Brad Wood, Pt. 1

Brad Wood was a trained jazz saxophonist who didn’t like how rock music was sounding in the late ’80s, so he became a producer in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. At Idful Music, which has a cool origin story, Wood tried to capture the true sound of such bands as Freakwater, Trenchmouth and his own Shrimp Boat. Then he was knocked out by Liz Phair’s songs, and he and she co-produced Exile in Guyville, a landmark album soon to mark its 30th anniversary. Phair’s and Wood’s careers took off, and he went on to work with many other groups, including Veruca Salt, Smashing Pumpkins and the Bangles. Wood is as skilled as talker as he is a producer, and in this, Pt. 1 of a two-parter, he takes us deep into his Rockford roots, the Wicker Park scene and the creation of Phair’s stunning debut.