Matt Woods

"Something Surreal - Deluxe"



"Something Surreal"



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Bio:

Matt Woods is caught in a melting pot of early millennium pop and modern Americana with a splash of southern roots. His acoustic rock, yet very laid-back sound stirs from the influences of Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, and the Counting Crows.



Matt, 26, is from the most southern region of Alabama in the city of Dothan, but now resides in Nashville. He made his start in high school playing various private parties and events. Venturing off to college at Auburn in 2001, he worked the local scene around the area playing smoky bars, fraternity parties, and small venues. “I actually really miss those days. Inebriated college kids somehow give you the confidence that you need at that age when you’re on stage in front of a crowd.” Slowly the out of town gigs were piling up, providing a new vessel of marketability.

In 2004, producers sparked interest in the budding musician and he left Auburn for the “Music City” to take the next step. “It wasn’t that I was intentional about making a career out of it, but music made me happy…and at the time, I was able to financially support myself through music, so I stuck with it. You’d do the same thing.” In December 2004, Woods released his first studio album “Something Surreal.” The album wasn’t pushed hard until the end of 2006, and the acoustic version of the record became the double ammunition that it needed to market. Oxygen network’s “The Bad Girls’ Club” picked up the single “Misconception” for an episode, launching a national taste of Matt’s music. His southeastern college tours in the 2006 seasons were a success, branching out to Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, and gaining more regional exposure.



Woods is very active in his music career. He is currently writing new material for the next full-length album. No date is set for the release, but he hints to possibly sometime in the summer of 2010.



REVIEW BY ZEITGEIST MAGAZINE:

If you have a yen for the adult oriented rock so popular in the colleges in North America, then this is the CD for you. Working in the same idiom as Counting Crows, Matchbox 20 and the Barenaked Ladies, young buck Matt Woods has the voice and the songs to lift him up the ladder. His debut album, Something Surreal is chock full of radio friendly anthems , any of which would sit happily on a US teen angst TV show soundtrack with Bottled Up Inside going all John Mayer on your ass, and the driving power pop of Gone is just made for listening to in the car, driving down some long, lonesome highway, a sweet young thang at your side and an angry father with a shotgun on your tail.

I can think of no reason why Mr. Woods wont be a huge star he has talent and youth hes even a bit of a rough edged pretty boy, so the evil emteevee would take to him like a shot. Now all we need is a windswept video for Hiding with lots of deep meaningful glances to camera, and itll be a shoo in.

Ridiculously good.



REVIEW BY BABBLE AND BEAT:

Matt Woods has a great soulful voice! His songs are solid, the production is good, and other reviews are quite positive. There are 20 songs on this debut (of which 8 are acoustic versions of tracks). We?ve been listening to ?Something Surreal? once daily for two straight weeks now. Here?s what we think:



The CD starts out really strong and ends strong. Matt Woods? style reminds us a little of what an American Del Amitri would sound like. There are moments when we also hear a little Matchbox 20 influence.



Highlights:



"Misconception" (both regular & acoustic versions), "Lyndal" (both regular & acoustic versions), "Never Too Late" (both regular & acoustic versions), "Dream" (both regular & acoustic versions), "Gone" (acoustic version), "Blow Away" (acoustic version), "Bottled Up Inside" (acoustic version), "Hiding" (acoustic version), and "All About Her" (acoustic version).



We do have to add that we prefer music that is a bit more unique but nevertheless, this is a very pleasing effort. just ask his legions of fans on MySpace.



REVIEW BY AMERICAN SONG WRITER MAGAZINE

vol. 20 (May/June 2005) MATT WOODS: Something Surreal: Matt woods skipped out on his senior year of college and graduation at Auburn University to jump-start his music career in Nashville. Still only 21 years of age, Woods, proves he is a contender with Something Surreal. Falling into that mixed bag of pop/rock that includes Matchbox 20 and Fuel, Woods provides the voice behind the songs of friend and producer Chris Sevier. Highlights of the album include Offering, with sounds kind of like U2s With or Without You but with a jacked-up, power-chord chorus as well as Blow Away, both of which stick to the simple lyrics, toned-down verse and power chorus formula representative of the genre.



REVIEW BY PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

Matt Wood's provides some very catchy power pop on this debut release. Certainly fans of "So Long, Astoria" era Ataris, and Yellowcard will find a lot to like here. "Misconception" and "Life Flashes" are two of the standout moments on this very enjoyable album. If you enjoy acoustic and electric guitar filled rock and roll, you will find this project to indeed be 'something surreal!' (James Morovich)

From Phantom Tollbooth. July Issue



REVIEW BY MINOR 7th MAGAZINE:

review of Matts new record Something Surreal: Adult-alternative rock singer/songwriter Matt Woods displays a flair for the dramatic on Something Surreal, an explosive, multi-guitar driven collection that would sound just as intense if he were simply strumming his acoustic to a small circle of friends. Woods muscular rhythm section inflates his catchy melodies and clever, earnest lyrics into areana rock proportion. If you go on farther than the first three cuts; the John Mayer-ish Bottled Up Inside, the go-for-broke fervor of Misconception, and the metal grandeur of Lyndall hes already scaled more heights than most Top-40 artists do on one disc. The neo-psychedelic Sus-chorus intro to Hiding and the pure power pop of Gone show Matt Woods keen capacity to shift gears without losing his identity. Is bigger better? In Woods case the answer is a definite yes.



REVIEW BY SMOTHER MAGAZINE:

Singer/songwriter Matt Woods must be a busy man. I imagine his day is filled with decisions about what products hell lend his name to and what advertisements hell make. After all hes got to be commercially successful to a ridiculous level right? Oh but he hasnt hit the mainstream yet. The second that he does hell be blessed with all of the fame and Benjamins that come with it-the trick is that when write songs as genuine and sincere as this, you know that it wont get to the head of the artist. Good job and I look forward to the follow-up and the burgeoning success!



REVIEW BY CHICKEN FISH SPEAKS:

Matt Woods - Something Surreal - CD

(Severe Records) Image Barenaked Ladies doing simple acoustic rock songs and you would have a good idea of what the songs on this release by Matt Woods sounds like. The music is catchy, the lyrics are intelligent and the vocals are great. While every song is wonderful, my favorites are “Gone” and “Dream”. I have to say that you rarely find a release of this caliber on an indie record label. This release is definitely worth checking out.

-- Mite Mutant (2007)



REVIEW BY ALL AGES ZINE:

Alot of singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen. (see Tim Mahoney) This one is about as far from that group as you can get. Matt Woods is not only a great songwriter with some catchy tunes, but he is also a great guitarist. There are a few solos on this album that will really grab you. A wonderfully produced album. I can't get enough of it. Buy it right now and support the small guy! 6 stars out of 5, it's that good! (******)(JL)