An evening of brothers and sisters graced the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, Pennsylvania on a cool December night. This was the opening date for The Wood Brothers Puff of Smoke Tour in support of the album by the same name, and The Wildmans are accompanying them on many of the dates.
The brothers had the brother and sister duo of The Wildmans opening the show. Hailing from Southwest Virginia in the heart of the Blueridge Mountains, Elisha and Aila Wildman used the guitar and fiddle to bring us home to Appalachia with their Americana/Indie-Folk roots, but their songs stretch across several genres of music with their harmonies and musicianship. Such a listening pleasure.
Next up to The Appell stage was The Wood Brothers. Oliver Wood on guitar, brother Chris on bass and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix make up this trio of ultra-talented musicians. The audience in attendance had the pleasure of hearing several songs from the new album and also many of the popular songs like “The Muse” and “The Luckiest Man” which they closed the show with on the encore. Again I was amazed by the musicianship and the blending of The Wood Brothers voices to create a resounding one of a kind sound. It is always pure pleasure to see a Wood Brothers show.
The beautiful Appell Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating 100 a Century of the Strand Theatre. This is an awesome venue and hosts some fabulous events. Please check their calendar of events for some of their upcoming events.
Catch the official video for “Above All Others” by the Wood Brothers:
The setlist included:
River Takes the Town
Tried and Tempted
Witness
Alabaster
Sweet
You Choose Me
Wastin’ My Mind
Keep Me Around
I Got Loaded (Little Bob & the Lollipops cover)
Is It Up to You
Puff of Smoke
The Trick
Atlas
Pray God Listens
The Muse (around the Big Mic)
Money Song
Happiness Jones
Slow Rise (To the Middle)
Postcards From Hell
One More Day
Luckiest Man
Check out more photos of The Wood Brothers performing at The Appell Center for the Performing Arts on December 3, 2025. All photos are copyright Frank Thompson:
And here are photos of The Wildmans opening the evening at the Appell Center:
Nice work. Stage lighting is difficult to deal with and these are really nice and sharp.