Austin, Texas, is widely recognized as one of the most eclectic music centers in the country and a hotbed of artists whose music defies categorization.
And as fiddler/singer/songwriter Warren Hood found out when he left to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Texas’ weirdest city can be hard to escape.
“Maybe that’s why so many Austin bands stay in Austin; they can’t get on the radio because (DJs) don’t know what to do with their music,” Hood said, laughing. “In Austin, they can play everything, but … you don’t know what genre to put the players in.”
Hood is the son of Champ Hood, a Texas Music Hall of Fame inductee. At age 11, the younger Hood followed in his father’s footsteps, taking up the bow as a classically trained violinist. In high school, he began fiddling as a member of the South Austin Jug Band.
IF YOU GO* What: Nightfall concert series, featuring Warren Hood and The Goods.* When: 8 p.m. today, Third Lobby opens at 7.* Where: Miller Plaza, corner of M.L. King Boulevard, Market and Cherry street.* Admission: Free.* Phone: 265-0771.* Venue website: www.nightfallchattanooga.com* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.comWHAT’S NEXT?Warren Hood and The Goods are selecting material that will appear on their debut album. Hood said seven songs have made the must-record list thus far, and the band will choose 12 more out of a pool of about 30 before entering the studio in December or early January.