Time: 9:30 p.m.

Cover:

Wil http://www.reverbnation.com/wilibreakstrings

http://www.ibreakstrings.com/

Wil was born to parents who were both musically proficient. On Friday nights he would sit and listen to his parents in the garage of their Calgary home while his parents played and sung along to the old crooners and guitar legends such as Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins and Hank Williams.
By the age of 13 he was seriously refining and defining his playing style unknowingly blending his love of "old school country" with new diverse punk and alternative rock influences. He subsequently landed his first paying gig in 1992 and spent a number of years honing his musicianship while finding his true voice.
In 2001, Wil wrote his first album "Both Hands" selling over 6000 copies off stage subsequently allowing him to tour with artists such as Colin James, Matthew Good, Joel Plaskett Emergency and Xavier Rudd among others as well earning him 4 nominations at the 2005 WCMA’s including producer and “entertainer of the Year”. The CD has since gone on to sell over 16,000 copies.
For Wil’s sophomore release titled By December he collaborated melodically with some of Canada's most respected musicians; producer and multi-instrumentalist Dave MacKinnon (FemBots), " 54-40's Neil Osborne and Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett among others. In October 2008, Big Life a beautiful track from Wil’s last studio album, By December was featured in a pivotal hospital scene in the ABC TV series, Eli Stone (Johnny Lee Miller).
Wil was recently featured in a White Iron Films, Rosie Award-winning documentary entitled, Music Is The Message: Wil, which detailed Wils ongoing journey within music. The doc was aired on MuchMoreMusic in September 2010 and scooped three awards at the recent ‘Rosies’, including best Best Music or Variety Show.
Wil spent the winter of 2009 at home on Vancouver Island acreage writing the songs for the 2010 release, “In This Together”. These songs made the journey from Wil’s home in the woods to his management’s studio space in Calgary before hopping the border to be fully realized in the recording studio. Wil says, “The recording process…has given me the opportunity to work with a wonderful collective of people; open, honest and loving people who are involved for the sheer love of music and art.
Wil spent the fall and winter of 2010 writing songs for a new album as well as honing his talent for creating music for television and film. Wils song “Ride” was selected as the official theme song for TV of the 100th Anniversary Calgary Stampede as well as landing the songs “Roam”, “Here We Go” and “Look Around in Travel Albertas’ 2011/12 “Remember to Breathe” commercial campaign.
 

Ryan McMahon  http://www.ryanmcmahon.com/

What do you need to know about me other than what I sound like? How ’bout I’m 32 years old, a proud father and a peaceful man. I’m prone to displays of inappropriate humor following the consumption of alcohol and people who say “I can’t” drive me crazy.

Like Neil Young, I’m an epileptic who loves both the scream of distortion and the peace of the acoustic. Like Eddie Vedder, I wear all of my influences on my sleeves, where Tom Waits, Buddy Holly, Warren Zevon and Bruce Springsteen all reside.

Music is life and I’m just as happy playing to ten people in an intimate house concert as I am playing to 10,000 at a folk or country festival. Either way, a day above ground playing my songs and supporting my family doing so, is a great day.

If you like your music to come from an honest place, then you just might like hearing what I have to say.

Ryan McMahon