Before Nick Woods was the singer, guitarist, and founding member of Direct Hit! and the co-owner of X-Ray Arcade, the punk rock front man and all-ages venue owner/operator was a suburban kid with an insatiable passion for music. The journey that started with taking violin lessons from his mother as a child led to learning guitar in adolescence, starting bands as a teen, and touring the country to play music during his college breaks.
Woods recently welcomed My First Band host Tyler Maas to X-Ray Arcade to talk about the new business, the influence his guitar teacher had on him, playing in a nu metal cover band, discovering punk rock, learning how to book cross-country tours, his decision to eventually take the lead in a group, and how Direct Hit! went from being a jokey side project to a pop-punk sensation on the Fat Wreck Chords roster.
My First Band is sponsored by Boulevard Brewing and is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and The Box Social (“Blown To Bits”).