Last week we had the chance to sit down and chat with 25 year old, singer/songwriter, Travis Wood. We talked about where he’s come from, where he’s going, songwriting and of course the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase Competition.
Here we go!
TC: So how long have you been in Toronto?
TW: I’ve been here off and on since I was 18 and I’m 25 now.
TC: That’s what I estimated your age to be, based on when you left school.
TW: How’d you know I left school?
TC: I read you guys all left school to pursue the band thing. (Travis was lead singer for the band Whosarmy, winner of CBC’s Cover Me Canada)
TW: Oh yeah my old band. We did. I’ve had some good luck though, that show was a bit of luck. That created a bit of a ride for a while for me and my band.
TC: Do you still see those guys?
TW: I’m on good terms with them all. I talk to my guitar player once a week. I’ve known them for so long. To be honest what really happened was I decided to get into writing, and luckily through the good fortune of that show, I had met some people who were in the writing world, who I was able to reach out to, and then I started hanging out with songwriters, and I thought, oh… these are my people. I was a band guy for so long.
Once I started hanging out with other writers, I felt like… this is… these guys. I found that thing, that thing where I belong. Songwriter guys are normal guys. It’s been good. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a great crew of guys here in Toronto that I write songs with. I make trips down to Nashville with them.
TC: Are you writing for other people?
TW: Yeah trying to. I’ve been at it for about a year now. It’s going really well. I’ve got a couple of things in the can. We’ll see. We’ll see. A couple of my songs caught some traction down in Nashville early this year. That was cool. I got some validation. I had a hold with a song I wrote with some friends of mine. And then I lost it. It was my first get ahold and lose the whole thing and I was like “oh no”. It hurt me so much. But now… your skin gets thicker and you keep going. It’s not the last good song I’m gonna write. I’m gonna write another one.
TC: How weird is it to move from the music you grew up playing and loving, and all of a sudden the shift comes, and you go back to the stuff your family listened to.
TW: It’s weird. I was on this show “Cover Me Canada” and I started listening to… I was trying to pinpoint it the other day with my girlfriend. I wonder when did I start turning on country in my brain. When did it start to flip? I know I started listening to Shania Twain records. I think one day I heard that *sings the guitar riff from “That Don’t Impress Me Much”*.
I’ve always loved pop music. I was getting more and more in touch with the fact that I really loved pop music and I wanted to write pop songs in a rock setting, with guitar and drums. I heard that song on the radio when I was driving and I thought, that’s one of the best things ever. *sings the guitar riff again* That’s fantastic!
I’ve been lucky enough to work with a great crew of guys here in Toronto that I write songs with. We write here and I make trips down to Nashville with them.
TC: What can we expect of your performance? Are you going to find a band?
TW: I don’t think so. What I’m finding is that when I perform live, just by myself, I really enjoy it. I feel comfortable, why tamper with that?
I’m really looking forward to the Showcase. I’ve booked a couple of things including the show with Johnson Crook on July 30th at The Horseshoe because it’ll be a good warm up for me. It’ll let me do a real set. I’m also doing a show on Canada Day in my home town of Beaverton. I decided it was a good time to do that. Canada Day I’ll play at home, outside at the fairgrounds.
TC: What are you listening to?
TW: I just bought the new Billy Currington album because some friends of mine have some songs on that album. A guy I write with, Donovan Woods has this song, “Sweet Love” and Gavin Slate is someone I work with a lot. I’m always listening to whatever coming out, the top tier of writers in Nashville.
There’s still a little time to vote to help get Travis a good time slot in the Emerging Artist Showcase this August. Check out his video on the Boots & Hearts website.
Emerging Artist Link: bootsandhearts.com/showcase
Thanks to Travis for taking time out his busy schedule, for making it fun and interesting, and thanks for the tea.
You can find Travis Wood on the internet at these fine locations…
Twitter: TravisPeterWood
YouTube: TravisPWood
Soundcloud:TravisWood
