Interview with Alex Reilly of Wood Chickens

Madison cowpunk band Wood Chickens released their debut full-length LP, Countrycide, last summer. Jangly guitars race thumping bass on these country-laced punk tracks. Alex Reilly of Wood Chickens talked with me via email about the scene in Madison, touring and a couple new Wood Chickens releases coming soon. Last month, Alex shared his favorite records of 2017 with us. Read that here. Wood Chickens play two shows in Chicago on February 1. The first is an early show with So Pretty at Bric-A-Brac Records. Later that night they play at Cafe Mustache with Wet Wallet and Tijuana Hercules. Check their full run of February tour dates on their Facebook page.

Photo by Maggie Denman

Phil Collins: You included a couple bands (Fire Heads, The Hussy) from Wood Chickens' hometown of Madison on your top releases of 2017 list. Can you tell us a little about the music scene in Madison?

Alex Reilly: The music scene in Madison is stupendous! There are tons of bands and a lot going on for the size of the city. A significant chunk of the scene is focused on punk / garage rock / powerpop, but Madison's a diverse mixed bag of artists who are always collaborating and forming new bands. Wood Chickens have only been involved in the scene here for a few years but many folks are saying that it's at a peak and the best that it's been for quite some time.

PC: What kinds of venues are prominent for punk shows? Are they mostly in bars or DIY spaces?

AR: There are always DIY spots coming and going - basements, warehouse spaces, etc. - but Mickey's is a great bar venue that's been around for decades and they throw some of the best shows in town.

PC: You played at Subterranean for Ian's Party recently, how was that show? Did you get to do any venue hopping?

AR: Ian's Party was a helluva good time! There were tons of talented acts and the energy in the room during our set was incredible. We stuck around Subterranean to see our buds Nobunny headline that night.

PC: The music on Countrycide is so fast paced, I think even if people are hearing you play for the first time, they are going to want to get a little rowdy. How did you land on that sound for Wood Chickens?

AR: The sound comes from a wide array of varied influences, but the pace of the music came somewhat naturally when Justin J. Johnson joined on the drums. We sort of just ended up becoming a faster band. We find that we get a little sloppier when we try to play slower, and it's easier to keep up the energy and urgency at higher tempos. The objective is to squeeze as many songs as possible into a half-hour set and I often feel that I get bored playing a song that's longer than 2 1/2 minutes. Too many song ideas! Can't focus on one for too long.

PC: Faster, shorter songs definitely fit in with punk. Do you have any favorites to play live?

AR: Hmm..That's a tough one. I like playing "Guys in Big Trucks," which has an easy going, traditional country vibe to it. We have some fun new tunes that, genre-wise, I would call speed metal or grindcore. Bold claim, I know. I also like to play the songs with extended jam sections. It leaves room for some improvisation when playing live. "Hex on Me" and "Death Rides A Horse" seem to be the crowd-pleasers and they fill the room with some good energy.

PC: You have a bunch of tour dates set up for February, including a couple shows in Chicago on the first. Do you have any tour rituals or ways of keeping it chill on the road?

AR: We stop at thrift stores in nearly every city to pass the time. Push & Pull Records (out of Springfield, MO) is putting out a new cassette for us on 2/3. We'll be sending those out on the road and with each mail order we'll include a unique piece of hand-drawn artwork by one of us Chickens. So drawing will be a good way to kill time on some of those long drives.

PC: Nice. Are these songs recorded around the same time as Countrycide, or did you record again recently?

AR: The cassette is called "bits" and it's made up of various unreleased material. Most of it was recorded after Countrycide, in the winter and spring of 2017. It includes some live recordings, acoustic studio tracks, and a studio track we did in Dallas while on tour in April. We recently finished recording our 2nd LP, which will be called Well Done! and that should be out later this year on Big Neck Records.

PC: We'll keep an eye out for those releases. Is the new album similar to Countrycide?

AR: Well Done! will be quite a departure from Countrycide. While there are a couple country-flavored tracks, much of the album will go into weirder territory. There will be synth. There will be screeching feedback. Some of the songs will allow you to summon demons if you play the track backwards.

PC: It sounds like we have plenty to look out for from Wood Chickens this year. Thanks for talking with us!

AR: No problem, thank you! See ya on the road!