Jason Woodhams, the singer of THE 12th MAN moved from his native England to Toronto, Canada in the mid-nineteen nineties. A singer songwriter by trade, it was around that time that he met Paul Habert, a young Toronto guitarist. A band was formed. However, for whatever reason, the stars at that time were not aligned, they eventually went their separate ways and that it seemed, was that.
Over the next few years, Paul played in various musical bands and projects but always seemed to come back to the work that he had done with Jason. For twenty years Paul trolled the internet unsuccessfully searching for Jason. Then one day, unexpectedly at the time, someone who fit his description showed up on a Linkedin search. Could this be the person he was looking for? He reached out. The timing could not have been better. Jason explained and described a complicated life full of drama and mishap, of many highs and lows, but now found himself at the beginning of a new chapter in life. Jason was about to launch himself back into music and was thinking about putting a new album out. They got together and the reunion was complete.
The music of THE 12th MAN is quite different from a lot of the current ‘guitar’ bands. For a small three piece band, they have a very big sound, where the bass guitar often acts as the main driver of the songs. The songs are unapologetic, often brutally honest and take the listener on a journey through a shifting soundscape of musical patterns and dynamic form. As Jason has often said, it’s Paul’s ability to come up with the perfect accompaniment to a sometimes strange and abstract song idea, that has made this songwriting partnership so successful.
