On Aug. 17, 2010, Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts became the
first Iowa act in several years to play the Iowa State Fair
Grandstand, opening for Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon before a
crowd of approximately 10,000 people. KCCI-TV was there to
document the rare fete and interview the band for its 10 p.m.
news broadcast that night.
Here's the link>>
Reviews, Quotes & More
Blues RevueCD Review
The self-titled third CD by Iowa's Matt Woods and The
Thunderbolts builds on the band's early promise, moving closer
to Chicago sounds while retaining the rawness of their Hill
Country inspiration. Woods turns in the hypnotic "I Know You
Don't Love Me," whose one chord suggests early Howlin' Wolf and,
even more strongly, Hound Dog Taylor, and slamming, deft Elmore
James pastiches in "B.O.G. Boogie" and "You Got To Know." His
quirky "I Can't Live Without You" takes Frankie Lee Sims as its
model, while the careening R&B instrumental "On the Loose" is
super hip. Bassist Scott Cochran pens sharp lyrics on his
slow-grind funk number "Work" and the anthem-to-be "Blues
Attack," a floor tom-heavy stomp. A medley combining songs by
Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside closes this very appealing
album.
Tom Hyslop Blues Revue #125 Sept/Oct 2010 <<back to top
Living
BluesCD Review
Des Moines-based Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts have become
one of the hottest acts on the Iowa club circuit of late, with
bassist Scott Cochran and drummer Michael Swanger teaming with
southpaw guitarist Woods to lay down their own smoking amalgam
of Hound Dog Taylor and Freddy King. As is evident from their
own rocker Cold Water and the closing medley of Skinny Woman and
All Night Long, Woods and company have also been listening to
north Mississippi blues, and, as on their previous discs,
there’s a nod to Son House, this time with a loping acoustic
rendition of Louise McGhee that works surprisingly well. Woods’
singing and guitar playing are both intense but unforced, and
the set provides ample proof that a band doesn’t have to come
from the south side of Chicago to really rock the house.
Jim DeKoster Living Blues #208 August 2010 <<back to top
Matt
Woods and The ThunderboltsCD Review Lightning has struck
again. The self-titled and much-anticipated follow-up to
Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts’ widely lauded 2007
release, "Be My Friend," became available last week to
the delight of Central Iowa blues fans who have been
clamoring for new music from guitarist/vocalist Matt
Woods....
MORE>>
Something old, something new:Award-winner Woods brings traditional
blues to Iowans Blues is an old man's game, but it's the
fresh-faced Matt Woods who holds court at the state's watering
holes. The 30-year-old has been crowned an Iowa Blues Challenge
winner twice - in 2006 with the Bad Luck City duo, and in 2007
as part of Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts. The latter group
will release its third CD, comprised of mostly original songs,
in March...
MORE>>
Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts
Be My Friend These blistering blues will get you spinning
out on a cool midnight ride to the crossroads. A mess of
standards, such as “Goin’ to Brownsville” (Sleepy John Estes),
“Jumper on the Line” (R.L. Burnside), “Shake ’Em on Down” (Fred
McDowell), and “Death Letter” (Son House), and a fistful of
originals from Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts just might send
you straight off to the South Side of Chicago, the Texas Hill
Country, and the Mississippi Delta to shake hands with the devil
and cut a deal, for sure. Woods plays and sings like an old
tattered soul still hacking out a living with a mule on 40
acres, and his slide guitar on songs like “Stop That Grinnin’ ”
will leave you gasping for breath. (George Thorogood — watch
your back, man). And the Thunderbolts ain’t no deadwood,
neither, with their straight-on, hearth-thumping rhythm section,
compliments of [Dirty Linen contributor] Michael Swanger
and Scott Cochran. Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts have torn up
the cornfields of their native Iowa and shared the stage with
such blues giants as Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Eddy
Clearwater, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Shake some action, and
hide the womenfolk — these boys mean business.
(TJM) T.J. McGrath Dirty Linen #136 June/July 2008 <<back to top
Blues Revue
Blues Bites Iowa blues competition winners Matt Woods and
the Thunderbolts specialize in hill country stomp, replete with
careening slide guitar, hollered vocals, pounding drums (Michael
Swanger) and bass (Scott Cochran), and optional chord changes.
Woods “ Fairfield ” and “County Road Blues” come strait from the
tradition, as do predictable selections from RL Burnside and
Fred McDowell. The self-released Be My Friend hits its stride
when the band takes the middle ground, on lowdown covers of
songs by Skeeter Brandon and CeDell Davis.
Iowa’s live music of choice is the blues, plain and simple.
Our agricultural reputation may seem suited to a country tune,
but that’s strictly a radio phenomenon. Our proximity to the
Mississippi River and Chicago— the birthplace of electric blues
— makes our fascination a fairly honest one, even if we see a
lot of bands strong on covers and chops, but short on
innovation. For every guru like Joe Price or Bo Ramsey, there
are hundreds of others running through tired versions of Mustang
Sally or the Stevie Ray Vaughan catalog... GET THE REST OF THE STORY (pg 8) >>
4-Stars! The latest from the winners of the Iowa Blues
Challenge is keeping alive the blues created by Southern
bluesmen Son House, Sleepy John Estes, R.L. Burnside, and Fred
McDowell, along with living legends Calvin “Skeeter” Brandon.
Cedell Davis’s, "If You Like Fat Women", a favorite at live
shows, is included in this set of 12 rowdy party tunes. Matt
and the guys do justice to the covers as well as the six
originals they’ve included. Next time you need a boost — put
down the Red Bull and put on Be My Friend.
Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts’ Blues
Strike Like Lightning
It’s difficult to imagine that it was only six years ago when
Matt Woods picked up a guitar. Even though he had just started
out, his love of music was already in place. Now, fronting Matt
Woods and The Thunderbolts, his smoky Mississippi Delta
groove... GET THE REST OF THE STORY>>
Matt Woodsand The Thunderbolts
Take Top Prizeat the 2007 Iowa Blues Challenge Finals held May 18th at
the Hilton Garden Inn. The band received $500 cash plus $1,200
travel expenses to Memphis as Iowa's representative at the
International Blues Challenge in February 2008. Quad Cities
representative Smokin’ Mojo Kings placed second, earning them
$400 cash. Both of the bands also receive 8 hours of studio time
as well as several paid gigs including the Mississippi Valley
Blues Fest and Nitefall On The River in Des Moines. Rounding out
the competition was Yetti Bluz Band, earning $300 cash.
INTERVIEW
Matt Woods is featured on the
Scented Vinyl Show Scented Vinyl is a weekly show at Mars
Café that is similar in format to a
live radio show. The show features local artist interviews,
performances and vinyl collections. Check out Matt's session,
hear the interview, and listen to some of his performance RIGHT
HERE >>
Midwest, via Mississippi
Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts bring Hill
Country Blues to Iowa
"Matt Woods and the Thunderbolts has become known
for its on-stage charisma—particularly
Woods' wild stage antics—and its
penchant for propelling any crowd to its feet."
GET THE REST OF THE STORY >>
The great Mississippi Fred McDowell
once said, “I don’t play no rock ‘n’ roll.” The same can be said
about Matt Woods and The Thunderbolts who proclaim on their new
album: “You want some rock ‘n’ roll, but you’re gonna get a
blues attack.”
Since their formation in 2005,
singer-guitarist Matt Woods, bassist Scott Cochran and drummer
Michael Swanger have carved a niche for themselves as
uncompromising purveyors of traditional blues. However, their
admiration for the blues masters goes beyond mere imitation as
they have created their own timeless sound and songs.
Their third independent album, “Matt
Woods and The Thunderbolts,” features 10 original songs (“Blues
Attack,” “Work,” “Cold Water,” “I Can’t Live Without You”) that
capture the band’s true-life emotions, humor and candor. It also
includes two covers of songs by Son House (“Louise McGhee”) and
Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside (“Skinny Woman/All Night
Long”).
Released in February 2010, “Matt
Woods and The Thunderbolts” finds the tight-knit trio further
down the road of the path they blazed with their two previous
critically-acclaimed albums, 2006’s “If I Was A Fish” (Top 5 in
the Blues Foundation’s “Best Self-Produced CD” international
competition) and 2007’s “Be My Friend” (Dirty Linen magazine
said, “These blistering blues will get you spinning out on a
cool midnight ride to the crossroads.”) as they storm through a
raucous collection of thumping shuffles and stomping slide
workouts that harken the ghosts of Hound Dog Taylor, Kimbrough
and Burnside.
Since its release, the Des
Moines-based band’s new album has garnered critical acclaim and
airplay. Living Blues magazine (August 2010), no less, called it
a “smoking amalgam of Hound Dog Taylor and Freddy King” in its
40th anniversary issue, adding, “Woods’ singing and guitar
playing are both intense but unforced, and the set provides
ample proof that a band doesn’t have to come from the south side
of Chicago to really rock the house.”
Winners of the 2006 and 2007 Iowa
Blues Challenge and semi-finalists in the 2007 and 2008
International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Matt Woods and The
Thunderbolts have graced the biggest blues stages in their
native Iowa (Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, Living History Blues
Fest, KUNI Blues Blowout, Bowlful of Blues, Bluesmore, Blues
Under The Trees, Simply the Blues, Nitefall on the River, Val
Air Ballroom). They have also played some of its most heralded
clubs, including the legendary Blues on Grand, where they were
the house band for nearly four years, as well as The Maintenance
Shop and The Redstone Room.
Over the years, they have shared
stages with Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins,
Louisiana Red, Eddy Clearwater, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, John
Primer, Delbert McClinton and the Arc Angels. In August 2010,
the band became the first Iowa act in several years to play the
Iowa State Fair Grandstand, opening for Pat Benatar and REO
Speedwagon before a crowd of approximately 10,000 people.
Now in their fifth year, Matt Woods
and The Thunderbolts continue to prove themselves to be one of
the hardest working, well-traveled bands in Des Moines, having
packed venues from Beale Street to Main Street with their
feel-good, party music.
“People
have been partying to this kind of music for 150 years,” says Woods. “We try to keep that
vibe and make sure everybody has a good time.”
Matt Woods is both a native of Des Moines,
Iowa and a purveyor of its local blues scene. As a seasoned
performer of many local, regional and national clubs and venues,
Matt has developed a distinct style while still staying loyal to
his blues roots. Versed in traditional delta, hill country and
urban electric blues, his biggest influences include the likes
of: Son House, Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and R.L.
Burnside, among others.
Whether as a solo act or with a band, Matt
brings a firm
understanding of the styles of these great masters to each
performance. Matt is experienced in both electric and acoustic
guitar, as well as slide guitar, lap steel and vocal
performance.
Matt's music has been featured on KUNI Public
Radio, and also can be heard on FM95 KGGO's "The Roadhouse", Des
Moines.
Matt has opened for several national acts
including: Dr. John, Kelly Hunt, Joe Price and Grinderswitch.
Often a "guitar for hire", Matt is available
for studio and performance work as either a solo acoustic act or
with his trio, "The Thunderbolts".
click the thumbnail below to download high-res
files
Photo Credit: Rebecca Swanger
Bad
Luck City consists of two-thirds of Matt Woods and The
Thunderbolts. With Matt Woods on guitar and Michael Swanger on
drums, Bad Luck City will give you a full dose of REAL juke
house party music. This duo knows how to deliver stomping slide
workouts and Blues-ified country. Coming from the North
Mississippi hill country tradition, Bad Luck City promises
nothin’ fancy, just a low-down groove that’s raw as a saw blade
and guaranteed to shake your ass!
Living
Blues
INTERVIEW 
