We are delighted to premiere the new single from Wood Willow. ‘So Much Runnin” is a dramatic contemporary bluegrass song, full of foot-tapping rhythm and atmospheric melody. It builds on the bluegrass tradition that shaped the duo’s music, bringing the sound up-to-date. At its heart, the song is all about the insistent finger-picking, the tuneful vocals and the gorgeous harmonies. The band told AUK about the song: “‘So Much Runnin” is a song that sonically blends our bluegrass roots with our rebellious nature. Lyrically, it loosely depicts a character traveling their life always in search of more only to drown in their own greed. It’s a song pointing out the flaws in the rise and grind culture that the world today seems to idolise.”
Wood Willow are based in Oklahoma City and the video was created just north of the city, with the snowy climate and abandoned train carriages near the Oklahoma Railway Museum providing the perfect backdrop for the narrative about the endless need to run just to stand still. Of the video, Wood Willow add: “On the surface level of the song lyrically, the abandoned train car was the perfect juxtaposition for the chorus lyrics of ‘So Much Runnin”. As you get deeper into the words, the song also touches on the rise and grind culture of modern society and our own mortality. Therefore, the trains seemed to be the perfect metaphor for what the song is warning us about. The shoot was very fun, very cold, and very spur of the moment. In Oklahoma, we don’t get snow very often so we had to act fast. We shot it all in one day and all on iPhone. Definitely our most DIY video to date!”
Wood Willow is the song-writing collaboration of Joel Parks, who delivers vocals and guitar, and Becca Herrod on vocals and mandolin. Although their sound is rooted in traditional bluegrass, there’s a whole load of attitude blended into Wood Willow’s music that helps to make it feel fresh and new. Parks explains what you can expect from Wood Willow musically: “I’ve found that genres can kind of be misleading. In every genre, there is incredible music and terrible attempts so when starting out we tried to give people a more tangible depiction of our sound and energy. Our acoustic instrumentation makes the Gillian Welch comparison easier for people to understand but we like to add a bit of angst and attitude into songs that call for it so we felt like we were channelling a more raw and raucous filled duo like the White Stripes.” These are fair comparisons, with the musical mood prioritised alongside their excellent instrumental abilities.
‘So Much Runnin” is the lead single from forthcoming debut album ‘Southern Intentions’, which is due for release on 22nd April 2022. For the record, the duo collaborated with GRAMMY-nominated producer Wes Sharon, who is known for working with the likes of John Fullbright and Parker Millsap. Together, they’ve created songs that are high on energy, attitude and clean, confident delivery. Look out for the new album. In the meantime, tap your feet to this.
