Howard
Wooden: Vocals, bass, guitar, bodhran.
Tom
MacKenzie: Vocals, hammered dulcimer, banjo, guitar, ukulele, keyboard
Patti Casey: Vocals, guitar,
flute, penny-whistle, and clogboard
Woods Tea Company is an acoustic
group that performs Celtic tunes, sea
shanties, American folk and
novelty songs with ease and skill. All members are
fine vocalists and audiences often
leave in awe of their wonderful harmonies.
During a performance they use as
many as a dozen different instruments.
After building a solid reputation
in New England, Woods Tea Company started
touring on the concert circuit
nationwide, eventually playing in all the lower 48
states. Notable performances
include New York's Lincoln Center (twice), the
Chautauqua Institute (three
times), appearances on PBS and 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,” saying
“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 the group with their
“Outstanding Innovation Award, in appreciation and
recognition for their creative
contributions to Irish music.”
Woods Tea Co has seen many changes
in the past few years, starting with the
tragic deaths of Rusty Jacobs and
Chip Chase. Following these losses, two
bright spots: in 2007, former
bandmate Tom MacKenzie rejoined the group, and
Patti Casey signed on in 2008. In
May of 2010, Woods Tea Co saw the
retirement of inimitable
bandmember Mike Lussen. In light of all these changes,
Woods Tea Co returns to the
stability of their roots – a solid trio. The band spent
most of its nearly 30 years
performing as a trio, and now more than ever, with its
wealth of instrumental
and vocal combinations, a trio makes sense.