The future of music lives inside of Aaron “Woody” Wood.

So does music’s past.

That gives us a present filled with joyful noise—a fantastic gift for everyone with ears.

Okay, so maybe that’s a little over the top and a lot cheesy, but it’s true.

Here’s a quick rundown of Woody’s past: His father played Bluegrass music with Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Seldom Scene, etc., and Woody began going to music festivals at a very early age.

His first band, The Blue Rags, achieved moderate international success before he could even legally drink the Blue Ribbon in America.

Hollywood Red was the name of his rock and roll alter ego. The three-piece power trio could go effortlessly from a raucous cover of The Misfits’ “Last Caress” into Woody’s own power ballad “The Same Way I Feel” as though they were part of an opera. By the time he belted out his heart-wrenching chorus about recognizing the end of love, every leather-clad, spike-mohawk endowed street kid in Asheville was crying through a new piercing faster than you could say “emo.”

He was also an integral part of The Blue Brass Project as the lead vocalist on most tracks. This amazing collection features New Orleans jazz greats like The Rebirth Brass Band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Trombone Shorty performing new arrangements to traditional songs with Woody and other Appalachian acoustic masters, Larry and Jenny Keel.

Now, with a new self-titled release as a solo artist, Aaron “Woody” Wood is bringing a futuristic approach to music that is as old as dirt.

“I like to take traditional forms and turn them on their ears,” Woody says. “There just isn’t a whole lot of originality out there so I try to let each song guide me. Sometimes it has odd phrasings; sometimes the chorus isn’t the hook; sometimes the hook is the bridge—you just have to follow the song.”

Dr. Loren Mulraine, chairman of the recording industry management program at MTSU, expresses this exact sentiment about great songwriting in the course that he teaches on the subject. He frequently tells his classes that “the song will tell you exactly what it needs.”

The mixing board Woody used to record his vocal and guitar tracks for the new record is a bona fide piece of history. It once belonged to The Beatles and came directly from Abbey Road studios. However, to help him capture a refreshing, new sound, he chose Nashville’s Roger Alan Nichols to produce the record. For the last 20 years, Nichols has been known for innovative efforts with rock and roll records around Nashville. His work, along with the success of local rockers Paramore that Nichols did some producing for, has helped usher in a new attitude about what is possible outside the realm of country music for Music City U.S.A.

While excited about the possibilities for the future, Woody realizes that this is a difficult time for artists. He points out that “Elvis Costello didn’t sell out [a show in Asheville, NC] last week and that’s really depressing.” After a moment of silence, he adds, “I just don’t think music is as important to people’s lives as it was 10 years ago.”

That led us to a discussion about Bonaroo, where Woody played two unforgettable sets this year in front of enormous crowds and led several workshops and demonstrations.

We talked a little bit about the huge productions that are being used lately by many of the top-grossing acts to accentuate their live performances. “It’s not new,” Woody maintains, “but it has an entirely different purpose. When Bowie did Ziggy Stardust, those were massive productions, but they were theatrical performances that added new dimensions to the music. Now everything, including the music, is essentially just a backdrop for the power of the contact between multiple human beings. It’s about quantum physics more than music.”

Woody gets quiet for a minute. We had been talking about practical music business affairs for way too long now, and we both just wanted to go back to playing guitar and singing songs. We say goodbye and he has to add, “I’m hungry man; now more than ever! Not for some big hit, but just to make something that lasts!”

Woody, my old friend, I don’t think you have to worry about that.

Check out www.aaronwoodmusic.com and catch Woody’s unforgettable performance when he comes to Bluesboro on Aug. 24 for the premiere taping of Local Color—a FREE weekly concert series taped every Wednesday night and broadcast on Comcast Channel 10 every Thursday night from 8–10 P.M.