ABOUT THE ARTISTS
2023 International Acoustic Music Award winners Gordie Tentrees and Jaxon Haldane met in 2005 and swapped records before hitting the road with disparate musical aspirations. Gordie performed over 3000 concerts around the world, often touring as Eaglesmith’s opening act, learning about the music business, and leveraging his previous experience in the boxing ring (3x Golden Glove champ).
Tentrees also toured with James Cotten, Mary Gauthier, Kelly Joe Phelps, Steve Poltz, and Ray Wylie Hubbard, to name a few. Jaxon was meanwhile tearing up stages from Churchill to Belfast (D.Rangers bandleader/banjo player), producing records for his indie label (Dollartone), and touring with the likes of Petunia, The Sadies, Jon Spencer, and Romi Mayes. His close relationship with lifelong musical hero and mentor Willie P. Bennett led to Haldane recording Willie’s last record, Sharpen The Plow, just prior to Bennett’s passing in 2008. Haldane founded the Willie P. Bennett Legacy site to pay tribute to his deceased friend. Interestingly, Bennett and Eaglesmith spent 25 years performing and touring, setting an example of camaraderie and excellence that still guides the way for Tentrees and Haldane.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Fast forward to 2014 in Beaumont, Texas. Gordie and Jaxon made their stage debut and quickly realized their friendship off the stage made for something special on it. Armed with an arsenal of instruments (Fiddle-Saw, Harmonica, Resonator, Cigar Box Guitars, Foot Percussion, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, and Mandolin), they have performed over 1000 concerts in 11 countries, creating an unscripted, dynamic electric/acoustic show built on brotherly harmonies and masterful storytelling.
Recently, they have each released solo records. Tentrees’s Mean Old World was inspired by his journey as both a foster child and foster parent. For the past 3 years, Gordie has also been the sole nonindigenous male member of a land-based healing team operating on a horse ranch, writing songs with families in treatment and reconciling trauma. The Yukon based program recently won the $500k Arctic Inspiration Prize.
Haldane dropped On The Other Side in 2023, a concept album celebrating the unpredictability of life and his coming to terms with a return to living in Canada after years of being based in Oklahoma.
Surprisingly, the duo just released their first collaborative album, Double Takes, which features 10 original songs packed with melodies and musicianship in April 2025.
The music of Tentrees and Haldane draws from a century of North American music traditions and is rooted in truth, social justice, and the human condition. Their performances are heartfelt and honest, seldom shying away from challenging topics and tough subject matter.
Thank you to TD Bank – and you! – for supporting our Music Series! Keep an eye out for our 29th Season, offically on sale July 01, 2025.