Photo by Scott Allen
Please join us for an evening with roots and blues musician Matt Woods. Matt is a seasoned performer who is excited to share the diversity of roots and blues (traditional delta, hill country and urban electric blues, to gospel, country and folk music) with Mason City!
About Matt Woods:
Matt Woods is both a native of Iowa, and a longstanding purveyor of its diverse music scene. As a seasoned performer of many local, regional and national venues, Matt has developed a distinct style while staying true to his love of traditional American music. Woods is well versed in the many shapes this music can take; from traditional delta, hill country and urban electric blues, to gospel, country and folk music.
In addition to performing 100+ shows per year as a solo act, playing with several roots oriented bands and backing up some of the finest songwriters in the Midwest, Matt can often be found in the studio, adding guitar parts to a diverse array of recordings.
Woods has been performing regularly since 2002 and to date has released 5 independent albums (3 solo albums, and 2 albums backed by his unparalleled band, The Thunderbolts). He has also won the Iowa Blues Challenge and gone on to represent the state in the International Blues Challenge an unprecedented 3 times. Matt’s first solo album, “If I Was a Fish”, finished in the top 5 of The Blues Foundation’s “best self-produced CD” category in 2006. His two subsequent albums with The Thunderbolts, have also gained national attention. 2007’s “Be My Friend”, was referred to as “blistering” by Dirty Linen magazine, and Living Blues magazine called 2010’s “Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts”, “a smoking amalgam of Hound Dog Taylor and Freddy King”. Additionally, Blues Revue called the album; “raw, hypnotic and very appealing”. In 2015 Matt released “Sawdust and Gasoline”, his first solo album comprised completely of original material. It went on to receive extensive airplay in the U.S. and Europe and also finished in the top 5 of The Blues Foundation’s “best self-produced CD” category for 2015. “Sawdust and Gasoline” was also nominated by Blues Blast Magazine for album of the year in the “Acoustic Blues” category!
In 2018 Matt Woods released his fifth studio album, “Tired and Dirty” to critical acclaim. Like its predecessor, “Tired and Dirty” is comprised completely of original material in an age old tradition, featuring slashing slide guitar, deft songwriting and powerful vocals.
Over the course of his career, Matt has shared the stage with many notable acts, including; Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Louisiana Red, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, John Primer, Rj Mischo, James Harman, Nathan James, Delbert McClinton, The Arc Angels, Dr. John, Kelly Hunt, Joe Price and many more. In 2010, Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts opened for Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon at the famed Iowa State Fair Grandstand to a crowd of 10,000+! As a point of pride, Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts are the only local band, before or since, to play the Iowa State Fair Grandstand.
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