Minot, North Dakota was the land of Wrangler, cowboy boots, and white tee shirts when Emmy Woods was growing up. Being in a small rural public school, lots of her classmates grew up on family farms, so work boots and denim jeans were common until in 1995 Mudd flare jeans exploded onto the scene. The rise of low-rise jeans influenced special underwear choices and the shameful muffin-top if you weren’t the perfect fit. The long flare bottoms soaking up puddle water if you weren’t careful. Paired with the 90’s shag haircut, Minot wasn’t exempt from trends.
Americana artist and now Saint Paul based musician Emmy Woods recalls a shift in her clothing choices in high school with the advent of thrifting. She grew up with a lot of older brothers, taking style hints from them, and creatively mixed and matched pieces from thrift stores. Home to Minot Air Force Base, Emmy’s hometown had a large military influence. The army surplus store was a main source of clothes for her back then, rocking lots of army and cargo pants, and cute tee shirts.
She’s embraced femme vibes a little more since then with wearing more dresses, mixed with a tomboy look. And although she didn’t grow up wearing a lot of makeup, that’s been something she’s had fun getting into more since living in the Twin Cities. She still exchanges clothes with her older sister since they have overlapping styles. She finds comfort in sharing heirlooms like the sweater dresses and tunics she’s gotten from her sister.
“Some days I feel like yoga pants and a t-shirt and some days I want to dress up a little more. I think when I’m performing, I definitely love my purple fringe vest, which I wear to lean into the Western and dress up a bit. I tend to dress to the venue a little bit too. So if I play someplace like the Aster Cafe, I like to class it up. The breweries I stick to more casual looks. For two gig nights I usually plan an outfit that will work for both, but bring along a throw or extra shirt that I can modify with.”
-Emmy Woods
Emmy’s music combines hints of country, folk, and blues that all showcase her flare for storytelling with an impressive vocal range. She’s been writing songs for over 20 years, but only recently with her albums The Manifold and Delirium released in 2020, that it’s been out in the world. In a serendipitous performance in the spring of 2022, she was invited to collaborate with members of Woodzen. The Red Pine Ramblers were born and has provided a full fledged soundscape for Emmys’ songs.
As one of the busiest gigging musicians, Emmy has earned her opportunities with hard work while supporting others. She has a residency at the 331 Club (second Sundays), while organizing an event called Songbird Series at MetroNOME Brewery (every third Wednesday). Recent winners of the 2024 Blue Ox Virtual Band Competition, Emmy Woods & The Red Pine Ramblers continue to grow their fanbase with their genre bending sound.
Music definitely influenced Emmy in helping to define her own personal mojo. She listened to a lot of Ani DiFranco, which remains a mainstay on her playlist. Drawn to her music first, Emmy then felt a connection to her outfits and clothing choices. The buzz cut is, without question, inspired by DiFranco. But similarities don’t end there just there. DiFranco was an icon of darker colors, cargo pants, tank tops, all while mixing in a grungier aesthetic. Musically, you can feel some of that same mojo with Emmy reveling in the same genres. DiFranco is typically classified as folk rock, but she pulls in influences from punk, funk, jazz and blues. That ability to pluck the right style for the song is a trait that Emmy has grown into as well.
“I don’t go full force into it, but I pull on the Joan Jett vibes and that kind of rocker look sometimes. I think it’s fun. And then I really like Brandi Carlile’s style and how she does some cool things with fashion. When asking my friend how she would describe me, she said ‘Shop Opportunistic’ was one of the adjectives because she knows how much I love clearance racks and thrift stores.”
-Emmy Woods
Catching up with Emmy before her show at the Green Room Minneapolis, she immediately credited one of her favorite thrift stores, Back Pocket Vintage for helping put together a look. The vintage Lee denim jacket came from them, in which someone took an old blanket and sewed it on. She was drawn to the bright colors as so many of her pieces are black. Finding those unique pieces that can pop, especially in a comfy jean jacket, was an incredible find at Back Pocket.
Her butterfly earrings were found at an art fair in the north woods. They were important to her because of the support of local artists, but also because Emmy went to grad school and studied butterfly conservation. Her weakness at art fairs are the jewelry tables for earrings, but she’s overly drawn to anything with butterflies. As an almost transparent piece, the earrings play really well with colored stage lights and the way the engravings look in pictures.
Emmy’s rose gold nose ring she’s had for a few years, but she reminisces about getting her nose pierced at age 18. She had wanted to have it pierced since she was 12, but her parents always said no. As soon as she was an adult I had it done. She came back from college the first year for Thanksgiving and didn’t tell her parents. Upon getting off the plane they both just looked at me and nodded their heads together.
When Emmy was a little girl, she found the opal under a bed at her grandmother’s house. She asked everyone in the family if they knew who the ring belonged to. No one knew where it came from. Their best guess is that maybe it was my grandmother’s and that she just forgot about it. It’s become a highly sentimental ring and makes her think of her family every time she glances down at it. The green malachite was found at a little shop in Minneapolis. She wears both rings all the time.
One of Emmy’s go-to fashion suave is wearing fun tights with shorts. It’s a way to mix it up and use tights as either a pop of color or some texture to the outfit. Wearing her favorite show boots that have fringe, Emmy also loves pulling in a little western vibe without being too on the nose. Completing the look is a black sweater with large buttons and a black tee-shirt underneath. This allows the accent pieces like the jacket or fringe vest to stand out even more.
“It might sound kind of silly, but before I actually go to a show I will often put on my guitar and try it out with my outfit. I want to see how it feels, if anything constricts my movement. I’ve done that with rings in particular. I’ll put a ring on a finger that I don’t usually wear it on, and realize it gets in the way.”
-Emmy Woods
Walking onstage at the Green Room, surrounded by The Red Pine Ramblers, an immediate burst of country music sprang forth with “Bridgeless”. Cleverly penned as looking inward, the lyrics play into vulnerabilities with being too nice, too loving, and too accepting of the hands we are dealt. The full blitz of energy from the Ramblers, keys, fiddle, drums, and bass was an impressive introduction to the audience.
In admiring the dynamics of Emmy’s set; from the jazzy, sultry smokey voice in “Nice Suit” to the ghost story of “Ballad of Lake Superior”, the range of genres and adaptability of the band is seamless. Even the shift to the soul blues song “I’m No Good” felt like a natural spin on the malleability of Emmy’s voice. Like Mudd pants there’s a flare in whatever path she takes you down.
Emmy’s mojo lies in the presentation of her music. There’s a unique way she sings the lyrics, almost as if she’s deep in thought, admiring the poesy composition she’s expertly presented. Her clothes play a huge identifier in her acumen. The fringe of her boots give insight to the western, while the darker textured tights feel like a glimpse into that silky, soul, jazzy sound.
The importance of clothes also comes directly into play in her songs. Her first single with the Ramblers, “Crooked Brim” is honkey tonk breakup song about a hat that sparked it’s own logo.
Hearing Emmy’s perform her newest single “Million Miles An Hour” is another stitch of story that harkens back to her shoeless North Dakota days. The visual of juneberry stains on a white t-shirt gives us imagination. The verses become that outfit to the character, raring to sled down that barbed wire hill.
“And my biggest thrill is still, a million miles per hour
Sleddin down a hill, straight for barbed wire
My brother yellin, "Duck! But don't tell mama.
She'll be mad as hell. It ain't worth the drama."
Witnessing an Emmy Woods show is a little like exploring the Midwest countryside. There’s slopes and turns throughout the journey, but you’ll remain grounded because your guide knows her terrain. There’s a collective mojo from the stage that exudes fellowship and gives you the space to sit back and enjoy the show. For Emmy, that first impression is key to making those reservations for the tour.
“I definitely want to come off as comfortable and confident, but also down to earth, I would say. And humble.”
Check out the links below for ways to follow Emmy Woods and all the things we discussed above.
Emmy Woods Website - Instagram - YouTube - Woodzen - Back Pocket Vintage - Mudd Flare Jeans - Ani DiFranco - Million Miles An Hour
