Listen Up - Mandy Woods
A look at some of the emerging artists of the acoustic roots & folk circuit
Mandy Woods is a seasoned writer and performer in both Europe and America who has spent most of her adult life giving in to wanderlust and crafting songs wherever she has happened to find herself on her unconventional journey, many of them telling stories - about the ups and downs of relationships, about her own and other people's struggles and quests, and about the myriad other twists of fate that have inspired her imagination. Her new album 'Cabin Fever' is out now.
About You
Mandy Woods has been something of a nomad for most of her life. As the daughter of an RAF fighter pilot, she was uprooted every two years (the length of an RAF posting) up to the age of about ten, and as an adult she has lived for varying lengths of time on both sides of the Atlantic. She's now firmly settled in Glastonbury, Somerset, but the road still features heavily in her songs and in her continued love of travelling in her small motorhome. Her love of dogs has also impacted her music, with a separate website (www.wagslyrical.com) for her songs about beloved pets (hers and others'). She has also used her music to highlight social issues, including homelessness and violence against women.
How would you describe your music?
The years I spent living, working and making music in Austin, Texas through the 1990s had a profound and lasting impact on my songs and style. To me, those years coincided with a golden era in country music, which I came to relate to and love, and to this day my music leans strongly towards a country/Americana feel. I love telling stories, and country songs are (or at least were in the time I began to be so heavily influenced by that genre) for the most part story songs, so my natural home is there. My songs are also very honest and open - they are where I work through anything that's on my mind, including things that are bothering me, that are memorable, or that I want to celebrate, and they're also where I feel comfortable having a good laugh every now and then! During my first stay in the States, as a volunteer in a therapeutic community in rural Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I decided to teach myself to play the harmonica, and I've been so glad that I did that as country blues harp has become a major element in the sound I've become associated with - and I really love playing it, both on my own songs and accompanying others. Using a partial capo to create either a DADGAD or an open-chord tuning on the guitar has also played an important part in that sound. More recently I've used the evocative double-dropped-D tuning in a few songs.
What has been your highlight so far?
Visiting Nashville several times and getting to write and record there as well as play at legendary venues, including the Douglas Corner Café and the Bluebird Café, felt like living the dream! The Douglas Corner Café gig was a writers' night - the format at Nashville writers' nights is that several songwriters sit in a line on stage and take it in turns to sing an original song, going along the line four or five times. Given that Nashville houses upwards of 50,000 ambitious songwriters, they're quite hard to get onto, so I felt very lucky to have that opportunity. My two nights at the Bluebird were on the monthly Monday-night open mic, and so I only got to play one song each time, but it's such an iconic and intimate venue that's always full to the rafters with a pin-drop-quiet audience, and both occasions were fabulous experiences! I also went to a ticketed gig during one visit to Nashville (again, such tickets are not so easy to come by!), and chatted about songwriting to Kathy Mattea after her performance. She was so warm, genuine and gracious, and it was another 'living the dream' moment!
What plans regarding recordings, video, tours etc do you have for the future?
Once live music resumes, I'm certain I'm not alone in wanting to play live gigs far and wide! All being well, I'll be performing at a festival in Cornwall at the end of August, but I'd also love to tour the UK in my motorhome, playing the length and breadth of the country. Taking part in Zoom-based music sessions not only throughout the UK but around the world, from Tucson to Tallahassee and from Oslo to Jerusalem, as well as hosting my own session from March to August of 2020, has been great for networking, and I certainly don't feel the past year in lockdown has been a wasted year in terms of developing my music career or making new contacts for possible future gigs. In February I released 'Cabin Fever', a 15-track album of songs I recorded in my log-cabin studio during lockdown, and the plan now is to bring out a video of each track to post on YouTube. I posted the first one, 'Full Moon Over Vegas', in March, and it's had a good reception, so I'm looking forward to filming the other fourteen!
Is there anything else you would like to say or any message to our readers?
Over the years I've been writing and performing I've come to realise that making music is about enjoyment and engagement, not about seeking celebrity and status. If one person comes up to me after a gig and says they truly related to a song of mine, that's job done, and what a privilege to have the chance to reach out to people in this way and to get so much back in return. Thank you to everyone who really listens to the songs we as songwriters are putting out there!
For more details:
www.mandywoods.com/
Full Moon Over Vegas
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.