A long-time favorite at Colorado State University, Wendy Woo returns to close out this year’s Lagoon Concert Series. The final installment also includes a celebration of the military with interactive activities.
The Wendy Woo Band — a power pop, song-rock, six-piece group —will be at the Lagoon Concert Series on Wednesday, July 26, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the Lory Student Center’s west lawn. The band has performed across the country in top venues such as the Living Room in New York, Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
Woo also has been named Westword Magazine’s Music Awards “Singer/Songwriter of the year” five separate times.
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Q&A with Wendy Woo
You’ve played the Lagoon Concert Series before; what’s your favorite thing about performing at this CSU tradition?
Wendy Woo: My favorite thing is being able to be a part of this long-standing history with the CSU community. It is an honor and a pride that we have been invited to this event for almost 10 years. It was one of our very favorites, and we show up with a high energy and powerful performance for our audiences.
For those who are not familiar with your sound, what’s the one song that is the best introduction to Wendy Woo? How did the song come about?
One of my first songs is called “Down and Dirty.” It is a song about the unfairness of homelessness and how to get by. This song features a style I call slap tap where I use the body of the instrument as a drum. Slap tap was taught to me by a friend who died young, and I have kind of perfected it and made it my own over the years.
With all of your albums, is there a theme or something unique that ties them all together?
I have 12 albums and two documentary series. Six of the 12 albums are out of print and only available online. My first album was my debut. The second was jazzy, third was poetry, fourth was about resilience and overcoming loss, fifth was about my renaissance in the city, the sixth was a solo acoustic album recorded live at Avogadro’s Number, the seventh was called Luxury, the eighth was called Austerity, Tipping Point is a professional produced funk album, and The Immigrant is a solo project where I am playing all of the instruments. So, it seems like they are tied together somehow, but I can’t really put a name to the common thread.
There has been significant change in the music industry since you started in the 1990s; what is the one thing that has remained a constant for you over the years?
Live performances.
Who was your musical inspiration growing up?
Lyrically, Suzanne Vega and Paul Simon. Groove playing would be Bonnie Raitt. I spent my 20s working at a music venue in Boulder and was exposed to live music from all over the world seven nights a week.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
It is truly an honor to be a part of this event, sincerely. I am very thankful for this amazing opportunity to gather with the community and share some good vibes.
Lagoon Concert Series
Day: Wednesday, July 26
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Lory Student Center’s west lawn
Food trucks: Bigs Meat Wagon, Fork Yeah, Sunny Sky Pies, Joe Zeppys Italian Kitchen and Gelato & aMore.
See the entire summer lineup, get important parking information and more at lagoonseries.com.
