HAPPY BONES CD JANUARY 16, 2016 / BY STONEY January 14, 2016 Unless you are new to the Augusta music community or refuse to venture into the downtown area, then you surely have been one of the many blessed to cross paths with bearded, tattooed, peace and love blues rock artist Woody Wood, creater and longtime frontman of groove band HAPPY BONES. For what seems like eons, Mr. Wood has rocked stages across the CSRA solo and with unique groups, most notably the previously mentioned HAPPY BONES so it seems odd that now finally in 2016, Augusta has finally received a musical platter from the group Woody has led for the past decade and a half. Starting off in dark,ominous groove fashion, "Cage" offers enough of the kind of grind that is capable of pleasing a wide variety of music fans including those into rap, jam bands, and late 90's dark alternative rock. Falling somewhere between old southeast band I LOVE YOU and OTIS REDDING, this jam is chock full of soul and sets the mark for the tracks that follow. "Daze" continues the groove in a slighty slower way leading up to feel good jam "Delirious v1", a tune that Blue Traveler's John Popper would have loved to blow harp over. "Hell Hounds" has a near hip hop quality to it while "I Am War" brings the album full circle at the mid-way point with its return to dark, brooding grooves. The remainder of this self-titled album flip flops wonderfully between the two places that Mr. Wood grooves best - between the slow, grinding sounds of tracks like "The Crazy One" and "This Is Just a Dream", and head bobbing snappers ala "Ignorance is Bliss", and "Train Song." Where HAPPY BONES most succeeds is in creating a soundtrack that is perfect for that kind of low light, eyes shut, just short of sleep capable of taking the listener to a place of meditative bliss all the while sneaking in just enough angst to keep the mind and body going, and going, and going. If you're looking for a good mix to put on with the lights down and lava lamps flowing, this is one CD worth considering. The Carolina release show is set for March 4th The Highlander / 133 Georgia Ave. N.Augusta