Matt Woods launches ‘Manifesto’ from the Shed

Matt Woods

KNOXVILLE — The wait is over. After years of spaced-out recording sessions, Matt Woods, one of Knoxville’s hardest working singer-songwriters, will finally release his solo album, “The Matt Woods Manifesto.” The album will be Woods’ first recorded output since 2008 and marks a turn toward a country sound.

While ardent followers will already be familiar with the 12 “Manifesto” tracks from Woods’ frequent gigs over the past three years, the album presents the first full-production Woods project since Plan A’s 2007 release “Caught Up in the Fray.” (His 2008 solo release largely featured acoustic renditions of his Plan A inventory.)

Much of “Manifesto’s” material originated during Woods’ Plan A days, when a separate catalog of country-leaning songs was set aside as it wouldn’t fit the band’s rock ’n’ roll repertoire.

“I think that’s pretty much the direction I’m going these days,” says Woods of the album’s country/Americana style. “The stuff I’ve been writing tends to go down that alley. That was kind of the idea, calling the thing ‘The Matt Woods Manifesto,’ sort of like a mission statement of what I’ve got going on these days, the kind of music I’m making.

“It certainly isn’t country-radio stuff. It’s not like Keith Urban or any of that. … It’s more outlaw country, Americana kind of thing.”

“The Matt Woods Manifesto” was recorded sporadically at Shed 55 under the helm of Dave Dewitt in between Woods’ long road stints. Adding to the album’s lag time was the inclusion of as many as 16 renowned guest players. Featuring instrumentation from local and regional notables created scheduling challenges that prolonged the record’s completion. For the album’s local release party and next month’s tour kickoff, Woods’ live shows will bring together a number of the record’s session talents on stage.

“The idea was to bring in people I appreciate as musicians and see what they could bring to the table rather than trying to micromanage everyone’s parts,” Woods says. “A lot of the arrangements ended up being maybe a little bit different than I expected depending on how someone else heard it. That drives how one song differs from the next and explains why some may be more country than others.

“I think we started working on the record in fall of ’09. We kind of had to work on it between my being on the road, whenever we could get schedules worked out with all the different players. We’d go in and work a couple of days, then I’d go back on the road for a while, and next time I’d be home for a stretch try to go back in. It was a slower process, but it was cool to have that many friends on it.”

Writing nearly as constantly as he performs, Woods had more material than he cared to cram onto one album and will include a four-song bonus EP titled “No Beer in Heaven” with “Manifesto” while supplies last. In the years since concocting “Manifesto’s” tracks, Woods has mapped out enough new songs to fill multiple albums, but he is fighting the urge to record again, at least until winter. Woods speculates based on the amassed new work that the next project will be an EP exploring his mellower side.

“There’s a handful of new songs I’ve started introducing into the live shows,” Woods explains. “I’ve written enough songs to make a couple of albums probably, and most of it’s fallen in a similar vein as this record. It’s a never-ending cycle — make a record, push it and tour as much as I can, then make a new record.”

Special K: Fine Peduncle and Jackboots open for Hudson K at 8 p.m. Sunday at Relix Variety Theatre, 1208 N. Central St.

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