"spreading like wildfire, tarnished by rain like a Renaissance painting she hangs on the wall..."
I've listened to the stunningly beautiful "Thirteen Sailboats" too many times to numerate. The song by The Wildwoods comprised of Lincoln, Nebraska husband and wife folk / Americana duo, Noah and Chole Gose is a captivating story told with it's own beautiful soundtrack. While folk / Americana is a nice umbrella term it doesn't begin to fully flush out the genre blending that Chloe and Noah achieve. The chord shapes may feel easy and comforting with stair stepping passages but there are intricate things happening almost surreptitiously. A veiled flat or sharp tinged with dark tension might make you turn your head and look back twice to notice it. There are classical shapes and odd dipping notes that seem to put an uncharacteristic bend in a branch that might feel more Elliot Smith than Gillian Welch and still, at other times, you might feel classic folk hint of Jerry Jeff Walker but more elegant like a country cowboy in a tuxedo.
Noah as guitarist / vocalist and Chloe as violinist / vocalist share a wide range of influences as divergent as Watchhouse, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Joni Mitchell, and Gregory Alan Isakov and while that might explain the way they paint their words and music, their essence might better be explained by who they are as a couple. Their different vocal aesthetics work so well as counterpoised emotional textures and as beautiful as those textures are, both possess vocal styles that feel artful but natural and down to earth.
They both share the back story of "Thirteen Sailboats":
[After finding inspiration from sitting alone on the beach, Noah composed a poem where he imagined himself as a sailor, pondering all of his life choices and wondering what he could've been had he taken other paths and opportunities. Being cursed by the "what if", the sailor admires the fictitious character, 'Virginia', who represents all those who have found greater success, and lead seemingly happier lives than he. The sailor realizes that although her existence appears to be perfect from the outside, Virginia has struggles and tribulations within her own life. The chorus then takes the form of the sailor speaking to his younger self. He realizes how carefree, ambitious, and joyful he used to be. Longing to return to the way he used to be, the sailor can still see a slight glimpse of those qualities still existing within his current self. After completing the poem, Noah brought it to Chloe and the two worked together to compose music that captured the essence of the emotions relayed by the poem.]
I don't feel like my little review has done The Wildwoods' "Thirteen Sailboats" justice but then how could it.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://thewildwoods.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWildwoodsband
https://www.thewildwoodsband.com/
https://open.spotify.com/track/2dyP6QGWYj3pOlJmr66i94
The Wildwoods are an enchanting Folk/Americana duo based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as "focused and charmingly human". The Wildwoods' delicate melodies and descriptive lyrics come from nature, love, experiences from the road, and growing up in Nebraska.
The Wildwoods consist of husband and wife duo, Noah and Chloe Gose, who share a wide range of influences from the styles of Watchhouse, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Joni Mitchell, and Gregory Alan Isakov. The duo formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2012 when they were each just 14 years old. After meeting in middle school, Chloe and Noah began writing and performing together and quickly gained popularity in their local music scene. Fast forward to today, and the now married couple can be found consistently performing all across the country. The group has supported touring acts such as Elephant Revival, The Hunts, The Accidentals, The Way Down Wanderers, and Jamie Wyatt. Along with performing several Sofar concerts in cities such as London, Brooklyn, and St. Louis, as well as a European tour in 2019, the pair has also performed at several festivals including: Summerfest, The Nebraska Folk and Roots Festival, Wakarusa, and the Flatwater Music Festival. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021 The Wildwoods were nominated by the Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards as a top Americana/Folk artist in Nebraska. In 2022 they were named “Best Band” by the Lincoln Journal Star’s ‘Lincoln’s Choice Awards’.
We get by with a little help from our friends
The Wildwoods, folk, folk indie, Americana, dream folk, "Thirteen Sailboats", classical shapes, folk dissonance, Lincoln, Nebraska, husband and wife duo, Chloe and Noah Gose,
They both share the back story of "Thirteen Sailboats":
[After finding inspiration from sitting alone on the beach, Noah composed a poem where he imagined himself as a sailor, pondering all of his life choices and wondering what he could've been had he taken other paths and opportunities. Being cursed by the "what if", the sailor admires the fictitious character, 'Virginia', who represents all those who have found greater success, and lead seemingly happier lives than he. The sailor realizes that although her existence appears to be perfect from the outside, Virginia has struggles and tribulations within her own life. The chorus then takes the form of the sailor speaking to his younger self. He realizes how carefree, ambitious, and joyful he used to be. Longing to return to the way he used to be, the sailor can still see a slight glimpse of those qualities still existing within his current self. After completing the poem, Noah brought it to Chloe and the two worked together to compose music that captured the essence of the emotions relayed by the poem.]
I don't feel like my little review has done The Wildwoods' "Thirteen Sailboats" justice but then how could it.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://thewildwoods.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheWildwoodsband
https://www.thewildwoodsband.com/
https://open.spotify.com/track/2dyP6QGWYj3pOlJmr66i94
The Wildwoods are an enchanting Folk/Americana duo based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as "focused and charmingly human". The Wildwoods' delicate melodies and descriptive lyrics come from nature, love, experiences from the road, and growing up in Nebraska.
The Wildwoods consist of husband and wife duo, Noah and Chloe Gose, who share a wide range of influences from the styles of Watchhouse, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Joni Mitchell, and Gregory Alan Isakov. The duo formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2012 when they were each just 14 years old. After meeting in middle school, Chloe and Noah began writing and performing together and quickly gained popularity in their local music scene. Fast forward to today, and the now married couple can be found consistently performing all across the country. The group has supported touring acts such as Elephant Revival, The Hunts, The Accidentals, The Way Down Wanderers, and Jamie Wyatt. Along with performing several Sofar concerts in cities such as London, Brooklyn, and St. Louis, as well as a European tour in 2019, the pair has also performed at several festivals including: Summerfest, The Nebraska Folk and Roots Festival, Wakarusa, and the Flatwater Music Festival. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021 The Wildwoods were nominated by the Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards as a top Americana/Folk artist in Nebraska. In 2022 they were named “Best Band” by the Lincoln Journal Star’s ‘Lincoln’s Choice Awards’.
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We get by with a little help from our friends
The Wildwoods, folk, folk indie, Americana, dream folk, "Thirteen Sailboats", classical shapes, folk dissonance, Lincoln, Nebraska, husband and wife duo, Chloe and Noah Gose,
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