The two things on Tyree Woods’ mind every morning are keeping busy and making a difference in the community.

“Idle hands are the devil’s plaything,” Woods said. 

Originally from Muskegon Heights, Michigan, Woods came to the Yampa Valley in 2014 after fighting in Afghanistan with the U.S. Military. Since coming to the area, he took to a life of music and spread joy around the community through the band he started: Buffalo Commons.

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“I was just kind of by myself, trying to remember what was important to me before I joined, before I was Sergeant, when I was just Tyree,” Woods said. “Music has always been really important to me… and I just felt the need to start doing something in that vibe and that’s how I started.”

Woods’ goal is to write music that more than just one niche or group of people can relate and respond to. His experiences are likely to be very different from most people, so he tries to put his stories in a context that anyone can associate with.

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Woods, 39, sees the power music has and the things it can do for people. He uses his music to spread goodness around the community through events such as SoBoat and Tunes for Toys. 

SoBoat, Sober Steamboat, serves as a space for people in the community to participate in substance-free events and activities and Woods has had the pleasure of playing music for them.

Woods started the charity Tunes for Toys that raises money and collects toys for children whose parents may not have the resources to get gifts for Christmas.

“There are people in there, in line to receive the toys and I remember carrying all these toys in and watching these kids just light up and their parents in tears,” Woods said. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done as far as using music to help someone.”

Woods remembers watching MTV Spring Break as a kid and seeing the show highlight Steamboat Springs and the resort. He gained interest in the area, and finds it poetic how many years later he ended up in the place that inspired him through the television screen.

“I remember just being like, ‘This is the coolest place I’ve ever seen.’ So, ultimately, I’ve set up shop here, it’s kind of like, I don’t know if it was by accident,” Woods said.

A full circle moment for Woods will come this fall as he will be featured in a commercial for Steamboat Ski Resort, like the one that piqued his interest in the city so many years ago.

Lyndsay Beasley nominated Woods because of his love for the community and desire to make it a better place. 

“He makes time to do things voluntarily for the community to provide a sense of belonging for all walks of life,” Beasley wrote.