Wendy Woo - Singer-Songwriter

Though born in New York City, Wendy Woo grew up in Colorado. Her energetic personality, musical skills, and spirited songwriting have made her a media and fan favorite.

Multicultural in both heritage and outlook, Wendy Woo displays a blend of soul, vibrancy, and wild child attitude. A passionate live performer who connects instantly with her audiences, she has been playing to sold out venues every week and attracting national music industry attention.

Whether playing by herself or with her band, Wendy Woo draws you in and holds you there. Her voice is simultaneously intimate and assured. Woo's songs are wide-ranging in style but always pure in emotion: from down and dirty blues to defiant ex-lover funks to summer day sambas to wistful ballads. Her guitar-playing includes fretwork riffs so unusual they always generate cheers.

In addition, Wendy Woo has won numerous accolades including:
Five-Time Winner Best Singer/Songwriter (Denver’s Westword)
Independent Artist of the Year (2003) (Hapi Skratch Entertainment).
Best Boulder Musician (2004) (The Boulder Weekly).
Best Singer/Songwriter (The Boulder Daily Camera).
Best Local Artist (Colorado Daily).
Winner of the Colorado Lilith Fair Talent Search.
Named to music critics’ “Best Colorado CDs of the Year” lists: “Ecolalia” (The Denver Post and Westword) and “Gonna Wear Red”(DenverLocalMusicScene)
She was part of the 1999 Lilith Fair in Denver, sharing the stage with Sarah McLachlan and The Indigo Girls. She has opened for Sheryl Crow, India.Arie, Counting Crows, Shawn Colvin, 38 Special, Dave Mason, Stanley Jordan, Eric Johnson, Karla Bonoff, The Crash Test Dummies, Sonia Dada, Sean Mullins, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Loudon Wainwright III. and other national acts.

Woo’s parents, Jane, an artist, and Bataan, a poet, were founding faculty members of Boulder’s legendary Naropa Institute. The Faigao home was a gathering spot for such literary icons as Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, Merry Prankster Ken Kesey, and 1960s chronicler Norman Mailer. Local music critics have lauded her as a significant member of Boulder’s “organic” music scene.

Wendy Woo's musical experience includes studying classical guitar and music theory in college; working at Boulder’s most famous music venue, the Fox Theater; organizing the Women from Mars (an on-going music festival); and serving as a producer for multiple projects including CDs for herself and Sally Taylor, daughter of Carly Simon and James Taylor.

Wendy Woo has released six CDs, displaying a wide variety of styles. Angels in the Crowd (1997) is a collection of mellow jazz and folk-inspired ballads. Wide Awake and Dreaming (1999) is a full band production with funk and jazz rhythms. Ecolalia (2000) features Woo’s songs and acoustic guitar interwoven with her father’s poetry. Gonna Wear Red (2002) is a tightly produced series of rock tunes with touches of funk, blues, and folk. Walking the Skyline (2004) has songs in three genres: intimate solo acoustic; expansive upbeat pop/folk; and full band funk. Angels Laughing (2005) is a live solo acoustic album.

Jimmy Lange adds his keyboard flavor to the musical stew using various synthesizers as well as on the infamous Hammond B-3 organ, which was and continues to be his first love musically. (Few artists are willing to carry a classic Hammond rig these days but you’ll often find the old girl on a Woo Band stage.) Formerly of Boulder’s own “Mombo Combo” and “Touch” from up north in Ft. Collins, Jimmy counts as his influences a variety of musical styles but drawing heavily upon southern blues, reggae, and assorted “funky stuff.” His love of reggae music led to a national tour with Grammy-nominated “Blue Riddim Band” as well as an eventual appearance at Reggae On the Rocks at the coveted Red Rocks Amphitheatre. (Jimmy also currently does a one-man reggae/Motown show and has opened for many international acts including The Wailers, Third World, Steel Pulse, and more.) As a member of the Woo Band, Jimmy brings to the table a variety of textures that are helping to create ever widening concentric circles of influence in the band’s constantly evolving sound. Look for lots of new sounds coming from the Woo Band stage in the near future!

Although the Wendy Woo Band has incorporated a number of drummers over the years, Chris Maestas, who joined the band in 2002, has brought a new dynamic through his understated but well-defined percussion. Growing up listening to the Beatles and all the derivatives since, he has an appreciation for strong melodies and clean pop rhythms, which makes him a perfect fit for the Woo Band.

He has played in many bands over the years, including a current side project known as “Mean Old Man”. In addition, as the son of a music store owner in a tiny New Mexico town, Chris began taking apart and restoring vintage drum kits and designing his own. Not only did he develop a system to produce high quality sounds across all kit configurations, he has perfected the art of building the virtually indestructible drum. To produce and sell his custom kits, he founded and is president of Denver-based Darby Drum Company. Among the many people who now play Darby Drums are:

Brian Nevin (Big Head Todd)
Daren Hahn (Eels, Ani DiFranco)
Scott Davies (Opie Gone Bad)
Chris Maestas (Wendy Woo)
Jimmy Blair (D.O.R.K.)
Zach Pietlock (Judge Roughneck)

Mitch DeZwarte has an extensive history with music which began when he was five. While growing up in the Midwest, Mitch began playing recitals and performing at a very young age. Through the years Mitch has become a well rounded musician performing in acts ranging from Jazz to Heavy Metal. Mitch is also a songwriter and composer and has performed in many solo acoustic shows of his own. Much of the past five years Mitch has been playing bass for numerous acts around Denver. Mitch spent a better part of two years playing bass for Aubrey Collins, getting the chance to play for Sony, Epic, and Capitol Records. He has been blessed with the chance to play alongside many nationally acclaimed studio musicians and songwriters from the West coast to the East coast. Mitch is now playing keyboards and singing background for Ten Tiers and the WooCrew.