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
Take Me Nowhere
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A place there is no end
Shutter at the rules
Days were longer then
Hanging out with friends
Acting like a fool
Meet me down by the water
We’ll get high and drink all night
We’ll drive till we see the lights
Take me back
I don’t wanna be an adult
I don’t wanna no
Take me back
I just wanna lose control
Take me back to my old home
Nothing could go wrong
But it’s been so long
Was it all for real
Better than it was
Maybe so or maybe not
Just something I could feel
Looking back on the water
This town it stays the same
My memories all come rushing
Like a wave crashing over me
Take me back
I don’t wanna be an adult
I don’t wanna no
Take me back
I just wanna lose control
Take me back to my old home
Take me back
I don’t wanna be an adult
I don’t wanna no
Take me back
I just wanna lose control
Take me back to my old home
Every time I go home now
I see it all how it used to be
But I know I’m going somewhere
Like being in a new dream
Take me back
I don’t wanna be an adult
I don’t wanna no
Take me back
I just wanna lose control
Take me back to my old home
Take me back
I don’t wanna be an adult
I don’t wanna no
Take me back
I just wanna lose control
Take me back to my old home
Take me back
All the way back home
Take me back
Just enough to let go
Take me back
All the way back home
Take me back
Just enough to let go
Medeski Martin and Wood's song Take Me Nowhere is a nostalgic piece that talks about the experiences of growing up, hanging out with friends, and feeling a sense of belonging in a place where one can be carefree and happy. The opening lines of the song, "Going back as a kid, A place there is no end," describe the feeling of being transported back to a time when life was simpler and carefree. The lyrics also evoke a sense of rebellion or breaking away from the constraints of adulthood. The line, "Shutter at the rules, Days were longer then" describes the feeling of wanting to escape the rules and restrictions of everyday adult life and turning back the clock.
The chorus of the song, "Take me back, I don’t wanna be an adult, I don’t wanna know, Take me back, I just wanna lose control, Take me back to my old home," reinforces the idea that the singer wants to go back to a time when they were in control of their life and had a sense of belonging. They want to be carefree and happy again, and they know that it's not necessarily possible, but they desire that feeling of security and simplicity once again.
Overall, Take Me Nowhere is a powerful and evocative song that touches on universal feelings of nostalgia, belonging, and a longing for the past. It speaks to the heart of what it means to be human and how we all want to go back to a time when life was simpler, and we were not weighed down by the responsibilities of adulthood.
Line by Line Meaning
Going back as a kid
Reflecting upon memories of childhood
A place there is no end
A location that seems to stretch on infinitely
Shutter at the rules
Reacting negatively to limitations and expectations
Days were longer then
The perception of time as a child seemed to move slower
Hanging out with friends
Enjoying the company of peers
Acting like a fool
Behaving in a silly or carefree manner
Meet me down by the water
Requesting that someone come to a specific location
We’ll get high and drink all night
Partaking in drugs and alcohol for an extended period of time
I heard Ry’s having a party
Receiving information about a social event
We’ll drive till we see the lights
Traveling until a visual cue is spotted
Take me back
Expressing a desire to return to a previous time
I don’t wanna be an adult
Rejecting mature responsibilities
I just wanna lose control
Desiring the freedom to not be constrained
Take me back to my old home
Requesting to return to a previous place of living
Nothing could go wrong
Feeling like there were no negative consequences in the past
But it’s been so long
A significant amount of time has passed since then
Was it all for real
Questioning the authenticity of past experiences
Better than it was
Comparing past experiences favorably to current ones
Maybe so or maybe not
Uncertainty about the accuracy of perceptions
Just something I could feel
Strong emotional connection to past experiences
Looking back on the water
Recalling events that took place by a body of water
This town it stays the same
The area has not significantly changed over time
My memories all come rushing
A sudden influx of recollections
Like a wave crashing over me
The feeling is overwhelming and powerful
Every time I go home now
Each instance of returning to a previous residence
I see it all how it used to be
Experiencing a sense of familiarity
But I know I’m going somewhere
Understanding that change is inevitable
Like being in a new dream
A surreal feeling of being in a different reality
All the way back home
Fully returning to a past residence
Just enough to let go
Allowing oneself to relax and not focus on present struggles
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Adam Hanson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind