Something downright mystical is happening on Colorado’s Front Range. The very roots of traditional acoustic music seem to sprout from the dirt, shaking their dust into the winds of change, to be breathed in and become the soul of musicians who craft their songs here.
Such is the music of Wood Belly, a musical collective of Chris Weist (mandolin), Tom Knowlton (guitar), Chris Zink (dobro), Aaron McCloskey (banjo) and Taylor Shuck (bass). Today, Americana Vibes is excited to announce the addition of Wood Belly to its roster, which includes Grammy Award-winning artist The Infamous Stringdusters, plus Midnight North, the Sweet Lillies, Morsel, Chris Pandolfi, Travis Book, Andy Hall and Andy Falco.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to announce our signing with the fine folks at Americana Vibes,” shared Wood Belly. “The Infamous Stringdusters were a huge influence on all of us through our formative years in bluegrass and to be brought into their community and label is nothing short of mind blowing. We have the utmost confidence in this partnership and cannot wait to see what the future has in store!"
In addition to the signing, Americana Vibes is happy to present Wood Belly’s new album, Great Big Skies, due out in May 2022. Alongside this announcement, Wood Belly is proudly sharing a new video for their unreleased song, “Mexico” available on the band’s YouTube channel now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3d1AoKMBK4
About “Mexico” Wood Belly shared, "Bluegrass music is no stranger to a good ole bank robbin' song. ‘Mexico’ diverges from the classic narrative by putting you inside a criminal's mindset who's been dealt a bad hand in life and completely justifies the crime he commits even if it meant taking another man's life. We're all heroes in our own story and the song demonstrates that these stereotypical ‘villains’ are no different.”
Wood Belly band has been garnering attention since the release of their 2018 debut album Solid Ground, which was followed by a win at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition (earning them a main stage performance slot at the 2019 festival), as well as a 2018 IBMA Momentum Band of the Year nomination.
