Doug Wood

The guitar and bass on this track are quite impressive. Both of you contribute intriguing licks & textures. I especially like the variety of guitar approaches. - TAXI - September, 2006

To hear Doug Wood play is to hear a cascade of instrumentation that seems too fluid and fluent to be coming from one set of hands. Think Leo Kottke, Micheal Hadges and Adrien Belew.
The guitarist was voted BEST INSTRUMENTALIST of 2003 by CampusAwards.com, and selected for the 2004 NACA National Showcase.
His playing ranges from soft, sweet and melancholy to boisterous and aggressive, from soothing, calming ballads to furious barrages of tension and thunder.
With a wide range of original material, and a personality that keeps the show far from becoming a chamber concert, Doug knows how to keep a crowd enthralled.
Employing galoping and unusual meters, ringing harmonics and complex fretboard fingering on both six- and twelve- string guitars, this Clevelander refeused to be pinned down to a category ("progressive acoustic guitar" is about as close as you're going to get), covring classical, ethereal, Celtic, "folk/rock meets jazz," and countless other genres with grace and finesse.
This will be a fun and energetic show, a great way to spend an eary Thursday night.
This personable, talented, energetic player is travelling quite a ways to grace the Leaf & Bean, so at least we as an audience can do is cross town to bask in a little of the effervescent cascade of his playing.
-September, 2004.

- Bozone, Bozeman Montana

The guitar and bass on this track are quite impressive. Both of you contribute intriguing licks & textures. I especially like the variety of guitar approaches. - TAXI - September, 2006

Doug Wood plays guitar the way life should be lived: nimble, engaging, gratifying, spiritual, with intention. The local musician and former member of Watts Gnu offers a "folk/jazz" blend of finger style guitar prowess on Dreamcatcher – a fluid effort which recalls everything from Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges and Bruce Cockburn, to the grace and finesse that labels like Narada and Windham Hill have come to represent over the last 20 years.
Not to be pinned down to any one particular category, Wood’s largely instrumental affair is emotive progressive acoustic rock one moment, fluid jazz rock the next, then meditative New Age ambiance after that. The disc’s title track emerges first – peeking through the speakers like the sun would through the clouds. This resplendent sonic sunrise could certainly make your morning mood with its uplifting, transcendent energy and dexterity. From there, each composition cascades like waterfalls and babbles like brooks in just the right places. Each piece is stunningly beautiful in its shapeshifting soundscapes.
His songs are like little travelogues: “From Acadia to the Okefenokee,” for example conjures every bit of pristine beauty and nature in the national park and wildlife preserve, respectively. Full of finger picking lines, tasty harmonics and impeccably crafted melodies. Elsewhere, during cuts like “Thank You Charlie Brown,” “Absorka Passage,” “Book of Change,” “Desert Song” and “Searching,” the poignant soundscapes transport you to other places.
When an artist can globally/geographically alter you in your seat, you know you’re experiencing something special. And with Dreamcatcher’s delightful vibes and consciousness, guest musicians Dale Peters (James Gang), Jamey Haddad (Cle native jazz drummer/percussionist), Tracy Silverman (Windham Hill violinist), and bassist Darren Frate (from Watts Gnu) shine even more on their respective cuts.
Wood has spent many years touring, recording and refining his chops; this disc represents everything from his early days busking in Boston subways, to his most recent nod as the “Best Guitarist” by one of the local alt-weeklies. It’s no wonder he’s been featured on National Public Radio shows Echoes and River City Folk, and his compositions featured on over 700 stations across the country. Dreamcatcher shows a guitarist at his peak of creativity and energy.
- CoolCleveland.com, Cleveland, Ohio

August, 2006

Acoustic guitarist Doug Wood will celebrate the release of his third solo instrumental CD, Dreamcatcher, when he plays the Wade Oval Wednesday Concert at University Circle's Wade Oval from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 23. The well-traveled musician has built a reputation on the national college circuit over the last four years, while also heading his own booking agency, the Modern Acoustic Music Collective, which books a small group of fellow performers as well. Wood first became known to area audiences in the '90s when he performed with eclectic instrumental trio Watts Gnu, which broke up in 1997.

He started recording the 13-track Dreamcatcher, the follow-up to 2000's I Am Koric and 2002's Solace, in the spring of 2005, working at the home studio of James Gang bassist Dale Peters, who's also the uncle of Wood's longtime musical partner, former Watts Gnu bassist Darren Frate. Both Frate and Peters also played on the CD. "Most of the time when I've recorded I've had set limitations because of budget and time," Wood says. "We had a lot more flexibility and were able to spend more time on this project. It was a bonus to be able to have the extra time to do what I wanted." That included lining up guest appearances by internationally known jazz percussionist Jamey Haddad, violinist Tracy Silverman and vocalist Jennifer Erb. In late August, Wood, along with his wife and 3-month-old daughter, will take to the road for a series of college dates in the Midwest, North Carolina, Alabama and Colorado. - Author: Anastasia Pantsios, Cleveland Free Times

Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the way the electric guitar was played in the 1960's, and set a status quo for guitarists who have mastered their craft to be looked upon as heroes, idols, even gods. And if those who slay the less-noisy acoustic guitar could get the same recognition, Doug Wood most likely would be a household name.
-October, 2003 - The Times, North Little Rock, AR

As a nine-year-old boy, leaving his boyhood home in Denver, Doug Wood never guessed the next time he'd return to the mountains would be as one of Cleveland's finest acoustic guitarists and songwriters. Wood brings his unique music to the Acoustic Cafe Thursday.
the guitarist describes his music as a blend of styles that include influences from diverse artists like Leo Kottke, Micheal Hedges, Adrien Belew, and Brian Eno. Like the influences suggest, it's a folk-rock meets jazz sound. Review of his music have said he uses "galloping and unusual meters, ringing harmonics and complex fretboard fingerpicking on six and 12-string guitars." Perfect music for the mountains.
Wood is touring in support of his latest CD, "Solace," which has been featured heavily for the past two months on NPR's "Echoes" program and Morning Edition, and has recently been featured on Colorado's NPR station, KUNC.
The Artist was nominated as "Cleveland's Best Folk Act" in 2002 and was a finalist in SPIN MAGAZINE's "New Sounds for Original Music" competition.
-April, 2003. - the Mountaineer, Nederland, Colorado

Leaving Badlands National Park Tuesday afternoon, acoustic guitar player Doug Wood said seeing the sights is one of his favorite parts of being a travelling musician.
Sleeping in the back of his mini-van and checking out all the sights along the way, Wood is travelling solo to concert spots across the country, from Indiana to Washington. He's stopping in Pocatello Monday.
By travelling solo, he avoids the unavoidable political discussions, conflicting needs and emotions that involve travelling with a band, Wood said.
"It's kind of fun. It's adventurous," he said.
Wood makes a living playing his music, which includes a little folk and jazz with a bit of rock thrown in, at collegecampuses and coffeehouses across the country. He describes his music as 'progressive acoustic guitar.'
"It's just a blending of a whole bunch of influences," he said.
His style has earned him spots on National Public Radio's RIVER CITY FOLK, MORNING EDITION, and ECHOES. He was a semifinalist in 2003 in the INDEPENDANT MUSIC WORLD SERIES competition, and nominated as the best folk/americana act for 2004 in Cleveland's Free Times.
His career started in 1989, when he graduated from college and played in Boston's coffeehouses and clubs at night, and in the subway during the day, sometimes for six hours straight, to make a living.
Today, he's enjoying the college scene, and looking to move to bigger Things. College campuses give him a way to keep music as a career while he searches for his next break.
"I need to make a living," he said. "I can at least squeek by a living at the college scene."
-September, 2004 - Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho

Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the way the electric guitar was played in the 1960's, and set a status quo for guitarists who have mastered their craft to be looked upon as heroes, idols, even gods. And if those who slay the less-noisy acoustic guitar could get the same recognition, Doug Wood most likely would be a household name.
-October, 2003 - The Times, North Little Rock, AR

Excellent playing and fluid guitar work... nice sense of transition as you pass the melody around the various instruments.
-September, 2004 - TAXI

Thanks for a wonderful performance!!! Your show is still getting talk from both students and staff. I appreciate how easy you are to work with and the pure enjoyment you show when you are on stage.
- Central Community College, Nebraska. April, 2005 - NACA Programming Magazine Artist Reviews

Excellent playing and fluid guitar work... nice sense of transition as you pass the melody around the various instruments.
-September, 2004 - TAXI

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA:
Doug is one of the easiest artists to work with. He really connected with the Audience. Higly recommended! (5 out of 5-stars in Originality/Artist's ability/relationship to audiene/cooprative attitude/management/agency cooperation/promo)

RED ROCKS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (COLORADO):
A Pleasure to listen to and work with. Doug is a top-notch artist. (5 out of 5-stars in Originality/Artist's ability/relationship to audiene/cooprative attitude/management/agency cooperation/promo)

- Campus Activities Magazine - Artist Report Card

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA:
Doug is one of the easiest artists to work with. He really connected with the Audience. Higly recommended! (5 out of 5-stars in Originality/Artist's ability/relationship to audiene/cooprative attitude/management/agency cooperation/promo)

RED ROCKS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (COLORADO):
A Pleasure to listen to and work with. Doug is a top-notch artist. (5 out of 5-stars in Originality/Artist's ability/relationship to audiene/cooprative attitude/management/agency cooperation/promo)

- Campus Activities Magazine - Artist Report Card