The Scott Woods Band will be visiting Moose Jaw this November, as part of its Old Time Country Christmas tour.
The show will be held in the basement of St. Andrew’s United Church and will feature legendary fiddler Scott Woods, along with such names as Steve Piticco, Naomi Bristow, Leo Stock, and Kendra Norris.
Christmas music will feature from start to finish, and the show includes family humour, trick fiddling, sensational step dancing, and plenty more.
“My personal pet peeve is when you see an artist, and you think, ‘boy this band is great… let’s go see their Christmas show!’ You go and see the show, and it’s exactly the same stuff that they always play. At the very end they say, ‘oh, it’s Christmas time so let’s play Jingle Bells and call it a day,” said Woods.
“I make no bones about it… ours is a Christmas show. We play all your Christmas favourites and all the warm fuzzies,” he confirmed.
“O Holy Night, Silent Night, I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas… all of those are there, and we play them with the respect those songs deserve,” he said.
The format was inspired by Don Messer’s Jubilee, which was one of the highest-rated programs in the history of the CBC and aired coast to coast between 1958 and 1969.
“I didn’t invent this way of doing these Christmas songs. The fiddle tunes in the middle of the Christmas song I give the nod to Don Messer’s Jubilee,” explained Woods. “Don would break out into a fiddle tune on the show, and we follow that lead.”
The band also plays uncommon Christmas tunes including The Christmas Letter. “Most people might not be familiar with it, but once they hear the words it’s a very impactful song,” said Woods.
Not every piece in the show will be deeply serious, and a few costume changes are involved.
“We always have a way to keep the show going. There’s no dead air, and everybody has the chance to sing and play, and maybe tell a joke or two,” he said.
“Fiddle music is generally happy music. It’s fun, (and incorporates) jigs and reels. In our Christmas show, we incorporate that fiddle style and country music style into the songs, but for some people that music is a reflection of the time when they were kids,” he said.
“All of a sudden it takes you back to being a kid and sitting around the Christmas tree, on your grandpa’s knee or whatever the case may be,” said Woods. “It’s a real mix of emotions.”
The Scott Woods Band has roots going back to 1944 when his father was 12 years old.
“We’re like a big family. We laugh a lot on and off the stage, and it’s fun for all of us,” Woods said. “I’m sure that spirit comes across on the stage. It looks like we’re having a lot of fun, and we really are.”
The band currently has Woods and four other members.
Steve (The Telecaster Master) Piticco
“(Steve) is an absolutely phenomenal guitar player. He has been with me for about eight or 10 years now, from around the time my mom retired from playing the piano,” Woods said.
Piticco plays lead guitar and has performed with names like Brent Mason and Albert Lee.
“He’s featured lots throughout the show. He is sort of the glue that holds the band together,” said Woods.
Naomi (Canada’s Yodelling Cowgirl) Bristow
Naomi Bristow is known as “The Yodelling Cowgirl.”
“She is a phenomenal entertainer. She is a great singer and has toured all over the world,” said Woods.
“She sticks to traditional country music even though she is 26,” Woods explained. “She doesn’t want to try and be the next Shania Twain; she wants to be Naomi Bristow.
“Lots of times it’s just her and her guitar and she goes out and plays these big festivals with 20,000 people and everybody else shows up with a 5-6 piece band and she’s all alone with her guitar, signing and yodelling,” he said.
Leo (Spaghetti Legs) Stock
Leo Stock has worked with Woods since around the age of 13. Beginning with step dancing and little fiddling experience, he’s now a champion fiddler. Stock is now the Canadian Open Step Dancing champion for the second year in a row.
“He’s an absolutely amazing kid. He’s the one that will probably take over my show at some point when I decide to retire. It will be the Leo Stock show and maybe I’ll be driving the bus for him, I don’t know,” Woods said.
Kendra (The Harmony Ace) Woods Norris
Woods’ sister, Kendra Norris, is also a current member of the band.
“She’s multifaceted, and she is a champion fiddler,” said Woods. “She also has her ARCT in classical violin, has studied classical piano, and has her music degree. She’s the smart one when it comes to (knowing chords and reading music). She’s the one who writes all our harmonies for our vocals as well as our strings,” said Woods.
Woods also wanted to hint at one of the possible surprises during the show. “There’s a very good chance our friend from the North Pole might make an appearance on the show,” he said.
The two-hour show is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets cost $45 each and can be purchased by calling the toll-free number at 1-855-726-8896 or visiting ScottWoods.ca.
The show will be held at St. Andrew’s United Church, located at 60 Athabasca Street East.
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