CELEBRATED SONGWRITER RELEASES 2ND SONG FROM HARD SETTLE, AIN’T TROUBLED SESSIONS
THEY ARE GOING AWAY EP OUT SEPTEMBER 23
NATIONAL TOUR DATES WITH JOEY LANDRETH BEGIN OCTOBER 13 - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
LISTEN TO AND SHARE “IT’LL WORK ITSELF OUT” HERE
The recording sessions for Donovan Woods’ acclaimed fourth album, Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled, had a few tracks that didn’t make the full LP, but just couldn’t stay on the cutting room floor either. And as such, Woods will be releasing those tracks next month on an EP titled They Are Going Away. Today, the Sarnia-born songwriter is sharing one more cut from the EP, “It’ll Work Itself Out”, a song about someone who is traveling furiously to outrun problems.
LISTEN AND SHARE “IT’LL WORK ITSELF OUT” HERE
They Are Going Away, made available through Woods’ own label Meant Well and with thanks to Canada’s historic Massey Hall, is set for digital release on September 23. On it, there’s a distinct sense of motion throughout the narratives. In “What They Mean” – a fan favourite from live performances - Woods responds to a curious child in the backseat who is listening carefully to the car radio. “Drove Through Town” provides a backdrop for the big issues, from living up to expectations to escaping a dead-end relationship.
Woods, who is an exceptional acoustic guitarist in his own right, says these songs didn’t make the track listing for Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled because he didn’t want to rush the lyrics or force them to be finished. A fourth selection, “Empty Rooms” is about moving on from a relationship—when that’s not such a bad thing. Although it’s new, Woods felt it was a comfortable fit.
“The songs are about coping with loss, and wholesale changes, that sort of thing,” says Woods. “The title I suppose is trying to get at the temporariness of everything. Time speeds up when you get older, that’s an observable fact. It starts to feel like you’re always chasing some ineffable thing. It’s why your dad often had a slightly bewildered look in his eyes.”
LISTEN TO AND SHARE “DROVE THROUGH TOWN” HERE
With the release of Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled, the critics chimed in immediately. The Globe And Mail called it “a gentle, honest collection of melancholic observations and hushed
Tunefulness,” while NOW Magazine claimed the album was full of “wistful songs that tug at the heartstrings of anyone who's had feelings about partners, ex-partners, where you're from, where you shouldn't have gone.” Singles, “On The Nights You Stay Home”, and “What Kind Of Love Is That” spent a few weeks on the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 charts, with latter reaching #1.
Woods wrote album track “Leaving Nashville” with aspiring Nashville songwriter Abe Stoklasa. Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley recorded it for a solo album. In time, their hard luck story of a hopeful but downtrodden talent in Music City helped Woods land a songwriting deal with a major publisher, Warner/Chappell.
After a cross-Canada tour earlier this year with Matt Andersen and festival and club appearances all over North America, Donovan Woods is preparing to head back out on the road for a run of Canadian headline dates. Joining him will be Joey Landreth from the JUNO-Award winning band The Bros. Landreth. The tour begins October 13 and all dates are listed below.
WATCH “THEY DON’T MAKE ANYTHING IN THAT TOWN” HERE
ACCLAIM FOR HARD SETTLE AIN’T TROUBLED
“wistful songs that tug at the heartstrings of anyone who's had feelings about partners, ex-partners, where you're from, where you shouldn't have gone” - NOW Magazine NNNN
“a gentle, honest collection of melancholic observations and hushed
tunefulness” - The Globe And Mail
“By balancing such fringe and mainstream elements so effortlessly, Woods looks poised to finally bring those disparate camps together. … he does it time and again” - Exclaim!
“a knack for taking huge, universal feelings and distilling them into simple,
poignant moments” - Noisey
“a penchant for penning some of the most heartbreaking songs you’ll
ever hear” - Winnipeg Free Press
“well crafted, beautiful” - CBC Music
THEY ARE GOING AWAY TRACK LISTING
What They Mean
It’ll Work Itself Out
Drove Through Town
Empty Rooms
DONOVAN WOODS TOUR DATES
September 23 – Cultivate Festival – Port Hope, ON
October 13 – Simcoe Street Theatre – Collingwood, ON^
October 14 – Imperial Theatre – Sarnia, ON^
October 15 - Heartwood Concert Hall - Owen Sound, ON^
October 19 – Molson Canadian Studio – Hamilton, ON^
October 20 – National Arts Centre Studio – Ottawa, ON^
October 21 - The Grad Club - Kingston, ON^
October 22 - O Patro Vys – Montreal, QC^
October 23 - Gordon Best Theatre – Peterborough, ON^
October 26 – Centre In The Square – Kitchener, ON^
October 28 – Trinity St. Paul’s Church – Toronto, ON^
November 1 – The Park Theatre - Winnipeg, MB^
November 2 – Artful Dodger – Regina, SK^
November 3 - Festival Hall - Calgary, AB^
November 4 - The Almanac - Edmonton, AB^
November 5 – Communitea – Canmore, AB^
November 6 - Flying Steamshovel - Rossland, BC^
November 7 – Bozzinis - Chilliwack, BC^
November 10 – Lucky Bar – Victoria, BC^
November 11 - Fox Cabaret - Vancouver, BC^
November 12 – Dream Café – Penticton, BC
November 16 – Bassment - Saskatoon, SK^
^ w/ Joey Landreth