Woodbridge Musical Montage (about 5 minutes)
At Copper Sky in Spruce Grove
Most folks would simply describe Woodbridge as a "human jukebox." Playing acoustic guitar both solo and in bands for over 45 years allows him to do over 200 songs off the top of his head and probably that many again with a take-along electronic fake book. As a certified boomer, Woodbridge can perform anything from the Rolling Stones to Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen to Bruce Cockburn, Jim Croce to John Prine. His fave gigs are campfires, sing-a-longs, house parties, and corporate events where there's lots of interaction with his engaged audience and the creation of a memorable event is inevitable.
9 reviews
Ben B.
April 19, 2026Leading a great conference and meeting takes a lot of preparation. Adding special touches to your event brings magic to your space and sets the tone for the evening.
Woodbridge set the tone for the evening and as an organizer, I was delighted to hear his truly smooth guitar and soothing voice. Playing a lot of familiar music that set the stage perfectly for our event. He went as far as to take our requests and play guitar songs suitable for the audience and our themes of the evening.
Ian has an unbelievable understanding of the power of setting tone with his music. We had him play for our audience and as back-drop music for our cocktail hour. Providing his own equipment made his set-up and tear-down time quick and efficient. Ian is professional and was an excellent communicator throughout the period leading-up to and throughout the event.
I would absolutely recommend you book Woodbridge for your next social gathering!
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Kim O.
December 8, 2025We had Ian perform for a small gathering of friends (14 people) in our home and it was the perfect vibe! Ian communicated with me ahead of time to be sure he knew exactly what I wanted, showed up with a sufficient amount of time to get ready and played the perfect mix of songs for our group. He also provided some commentary throughout to provide us with great information on history and interest facts on the artists and songs he was performing. We all loved the evening! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others!
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Ginger F.
August 5, 2023We were celebrating the Golden wedding anniversary of our brother and sister-in-law and we thought a low key musical tribute at our table at the restaurant before dinner would be ideal. Woodbridge was great to work with: responsive and readily avaiable to plan the song choices and generous with his time. He is a true entertainer and went out of his way to customize song lyrics for the occasion. He has a warm singing voice, is very versatile and he made everyone of us happy in his pleasant way. He is a true professional and has an excellent command of a range of music genres. Highly recommend.
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Woodbridge
My goodness, Ginger! Such lovely words and sentiments! Thank you for them and for inviting me into your little party-of-five in honour of your pals' 50th wedding anniversary. I'm happy to have been of service and been part of some special memories on that milestone evening.
Joelle M. F.
September 5, 2022We hired Woodbridge to perform “Just Beyond the Moon” at a funeral. He learned the song in less than a week and performed it beautifully. He was so pleasant to work with, reliable, professional, I can’t say enough. We would definitely hire him again, but he’s headed to NS. They are so lucky to be getting him!
Hired as: Singing Guitarist
Woodbridge
Thanks for your kind words, Joelle. It was a pleasure and honour to be part of this event.
Eman O.
July 28, 2022Excellent concert. Everyone enjoyed it very much.
Hired as: Multi-Instrumentalist
Price range: $250, less if it's a short gig
Languages: English
Gig length: 45 - 120 minutes
Insurance: $1,000,000 - I can obtain this through the musicians' union - although it must be added to my performance cost.
Unions: AFM
Woodbridge expects the unexpected, so he'll be both prepared and not. That is, expect a guy that's probably NOT going to have a firm set list in his hand, written speculatively beforehand. Rather, he'll have a few lists and some resource materials (a fake book or two and a tablet computer) and will, on the fly, tailor the performance based on the audience and the vibe. He'll take requests and will likely be able to satisfy a few of them immediately - if they're not from the mainstream crap pop music of the past decade or two. And he will surprise you. Ever seen a guy in his late fifties perform Britney Spears' "Oops..." on an acoustic guitar?!
Woodbridge (AKA Ian Bowden) taught himself how to play the guitar at age 14 and has never been away from one for more than a couple of weeks the rest of his entire life. He's also learned octave mandolin, mandola, Irish bouzouki, cello, and a few other instruments in the past decade or two. Fortunately, he has an insatiable appetite for learning new songs - especially those of his youth (1965-85), which he considers the golden era of popular music - and adds to his repertoire each month. Having a decent singing voice and a good musical ear has helped this quest.
Naturally gregarious and happy to play in front of a crowd of a dozen or a thousand, Woodbridge often will put a different musical twist on a familiar pop or rock song. This allows the crowd to join in singing to a song they know, but interpreted in a different style.
Can you see me? Can I see you? To me, lighting isn't as important as sound, so...
If your event is relatively small (e.g. campfire or house party), you're probably going to get just me, my relatively loud speaking and singing voices, and my acoustic guitar. If it's bigger, I'll bring along a single amp and microphone - enough to amplify myself into a small room (e.g. restaurant). If you're in a hall or a larger space, then I'll bring my complete PA system and everyone will be able to hear me!
Saturday
Corporate Event
5:00pm - 5:15pm
•
Halifax, NS
Saturday
Personal Occasion
7:00pm - 9:00pm
•
Herring Cove, NS
Friday
Anniversary Party
7:00pm - 7:15pm
•
Halifax, NS
Saturday
Funeral/Memorial Service
2:00pm - 3:00pm
•
Edmonton, AB
Saturday
Festival
8:00pm - 9:00pm
•
Edmonton, AB
Saturday
Corporate Event
12:00pm - 3:00pm
•
Red Deer, AB
Thursday
Personal Occasion
5:00pm - 8:00pm
•
Sherwood Park, AB
Sunday
Birthday Party
4:30pm - 6:00pm
•
Edmonton, AB
Sunday
Holiday Party (Christmas)
1:00pm - 2:30pm
•
St Albert, AB
Rather than give you a set list - which is quite limiting - I'd prefer to provide you with my repertoire, which is considerably broader and more eclectic.
A few years ago, I sat down and made a repertoire list. Since then, I keep remembering other songs I remember - and most often, I don't remember to add them to the list! If you want to see the list, just ask!
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Springsteen
John Prine
Steve Goodman
Arlo Guthrie
Neil Young
Jim Croce
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
I can bring along whatever amplification equipment is required for everyone to hear my performance.
Singing Guitarist