Meet the Band!
Anders (Candace) Woodland
Vocalist / lyricist
Anders (they/them) is a queer, non-binary musician and academic, with a Masters Degree in Sociology and Trans Studies at the University of Victoria. They never imagined that they'd end up in a synth band with their Dad!
Anders has always found songwriting to be a cathartic process; they wrote their first songs at the age of sixteen, and spent the next fifteen years daydreaming of writing an album. Instead, they spent their twenties building a career for themselves in theatre, obtaining their Diploma in Social Justice Studies and BA in Sociology, and (occasionally) travelling the world. It wasn't until 2022, when Anders had decided to leave the theatre world for good, that they picked up a pen and started writing again.
When they aren't working on music or school work, Anders loves to read, play video games, go on hikes, and spend time with their siblings! Anders also has two wonderful partners, Chris and Sara, who fill their life with laughter and love.
Jon Woodland
musician / composer / engineer
Jon (he/him) is a keyboardist, bass player, skillful creator and owner of Edgetone Studios on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Jon bought his first synthesizer in 1984 so that he could jam with his friends. Two years later he applied to Vancouver Community College’s Jazz/Pop studies program and was accepted on his technical merits alone. By 1988 he was teaching synthesizer arts courses at the school and began teaching Audio Engineering at Columbia Academy of Recording Arts.
When his first child, Candace, was on the way, Jon made the financial decision to leave music behind and build a career as a computer network specialist. In 2002, with his four kids growing day by day, the urge for musical creativity returned and Jon bought his first bass guitar. That led to opening Edgetone Studios part-time in 2007, a return to synthesizers, early retirement in 2017 and building his own pro-studio space in 2021.
Jon’s love of 70’s and 80’s synth and prog rock bands such as The Alan Parsons Project, Styx, Saga and Rush influences his lush compositions. He was so inspired by the lyrics and performance that Candace brought to their first song, The Hermit, that his songwriting leveled up twice!
Jon’s other hobbies include running pen and paper roleplaying games, board gaming, building and painting miniatures and terrain, and walking the beautiful forests of Vancouver Island.
Sebastian Woodland
GUEST MUSICIAN: Guitar / Bass / Vocals
Seb (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, visual artist, author and game developer living in beautiful Victoria, BC, Canada. Seb began playing violin in middle school, then added bass to his repertoire; playing in four different high-school bands, at the same time! He wrote his first orchestral arrangement of a video game score and had it played by the band while still in high-school. Then he taught himself guitar.
Seb loves nature and animals, with a special affinity for wolves. Seb has released three full length albums: Tales from the Tabletop (2018), The Tree (2018), and Roses are Blue (2019).
You can also check out Seb’s original and cover tunes on his YouTube channel.
Seb's first sci-fi novel, Sentinel, was released in 2021. Purchase it at Barnes and Noble.