Home

Damon Wood's music career has taken him many places with many people, but his experiences with James Brown always rise to the top.

It was during a performance honoring the Godfather of Soul that Wood found himself performing "Sex Machine" with Brown and Michael Jackson.

"In L.A., when James Brown was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, Michael Jackson jumped out of the wings and read a speech to give him the award. Then he jammed 'Sex Machine' with us," Wood said. "Me and the bass player looked at each other and were like, 'Is that Michael Jackson on stage with us?'"

Wood was a lead guitarist in the James Brown Band and played with the legendary musician for almost eight years.

"He's real intense, and I had a lot to learn from him. He's probably the greatest entertainer I've ever seen at work," Wood said. "He definitely knows a lot about the business. He put out his first single in 1956."

Wood now leads the band Harmonious Junk, a funk-rock based ensemble that takes a jazz approach to improvisation.

"We take you through a lot of different styles within one set. If you hear 10 songs in a set that are all in the same genre, it gets kind of old," he said. "And people are more picky now with, 'Take me here and take me there.'"

When Harmonious Junk improvises on stage, the band members do it with a "group mind" - everyone listens to one another and takes turns leading.

"We look at it as how we create our art on stage, and that's bigger than all of us individually," Wood said. "It's one of the funnest aspects; it's more deep and fulfilling and meaningful - almost spiritual."

When working on the soundtrack for the movie "The Tuxedo," Woods had to get used to changing things around.

"We recorded 'Sex Machine' with Jackie Chan in the DreamWorks Studio with us," he said. "And James Brown, as usual, changed the whole arrangement on the spot."

One of the highlights of Woods' career was when he toured Japan with Brown.

"The Japanese people are so appreciative, and in Japan, they all know your names and have gifts for you," he said.

The people who set up the shows for the band impressed him even more because of their helpfulness and attention to detail.

"They had everything completely set up before you even get there," Woods said. "The guitar pick you lost at the show the night before, they found it, and put it on top of your amp."

But no matter where or whom Wood plays with, his goal is always the same.

"You have to figure out what's going to make people get off," he said. "And we have to make sure we get off, too."