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As their name suggests, this Athens ensemble tilts toward an organic interpretation of American roots, blending folk, soul and Southern rock in their 2012 debut, From Marshall, To Venita. But rather than mimicking the roots flavor du jour with a knock-off of the Avetts’ and Mumford & Sons blueprint, the core trio of Nick Carroll, Dylan Crosby and Evan Amburn eschew the acoustic stompers and pretty girl ballads for grittier, red clay electric compositions accented with plenty of keys and organ. Instead, you can hear in their DNA everyone from Leon Russell, The Band and Muscle Shoals’ soul as filtered through the harmonies of, say, contemporaries like Fleet Foxes. Woodgrains’ songs don’t reach any of those lofty heights, but it’s a nice break from all the banjo and mandolin-led acts creeping around Americana these days. (John Schacht)