit Sedona, Pamplona, Daytona, and Patagonia,
Winona, Bologna, Barcelona, Caledonia
And also Winona, Bologna, Barcelona, and Caledonia,
Bangkok, Sliding Rock, Antioch, Tuba City
We can explore Bangkok, Sliding Rock, Antioch, and Tuba City,
Sun City, Cloud City, Emerald City, ain't it pretty
And we can visit Sun City, Cloud City, Emerald City, isn't it beautiful?
Let's go everywhere man
Let's go to every possible corner of the world,
Let's go everywhere, man
Let's travel to all the exotic places available,
There's lots of fun out there, man
There is a lot of excitement and adventure waiting for us out there,
We gotta have our share, man
We need to grab our share of fun and enjoyment,
Get out of your chair, man
Let's get out of our routine lifestyle and start traveling,
Let's go everywhere.
Let's explore every place the world has to offer.
Contributed by Julia J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.