Acclaimed roots songwriters John Wort Hannam and T. Buckley make up The Woodshed, a modern folk duo based in Alberta, whose name refers to the beginning of Buckley and Hannam’s collaboration – woodshedding songs together during a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2017. After a captivating performance at the 2023 Canadian folk music awards, Buckley and Hannam finally decided to ratify their collaboration and bring the woodshed to life. Together they bring a beautiful vocal blend of brotherly harmonies combined with gutsy and sophisticated song writing alongside intricate guitar playing.
In 2001 John Wort Hannam quit his teaching job and spent 10 months depleting his savings while sat at his kitchen table, wearing a lucky hat, writing his first ten songs. Those songs would become his first recording Pocket Full Of Holes, released in 2003. Seventeen years later, the Alberta musician is releasing his seventh full-length recording Acres Of Elbow Room and has a few feathers in that lucky hat for his first six offerings. Feathers that include a JUNO nomination, a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Album of the Year, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, a Kerrville Texas New Folk win, and numerous Western Canadian Music Award and Canadian Folk Music Award nominations. Recent years have seen a great deal of change in John’s life – becoming a Dad, turning 50, a move to the “big city” of Lethbridge, a long, deep bout of depression, and episodes of losing his singing voice. But John has emerged a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better player. On Acres Of Elbow Room, John has further refined his lyrical style and has landed squarely on his niche in the folk-roots world. He’s spent years learning the craft of songwriting and is taking those tools to write some of his most personal songs. He has, quite literally, found his voice.
Award-winning songwriter T. Buckley stands quietly among a disappearing ilk of true craftsmen. Shadowed by his Western roots, his soul and voice are unmistakably genuine, and the result is a class of songsmith long revered and scarcely achieved. With influences stemming from the ’60s Laurel Canyon and New York Cafe scenes, he tells stories embedded with detail, empathy and heart. Buckley’s dedication to his art has seen him on renowned showcase and festival stages throughout North America. Buckley’s most recent album, “Frame by Frame,” has been recognized through Canadian Folk Music Award and Western Canadian Music Award nominations, as well as a Calgary Music Award for best folk recording. Versatility as a songwriter and musician have T. Buckley on the road in a variety of arrangements, rolling solo, collaborating with fellow Alberta songsmith John Wort Hannam as The Woodshed and performing with sibling songstress, Mariel Buckley. Perhaps the perfect vehicle to deliver Buckley’s evocative narratives though, is his acoustic trio, whose tight harmonies and intricate arrangements captivate audiences wherever they perform.
The Woodshed show features original music by John Wort Hannam and T. Buckley as well as some interpretations of some of the duo’s musical influences.
