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WOOD’S TEA COMPANY

Mike Lussen: Vocals, five string banjo, guitar, bodhran, bezouki
Rusty Jacobs: Vocals, tin whistles, guitar, bodhran
Howard Wooden: Vocals, bass, guitar, concertina
Chip Chase: Vocals, fiddle, banjo, guitar

Wood’s Tea Company is a musical group that defies categorization. They perform Celtic tunes, bluegrass, sea shanties, and folk songs with equal ease and skill. In concert, the Vermont-based group draws on a wide variety of musical experience and expression. They employ as many as a dozen different instruments from banjos, bezoukis, and bodhrans to guitars and tin whistles.

The band started out playing to small college audiences in Burlington, Vermont and then expanded to coffeehouses and Irish pubs. Fold legend Woody Guthrie was an early inspiration for the band. “There was something about his music that bucked music establishment trends,” says band member Rusty Jacobs. “He was singing directly to the people and it appealed to us.” After building a solid reputation in New England, Wood’s Tea Company started touring on the concert circuit nationwide, presenting their unique sound throughout the Continental U.S. Noted performances include New York’s Lincoln Center, the Chautauqua Institute, and an appearance on National Public Radio (who labeled them “Vermont’s hardest working folk group”).

Folk Music Quarterly described them as “…one of the hottest up and coming acts,” adding “…sidestepping pretension and going for the grit, this New England group gives a lusty performance every time.” A few years ago, the Irish Heritage Foundation honored them in New York with an Outstanding Innovation Award, “…in appreciation and recognition for their creative contributions to Irish music.” In addition to concerts at performing arts centers and various festivals around the country, Wood’s Tea has appeared at over 50 college campuses nationwide. Since 2001 the band has been touring through Trawick Artist Management of New York as part of their Community Concerts series.

Combining exceptional music skills with wit and humor, Wood’s Tea Company will keep audiences entertained and delighted for years to come.

Discography:
WHERE AM I TO GO – BRO10 …Backroads Records
VOICE UPON THE WAVE – BR020 …Backroads Records
ALIVE AT THE INN –BR030 … Backroads Records
JOURNEY HOME – KMCD-34B … Kicking Mule Records
SIDE BY EACH – W579-29 … Wizmak Records
THE WOOD’S TEA CO.-LIVE! – LR103-4 …Lightening Ridge Records
THIS SIDE OF THE SEA –LR103-5 …Lightening Ridge Records
STANDING ROOM ONLY – WTCO – 002…Wood’s Tea Music

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