By TOMASZ LESICZKA
Athens Insider contributor |http://www.theathensinsider.com|
January 12th 2006

Bringing out some of the best qualities in pop music, Woody Whatever has made a name for itself on the local music scene and is looking to expand in new directions.

After shuffling line-ups, (this is the fifth version of the band), Woody is ready to move forward and expand outward.

The band has just gotten back to Southeast Ohio from a brief tour of the Midwest where they got a taste of new audiences, and the not-so-glamorous aspects of the rock and roll lifestyle.

Bass player Josh Goldberg said that besides the music, the tour involved “a lot of waiting and a lot of fast food.”

The drawbacks are not enough to stop the band from making plans for more extensive touring.

Singer and guitar player Erik Schmall wants to keep on branching out in hopes of widening the band’s audience.

“We’re going to try to play a lot of shows around Ohio in the future,” he said. “It would be nice to be able to do this for a living.”

The band does not shy away from its rock/pop tag. They openly embrace pop structure and simple melodies.

“We try to be catchy, and we try to write unique, crafty songs,” Goldberg said. “There’s nothing too long-winded. We’re not much of a mission statement band.”

The music borrows a lot from ‘70s power pop. The band happens to follow directly in the footsteps of indie demigods Guided by Voices. Woody Whatever’s formula has been to write short songs with strong hooks. The band, just like Guided by Voices, has stripped the standard pop song down to its barest minimum.

The short songs and lo-fi recording techniques lead to a very intimate listening experience. The music is friendly and engaging, and the raw recordings bring the music right into your living room. The warm hiss behind the tracks adds to the honesty behind the music. This is not a glossy, mass-produced product, it’s a heartfelt expression recorded in a bedroom. The band does not overwhelm listeners with pyrotechnics, instead it relies on simple repetition and tight chord structures to lure listeners in.

Even with plans to play shows in different cities, the band noted the luxury of being able to perform in Athens.

“It’s not as big as Columbus, but there are a lot of people out there making good music,” guitarist Pearce Dietrich said. “Everyone comes to each other’s shows because everyone has like eight other bands. It’s really cool that it’s so tight knit.”

With such a close knit atmosphere there is also a lot of competition and pressure to succeed.

“I think there is more pressure because you play in front of people you know, and you want them to think that you’re good,” drummer Jessie Lancaster said. “It’s a good kind of pressure; we push each to be better.”

“It’s good though because everyone tries their best to show support for each other’s bands,” Goldberg added. “The Union is like the community center for a lot of the bands around town. I get to see a lot of the bands here that I really love.”

Erik said that he hopes to release another record (the band’s 13th!) by spring. He wants it to be another “really lo-fi album.”

Woody Whatever will perform Feb. 9 at the Casa Cantina. More information is available at the band’s Web site www.woodywhatever.com.