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Louisiana’s own Jaimz Woodard uses music to tell the story of his hometown, the people he knew there and how his rural roots have made him what he is. There is a simple way to explain what it is that inspires him and what motivates him to write, perform and produce his own music - he is doing what he loves. But there is a bit more to Jaimz than this.
A wise man once said that the key to success is to take all that you know and all that you have ever been then use it to become all that you want to be. Woodard does this and tells us about it with music, building on a foundation of playing guitar in local bands. But he has sort of moved away from the grunge genre he embraced early in life, expanding his musical knowledge and transcending genres. In the process he started to master the skills of an audio and recording engineer, and combines those talents with a rejuvenated songwriting and performing career.
New Alternatives

Listening to Jaimz Woodard’s music and hearing his stories about coming of age in Louisiana takes the listener in a somewhat unexpected direction. Jaimz not only left the town he grew up in, but said hello to a more defined songwriting and musical style. He now embraces a “modern/alternative discipline” and hopes to make it work in a debut solo album. Some of the tracks are available for listeners at www.jaimzwoodard.com, a site that features “Hometown Blues.”
Of this tune, Woodard says, “I wrote it about the town I grew up in and the almost town-wide use of recreational substances. It was written a few years after I moved away from there and got word about several people I knew smoking meth, doing dumb shit, and going to jail.” He adds that he is glad he got away, even though there are still strong ties to the town.
Jaimz Woodard was born in 1980 in Centerville, Mississippi but spent most of his childhood in the rural town of Jackson, Louisiana near Baton Rouge. He attended high school in St. Francisville and during his teen years first performed his original songs to an audience, and in his words “Became addicted to creating and performing music.” It was also about this time that Woodard began to experiment with recording his music.
Having learned to play guitar from his mother’s ex-girlfriend, it was natural for Woodard to become part of the group L.A. Resin while he was attending Louisiana State University. This early modern rock/alternative group fell by the wayside “like a lot of good bands.” Woodard then joined the United States Army and continued to write songs and play music while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Sam Houston, TX, Fort Riley, KS and while assigned to Army Entertainment Detachment outside Washington, DC.
Second Wind
Woodard rejuvenated his music career “Trent Reznor style” while living in San Antonio, Texas. It was there that he decided to “play, produce and record” original music on his own. His experience during this time including touring as an audio/recording engineer and producing an album of eight songs, using the name “Decker Ford.”
In addition to re-dedicating himself to his music, Woodard got married and started a family. The combination of technical experience and maturity is reflected in the songs he has written. Fans will have the opportunity to hear some of these strong new songs when his debut album comes out in the fall of 2010.
Woodard’s recording and producing skills are obvious on “Rearranged,” an original song that is one of several available for listening on his Web site. The emphasis is on creativity in production, though the lyrics and atmosphere give the song a darkness that listeners will identify with.
In the same vein, Woodard covers “Nothing Else Matters.” This classic by the Hall of Fame band Metallica, shows that Woodard recognizes what it takes to make a powerful statement with music. The Web site also offers another original “Standing Here Today” along with covers such as “November Rain” (Guns N Roses) and “The Cats in the Cradle” (Harry Chapin).
Those who haven’t experienced Jaimz Woodard’s music can expect to hear the story of a man…an artist, who didn’t see a lot of options when he was growing up in rural Louisiana. “It was pretty much work in the chemical plant, frame houses, be unemployed or just go to jail. I decided at an early age I wanted to be a musician, I wanted to play and create.”
Woodard is following that road after deciding not to “stay around Jackson and do the same things everyone else did.” His upcoming album should provide tell us a lot more about this continuing story.