When musical artist Raury left his record label Columbia Records five years ago, he wanted to have more autonomy over his creativity and sound. And he wanted to provide a space for local musicians in Atlanta to do the same.
“I make music to wake people up and to, you know, shake things up, so I walked away and I started the Woods organization to be my vehicle, my entity that helps me express that in all ways,” the Stone Mountain native said. “It’s a company, and we curate culture in Atlanta. We’re a nature core, afro-futuristic community of people and its musicians from healers to farmers to builders, you name it. We just have a long-term plan of creating a culture where people rejoice in nature and respect of the earth with everything that they do.”
Since Raury officially started the Woods in 2018, the nonprofit has hosted events including concerts and parties in the forest known as treehouse kickbacks, jam sessions at Smith’s Olde Bar and guided meditations. Now, the Woods is expanding its brand with a radio show that focuses on Raury’s love of nature while highlighting local artists who typically wouldn’t be heard on the radio.
Credit: Ramen
Credit: Ramen
Hosted on Soundcloud, the Woods Radio, will feature an eclectic lineup of artists in genres including folk, jazz, and electronic. The mix will be curated by Raury’s collaborator and friend Joey Hirsh. Earlier this week, the pair teased the new show with a guest slot on WRFG 89.3. Raury admits that he’s still working on logistics, including the show’s frequency and length.
For him, the Woods Radio is a dream come true. The singer, songwriter, rapper and guitarist debuted with his EP “Indigo Child” in 2014, which introduced his propensity for making folk-centric music that leaned on experimentation. Today, Raury is still making music, but on his own terms. His latest offering is “Strawberry Moon Eclipsed,” which he self-released earlier this year.
“The radio has always been a tool, and I see how the radio is affecting the youth and just the people in general when it comes down to the music that we’re playing and that we’re digesting, so I need to get into it. I need to be there,” he said. “I need to be on the radio. And if I have to reach out to every independent radio station around America, that’s what it’s gonna be.”
He hopes the new show can highlight a side of Atlanta’s musical community that he feels is largely ignored.
“It’s nature core music. It’s folk music, it’s electronic music, it’s spiritual music, transcendental jazz....I expect to boost the morale of the community consistently of just the alternative scene,” he said. “I wanna show Atlanta that, hey, I’m fighting for y’all...we’re creating opportunities to inspire young artists such as myself to know that we do belong here. There’s a place for us.”
Raury has lofty goals for the future of the Woods. Along with taking the Woods Radio worldwide, he also wants to build sustainable housing and teach neighborhoods how to grow their own food. At the top of the year, the 27-year-old plans to drop a meditation album because “I wanna make music that facilitates that experience that makes nature a more enjoyable place to be. I wanna make the soundtrack to that reality.”
With the Woods Radio, Raury wants to inspire artists to celebrate their sound, regardless of how unconventional it may be.
“What I want people to take away from listening to this show is that the power is in our hands, and we can always do something, you can always do something. I wanna encourage all the different artists out there to remain different, stay weird, but also claim your identity...stand strong in your identity and present loud and proud.”
Artist can submit their music for the Woods Radio to thewoodsrecordings@gmail.com.
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