When he was 16, Micah E. Wood convinced his parents to drive him the four-plus hours from their home in Newport News, Virginia, to Baltimore so he could catch his favorite indie pop group, The Hush Sound, at Ottobar.
But part of the deal was that he had to tour the campus of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Much to his surprise, Wood fell in love with the school and Charm City, and he’s been a fixture of Baltimore’s arts scene ever since.
On Aug. 26, Wood, now 31, released his new EP, “Ring Ring,” which he describes as “a delightful rock record perfect for a bouncy walk around Druid Hill Park.” Wood says he hopes listeners will “spend time with the songs [and] get to know me a little better, but I’d rather they get to know themselves better.”
He says the pop songs on the EP — his second one and his fourth album — are “heavily influenced” by such Jewish rockers as Lou Reed, Regina Spektor, Kevin Morby and the band Sparks, and by his adopted hometown. Over the past four years, Wood, a photographer, artist and designer, has lived in the Ednor Gardens section of Northeast Baltimore.
On his website, Wood, who plays piano and electronic instruments, describes his sound as “deeply influenced by Baltimore’s musical communities, creating a sonic cholent, long-stewed in Charm City.”
While making the album, Wood says he realized that “a lot of these rockers that I’ve been listening to off and on in my life, that I’ve been getting really into now, are all Jewish. And it’s cool finding this connecting line because my first concerts ever were Jewish concerts. A band called Schlock Rock would come to my elementary school and to my Jewish community center when I was a kid.”
Not only is “Ring Ring” inspired by Jewish rockers but many of the musicians who perform on the album are Jewish Baltimoreans. They include Ari Pluznik of Ari and the Buffalo Kings, Morgan Spaner of Megafauna, Jenna Balderson of EYAS, Britt Olsen-Ecker of Outcalls, and Jon Birkholz of Super City & Adjective Animal.
“Ring Ring,” which was produced by Modern Nomad, was mixed and mastered by Nick Messitte, who is also Jewish.
“It just ended up becoming a family affair” says Wood. “When I first moved here, I didn’t really know the Jewish community. I did a few Jewish clubs at MICA but [was not involved in] the community at large. And I found that through music, I’ve met so many Jewish peers and built a little support group of Jews that are kind of in my corner.
“It’s special to have those people, especially when the holidays come up, you can tap people to hang out with. It makes me feel a little more connected.”
Speaking of holidays, Wood plans to produce his annual Chanukah song in time for this year’s Festival of Lights, which will be celebrated Dec. 18-26.
“I usually try and release them the week before, or day one of Chanukah,” he says. “My goal is to never spend more than eight days [working] on it. That means from writing it to producing it to mixing it — start to finish — eight days.”
In July, Wood resigned from his position as senior marketing designer at Creative Alliance after being with the Highlandtown-based arts organization for five years. “I still love them dearly, but I’m trying to focus on me a little bit, have more time for my things,” he says.
It’s no wonder why Wood is short on time these days. In addition to his musical endeavors, he’s about to start teaching photography for graphic designers at MICA and has a photography exhibition in the works.
Tentatively titled “Photos and Posters of the Baltimore Music Scene 2015-2022,” the exhibition, on view at Creative Alliance from Dec. 16-Jan.22, will also include photographs by Wood’s friend, Christopher J. Chester.
For information about Wood, visit micahewood.com. Look for Wood’s new EP on Spotify, bandcamp, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube.
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