"Countrycide," by Wood Chickens.
Madison-based rock trio Wood Chickens has spent the last few years writing and recording prolifically, and also building an audience beyond their adopted hometown with extended touring around the nation. That hard work is paying dividends with a national release for their most recent album, Countrycide, on Virginia punk and garage label Big Neck Records.
Big Neck is no stranger to Wisconsin bands; the label’s first LP release was Grab Them Cakes by Milwaukee legends The Mistreaters, and more recent times have brought releases by The Hussy and Fire Heads (Scrogzz Manor, released when the band was still Fire Retarded). It’s good to see the label maintain a connection to the Wisconsin music scene.
Wood Chickens are appropriate ambassadors for Madison music because they have carved out their own unique sound, both in the local scene and compared to what most other current rock bands are up to. In recent local music history, the main group I can recall mining the same country-punk sonic territory is The Apologists. The two groups whip it up with far different approaches, though. Using some concurrent ‘80s punks as a lazy descriptor: If The Apologists take a Replacements approach (raucous, rollicking and rough-edged), Wood Chickens are psychedelicized a la Meat Puppets — an intriguing combination of the Pups’ early desert twang and later ‘80s ZZ Top-besotted period — and playing with Minutemen tempos.
According to an informative 2015 Isthmus article by Paul Smirl, Wood Chickens first came to Madison when the duo of Alex Reilly (guitar) and Griffin Pett (bass) moved here in 2013 from their hometown of Milton, Wisconsin. A series of drummers ensued before they found Justin J. Johnson, a Leland, Wisconsin, native back in the state after some time in Nashville. Since then they’ve burned up the road in all directions, but never forget to save some special incendiary energy for their Madison shows. (Next up are tour bookends at Mickey's Tavern, on Aug. 31 and Sept. 16.)
Released ahead of the LP as a digital single and video was album closer “Full Speed Ahead.”
"Full Speed Ahead" by Wood Chickens
Countrycide was recorded by Bobby Hussy with an ear to creating a super-overdriven, intense sound. The approach fits the label’s lo-fi aesthetic well and also gives the record its own sonic signature in comparison to Wood Chickens’ previous recordings. A few songs here made memorable appearances on previous releases in different form (and with different drummers), and the new versions here give the album a bit of extra all-killer-no-filler oomph. The more I spin this one, the farther it rises on my list of favorite 2017 releases. (Big Neck BN 104, 2017)
