I… Read Full Bio ↴1. Wood is an experimental noise/ambient music project started in 2023
2. Traditional Rock and Americana from James Maddock and company.
He's just an ordinary guy. We know that because he's forever telling us he's just an ordinary guy in that likable, down-to-earth, "fancy a drink, pal?" sort of way.
But how many ordinary guys do YOU know who amble nonchalantly on stage looking as if they're about to pick a fight with a karaoke machine and then sing with a sublime power that charms and chills in equal measure? How many ordinary guys do YOU know who write a whole catalogue of songs with such emotional depth that they sound like classics the instant you hear them?
He's a Midlands lad called James Maddock from the English city of Leicester, famous for... well, Leicester's not famous for anything at all really. But for years, he's had this unfeasible dream of making wonderful music under the name of Wood and, hey, dreams come true.... "We used to be called 'The Gift Of Love,'" he remembers, "and we were talking one night about music and I said, 'On all the records I really love -- like Dylan and The Band -- you can picture the room they're playing in and you can hear the wood.' And it suddenly hit me. WOOD! That was the name I wanted for my band."
James picked up his first instrument -- the ukulele that his granddad used to play in wartime bands -- at the age of eight. His dad, an optician, filled the house with jazz and if you venture into Leicester on a wet weekend you might still find Mr. Maddock playing in a jazz band in some remote corner.
"By the time I was 14, I started thinking seriously about being able to play the guitar," James recalls, "and I was pretty good at it. I had this great guitar teacher and at the end of a lesson he'd say, 'You should check out this record by Neil Young.... ' I worked on a market stall on a Saturday and I'd go in, get my wages, and then go and buy a Neil Young record. And the next week he'd say, 'have you heard Ry Cooder...?,' and it went on from week to week... The Eagles, Jackson Browne... and all the West Coast stuff...."
"Then I found Born To Run at a friend's house and it completely blew me away," he continues. "I was a big Bruce fan, still am. The Band's second album was a seminal influence on me too. Bob Dylan is a big hero for me."
James Maddock moved to London when he was 20 and served his apprenticeship in covers bands working the ...ahem... boisterous London Irish pub circuit. He played in the Arsenal Tavern, North London, every weekend for several years, an achievement that surely merits some sort of long service gold medal award. It was hard, the audiences took no prisoners and you could play there for a hundred years without being discovered, but James wouldn't have missed it for the world. And besides, from this unglamorous environment of beer, tobacco and loud covers of old standards and the hits of the day, the first splinters of Wood began to emerge about three years ago. "I took over as singer and started doing my favorite songs -- Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bob Marley stuff -- but all the time I was also writing my own songs."
They even recorded some demos of his material (at Abbey Road Studios, no less, where they fantasized about being rich and famous as they arrived to be gawked at and have their pictures taken by Japanese tourists) and waited for unspeakably lavish offers to flood in. Strangely enough, they didn't. But James somehow knew his music's spiritual home was America. "Two of the albums I most identify with are Late For The Sky (Jackson Browne) and Harvest (Neil Young). I love songwriters and I try to combine melodies and story. I've always liked my music to be quite gentle, with an acoustic, friendly feel...."
At a time when nothing got signed in the UK unless it came with nasal voices and loud twanging guitars and could be marketed as "Brit pop," James suddenly found himself flown to New York where a chance play of the demo sufficiently impressed Columbia Record executives to offer him a record deal. Classic songs. Beautiful melodies. Great lyrics. Choruses just made for dancing on the ceiling. A voice to sell your grandmother for. Where had this boy BEEN all their lives?!
"They got me to fly out there and do a gig in their offices!," James exclaims. "It was pretty scary! You spend all your life trying to get to this point and suddenly you're standing there with your guitar and it's all hanging on what you do in 20 minutes in that office."
The boy obviously done good. His old Leicester schoolchum, Bill Newsinger (guitar), and the other two Wood mainstays, Jim O'Malley (bass) and Steve Jackson (drums), found themselves finally summoned to Tongue & Groove Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to record, with producer Dave "Stiff" Johnson, the album they'd begun to despair would ever get made. "It really is a dream come true!," James admits. "When you've spent so long scrubbing around trying to get £50 together for rehearsals you think it will never happen. But when it does happen it's a huge responsibility. I'm learning a lot about myself through this."
The first Wood album, Songs From Stamford Hill, is not only full of unfeasibly memorable melodies and immaculately crafted songs, it has some telling lyrics. "I'd written hundreds of songs before," James estimates, "but when we called the band 'Wood,' everything seemed to fall into place." The album's title was inspired by the area of London where James was living at the time most of the songs on the record were written.
You may already know the opening track, "Stay You," which is featured on the best-selling Top 10 album Songs From Dawson's Creek (Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax). "Never Ending," the album's closing song, is another key track, a particularly poignant, nostalgic autobiographical song about growing up in Leicester and losing touch with schoolfriends. All of James' years of frustration are reflected in the lyric of "Knock It On The Head," in which he promises to allow himself just one last crack at this music nonsense before giving it all up to get a proper job. Then again, you don't have to spend long in his company to know he could NEVER give it up!
James has a rare way with a sentimental love song, as well. "I really love 'Our Time Has Come', it's so SOPPY!" he laughs. "There's only about three chords in it too, but there's a symmetry as well." And then there's 'You Make Me Feel Bad.' "Oh, that's about a girlfriend who made me decorate the apartment about four times," he admits. "I'd do it and she'd turn round and say, 'Oh I don't like that color!.'" All human life is here.
Wood. Crazy name. Perhaps. Ordinary guy. We think not!
======================================================
(3)Wood is rapper from Houston, Tx.
He is member of S.U.C. ( Screwed Up Click) & Half Dead Organization.
(4)Wood is also an instrumental band from Wheaton, IL. They are, what you call, like-minded forward thinkers. http://www.myspace.com/ourbandwood
(5)Wood is also a project by Wouter 'Wood' Loderichs, operating from Apeldoorn, The Netherlands . On his debut he mixes hiphop, funk, rock, blues and a tinge of industrial. More info can be found at his MySpace page.
(6) Wood is also a young Norwegian pop comet, also known as Elsa Marie Skjong. http://soundcloud.com/woodnorway/wood-honey-youre-a-dog
7. Stoner/Doom Metal from Rennes, France
Bandcamp
8. French rapper signed to GrintaRecords who started in 2020
https://www.instagram.com/woodsvs_/
Hip-Hop Is Dead
Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eyeballs just yet to adjust to seeing the light?
The room I'm in is still the same, the shadows have not rearranged it
No the only thing that's changed is how I see at night
I fumble for the switch and strap on infrareds and wish for
Sunshine when the morning's somewhere else
But I can't change what time it is or dilate my irises
Only what I look at, and I'm looking at myself
I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night
Well, who else could I be when I can't hardly see
I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night
I'm no one if I'm nowhere in between
When did I become afraid of the dark? Was it
When I left the cave and swore I'd never go back?
If we can't see each other then there's no more use for hiding
I've decided I'll abide it, why deny the color black?
I'm not a flower, not a solar-powered calculator
Damn my eyes for seeing what's not there
I'll trade in vision for a practiced intuition
Till my fears come to fruition I'm not scared
I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night
Well who else could I be when I can't hardly see
I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night
I'm no one if I'm nowhere in between
The future must know where you've been
The past predicts the state you're in
The present did and will not last, is. isn't. was. Have. hasn't. has
cll that I ask is, keep those empty frames
If nobody's in them, then no one is to blame
For your self-portraits, sign another name
Well, who should I be then, if I'll never be the same?
I will be my sunshine, I will be my moon at night
Who else could I be, when I can't fucking see?
I will be my sunshine, I will be my moon at night
I'm nowhere now here's no one now to be
cnd if dreams can come true, what does that say about nightmares?
I'll stay awake tonight
The lyrics of Wood's song "Hip-Hop Is Dead" delve into the theme of self-perception and the fear of the unknown. The first verse begins by questioning the fear of darkness, symbolizing the fear of stepping out of one's comfort zone. The persona realizes that even though they are in the same familiar room, their perspective has changed. They are struggling to adapt to new circumstances and are longing for the clarity and warmth of sunlight. However, they acknowledge that they can only change what they look at, emphasizing the importance of introspection and self-reflection.
The chorus further explores the persona's identity crisis. They assert that they are not the source of light or guidance for others, neither the sunshine nor the moon at night. They feel lost and invisible when they can't see clearly themselves, highlighting their struggle to define their role and presence within the world.
The second verse continues the contemplation of fear and darkness. The persona reflects on a past experience of leaving a metaphorical cave and vowing to never return. However, they come to the realization that hiding oneself is futile when there is no visibility. They choose to embrace the color black, symbolizing the unknown and accepting it as an inevitable part of life. They renounce relying solely on their sight and instead opt for intuitive perception, not succumbing to fear.
The bridge introduces the idea that the past, present, and future all intertwine to shape one's being. The empty frames symbolize the personas' journey of self-discovery. If no one occupies them, there is no blame for not conforming to societal expectations. They question their own identity, asking who they should be if they are constantly evolving and changing.
In the final verse, the persona comes to a resolution. They assert their determination to be their own source of light and guidance, taking control of their perception and embracing their uniqueness. They recognize their individuality and refuse to conform to societal expectations. They acknowledge their current state of nowhere, emphasizing that this does not make them nobody, but rather opens up infinite possibilities for who they can become.
The song ends with the contemplation of dreams and nightmares. By choosing to stay awake, the persona implies a willingness to confront their fears rather than hiding from them. This final line represents their commitment to self-awareness and growth, embracing both positive and negative experiences as they navigate their journey of self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
When did I become afraid of the dark? cre my
At what point did I start fearing the unknown and uncertain? Can't remember
Eyeballs just yet to adjust to seeing the light?
My perception is still adapting to understanding the truth
The room I'm in is still the same, the shadows have not rearranged it
The environment I find myself in hasn't changed, it's my perspective that has
No the only thing that's changed is how I see at night
The only difference is my ability to navigate through difficult times
I fumble for the switch and strap on infrareds and wish for
I clumsily search for a solution and protect myself, yearning for
Sunshine when the morning's somewhere else
Happiness and positivity, even when it feels distant
But I can't change what time it is or dilate my irises
I can't alter the circumstances or my perception of them
Only what I look at, and I'm looking at myself
I have control over how I perceive and reflect upon myself
I am not the sunshine, I am not the moon at night
I am not an external source of light or guidance
Well, who else could I be when I can't hardly see
So, who am I if I can't even see clearly myself
I'm no one if I'm nowhere in between
I feel lost and insignificant if I don't have a defined position
When did I become afraid of the dark? Was it
When did I start fearing the unknown? Perhaps
When I left the cave and swore I'd never go back?
When I escaped my comfort zone and vowed to move forward
If we can't see each other then there's no more use for hiding
If we can't truly understand one another, then there's no need to conceal
I've decided I'll abide it, why deny the color black?
I've chosen to accept it, why resist darkness and its essence?
I'm not a flower, not a solar-powered calculator
I'm neither fragile nor solely driven by logic and calculations
Damn my eyes for seeing what's not there
Criticize my vision for perceiving things that don't exist
I'll trade in vision for a practiced intuition
I'll exchange sight for a well-developed instinct
Till my fears come to fruition I'm not scared
Until my worries materialize, I won't be afraid
The future must know where you've been
The future is influenced by your past experiences
The past predicts the state you're in
Your past actions and choices determine your current situation
The present did and will not last, is. isn't. was. Have. hasn't. has
The current moment is transient and constantly changing, in various states
ll that I ask is, keep those empty frames
All I request is to preserve those vacant spaces
If nobody's in them, then no one is to blame
If there's no one filling them, there's no fault or responsibility
For your self-portraits, sign another name
When portraying yourself, adopt a different identity
Well, who should I be then, if I'll never be the same?
So, who am I supposed to become, if I'm constantly changing?
I will be my sunshine, I will be my moon at night
I will become my own source of light and guidance
Who else could I be, when I can't fucking see?
Who else can I rely on when I'm blinded and lost?
I will be my sunshine, I will be my moon at night
I will find solace and guidance within myself
I'm nowhere now here's no one now to be
I don't belong anywhere, and there's no specific identity to hold
cnd if dreams can come true, what does that say about nightmares?
And if dreams can be realized, what does it imply about nightmares?
I'll stay awake tonight
I'll remain vigilant and aware throughout the night
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: WILLIAM JOSEPH COLLIGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jordux
Yep I love underground hip-hop as much as anyone, but the point was it used to be alive in the MAINSTREAM.
@mike7743
R.I.P my beloved Hiphop. thanks for raising me.
@jordux
Yep I know that, I love underground as much as anyone, but the point was that it used to be alive in the MAINSTREAM.
@BigBlackDan
Hip hop lives in the Underground.
@webe2rap
hip hop r.i.p:(
@jordux
First quote is by Nobs, first track of his EP - 'Typical Hip Hop Shit' from 2003. Track is Typical Introduction. Check his shit out!
@RobertoGinsburg
The REAL hip hop was die for THE MANSTREAM STILL ALIVE ON THE UNDER: MADLIB, UGLY DUCKLING,JEDI MIND TRICKS, TURNTABLISM, Etc.
@brooklynlevo
rest in peace
@MrBarizo
rest in peace? help bring that real shit back, dont mourn it.
@xyprotec
anyone got the full clip with brother ali?