The blues community in Iowa seems to be a very interesting and passionate one. It is always a pleasure to see a blues artist when they are in town, as they tend to give solid performances. Guitar player and singer Matt Woods is no exception to that. 

Woods had an early evening show at DG’s Tap House on Saturday, but he still brought a nice sized crowd to the bar. After playing a couple of opening songs he gave everyone a warm greeting.

Woods was very personable, and always friendly to the audience. Throughout the night, he thanked everyone for listening and delivered funny jokes between songs.

It always amazes me how blues artists can make their work seem so big and larger than life. Woods’ voice is perfect for his playing style; He always added so much emotion into every lyric he sang.

On top of that, he has tons of talent on the guitar. Whenever I go and see an artist like Woods, I always find it fascinating what one person can do with a single instrument.

Woods picked his guitar in a very fast manner, and there was never a moment where it was not fun to watch him. He had two beautiful black guitars that he switched between depending on the set of songs he was playing.

I really enjoyed the way Woods entered and exited a song. Whenever he began one, he would play an interesting, and sometimes long, opening that would set up the lyrics. Then, at the end of the tune, he would always find a unique way to close the song with his guitar.

I think this really kept his set interesting, since he always had me guessing what he was going to do with his guitar next. At one point, he played an instrumental piece entitled “JP’s Boogie” and he seemed to move naturally with every moment of the song. As an audience member, it was an easy one to jive to.

The lyrics within his songs were sort of minimal, but when he added them in, they were always interesting and performed with heart. Woods played some covers, but he also played several originals. He really made the covers sound like something of his own. He did a good job personalizing his show.

I could tell Woods just loves to share his music; He had a positive attitude every moment on stage. The way he performed really put me in happy mood. It is always nice to be able to go to shows like this one and have the chance to kick back, relax and enjoy the music.

Woods is from the Story County area, and it is nice to know we have artists like him so close by. His show felt very intimate, but at the same time exciting and positive.