Hailing from the New Jersey shore Woodfish is one of today's best U.S. based rock bands. The band’s appeal is universal, their music is energetic and their show is truly exciting. The drive behind the creation and performance of Woodfish’s music is to stick to the roots of what makes great rock music while still creating a great new “Woodfish” sound that touches people’s hearts and souls.
The music of Woodfish can be described as a combination of rock, funk, surf, jam band and progressive styles which, infused together, provide audiences with an intoxicating and entertaining musical “Woodfish” experience. It has been said that a fan once described Woodfish’s sound as The Red Hot Chili Peppers beating the crap out of the Dave Matthews Band, while The Blues Traveler stood there being entertained. Another fan once described the band’s performance after a show at a venue called The Starland Ballroom in New Jersey as, “You guys are like Hootie and making babies and stuff”. Woodfish took that as a compliment and the guys signed her CD.
Whether playing in a concert hall, a festival, a college party or a small intimate barroom, Woodfish remains true to the spirit of rock and roll by bringing charisma and passion to every song they write and perform. At a Woodfish show, music lovers’ from a wide range of music categories from are often seen grooving and enjoying an explosively energetic performance which typifies the live Woodfish experience.
The inception of Woodfish can be traced back to when brothers Steve (on bass) and Dominic Kalorin (drummer) would perform together at local NJ open mic and jam nights. As the brothers progressively began identifying a cohesive, consistent sound in their jams, which combined elements of free jamming and applied traditional and cutting edge songwriting arrangement styles, audiences took notice. This increasing demand enabled Woodfish to perform in larger venues that tended to rely only on large scale, well known cover band acts to entertain audiences.
The power of music has always been fundamentally important to each member of Woodfish. Brothers Dominic (drums) and Steve (bass) Kalorin were raised surrounded by a variety of high level musical influences, including classical, jazz and contemporary stylings, which can be detected throughout Woodfish’s intensely rhythmic sound. Twenty-three year-old Kirk Smith hooked up with the guys in the band while looking for a musical outlet after returning home from serving 4 years in the US Marine Corp. Kirk’s love of music can also be traced back to his youth while growing up on the New Jersey shore listening to everything from Bruce Springsteen and Matchbox 20 to James Brown and Parliament Funkadelic. Guitarist, John Samuel also began playing music at an early age in life. John’s love and desire for many different types and styles of music has helped him to become one of the most tasteful guitarists the guys ever met. Saxophonist, Don Honeycutt also known as the “The Guy” or these days “The Big Sexy” had been playing a variety of music instruments since the age of three. Don actually picked up and mastered the Saxophone to play for Woodfish. Don’s rock and roll approach to his playing give Woodfish’s sound that extra element of flavor in just the right place when needed.
Woodfish’s story is definitely not a short one. Since the inception the band has been through hell and back but the drive and love of playing music has kept the band going. The band has definitely paid more than its share of dues. This has led to both good and bad experiences and a lot of the times more bad than good. However, the band Woodfish has endured by embracing the spirit of what any true good rock and roll band must do. They have learned from the low points and cherish every moment on stage and every high point that comes along. Over the years the music of Woodfish has been formally recognized by both peers and industry with the presentation of several awards including: “Best Groove Rock Band, Best Jam Band, Best Bass Player” and as the “2006 New Jersey Shore Performer of the Year.” Additionally Woodfish has had the privilege of playing along side highly esteemed musical acts, including: Foghat, .Moe, 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann of Grateful Dead, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, The Spin Doctors’ Chris Barron, Particle, Oteil & the Peacemakers (from the Allman Brothers), Keller Williams, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Constantine Maroulis, The Nick Clemons Band and more. Currently, Woodfish is looking forward to moving forward and picking up more shows on festivals, at colleges, in bars and anywhere every else they can spread their love of rock & roll by impacting additional audiences with their high energy musical performances.
