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
We Are Rolling
Medeski Martin and Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coursing through my veins
A poison you would know
'Cause you know where it came
A world with no hope
A shepherd with no sheep
A pain from deep inside
Hurting seven days a week
And I can't breathe
I'm drowning in
Uncertainty
My face is numb
My skin is cold
My hand protrudes
From down below
The lyrics of Medeski Martin & Wood's song "We Are Rolling" describe immense pain, both physical and emotional, that the singer is experiencing. The lyrics describe how the pain is coursing through the singer's veins like a poison, suggesting that it is infecting every aspect of their being. The singer makes it clear that the person they are singing to would understand the poison and where it came from. The pain is described as being constant, happening seven days a week, and coming from deep inside.
The song progresses, and the singer goes on to describe how they feel lost and unable to breathe. The uncertainty of the situation is overwhelming, and the singer feels like they are drowning in it. There is a sense of numbness described, as if the pain has become so severe that everything else is shut off. The final verse has some disturbing imagery, with the singer describing their hand protruding from down below. This is perhaps a reference to being buried alive or trapped in a dangerous situation with no way out.
Overall, the song is a powerful reflection on pain and suffering. It is clear that the singer is going through an incredibly tough time and is struggling to cope. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of what it is like to experience such intense pain and how it can affect every aspect of your life.
Line by Line Meaning
This is where it hurts
I am currently experiencing pain and discomfort
Coursing through my veins
The pain I am feeling is intense and feels like it's pulsing throughout my body
A poison you would know
The source of this pain is familiar to you
'Cause you know where it came
You are aware of the cause of this pain
A world with no hope
The environment I am in feels bleak and I see no potential for positive change or progress
A shepherd with no sheep
I am a leader with no followers or support
A pain from deep inside
The source of this pain is not superficial, it comes from a much more profound place
Hurting seven days a week
The pain is continuous, and I cannot find any relief or rest from it
I don't know
I am unsure of what to do or how to cope with this pain
And I can't breathe
The pain and discomfort are so intense that I feel suffocated and overwhelmed
I'm drowning in
The pain is so intense that I feel like I am submerging in it
Uncertainty
I do not have a clear understanding of what is happening, and there are many possible outcomes
My face is numb
The pain is so severe that I have lost feeling in parts of my face
My skin is cold
The pain is so intense that it is causing a physical reaction and making my skin feel cool to the touch
My hand protrudes
I am physically struggling and reaching out for help or support
From down below
This struggle is coming from a place deep within me
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: the woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind