by Dan Moffat

(photo by Zachary P. Stephens)

There are myriad reasons why each one of us picks up an instrument and begins writing a tune. For Boston singer-songwriter George Woods, his journey began with encouragement from his father David, who was a professional musician. When David Woods passed away in 2016, George took a hiatus from releasing music and instead channeled his creative powers into other realms, including hosting the now defunct Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge. I frequented the Lounge o-mic back before it closed in 2020 and saw Woods comedically host with a zany and oversharing energy between performances. Also in between sets, if you were lucky, Woods would share an acoustic-pop tune of his own. 

This month George Woods is returning to deliver his latest single, “Wanted Man” – his first new material in several years. This time around, Woods takes inspiration from a different family member. “I did take after take, and I just wasn’t getting the vibe I wanted, but right before that MONEY take I noticed a little hand print from my daughter in the felt of my guitar case. Made me laugh my ass off right before I sang. That’s the take that built the entire track.”

The lyrics hold personal meaning to Woods. He says, “the ‘Wanted Man’ aspect of it is based in me never quite feeling ‘popular’ or ‘desirable’ when I was young and growing up. Now that I’m an all grown up big sexy bear/lumberjack and I have a wonderful relationship and family, the song is a homage to the times when I never thought that would be my life.”

“Wanted Man” is centered around an acoustic guitar, which fans are used to from Woods’ solo shows. He then mixes the guitar with big-swinging electronic production – I mean hard hitting dynamic changes. What sells the song though is the cunning vocal hooks that are memorable even after the first listen. “Wanted Man” is high-octane pop songcraft that takes off like a gilded jet engine. 

Check out a sneak preview clip below and pre-save “Wanted Man,” out January 27th, right here.

@georgewoodsmusic 6 Years Down 30 days to go. PRESAVE THAT SHIT and help me please our robot over lords #videoleap #anxietyawareness #newsinglecoming #newsingle #presave #wantedman #trackdrop #skit ♬ original sound – George Woods