Hawksley speaks about the new record, and its roots:

the god that comes was a long time in the making.  christian barry of 2b theatre company in halifax initially approached me about a collaboration almost 10 years ago.  as these things go sometimes, the right timing and the right idea weren’t to find each other until the summer of 2011.  christian brought the idea for the play to me, realizing that the story had a lot of prescient ideas, and seemed to resonate with a lot of social and political themes we both had been thinking about.  we began marinating in various versions of the bacchae (a greek play by euripides).  the play and music were written during sessions in toronto, burk’s falls, calgary and banff over the span of a year.  the writing sessions were really more “jams” than what one might think of proper sit down ‘writing’.  reading, thinking, conversation and digression were all as much a part of the process as sitting at the piano, or with pen in hand.  the show itself is a one man cabaret, but i felt the songs were so ripe to live in a more cinematic setting, fulfilling a creative wish i’d had for a while about creating an audio movie.  the reimagining of the music from the god that comes is an out and out ‘production’ comprised of many instrumental layers…  mostly recorded to magnetic tape.  the record was purposely built to have constant movement and an undulating of textures.  sometimes the musical elements can be changing, shifting and almost imperceptibly in the course of one piece of music.

Christian Barry on the impulse behind the project:

The whole idea of Bacchanalia as an important part of a healthy human existence is something that has always made sense to me. We all need to let a little release, a little abandon, a little recklessness into our lives every now and then. And for me wine and music are a big, big part of that. There was a very natural marriage between Hawksley and this concept from the beginning. There’s always been a lot of theatricality in what Hawksley does, and he’s a real heart & loins kind of a performer. I’ve always felt his shows are Bacchanalian in their own right. So it wasn’t that big of a leap. We got in a room, started writing some songs, and this record is the result.

www.thegodthatcomes.com

ABOUT THE GOD THAT COMES

The God That Comes is an original one-man-band cabaret / rock & roll hybrid show featuring Juno-winner Hawksley Workman. This concept album for the stage tells the story of the Greco-Roman god of wine Bacchus (or Dionysus) and uses Euripides’ The Bacchae as a primary source. In a world ruled by greed and an oppressive king obsessed with rules and order, the lesser classes have taken to the countryside in a hedonistic spiritual revolution fuelled by wine, ritual madness, and ecstasy. Women, slaves, outlaws, and foreigners have all gone to the mountain to worship the god of wine, and to commune with their animal needs to dance, to lose control, to get drunk, and have sex. The king rails against the protesters, leading to a bloody conclusion. This solo performance fuses the chaotic revelry of a rock concert with the intimacy of theatrical storytelling.

“Oozing mischievous charisma, [Workman] fused the raw and unpredictable feel of live rock music with the thematic daring of dramatic theatre…Pretty close to perfection.” - The Victoria Times-Colonist

“Slashing Sardonic wit…The next big thing” - Toronto Star

The God that Comes is a tonic for a society that has lost its sense of balance, and for a people that have lost touch with their animal instincts. It is an invitation to raise a glass together, hear a story, and get lost in the music for a few hours.

Created by Hawksley Workman & Christian Barry
Conceived and directed by Christian Barry
Live music and performance by Hawksley Workman

Wednesday January 16th (8:00pm) SOLD OUT

Thursday January 17th (8:00pm) SOLD OUT

Friday January 18th (8:00pm) SOLD OUT

Details about this show and the PuSH Festival can be found here!

note from hw

where i’m from it’ll be snowing.  the bears will be at rest.  the chickadees will sing their winter song. cars will be stuck in driveways, and neighbours will help push them out.  chimney smoke will breathe into crisp blue skies.  the fox will forge and deer will nibble the last of the buds.  the huts will cover the lakes. where i’m from it’ll be snowing and cold…  but i’ll be down where the summer is alive and the waves are licking the shore.  see you soon.

Hawksley Workman Australia Tour Dates.

Thursday December 27th to Tuesday January 1st
Woodford Folk Festival Details Here!

Friday January 4th 2013
Melbourne VIC at Northcote Social Club
(Tickets)

Saturday January 5th 2013
Sydney NSW at The Basement
(Tickets)

Sunday January 6th 2013
Cronulla NSW at Brass Monkey
(Tickets)

Saturday October 27^th Creemore, ON at Avening Hall - Sold Out

Monday October 29^th Winnipeg, MB at West End Cultural Centre - Sold Out

Tuesday October 30^th Saskatoon, SK at Broadway Theatre (Tickets)

Thursday November 1^st Swift Current, SK at The Lyric Theatre - Sold Out

Friday November 2^nd Lethbridge, AB at Southminster United Church – new venue! (Tickets)

Saturday November 3^rd Sundre, AB at Sundre Arts Centre - Sold Out

Sunday November 4^th Canmore, AB at Communitea Cafe – Sold Out

Monday November 5^th Canmore, AB at Communitea Cafe - Sold Out

Wednesday November 7^th Vancouver, BC at The Rio Theater - Sold Out

Thursday November 8^th Duncan, BC at Cowichan Theatre (Tickets)

Friday November 9^th Nanaimo, BC at The Port Theatre (Tickets)

Saturday November 10^th Campbell River, BC at Tidemark Theater (Tickets)

Thursday November 29^th Hamilton, ON at The Molson Canadian Studio Theatre at Hamilton Place (Tickets)

Friday November 30^th Peterborough, ON at Showplace Performance Centre (Tickets)

Saturday December 1^st Burnstown, ON at Neat Coffee Shop – Sold Out

Sunday December 2^nd Burnstown, ON at Neat Coffee Shop - Sold Out

Wednesday December 12^th Toronto, ON at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre - Sold Out

Friday December 14th Meaford, ON at Meaford Hall (Tickets)

Video is provided courtesy of Symphony Nova Scotia.