1. How old were you when you knew your life was going to be art?  When I was 5 years old my kindergarten teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I replied "musician".  The only problem was that I did not play any instrument or sing at that time.  I just knew that was what my dad did and I wanted to do it as well.  

 

2. When did you start for real? I began playing violin when I was 11. Once I began playing there was no turning back.  

 

3 - 4. Were you single minded in this pursuit or did you train/educate for a "real" job? I got into my first band when I was 15.  Before I knew it I was getting all kinds of calls to tour with bands and record in the studio.  From that point I knew this was what I wanted to do.  I toured as much as I could as a teenager while still going to school like any other kid.  I would get out of class at 4pm on Friday and drive to Dallas, Houston, Corpus, or where ever the gig was.  I'd get home on Sunday in time do my homework and get back to class Monday morning.  When I finally graduated I was able to hit the road full time.  It wasn't long before I started feeling burned out and with a lot of encouragement from my family and peers I decided to go back to school.  I attended the Berklee College of Music in 2003 and spent the next 2 years there in Boston.  After completion of the 2 year certificate program I moved back to Austin and started touring again with various bands.  I think I actually came out of Berklee a worse player than when I went in!  For 2 years my teachers and I picked my playing apart and rebuilt it into something unrecognizable to me.  I had little confidence in my playing at that point.  I scrutinized and second guessed every note.  Every time I went to play a phrase my brain would interfere and try to make the phrase too jazzy.  I think I was playing from my brain instead of my heart, soul, and most importantly my ears.  It took a few years to find my sound and honestly I'm still searching.  That will never end and that's a good thing.  That's why all of the great players and singers sound different in their younger years than in their later years.  You never stop experiementing and trying to get better.  The most important thing is that I found the joy in music again and got my confidence back.  I don't mean to sound like I am bashing Berklee.  I am a much better player than I would have been had I not attended Berklee.  I owe the faculty there a lot of credit and I would do it all again if given the same chance.  What I didn't realize is how long it would take after leaving there for all the information I learned to settle.  Perfect your craft, music or otherwise, is a life long journey.  

 

5. Who supported your decisions? My family, friends, and teachers encouraged my pursuit of music.  My dad, a musician himself, always supported me but never pushed me toward music.  He knew how difficult it was to "make it" and even if you did "make it" the life style of a musician is not easy.   He always encouraged me to do what ever made me happy, music or not.  At one point I wanted to be an animator and at one point I want to be a professional basketball player in the NBA!  He encouraged me then too:) My basketball career did not really pan out but so I'll still with my plan B of being a musician.  By the way, plan C is a professional bass angler on the bass tournament circuit( not "bass" as in double-bass, but "bass" as in largemouth bass).

 

6. Do you have family?  And where are they? I am lucky to have a large family and almost all of my immediate family live in Austin.  My wife, Ashley Hood,  is very supportive of me and has somehow found a way to deal with a musician's lifestyle.  She is my rock.   My mom lives in Dripping Springs and I get to see her often too.  My brother, Phil, is in the Navy medical program in DC and is studying to be doctor or a surgeon some day.  My cousin Marshall Hood is a full-time member of my band.  I also have 2 aunts, a mother in law, more cousins and even a few "other mothers" as I call them.  My "other mothers" are 2 very special women that helped raise me and they live in Austin too.  

 

 

7.  What gigs stand out to you, looking back? There are not a lot of shows that stand out from the rest but the largest crowd I ever played in front of was about 20,000 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with Bob Wier. 

 

8.  Who did you like performing with? I really enjoy performing with my cousin Marshall Hood and Willie Pipkin.  We have been playing together so long that we speak the same language now.  I am fortunate to play with some of the greatest players in the world and I feel like I learn something from everybody I play with.  I enjoy play with people that are not professional musicians too.  Most people in the world don't play music for a living but a lot of them play music for fun.  That's what music is supposed to be, fun.  Sometimes as a pro it's easy to forget that.  Playing with those that don't get to do it all of the time can remind you how fun it is.

 

9.  What do you see as your best work? It's too hard to pick my best work.  I'm not even going to try.

 

10. Has your outlook on fame changed since you've achieved it? I'm not famous.  A few people in south Austin know I play fiddle.  I think "famous" is not being able to go to the grocery store without people with cameras following you.  I hope I never get there.  I think when you are young the idea of fame seems very glamorous.  I work with famous people.  It does not look like fun.  I would like to get more people to my shows and sell more records but not be famous.  Is that possible?  BucketHead seems to have it all figured out.

 

11-12. Has noteriety changed you? Notoriety has not changed me.  I'm always striving to do beat my personal best.  I sing, write, and play instrumental leads.  There is infinite room to grow in all three areas no matter who you are.  

 

13.  How do you want to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as a good and honest man.

 

14.  What are you currently working on? I am currently working on gather songs for a 3rd album.  My first album was titled "Warren Hood" , the second titled "The Warren Hood Band".... I think I will have to try a little harder this time.  I have 6 songs that are definitely going to be on there (two or them are Marshall Hood songs).  I have about 50 other songs that I am sifting through to see what fits with those 6.  There will always be at least 1 Uncle Walt's Band song on there.  I have to find the one that fits with the rest of the album.  

 

15. Is it as easy as it looks? No.  Fiddle is hard.

 

16. Is it fun? Yes!  Fiddle is fun!

 

18.  What would you say to wannabee performers? Sing and dance like nobody is listening or watching.  Do what feels good and to hell with anyone's opinion.  Don't expect people to just accept that you are a genius.  If you think you are great and you resent people who don't think you are great you will be very unhappy. 

 

19.  Do you have pets, what kind? We have a little brown mutt named KXAN Chief Meteorologist Jim Spencer.  He goes by "Spence" and he hates thunderstorms.  A friend of ours saved him from a kill shelter and we adopted him.  He like digging holes and chasing squirrels.  

 

20.  What's more important - Talent or hard work? I think hard work is more important than talent.

 

21.  What is your take on MP3 downloads? Mp3s sound bad but I have a lot of them.  I have more vinyl than anything else but you can't put a turntable in your car.  Mp3 are convenient and that seems to be more important than quality these days.