Warren Hood

Warren Hood is back at The ABGB on Wednesday, August 5, as part of his long-running residency. He'll be playing with the Warren Hood Band, and the set pulls from three different directions: their own original songs, classic country, and blues. It's a wide net for one night, but it fits the way he works.

Hood is an Austin multi-instrumentalist who switches between violin, guitar, and mandolin. He's a seven-time Austin Music Award winner for Best Strings, and the city knows him as a Texas fiddler and a Chet Baker-style crooner. He started on classical violin at 11, studied under Bill Dick, won the Pearl Amster Youth Concerto Competition and the Austin Youth Award, and earned a scholarship to Berklee College of Music. There, he majored in violin performance, played with Steven Tyler, and formed the acoustic string band Blue Light Special.

For about ten years, he was a sought-after sideman for Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely, and The Waybacks. His biggest influence is his father, Champ Hood of Uncle Walt's Band, a South Carolina folk trio that moved to Austin in 1975. Hood has held this weekly residency at The ABGB for over a decade, and he recently released a live album recorded right there.

The show runs from 7 PM to 9 PM at The ABGB, 1305 W Oltorf St, and it's free for everyone.