Today we’d like to introduce you to Warren Hood.
Hi Warren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born the son of a musician and raised in the Austin music scene. It is impossible to tell you my story without first sharing some of my father’s story. My dad, Champ Hood, was a prominent fixture in the Austin music scene from around 1972 until his passing in 2001. His band, Uncle Walt’s Band, had a cult-like following and was adored and admired by their fans, other artists, and peers such as Lyle Lovett, Steve Earl, Lucinda Williams, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and more. Austin is dubbed the “Live Music Capital of the World” largely in part to what began with the music scene of the 1970s that included Uncle Walt’s Band and their peers. I highly recommend you look them up. Uncle Walt’s Band’s time together was coming to a close around the time I was born. By the time I was 5, my dad had transitioned to mostly being a side-man and session player for many artists and bands including all of the names I listed above. For those of you unfamiliar with that term, a “side-man” is an instrumentalist, backup singer, or percussionist that the band leader (usually the star vocalist) hires to make him or her sound good:) My dad played fiddle, guitar, and sang harmonies as well as anybody in the business and had no shortage of side-man work. I tagged along with him from an early age to almost all of his gigs, where I absorbed the music I heard. He played in bands based in many different genres so I was exposed to everything from a solo acoustic guitar singer/songwriter to Lyle’s Lovett’s Large Band to Alejandro Escovedo’s raw grungy rock’n roll at the Continental Club. My dad would take me to his gigs at bars and just let the fans and wait staff look after me until the show was over or I fell asleep in a booth in the corner. It was magic! You can’t really do that anymore:) By the time I picked up the violin at age 11 I already knew how it was supposed to sound. The years of going to all of those shows had developed my ear to recognize pitch, tone, phrasing, melody, harmony and rhythm. After playing for only 1 year, I was sitting in on fiddle each Wednesday night with my dad’s band at Threadgill’s where he played weekly for over 10 years.
I continued to study classical violin at school and with my private teach, Bill Dick, by day and fiddling in bars by night. I eventually earned a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music where I spent 2 years studying violin performance. Upon completion of my studies, I came right back to Austin and picked up where I left off. While I was making a name for myself as a side-man I also started my own band under my own name. We had a successful residency for about 10 years at a club called Momo’s every Sunday night where I was able to turn my attention to songwriting and singing. Having that band gave me a kind of creative freedom and inspiration that you don’t get as a side-man. I have been writing, recording, and collaborating with much of the same group of people for 20 years now. I have found a way to walk the line between side-man and bandleader that has allowed me to make a comfortable living playing music in Austin. It has also allowed me to play more locally and slow down from touring. This became very important after my first son was born. These days I am a stay-at-home-dad by day and I play mostly locally at night. You can find me with my band every Wednesday night at The ABGB in south Austin 7-9. It’s a free show and all ages are welcome!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think my biggest challenge has been balancing family life with my professional life. It is hard to make enough money to survive doing art without completely being engulfed in the lifestyle. Most musicians that do it full time are on the road a lot or in the studio all day every day. It can make having a family nearly impossible. Most of us are working odd hours with an endless supply of free booze (or whatever else you might want) IF you want it. I think navigating through drugs and alcohol is key to longevity in this business. It took me a long time to realize just because somebody sends a round of shots up the to band does not mean you have to take that shot. I might have a drink after a show but I am not closing the bar down every night like I used to. Many of my peers that have been doing this longer than me are 100% sober and have been for years. It does not have to be all or nothing but you must find the right balance for you. I have somehow learned how to walk the line between family life and musician life and a lot of my friends, even bandmates, are successful at it too. The Austin live music scene is so large and strong that many of us locals make a decent living here without having to tour. I still go out of town a few times per year on short trips but nothing like I used to do. Every member of my band (including me) plays 3-5 nights a week in Austin or close to it with 3-5 different bands. Sometimes this still means getting home at 2:30am and getting up at 6:30 to get the kids to school but that’s just part of it. I lay down fiddle tracks from my bedroom when the kids are in bed. You just do what you have to do to be present for your family. Sometimes this means saying “no” to a good gig because you just had 4 good gigs in a row and you need an evening at home. My wife is an amazing partner and understands me and what I do very well. She also understands the effort I put in being a good father and husband while staying true to the artist inside.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I play fiddle, mandolin, guitar, I sing, write, and perform with my own band as well as with other bands. My 5 piece dance band plays at ABGB every Wednesday 7-9 and is a great wedding band:) I can also play you down the aisle with solo violin. My acoustic trio or quartet is great for house concerts or background party music. I am available for session work and I do track from home. I can give you “fiddle” in any style or compose and multi-track strings parts for your pop song. I also do harmony vocals.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Treat everybody with kindness and respect no matter who they are. It feels good to do good and it feels wrong to do wrong. That’s how we know what to do. I treat people the way I want to be treated because it’s the right thing to do but it also might help you out in ways you don’t see yet. There have been situations where a band opened for me and years later when they were much more popular than me they let me open for them. I have even been hired by people that I originally hired first.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.warrenhood.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warrenhoodfanpage
Image Credits
Micael Marie
Monroe Davep
John Grubbs
