THE WOODS

Friday August 9, 2024

@ Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville, TN

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

In what has grown to become one of the most anticipated events of the year in the East Nashville district of Music City, the Tomato Art Fest is the snapshot companion to the atmospheric aura surrounding the uniqueness of the Five Points area.

Since its inception in 2003, the mostly costumed crowd has swelled to be as many as 65K in what can best be described as a celebration of diverse individuality melding into a cultural highlight of culinary flavors, artistry, local music, and of course...all things tomato!

Tucked into the parking lot of the popular hotspot Beyond The Edge, the 37206 Main Stage was the place to be during the opening night of two-day festival - with a Bloody Mary in hand of course - flowing within the vibes radiating the melodies from the likes of Amanda Shaw, Chloe Kimes, Space Capone, and The Woods.

Dan O'Rourke, Raquel Cole, and Leland Rooney, collectively known as The Woods, have solidified their status since charting with “World’s On Fire” in 2022, and continuing since with stellar releases such as “Road Trippin’” and “Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me” as well as consistently delivering an energy induced live show that has most recently included dates opening for country superstar Tim McGraw.

Surrounded in sleek guitar licks, three-layered harmonies, and a feel-good aura that flowed their roots infused rock signature into a blurred line of country essence and Woodstock era vibes, The Woods instantly drew the gathered crowd into their set with the one-two punch of their singles, “Lovin’ You Lovin’ Me” and “World’s On Fire.”

Reminiscing on his first visit to the Tomato Art Fest some 8 years ago, frontman Dan O’Rourke humbly raised a thank you to the organizers of the event for having them play this year and then to the supportive crowd for showing up to be part of such an epic night on the trio’s timeline.

In what was a 35-minute, 8-song snapshot that shined bright spotlights on the overall dynamic of who The Woods are, Raquel Cole stepped into the lead vocal position on songs such as “My Tribe”  to layer a different flavor as songs like “Rancho” saw them peeling back a Southwest country flare while “If You Really Love Me,” their second single, struck a moodiness into the set through the fractured love song.

With the crowd packed into the space in front of the 37206 stage as the sun had started to descend, The Woods hit into a stellar cover of the Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” near the end of their set, allowing all the many facets of who they are as band to shine within the richness of their duel lead vocals and insatiable harmonies that fused together smack dab in the middle of swarming guitars, a rhythmic bass line, and a unique twist branded onto the familiar classic.

Note by passing note, groove by passing groove, The Woods escaped the common trend of introducing their songs in long-form fashion verbally, to instead, use their limited set time to really
allow  the music speak for itself…and speak it did. LOUDLY!

As more and more fest goers found their way over to stage in a steady stream that never seemed to let up, crowding the dance floor as their hips popped along in perfect rhythm, each next note was met with a growing ovation until the trio hit their final strikes of the night and left the stage showered in admiration from their longtime fans, their dearest friends, and the Tomato Art Fest attendees who just happened upon the band and then became their next biggest fan.