Woodridge “Tell-All” Behind the Scenes at Frog Wizard Fest

Woodridge sits across from Cadence & Delaney in the Green Room at Switch Wicked.

Minutes after a crowd-pleasing performance at Frog Wizard Festival, Woodridge sat down with Cadence and Delaney from the Evening Drive. A band that started with two twin brothers has grown to a Manhattan fan favorite, and it is still expanding today. Playing mainly indie and rock music, Cadence and Delaney dive into the band’s history, the group dynamic, and what fans can expect to see from the band in the future. 

Who is Woodridge?

Paul: Lead Guitarist (“final say”- what Paul says, goes) 

Justin: Rhythm Guitarist and Vocals (writes the music) 

Ben: Drummer (gets stuff to the finish line - finishing projects) 

Joey: Bass and Backup Vocals (“fills in the gaps”- networking, social media, etc.) 

Energy from the Fans

The atmosphere inside Switch Wicked while Woodridge was on the stage was lively and electric. Throughout the entire set, the audience was dancing, singing along, hooting, and hollering. Lead Guitarist Paul explained, "Shows like this where we can play our originals and they’re [the fans] are really receptive to it, it’s a lot of fun.” 

Woodridge mainly plays originals, however, they played a few Indie covers that really got the crowd energized. For a couple of songs, lead guitarist Paul pulled out a handmade shovel guitar, fully equipped with strings, an amp cord, while still maintaining the metal face of the shovel and original wood handle. "It’s just a little flashiness, makes the people go crazy”, Paul said with a smile on his face. 

Frog Wizard Festival was the band’s first music festival. With only 12 bands performing throughout the entire event, Woodridge definitely piqued some ears. There were obvious regular listeners singing along to the band’s originals in the crowd, however, the festival contributed to the band’s growing fan base. 

History of the Band

Justin and Joey are twins from Johnson County, KS. Growing up in music, Justin shared, “We ran into Paul in high school. We started playing in bands with him. We had different music classes, like orchestra and rock band classes, in our school. Then we did a band with some friends and ended up in college continuing to play. We found Ben along the way, started practicing, and he was really good, so we just continued to roll with that.” 

Ben just finished his junior at K-State studying electrical engineering. He grew up playing musical instruments from the age of 7. Starting on the piano, he eventually realized his passion for the drums at age 12. Since then, he has continued to play the drums for worship teams at his church and as the drummer in the band. 

Pre-Show Rituals

A young up-and-coming Kansas-grown band wouldn’t be complete without a pre-show snack. With Jimmy Johns being their go-to choice before performances, they switch up the order before every show, saying it's the best way to get out the jitters and hang out like normal with the guys. Bassist Joey used to work at Jimmy John’s, and said, "I’ll even wear the hat to shows sometimes. Just cause. You’ll have to be on the lookout next time.” 

The Future

The biggest update coming soon from Woodridge will be their album release The specific date is yet to be announced; however, sometime this summer, you can expect an album and a single release from the band.

Woodridge is excited to share their new music and can be found on the following platforms.

Spotify: @woodridge

Instagram: @woodridge.mhk

YouTube: @woodridgebandofficial.