Morgan’s Mix: Wood Chickens saunter through South Dakota on tour

Wood Chickens, the “cow punk” outfit from Wisconsin, make music that could soundtrack a day spent wrangling a herd of cattle while wearing Doc Martens boots. It’s a sound unlike any other heard in the punk scene when country, rockabilly, punk and hardcore mix and mingle in every track.

The band is led by Alex “Wiley Coyote” Wood (guitar), Griffin Pett (bass) and Justin Johnson (drums).

Wood Chickens got their name from Wood’s sister, they said.

“My sister has a bunch of chickens she raised in the woods, so that’s part of it,” Wood said. “There’s also a species of edible fungus called ‘chicken of the woods.’”

Johnson said the name matched their sound.

“It does kind of describe the sound a bit, just thinking of free-range chickens in the woods running around frantically with their heads cut off,” Johnson said.

The band is heavily influenced by their small town upbringing and the country lifestyle.

“We all grew up surrounded by cornfields,” Pett said. “I grew up listening to a lot of my parents’ music, and they were into a lot of punk and hardcore stuff. It turned into a big blob of those two things, and then the country music came in later.”

Pett said country and punk music have a handful of similarities.

“It’s like the music of your normal working people,” Pett said. “The message, even down to the up and down country beat. Speed that up, and it’s a punk song.”

Johnson said he sees old country as part of all music genres.

“I feel like country music is all part of it,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of how the music has changed throughout the years. I listen to old polkas and old country tunes, and I kind of get a punk vibe from it.”

Johnson said his influences are Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, George Jones and Buck Owens. He added that he sees how modern country has taken a turn towards pop music.

“My grandpa and his brothers and sisters played a lot of the good old country,” he said. “We are trying to fix country music single-handedly.”

Wood said he sees the same problem with the country music of today.

“When you can go into a store and buy a bag of Fritos and get a free Garth Brooks download, there’s something wrong with country music,” Wood said.

Wood said the small town influence keeps him playing music.

“We all grew up in the tiny towns with nothing to do at all, so it keeps everyone out of trouble and makes everyone more creative instead of breaking (things) and doing drugs,” he said.

Besides the band’s “cow punk” label, Wood said they like to use the genre descriptor of “acid barn.”

“It’s like riding a horse at 200 miles per hour,” he said.

The band moseyed on through South Dakota, stopping in Vermillion at R-Pizza Thursday night and in Sioux Falls at Total Drag on Friday night.

The group had played at Latitude 44 in Sioux Falls twice before, but this was their first time at Total Drag.

“I love DIY shows, I think those are just always the best,” Pett said. “People are more engaged, especially when you are able to get all ages shows. All the kids deserve it.”

Baby D opened for Wood Chickens on Thursday at R-Pizza and Tenenbaums finished off the set. Tapwater Shrimp, Grobe and Androgynous Squash opened for the band on Friday at Total Drag.

Both nights of their tour in South Dakota were exciting, especially when they played “Skunk Ape” from their seven-inch of the same name on Kitschy Manitou Records.