Václav is something of a Renaissance man, a tireless and deeply creative soul whose Zelig-like 20-year career in the arts has included work as a musician, composer, producer, booking agent, festival organizer, and activist. In addition to this, he has worked as driver and tour manager for everyone from the Butthole Surfers to Father John Misty, and with his band Please The Trees, he’s opened for everyone from Steve Gunn and Kurt Vile to Smashing Pumpkins and Robert Plant. He joins James Jackson Toth to discuss his new album A Snake Crawling Up a Broken Ladder.
Category: Wooden Wand
Lagniappe SuperSession :: Birthday Blues | 33 Artists Interpret The Music Of James Toth
Surprise! The first Lagniappe SuperSession is a birthday party gathering of 33 artists interpreting the music of songwriter, James Toth. The songs in this collection cover over 20 years of music from James’ career, from his early band Golden Calves to his last Wooden Wand record, Clipper Ship. Featuring artists Woods, Marisa Anderson, Lee Ranaldo, William Tyler, Ryley Walker, Tashi Dorji (as Mount), Thurston Moore, Meg Baird, and 25 more, the range of styles and sounds on this compilation show off the universality of Toth’s impressive oeuvre.
Don’t Forget To Die: A Few Reflections on David Berman
August 7th, tragic news broke that David Berman, poet and leader of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, had passed away. A chronicler of despair and beauty, Bermans’ work casts a long shadow. Here, Wooden Wand’s James Jackson Toth reflects on his singular stature and remembers the man.
The Lagniappe Sessions :: Wooden Wand / Second Session
Lagniappe (la ·gniappe) noun ‘lan-ˌyap,’ — 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus. Earlier this month we caught up with James Jackson Toth whose long-running Wooden Wand project had just released its first […]
Wooden Wand :: Clipper Ship
James Jackson Toth (AKA Wooden Wand ) gets plenty of praise for his eccentrically evocative lyrics. But on Clipper Ship, his latest album for the mighty Three Lobed Records , it’s the sound that draws you in. Toth has gathered […]
Every Sound Means Something: Wooden Wand Interviews Matt “MV” Valentine
I have already sung the praises of Matt “MV” Valentine elsewhere. For the Google-averse, I can sum it up by saying that MV’s music–both with and without his partner, co-conspirator and constant foil Erika “EE” […]
Wooden Wand :: Farmer’s Corner
Just minutes into the album — with a shambolic instrumental rumble and a dour delivery of urgency — James Jackson Toth, aka Wooden Wand, mutters “the thing I have been sick with, I am well, […]
Wooden Wand & The World War IV
The sheer sprawl of James Jackson Toth’s discography — usually released under some iteration of the Wooden Wand moniker — can be intimidating. Where to begin? I humbly submit that this latest release is a perfect introduction […]
Wooden Wand Interviews William Tyler Interviews Wooden Wand
It was somehow agreed upon during my conversation with William Tyler t hat he would do the transcribing — the difficult, tedious part — and I would write the intro. This is consistent with William’s character: he is […]
Wooden Wand Interviews Steve Gunn
Among certain critics and cultural trainspotters, there exists a colloquialism — ‘gamechanger’ — to denote a brazen, unexpected creative leap by an already respected and established artist. The risk of potentially alienating a listenership that […]
Wooden Wand Interviews Hiss Golden Messenger
When I was fifteen years old, I wrote MC Taylor a fan letter. At the time, he played in a hardcore band I liked called Ex-Ignota. I was a big fan of their split 7” […]
Are Your Songs Rabbits? :: Wooden Wand Interviews Howe Gelb
Our Longshots series returns with two of the more prolific voices working in music today — Wooden Wand’s James Jackson Toth and Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb; both of whom just saw album releases this year, Blood Oaths of the New Blues and […]
Wooden Wand :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Wrapping one’s head around the music of Wooden Wand , the ongoing project of idiosyncratic singer/songwriter James Jackson Toth takes some effort. With over 100 releases to his name, from spiraling freak-out ragas and avant-garde experimentation to […]
Wooden Wand :: Lagniappe Sessions
Lagniappe (la ·gniappe) noun ‘lan-ˌyap,’ — 1. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. 2. Something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus. Whether recording as Wooden Wand , under his own name or with others, I’ve […]