Musicians

The Once is made up of three accomplished performers who came together in 2008 to produce beautiful harmonies. Phil Churchill, Andrew Dale, and Geraldine Hollett are all experienced actors and musicians. Their talents shine on their debut CD, The Once, which won them four awards at the Music NL awards in 2009, including Group of the Year and Album of the Year.

The Mountains and the Trees is/are Jon Janes, a singer-songwriter who has performed variously as a solo act or as part of a duo or group, but always as The Mountains and the Trees. Jon brings, in whatever configuration, his unique style of sweet folk-pop to Writers at Woody Point in August.

John. K. Samson is best known as lead singer of the Canadian folk-punk band The Weakerthans, but his talents and endeavors include songwriting, solo performances, numerous musical collaborations, broadcasting and publishing. A frequent contributor to CBC’s Canada Reads panel, John is the perfect match for the literary and musical mix that is Writers at Woody Point.

Gros Morne Summer Music have been part of our program for years, and we are delighted once again to welcome back David Maggs and Mintze Wu and their talented ensemble of classical musicians for what promises to be another outstanding performance at the Woody Point Heritage Theatre. (click here to visit the Gros Morne Summer Music website)

Local boy Daniel Payne hails from Cow Head and has made quite a name for himself as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and theatre and film actor. His solo work and collaborations have established him as one of the leading proponents of traditional Newfoundland music in the province.

The announcement of another Sarah Harmer CD (due in June) is cause for celebration among her many fans. Her three Juno nominations in.2007 reflected her talent at singing and songwriting and her passion for environmental issues, which resulted in the DVD Escarpment Blues. Gros Morne residents hosted her in 2008 at an environmental conference in Rocky Harbour. It is a delight to have her back in Bonne Bay for Writers at Woody Point.

Corner Brook-based Sherman Downey was such a hit last year, when he opened for Kathleen Edwards at our festival, that we had to bring him back – this time with his band. It’s been a busy year for Sherman, with the release of his CD Bees for Honey, and performances across Canada, including Vancouver during the Olympic Games.

Writers at Woody Point’s “Musician-in-Residence”, Sandy Morris, is one of Newfoundland’s best-known musicians. His music is heard weekly on the popular CBC Television series Land and Sea. As a session musician, and as a member of such legendary acts as The Wonderful Grand Band, Rasa and the 8-Track Favorites, he has been a leading player in the province’s music scene for nearly 40 years.