Swiping shaggy blond hair out of his eyes, Nate Henry, bassist and vocalist for Sherwood, clutches the microphone and delivers powerful lyrics to hundreds of dedicated fans. The crowd shouts praise and dances to the catchy indie beats.
This is likely to be the scene tonight at 7 when Downtown Brew Co. welcomes Sherwood, the first local band to get signed and tour nationally, back to San Luis Obispo.
“(Downtown Brew) has a cool, small club vibe. Three out of our last four shows sold out and our headlining tour sold out in advance, which was really cool. I think people take pride that we are a hometown band,” Henry said.
Sherwood has played at Downtown Brew at least 10 times and each show has been very successful. Playing shows in their college town is like a homecoming for the band, bringing them back to their roots, said Korie Newman, Downtown Brew’s booking and venue coordinator.
The band has come a long way since its formation.
Henry and guitarist Dan Koch met at an open microphone event in 2001, when they were both attending Cal Poly.
“We were just a couple of college kids who had a dream,” Henry said.
The group was completed in 2002 with the addition of drummer Joe Greenetz, guitarist Chris Armstrong and keyboard player Mike Leibovich. The quintet’s style blends indie with catchy pop tunes and a rock n’ roll beat, citing The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Tom Petty as some of their musical influences.
According to Henry, the band name stemmed from a joke. The band members wanted to create an album that corresponded with scenes from the Disney classic, “Robin Hood;” much like Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” supposedly meshes with “The Wizard of Oz.”
While they have yet to create a soundtrack for “Robin Hood,” Sherwood did produce two independent albums before becoming the first band to release an album through MySpace Records in 2002.
The record label helped propel them from small town college band to national sensation, with nearly one million MySpace friends and more than 18 million playbacks of songs on its MySpace page.
Starting off small and working their way up the music industry ladder, Sherwood has garnered a lot of worldwide success, attracting the support of even the unlikeliest of fans.
“We went to Japan last year and having people that don’t speak your language singing along to the songs, giving you flowers and crying when they meet you is really amazing. Going to Japan changed my life. I had a smile on my face the whole time,” Henry said.
Sherwood’s MySpace page has comments posted from fans across the globe, including places such as Holland, Denmark, Australia and many U.S. states.
“I love your music, guys. I especially like your ballads. Keep up the great soulful and honest songwriting. Rock on,” writes Justin Henderson, a fan from Kansas.
Despite its huge online fan base, Sherwood finds that many fans won’t support the band financially by legally buying music or attending concerts, Henry said.
“When the economy is down the first thing to go is entertainment,” Henry said.
The members of Sherwood, however, are not letting anything get in the way of producing more music.
Sherwood’s new album “Qu” was a year in the making and will be released this fall. It will offer fans a unique blend of songs with an array of different themes.
“Most bands who are starting out write songs about girls. As we grow and mature and get life experiences, we can channel our experiences to write and inspire songs,” Henry said.
Henry said songs from the album will step away from the cliché by including themes about apathy, war, mid-life crises and motherhood.
Tickets for the all-ages concert can be purchased for $15 at the door or $14 in advance at ticketweb.com, Boo Boo Records or Downtown Brew’s box office. Rock band Copeland will be opening the show.
Courtesy Photo: Sherwood lead singer Nate Henry
Getting personal with Nate Henry:
Q: Who are your favorite artists?
A: Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, good well-crafted indie pop like Death Cab for Cutie and Iron and Wine. Kayne West. Anything you can appreciate.
Q: Any embarrassing moments?
A: One time, we were playing a concert at Cal Poly’s UU hour and Matt threw a tambourine like 50 feet up in the air and it came down and hit me in the back of the head. Of course it would hit me. The whole crowd was laughing.
Q: What is your favorite musical venue?
A: The Fillmore in San Francisco. They are so artist-friendly. Or any place in Tokyo. They take care of you like no other.
Q: If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
A: Either David from the Bible or Conan O’ Brien. Growing up, I connected to stories of David in the Bible. He was very artsy, very poetic, but at the same time very much a warrior. He could crush a lion with his bear hands, but also wrote beautiful poetry to express himself. It is hard to find that combination in a man. And Conan O’Brien just seems cool. I’ve always wanted to hang out with him.
Q: If you were alone on a deserted island, whose music would you be listening to?
A: Johnny Cash. He has so many records and just seems like a really cool person. Maybe his songs would inspire me to build a fort or something.
Q: If you could have any superhero power, what would it be? Why?
A: I can’t decide if I’d want more of a superhero power or more of an X-Men power. I guess I would fly because that would be more useful over time.
