Canadian singer/songwriter WOODY WOODBURN gets an assist from Arkells members on new single “Mario Lemieux”
With his roots in the fertile musical soil of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and now based in the singer-songwriter hotbed of southern Ontario, Woody Woodburn has been a part of the Canadian music scene since the mid-1990s when he was a member of the band Snapper.
In 2019 he took the leap to launch a solo career, releasing his debut EP Better Man Today, followed by another six-song collection I Am Enough in 2021, both of which showcased his renewed passion to write songs to inspire others in overcoming life’s struggles.
Woody’s new six-song EP Follow The Light — out Nov. 6 –continues his push to evolve both as a person and as an artist, a goal accomplished with the help of producer Craig Smith (ONTARIANS, co-founder of Four Winds Festival), along with top-notch backing from the likes of Tim Oxford and Anthony Carone of the Arkells who contributed drums and keyboards, respectively, to a majority of the songs.
One of those tracks is the first single “Mario Lemieux,” a full-throated reminiscence that’s not so much about the legendary hockey player as it is about Woody’s origin story. He says, “The song is about selling my Mario Lemieux rookie card to buy my first guitar, a Jasmine acoustic. It’s also about listening to my cousin’s husband play songs that my Uncle Jimmy played when I was a kid, as he attempted to impress his father-in-law! After that, he taught me how to play guitar when I turned 16 in exchange for a belt sander.”
That kind of blue-collar honesty is at the heart of Woody’s music, and after so many years—not to mention so many kilometres—under his belt, he describes Follow The Light almost like a fresh start.
Woody also credits fellow Canadian singer-songwriters Donovan Woods, Tim Baker and Adam Baldwin for influencing his work on Follow The Light. Like them, Woody’s songs emphasize straightforward storytelling grounded in humility.
As he says,
“I love how Donovan presents himself as ‘just a chubby guy from Sarnia.’ They all remind me of the importance of being my authentic self. I understand now that the more I try to be something I’m not, the less people listen.”
Upcoming Shows:
Nov 5 (Thurs) :: Burlington ON :: The Block Co.
Nov 6 (Fri) :: Stratford ON :: The Bunker
Nov 7 (Sat) :: Guelph ON :: Spring Mill Distilery