Will Wood

Last updated

Will Wood
Will Wood 2018.jpg
Will Wood performing live in 2018 (Roxy and Duke's Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ)
Background information
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, filmmaker, artist, comedian, podcaster
Instruments
Years active2011–2023, 2024-present
Labels Say-10
Website www.willwood.net

Will Wood is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and comedian. [1] [2] Wood has released four studio albums; Everything Is a Lot (2015), Self-ish (2016), The Normal Album (2020), [3] and "In case I make it," (2022). The first two were released as Will Wood and the Tapeworms, Wood's prior band name. He has additionally released two live albums and a soundtrack.

Contents

Style

Wood's piano-led style often changes from one song to the next, drawing influence from folk, pop, jazz, rock and roll, latin music, doo wop, and klezmer. He is also known for his unconventional use of tenor and baritone ukulele. When recording in studio or performing live with his band, the Tapeworms, he has mostly been accompanied by Mike Bottiglieri on guitar, Matt Berger on alto saxophone, Mario Conte on drums, Vater Boris on bass, and Rob Schaefer on trumpet. [4] [5] The band is known for high energy live performances. [6]

Wood primarily performs solo, his shows featuring a combination of music, monologue, and stand-up comedy. [7]

Personal life

Wood has been described as "reclusive", [8] and is known to avoid social media. Little is known about his personal life, and sources about Wood contain conflicting accounts of even basic information about his personal and professional life. [9] He is also known for having fictionalized his life early in his career, and appearing in character in some press appearances or onstage, as well as engaging in experimental live performance art. His acts sometimes feature simulated mental breakdowns, conflict with audience plants, appearances from fictional characters, and intentionally botched performances. [10] His image in pop culture has been heavily influenced by this, but the artist has expressed that his work and persona will continue to change. [11]

Wood has consistently been open about his past struggles with drug addiction and mental illness, having entered recovery early in his career and later being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [8] [12] Wood may also have a personality disorder as mentioned in a scene at the end of the music video for "Love, Me Normally" where a psychiatrist mentions that he has a cluster B type personality disorder diagnosis. [13] Wood donated 50% of ticket sales from The Real Will Wood to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, a mental health charity, saying, "I’ve gotten a lot better. I want to try and do something to help others get there." [14]

Releases

Wood began releasing music with A Verbal Equinox and Strange Thick [15] on January 19, 2011, before later joining Jamface [16] in summer of the same year to replace the female lead vocalist under the pseudonym "William Sunshine." During his tenure with Jamface, Will would team up with Jonathon Maisto to found The Stereosexuals [17] in 2013. The two worked from 2013-2014 to make 15 songs, only three of which publically released. Will has stated that the rest were lost in a hard drive crash. Under the eponymous band "Will Wood and the Tapeworms" with two studio albums: Everything is a Lot in 2015 and Self-ish in 2016, along with the live album The Real Will Wood in 2018, which later served as the soundtrack to the mockumentary concert film of the same name.

In 2019, a crowdfunding campaign began for The Normal Album, which offered invitations to record gang vocals for the album in exchange for support, among other benefits. It raised $27,631 and was released in 2020 under his name. [18] Following the release of The Normal Album , Wood began to attract a more significant fanbase. The album featured Wood's most popular song to date, "I/Me/Myself", which has been regarded by some as a source of controversy, due to the song's exploration of Wood's relationship with his gender identity. [19]

In 2021, Will Wood worked on the soundtrack for the fictional horror/comedy podcast Camp Here And There. A "Campfire Songs Edition" of the soundtrack, with lyrical versions of three of the initially instrumental tracks, was released in 2022.

His 2022 release "In case I make it," was crowdfunded on Indiegogo in October 2021. Wood has described the collection of songs as being his most personal yet, saying: “I've always tried to consistently re-invent myself as an artist, I think. But this time is different, because for lack of a less dramatic phrase… I've reinvented myself as a person. I couldn’t be more different than I was even a year or two ago." [20]

Six singles from "In case I make it," were released prior to the album's full release. [21] [22] In September 2021, prior to the crowdfunding of the album, Wood released the single entitled "Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll", which would later appear on the album. [20] On June 10, Wood released the single "You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)", a black comedy track about social media platforms with spoken word by Bev Standing. It pastiches the Radiohead track "Fitter Happier" from their 1997 album OK Computer . [23] Other singles included "Tomcat Disposables", "Cicada Days", "Euthanasia", and "White Noise", all of which were accompanied by music videos co-created by Wood. On July 29, the full album was released to positive reviews. [24] [25]

On August 19, 2022, Wood was featured on singer-songwriter Shayfer James' single "Ferryman", [26] which would later appear on the latter's third studio album Shipwreck (2023). [27] On September 1, Human Zoo released "Wealth & Hellness" featuring Wood, a single for the former's second studio album of the same name (2022). [28]

On January 13, 2023, Wood released the album IN CASE I DIE:, a live compilation of songs recorded at US tour dates in 2022. According to a guest blog post on V13, after the release, he would begin an "indefinite break or possibly retire from [his] music career." [29]

On August 9, 2024, Will Wood released a new mix of The Normal Album (2020) with producer Kevin Antreassian, additionally featuring three demos. These consisted of 2018 recordings of "I/Me/Myself", "Laplace's Angel", and "Memento Mori", [30] which were released in the previous month as singles. [31]

Discography

  1. 1 2 3 Released as Will Wood and the Tapeworms.
  2. ↑ Re-released in 2020 as The Real Will Wood (Music from the Award-Winning Concert Film).
  3. ↑ Re-released in 2022 as Camp Here & There Soundtrack: Campfire Songs Edition.

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
TitleYearAlbum
"Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture"2015Everything Is a Lot
"Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia / Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to Fusiform Gyrus)"2016 Self-ish
"Dr. Sunshine Is Dead"
"2012"
"Alma Mater"2020Non-album single
"Love, Me Normally" The Normal Album
"Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)"
"...Well, Better Than the Alternative"
"Mr. Fregoli and the Diathesis-Stress Supermodel, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Con (An Untitled Track)"Non-album single
"Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll"2021 "In case I make it,"
"Your Body, My Temple"2022Camp Here & There
"Tomcat Disposables" "In case I make it,"
"Cicada Days"
"You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)"
"Euthanasia"
"White Noise"
"I / Me / Myself (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"2024 The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)
"Laplace's Angel (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"
Collaborations
Covers

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References

  1. ↑ "Avant-pop artist Will Wood stimulates discussion on how pop culture regards mental health". PalabasTayo. August 19, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Will Wood Talks Process, Funding, and New Tune "Love, Me Normally"". American Songwriter. May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  3. ↑ "A Perfectly "Normal" Interview With Musician Will Wood". bleedingcool.com. July 4, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  4. ↑ "In case I make it," (Media notes). Will Wood. Say-10. 2022.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ "Under the Radar: Will Wood and the Tapeworms". The Smoke Signal. January 30, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ Reilly, Erin. "Morris County musician performing at Rock Circus". Daily Record. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hsu, Caitlin (December 2, 2021). "Review: Will Wood's live show was as delightfully unhinged as expected". Washington Square News. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Bringin' it Backwards: Interview with Will Wood". American Songwriter. July 8, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  9. ↑ Makin, Bob. "Makin Waves with Will Wood & the Tapeworms". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Interview: Who is The Real Will Wood?". thepopbreak.com. September 5, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Will Wood Releases the Long-awaited Full-length Album 'In Case I Make It'". July 29, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ Armus, Isabella; Hsu, Caitlin (April 29, 2022). "Will Wood wants to be authentic, whatever it takes". Washington Square News. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ Wood, Will (May 29, 2020). "Love, Me Normally [Official Video]" (video). youtube.com.
  14. ↑ "A Real Interview with The Real Will Wood on The Real". New Jersey Racket. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Strange Thick Discography" . Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Jamface- Biography". Last.fm. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Bigger Than Yours- The Stereosexuals". Bandcamp. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Will Wood Launches Massive Indiegogo Campaign for 'The Normal Album". PalabasTayo. August 19, 2021. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  19. ↑ "I/Me/Myself". July 10, 2020.
  20. 1 2 Louis (September 22, 2021). "WILL WOOD HATES "SEX, DRUGS, ROCK N ROLL" – exclusive interview!". The After Hours Review. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  21. ↑ "PreludePress: Will Wood – Cicada Days". www.preludepress.com. May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  22. ↑ "PREMIERE: Will Wood and the feral folk chamber poised "Tomcat Disposables" (Official Video) – AMERICAN PANCAKE". www.americanpancake.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  23. ↑ Rogers, Kieran (June 16, 2022). "Unwrapped: Will Wood - You Liked This (Okay, Computer)". Clout. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  24. ↑ Smith, Graeme (July 29, 2022). "Album Review: Will Wood – "In case I make it,"". York Calling. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Will Wood In Case I Make It Review". July 29, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Shayfer James & Will Wood: Ferryman". shayferjames.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Shipwreck - Album by Shayfer James". Spotify . March 10, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  28. ↑ Liebman, Bo (September 22, 2022). "A Single Sit-Down: Human Zoo – Wealth and Hellness (feat. Will Wood)". The Indy Review. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  29. ↑ Gonda, Christopher (January 8, 2023). "Will Wood Details His (Final?) Album 'In Case I Die' and Indefinite Hiatus from Music". V 13. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  30. ↑ "The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit) - Album by Will Wood". Spotify . August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Laplace's Angel - 2018 Live in Studio Demo - Single by Will Wood", Spotify , July 29, 2024, retrieved August 9, 2024
  32. ↑ Big Ears Glenn (December 28, 2017). Big Ears Glenn - Hey ft. Will Wood (Official Music Video) . Retrieved August 7, 2024– via YouTube.
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