The Wood Brothers at the Pantages Theatre (November 13, 2025)

It was an evening of roots music at the Pantages Theatre with two bands that added their own interpretations on musical genres that go back years.

DUG warmed up the crowd as people located their seats in the intimate, yet ornate theatre.  Both Conor O’Reilly on guitar and Jonny Pickett on banjo were in awe of their surroundings, stating it was only six months before that they were busking outside a Burger King in Dublin, Ireland. “We really shouldn’t be here,” joked Pickett.  A lot of people in the audience were glad they made it.    

O’Reilley and Pickett have an unusual origin story in how they ended up as a duo playing a hybrid of Americana and Irish folk music outside an American franchise in a country that neither are from.  O’Reilley is from Scotland and has lived in the Hudson Valley in New York.  Pickett is from California.  As a duo they work well together, not only in their musical sound, but also in their temperament as they are both low-key and pretty affable.  And funny.  Just read this story on what they did after they sold out all their merch mid-tour.  

DUG is supporting their debut album, Have At It!, which is based on a WhatsApp chat O’Reilly had with his divorced parents during the height of the pandemic.  No words were exchanged.  Instead, his mother posted a picture of the will she just had certified.  In response his dad posted a picture of his will:  a cocktail napkin with the three words O’Reilley would use for the title of the album.  

That was the tenor of the set as they sang about songs about the worst promoter they ever had, abstaining from “self facilitation”, and about being broke.  Two highlights were an original “Jubilee” and a cover of “Cumberland Gap.” 

Note: They will be playing at 7th Street Entry on February 5th next year.  Get your tickets early for I think the show will quickly sell out based on the reaction of the crowd.

Next up was The Wood Brothers. We last saw them at the inaugural show at Utepils Brewery outdoor concert series in May, 2023 , writing, “Musically, the band was in their sweet spot when Chris took the lead on bass and Oliver sang introspective songs like “Heart is the Hero” and “Far From Alone.” Oliver even mentioned that he was proud of their new album, an album that was recorded live on 16-track tape without a computer in sight.”

At that time the parking lot of a brewery was the perfect place to see this band, but the ornate, intimate setting of the Pantages seemed a more proper setting for the band’s latest album, Puff of Smoke.  

At its heart The Wood Brothers are a roadhouse blues band (Oliver Wood on guitar) fused with a funky jazz sentiment (Chris Wood). But after twenty years, the two brothers are still searching for something new, as Rolling Stone described, “The record is signature Oliver, Chris, and Jano cooking up a vibrant, melodic stew — part big-tent soul revival, part joyous dive into the abyss of whatever itch each member is wanting to scratch.”

The Wood Brothers played twenty songs over two hours and not one of the songs were in the same vein. There was the saucy, tongue-in-cheek “Witness.” There was the haunting bass intro followed by a blistering guitar solo in “Stumbled In” followed by the Caribbean tinged “Money.”   Then another new song “Pray God Listens” with a Gypsy undertow that got a big applause from the crowd.  

Special shout out to the non-brother to Jano Rix, who had the most unusual setup for a drummer.  To his right was a bank of keyboards in which he could play solos with his right hand while still holding down the beat with the free hand and feet.  And for the acoustic set he used an acoustic guitar as a percussive instrument.  He even played a melodica.  (What couldn’t he do?)

One of the nice things about being in such an intimate setting like the Pantages is the vantage point of watching seasoned musicians playing their instruments. To me watching someone play an upright bass is always a treat. I’m not the only one.  The whole audience hung on Chris’ every solo as he treated the bass like a dancing partner.  

The band didn’t say much between songs, but Oliver did remark more than once how nice it was to be playing at the Pantages.  It definitely was the  perfect setting for a band that seems to be hitting their stride twenty years in.