Written by: Geoff Tischman

The Wood Brothers played the Beacon Theatre the other night (Oct 10) and they were fabulous.

The history of American music resides in the Wood Brothers’ sound–there’s rockabilly, country, jazz and R&B–and the band plays every note with energy and truth.

Chris Wood commandeers the upright bass with wild abandon and the skill of a virtuoso and he’s quite easily one of the most captivating performers around.

Meanwhile, his brother Oliver is one of the grittiest and soulful singers I’ve ever heard. His voice crackles with soulful authority and he writes songs that are both powerful and stirring.

The Colorado-born brothers speak in a musical language that’s encoded in their DNA and drummer Jano Rix holds it all together with percussion that’s decidedly intuitive.

“Trouble In Mind” and “American Heartache” were two of my favorite numbers of the night, but truth be told, every song was a standout.