The Henhouse Hang - Nashville
The Henhouse Hang Returns to Nashville in 2026!
Only 2 spots remain for this year’s Nashville Henhouse Hang!
Step inside a real studio for a 3-day behind-the-scenes recording experience. Watch unreleased songs come together from the first listen through tracking, overdubs, and mixing, alongside a team of world-class Nashville musicians.
No recording experience required — just a love of music and curiosity about how great records are made.
A One-of-a-Kind Immersive Recording Experience
The Henhouse Hang is a unique, immersive 3-day recording event that began in Nashville and expanded to Vancouver in 2025. For 2026, we’re bringing the original experience back to The Henhouse.
Hosted by JUNO Award-winning producer Steve Dawson, this rare weekend brings you inside the creative process as real songs are arranged, recorded, overdubbed, and mixed in front of you.
You’ll be in the room with the artist, producer, engineer, and band as decisions are made in real time - hearing the conversations, watching the songs take shape, and seeing how a record actually gets made from the inside.
Price: $1,500 USD
Deposit: $100 holds your spot and is fully credited to your final balance
Capacity: Maximum 8 participants
Only 2 spots left!
What You’ll Be Part Of
Over three days, you’ll have a front-row seat as two unreleased songs evolve from rough ideas into fully produced tracks. You’ll observe and participate in discussions as the artist, band, producer, and engineer work through each stage of the process.
Watch two unreleased songs take shape from the first listen to the final mix
Sit in on the real conversations between artist, producer, engineer, and band
See Nashville number charts being written
Watch a group of incredible players hear, shape, and record the songs in real time
Follow the live tracking, refining, final takes, and overdubs
Learn how different instruments are recorded, including drums, guitars, pedal steel, bass, piano, organ, and more
Ask questions about mic placement, gear, arrangement choices, overdubbing, and mixing
It’s a front-row seat to how music gets made in the studio!
“Thank you and Sheldon for putting on an incredible program and providing a learning experience like no other! The Henhouse Hang is something I will never forget. I’ve learned so much - The Henhouse Hang is a truly unique and ‘must do’ experience that you can’t help but come away from completely inspired to take on whatever project you’ve been thinking of!”
- Michael (2025 attendee)
Why This Is So Rare
Most people never get to see how a real record is made. By the time music reaches the public, all the choices, experiments, false starts, and breakthroughs have already happened behind closed doors.
The Henhouse Hang gives you access to that process as it unfolds. You’ll be in the room while songs are arranged, charts are written, parts are tried, sounds are chosen, takes are discussed, and mixes come together.
This is not a staged workshop or a classroom demonstration. It’s a real Nashville recording session, with space to watch, listen, ask questions, and follow the creative process from the inside.
“Having the opportunity to see “behind the curtain” of the work of such incredible professionals was a gift (and very rare in my experience). Everyone was generous and open handed with answering any questions we had. Getting to observe the team work through the songs was inspiring. The food/hospitality was first rate as well!”
- Paul (2023 attendee)
The Henhouse Hang Nashville
Now Booking for Oct. 23-25, 2026
Delicious lunches, coffee, and snacks provided all 3 days
Hours run 10am–5pm, with coffee, pastries, and a casual hang before we start each day
Each day includes a morning session and an afternoon session
You’ll see two songs come to life and be part of each step of the process
The basic schedule:
Day 1 — Tour the studio, meet the musicians, and learn how each instrument will be recorded
Day 2 — Meet the guest artist and watch the full-band session unfold, from the first listen through final takes and overdubs
Day 3 — Follow the final overdubs and finishing touches, then get inside the mixing process
Rate: $1500 USD
Deposit: $100 holds your spot and is fully credited to your final balance
Coming from Canada? Contact us to discuss the exchange rate.
The Henhouse Hang is perfect for:
Music fans who want to see how records are really made
Songwriters interested in the recording process
Hobby musicians
Aspiring artists, producers, and engineers
Parents, spouses, or friends looking for a special experience for a music lover
Anyone curious about what happens inside a real Nashville recording session
Questions about whether this is right for you? Contact us here.
($100 deposit required to hold a spot and fully credited to your final balance)
“The entire Henhouse Hang was fantastic! I loved learning about the process of how tracks are produced by actually experiencing it first-hand in the studio, and working through a couple tracks from start to finish. We gained insights into every step from the studio setup to a deep-dive into the gear to the whole musical process.”
- Allan (2023 attendee)
FAQ
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No, this isn’t interactive in that way. You will be around players, and be able to speak with them and ask them questions, but the musicians we hire to come in will do all the playing.
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None. This event is really geared towards everyone from music fans that just want to be around it and see how it’s done, to professionals that just want a fresh perspective on he process. Whether you’ve worked in audio before, or have no experience at all, you will find this event rewarding.
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Yes, while there is a technical aspect to this, we try not to get too deep in the weeds with anything too technical. People that are just music fans will love this experience.
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This is a very real and very legitimate session! We don’t dumb it down and we don’t put it all on for show. We do work slower than we normally would so we can explain things and answer questions, but we are cutting real tracks that could potentially be released in the future (depending on what the artist wants to do with them, of course!)
($100 deposit required to hold a spot and fully credited to final cost)
If you have any questions about The Henhouse Hang, Contact us here
Guest Artist for 2026
Aaron Lee Tasjan is a Grammy-nominated, genre-bending singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his masterful, eclectic style that blends '70s glam, classic rock, pop, and alt-country with sharp, honest, and often humorous lyrics, emerging from the East Nashville scene as a respected voice for his musical versatility, and witty storytelling. He gained early fame with the band Semi Precious Weapons and as a sideman for the New York Dolls, before launching a successful solo career with albums like In the Blazes, Karma for Cheap, and Stellar Evolution, solidifying his place as a unique talent in modern Americana and indie music.
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Meet The Instructors
Steve Dawson
Behind the seemingly endless stream of award winning musical output is one of the hardest working musicians this country has ever produced. Whether he’s turning heads on the concert circuit with his incendiary playing, or pulling the best possible performances out of the many artists that he works with, Steve Dawson is always striving to take things to the next level with innovative slide guitar playing, fingerstyle guitar and songwriting. His work as an artist and producer has garnered 7 Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy). He has become an in-demand guitarist and sideman, touring and recording with artists such as Birds of Chicago, Matt Andersen, Allison Russell, Bruce Cockburn, Joe Henry, Jim Byrnes, Kelly Joe Phelps, John Hammond, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and many more.
Steve currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, where he works as a solo artist, sideman, and record producer. He runs the acclaimed independent label Black Hen Music and his recording studio, The Henhouse. Steve also releases a monthly podcast exploring the lives and careers of interesting musicians entitled “Music Makers and Soul Shakers”.
Sheldon Zaharko
Sheldon is a Juno Award winning engineer that has worked with many Internationally acclaimed artists on their recording projects. Sheldon is also the recipient of the Western Canadian Music award for Engineer of the year 2017 and 2021.
Sheldon was born in Vermilion, Alberta and discovered at an early age that music can pretty much save your life. Growing up in a small town, he found refuge in music as a musician and performed in bands throughout the 80’s as a drummer. His love of music morphed into a fascination with the recording process and he discovered his passion lay in the studio, behind the mixing board.
From 1993-2011 Sheldon was the Head Engineer at "The Factory", working with a bevy of recording acts like Billy Talent, Robben Ford, Geddy Lee, Simple Plan, Bad Company, Roberta Flack, Michelle Wright, Sheena Easton, Melissa Manchester, Susan Aglukark, Philip Bailey, Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Prism, Rob Halford, Ridley Bent, Jane Siberry, Holly McNarland and The National Film Board of Canada.
The Musicians
The musicians are the ones who bring the session together. All of these players are highly skilled and experienced studio musicians who have been working in studios around Nashville and internationally for decades. All of them are extremely creative and approachable, and will be telling you about their instruments as we learn how to record the sounds they make. This year’s lineup of players includes:
Steve Dawson - guitars, pedal steel
Dave Jacques - electric and upright bass. Dave spent 30 years in John Prine’s band and is now a top-call live bassist and session musician.
Jen Gunderman - piano, organ, wurlitzer and other keyboards. Jen has spent the last 12 years in Sheryl Crow’s band, and before that was a member of The Jayhawks.
Justin Amaral - drums and percussion. Justin is one of the busiest drummers around town and has amassed a huge body of recorded and live work.
We Hope to see you at The Henhouse Hang!!
Hold My Spot ($100 Deposit required to hold a spot)
If you have any questions about The Henhouse Hang, Contact us here
Some images from Last Year’s Event in Nashville
Featuring our amazing crew, guests and our incredible special guest artist, Lily Winwood
