Emmy Woods at White Squirrel Bar (July 2, 2026)

Emmy Woods Setlist

— Set 1 —
Where the Hell You Come From
nice suit
delirium
With Him
Bridgeless
Ceooked Brim
Takes One to Know
Eye to the Barrel
Fishbowl
— Set 2 —
Interstate Town
Aileen
Barstool
Operator
whiskey fix
Rodeo Clown
City Girl (Gillian Welch cover)
some kind of peaceful
ballad of lake superior
company
Pushin Up
Million Miles Per Hour
Wayside (Gillian Welch cover)
When the Day Breaks

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■ Emmy Woods
Emmy Woods (she/they) was born and raised on an old dirt road in rural North Dakota and currently resides in Saint Paul, MN. With hints of country, folk, and blues, Emmy’s songs showcase her knack for storytelling, her strengths in musical artistry, and her ethereal voice. Drawing on a range of influences including Billie Holiday, Emmylou Harris, & Against Me, Emmy has shared stages with such talents as Melissa Carper, Sarah Morris, Ryan Young of Trampled by Turtles, and Cam Whitcomb, to name a few.

Recently, I’ve been diving into the broad and varied residencies happening at the White Squirrel Bar in downtown Saint Paul (see some previous examples here and here). It’s a great way to get further into the rich, local music scene and it has been a fun way to experience a number of bands that I have passing familiarity with and to really see them up close. The White Squirrel Bar takes the job seriously, with reasonable audio equipment and a dedicated sound guy (Bryce!) to make the experience a good one. Headed into the long holiday weekend, I was excited to hear from Emmy Woods who was taking her spot on the first Thursdays of the month.

Emmy Woods is a singer and songwriter centered in an Americana sound. She’s got several albums, including 2025’s When the Day Breaks. The warm up / sound check song (as the keyboard player arrived and got set up) was a great piece on its own and was a good table setter. Performing as Emmy Woods & The Red Pine Ramblers, the quintet (vocals/guitar, fiddle, keyboards/vocals, bass, and drums) started with the very country sounds of Where the Hell You Come From, with Woods showing some great charisma at the center, both with good guitar work and an excellent singing voice. I enjoyed the visuals of the quartet (all but the drummer) being bunched on stage right and each in sunglasses, while the drummer felt a long way away in the back stage left corner. A darker, jazzy number in Nice Suit let Woods lean in a different direction vocally, and had a fun keyboard interlude. The second of a pair of slower songs (“we’ll get jamming again soon!”) had a sweet intro for With Him and had a smokier, jazz style vocal for Woods and a quiet instrumental close on fiddle. Crooked Brim had a nice opening swell and a good bass line that held a strong center to the song. Our drummer was raring to go and had a peppy beat on Eye to the Barrel, and the intertwined fiddle and keyboards pushed this high paced song forward. Closing the first set out on the bluesy rock Fishbowl, it was a good choice as they finished the front side strong.

Woods started the second set solo for a few numbers, with Interstate Town being an ode to her small North Dakota home town. An unreleased song, Aileen, took its dark subject matter and cast a little humanity to it. Operator had the band back on stage, but stuck with the quieter, sadder Americana themes. Whiskey Fix was “one of my oldest tunes” and slowly brought the full sound of the band in for the chorus, creating very solid dual vocals and was a pretty stunning number. We got a Gillian Welch cover with the very country City Girl that let the fiddle shine and Woods in a nearly drawled singing style. The drummer had an interesting set of sticks with mallets on one side and brushes on the other, and the way he flipped them as needed on Some Kind of Peaceful was impressive and hit those louder and quieter moments well. A ghost story in the Ballad of Lake Superior had a quieter, not quite waltzy / minor chord feel. The requisite cheating song was checked off with Company, and it was nearly the end of the second set. The final song with the band had a big Americana sound, with crackling keys and the fiddle and guitar driving things home. The band left for Woods to close out solo, starting with a second Welch cover in Wayside. When the Day Breaks was a fine way to close, and Emmy Woods & The Red Pine Ramblers had proven they deserve that monthly residency. As Woods said at the close, “come back next month”, and I highly encourage you to consider it.