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about 15 months ago i moved to montreal.  it was a pretty big change from the 5 years in the country, a place i thought that i’d likely moved for good.  i had a truck.  an old skidoo.  i was, if i’m being honest with myself, hiding out. i’ve always struggled with a grim estimation of things.  but it started to feel like a hole being dug deep into cold, hard earth.  aging.  changing.  some long nurtured fears become more and more absurd to water and carry.  it was time to reevaluate what i was clinging to.  what was it i loved?  what was it that i was good at…  even meant to do?  i woke up in my country hideout feeling like i was checking out too early, doubling down on darkness instead of clinging to that sliver of light.  even when my rational mind shouted for everything’s futility, the euphoria of connection and wonder in music never ever ceased.  so i closed down that idyllic little refuge in the woods in favour of energy and work.  i sold everything and moved to montreal.  a city that had beguiled me since my first time there helping a high school girlfriend move to mcgill.  i remember driving along sherbrooke in my parent’s toyota in awe of this strange glowing universe growing up from the ground.  a city older than any i’d ever seen and effortlessly beautiful.  of course i was 18 and had never been anywhere, but montreal seemed like another planet for a kid who’d grown up in rural ontario.

i’d always envied the montreal scene from afar.  the dears ‘end of a hollywood bedtime story’ was a pivotal record for me that stirred thoughts of a sweaty, undulating sexual city heaving in summer.  i reached out to murray lightburn, legendary frontman from ‘the dears’ to help me make a record and he agreed.  i started to write.  winter in montreal is a great place for hunkering down and getting to it.  it’s dark and cold and those two things have a deliberate effect on your focus and inward communication.  murray and i made a record.  it took a bit.  we had a fight or two.  it was because we both really wanted to make something great so we had our knives out and never put them away. sleeping one eye up, we protected the flame.  at the end of it all there was a record that knocked me on my ass.  it was me in a way i hadn’t heard myself in a while.  without all the window dressing.  murray didn’t let me over decorate.  i booked a tour in europe…  i’d been avoiding going back because my ego was afraid to return without being famous there anymore.  but people came out.  singing every song.  i booked a tour in australia.  montreal started the fire again and i was replacing despair with duty. it’s not about ego or getting famous anymore.  it’s about creating honest connection in a world that seeks to interrupt it.  singing and writing feel strangely more pure and more political all at once.  community and people.  the importance of a song.  the clouds of fear have always been there.  as far back as i can remember.  damn them.  in the 80s it was reagan and gorbachev and rainy bus rides to school, looking out the window wondering when the bombs were going to drop.  how, almost 40 years later, does fear still hold such enormous sway?  i’m not saying i’ve mastered this…  i doubt i ever will… this new record is a lot of looking back.  remembering innocence.  not lost, but misplaced.  like keys.  always there but sometimes hidden.  this is where i’m plugging in.  ugliness and depravity are always loudly carrying on.  and it’s not that i choose not to listen, i do…  beauty screams too, but it’s a quiet scream.  we will still need a song.  something i wrote so many years ago…  certainly not as a battle cry but as a pleading attempt to remind myself to believe it.  to reach past not caring and not engaging.  to write and to sing in the face of the dull roar of ugliness and despair.  i feel like i believe it more truly than ever at the moment.  i’m grateful for my voice in this world…  as small and insignificant as it may be.  one tiny voice becomes a thousand.  we are all one in the light.  i’m so excited for you to hear the new songs.  today i give you the first song. battlefords.  i’m ever grateful for your ears and hearts.  i’m ever grateful for these years together.

Today Hawksley released a new song titled ‘Battlefords’.

Says Workman of the new track, “‘Battlefords’ is a piece of Canadian nostalgia, celebrating life in rural Canada in the 1980s, and the emotion and innocence that was specific to a quasi-technological time in the late 20th century.”

SPOTIFY
APPLE/iTUNES
AMAZON MUSIC
YOUTUBE

For our friends in France, Belgium, Switzerland, you can find the song HERE by Rupture Records!

Battlefords, out Friday October 26th…

it’s been nearly a year since the move to montreal.  after a long stretch in the country planting garlic and driving the old yellow snowmobile around to see where the foxes peed and moose stomped through, my wife and i have returned to a lovely cosmopolitan grind.  but this city is only revealing gentle layers so far, and there’s inspiration hiding…  poorly. it’s a place that humbly oozes its character.  and i’ve been a willing recipient.  through the winter, riding my bike in the snow and under the vanhorn bridge to my studio just past beaubien in the mornings.  i had an old hero to impress.  the soundtrack to my first real apartment (the place without bugs, but with a toilet and sink) was the dears first record, ‘end of a hollywood bedtime story’.  and some 20 years later, i’d signed myself up to work with the brilliant mind behind that record, murray lightburn.  as the battering ram of cold and snow waged its old war on the city, i kept a determined pace of daily writing with one goal…  to impress this guy.  it’s funny what happens over years of writing songs.  you chase all kinds of ghosts to see what you can rattle loose…  and in this soon to be 376 year old city, there’s a million of them with pockets full of mysteries yet to be picked.  in the alleys and the stuffy second floor spaces over bars where the bands that broke out of this town incubated and fell in love and fought and created dreams.  i’ve been thinking a lot about the lovely cruelty of passing time.  they’re pulling up saint-catherine street here, and under the concrete and pavement finding plumbing that dates back 200 years.  the city’s water systems moaning over cleaning out particulate that would have settled itself before the cars that bounce around this place were ever dreamed up.  i’ve chased being new for 20 some odd years.  in the music business, we like what’s new.  so what happens when you wake up 43, stroking your chin with a far away look in your eye, and considering your 16th record?  i’ve almost never stopped to smell the roses.  i look back now with a curious nostalgia about my momentary grip on what felt like almost world domination.  the zeitgeist knows where you belong, and if you linger too long in the hallways after closing, it’ll spit you out and drop you to where you’re supposed to be.  and i feel now, more than ever, where i belong.  the ideas and passions still burn hot in me.  like when my grandma hawksley was nearing the end of her life she visited the old school house i’d bought with my first small burst of money from music, the schoolhouse she’d gone to as a child.  she leaned against her walker looking at the two glorious old pines that book ended the entrance path and said that “she’d climb these trees today if she could”.  the spirit is willing but the flesh is…  is always changing.  i heard a show on the CBC about somebody’s “body of work”…  i don’t remember who it was, but for the first time i considered it.  i know i’ve got one, i’ve never dusted it off to have a gander at it.  for me, today’s triumph has always been tomorrow’s forgotten memory.  so i’ve had the charity to give it a look.  the funny thing is, the audience has always been there as a companion piece to these years.  and many of you have stayed around to see what i was going to do next.  i cannot thank you enough for the blessing of your attention all this time. the bug to write songs still burrows deep.  it’s a plague on the eyes and the ears.  that there’s a song in everything.  in every moment.  it’s just about seeing it, even the benign, with fresh sight.  so as the summer takes its rest on us, i put the last finishing touches on a new record that i couldn’t be more proud of, and i pull out an old one and christen it to the true music lover’s format of long playing vinyl record…  i’m learning it’s ok to be proud of its “bull in a china shop” innocence.  i’ve got gigs planned for the autumn in cities in europe and the UK that i’ve loved and that have loved me back.  and i’ve got old and new irons in the fire to keep my wanton imagination and energy distractions when they need it.  in short, i love making things.  bless you for being there to listen to, watch or read the things i’ve made over the years.  it’s an honour.  a great, great honour.  so happy summer to all (and happy winter to those in the southern hemisphere)…  the creative life is a long one.  there’s something shimmering in everything, even the ache, and we can keep loving it and talking about it all together for as long as we feel we want to.  bisous!

 

tour.

Norway, UK, France

We are excited to announce that Hawksley Workman will be heading out on a solo tour this September, dates are below, tickets on sale now.

September 4th, Bergen at Lille Ole Bull (tickets)
September 5th, Oslo at Cafe Mono (tickets)
September 6th, Manchester at Night People (tickets)
September 7th, Glasgow at King Tuts (tickets)
September 13th, London at The Borderline (tickets)
September 14th, Lille House Concert (Sold Out)
September 15th, Paris at Les Etoiles (tickets)

 

We are thrilled to announce that a Paris date has been added to Hawksley’s September solo European/UK tour.

Saturday September 15th @ Les Etoiles

Ticket Pre-Sale: Wednesday June 13th 10am-6pm exclusively @ Ticketmaster FR

General Sale: Thursday June 14th 10am here

 

 

We are excited to announce that Hawksley Workman will be taking Almost a Full Moon back on the road this December, performing shows in Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon and Ottawa.

Hawksley’s classic Christmas album, Almost a Full Moon was released 16 years ago, and is a musical celebration of Christmas, community, family and singing.  It has become a holiday season staple for many, original songs to be sung on the first snow of the year, while making soup, or when 3 generations find themselves doing dishes, all at once.

Tickets are on sale now!

December 7th, Calgary at Theatre Junction Grand (tickets) – 2nd show added
December 8th, Calgary at Theatre Junction Grand (sold out)
December 9th, Regina at The Exchange (tickets)
December 10th, Saskatoon at Emmanuel Anglican Church (tickets)
December 11th, Saskatoon at Emmanuel Anglican Church (tickets) – 2nd show added
December 13th, Ottawa at First Baptist Church (tickets)

 Almost a Full Moon Tour Poster 2017

Hawksley is excited to announce that he will be joining newchoir, Toronto’s first rock choir, at Koerner Hall on Saturday June 3rd.  More than 100 voices harmonizing some well loved Hawksley Workman songs, as well as hits from the United Kingdom, accompanied by a rock band and a strings section.

Tickets for this very special event are on sale now.

Click here for more information about newchoir.

Tickets have now gone on sale for The Writes of Spring tour, with musical friends Tim Baker (of Hey Rosetta!), Amelia Curran, Donovan Woods and Hawksley Workman.

April 25, 2017 – London, ON @ Aeolian Hall (sold out)

April 26, 2017 – Picton, ON @ The Regent Theatre (tickets)

April 27, 2017 – Peterborough, ON @ Market Hall (tickets)

April 28, 2017 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre (tickets)

April 29, 2017 – Creemore, ON @ Avening Hall (sold out)

April 30, 2017 – Ridgeway, ON @ The Sanctuary (tickets)

May 1, 2017 – Creemore, ON @ Avening Hall (sold out)

May 2, 2017 – Bayfield, ON @ Old Town Hall (sold out)

May 3, 2017 – Hamilton, ON @ Hamilton Public Library (tickets)

WOS_poster_Feb 2017
Tim Baker is the writer and frontman of acclaimed Newfoundland group, Hey Rosetta!. The Juno nominated singer is best known for his intimate, poetic lyrics and powerful live vocal delivery, garnering Hey Rosetta! multiple awards along with their numerous sold-out Canadian tours.

Amelia Curran is a Juno Award winning singer-songwriter from St. John’s, Newfoundland.  Her knife-sharp lyrics possess an unrivaled eloquence garnering her acclaim as Canada’s master contemporary songstress.  Amelia’s latest album Watershed will be released in April 2017 by Six Shooter Records.

Donovan Woods was raised in the small city of Sarnia, Ontario, to the sounds of country music, with a healthy dose of folk and pop, a combination that instilled in him a strong belief in the power of a memorable melody, the importance of everyday language and the impact of a well-crafted song. His acclaimed fourth album Hard Settle, Ain’t Trouble received a 2016 Polaris Music Prize nomination, landed him on the CBC Music “Best 25 Canadian Albums of the Year” list and won him the Canadian Folk Music Awards “Songwriter of the Year.”

Hawksley Workman is singer and songwriter. Performer, producer, poet, and playwright. Multi-instrumentalist and an ambitious, ever-busy global ambassador of Canadian culture and creativity. A staple of the Canadian arts scene for over 17 years, Workman boasts a catalogue of 16 solo releases. The accolades amassed include JUNO nods and wins and widespread critical acclaim. He has most recently published a children’s book for Penguin Random House, based on the lyrics of his beloved Christmas song “Almost a Full Moon”.

Hawksley Workman has announced that a limited edition vinyl pressing of his classic Christmas LP Almost a Full Moon will be available in Canada for Record Store Day Black Friday, November 25, 2016 and online at Maple Music.

The vinyl includes a special 11×11” Lyrics And Chords Songbook of the original album tracks, as well as a free download card for the LP which includes two bonus tracks: “Watching the Fires” and “Silent Night”.

Copies of the vinyl will also be available for purchase on the Christmas Tour (dates below).

Almost a Full Moon Track list

  1. Claire Fontaine
  2. Learn How To Knit
  3. First Snow Of The year
  4. Merry Christmas (I Love You)
  5. Common Cold
  6. 3 Generations
  7. A House Or Maybe A Boat
  8. Almost A Full Moon
  9. Watching The Fires (CD And Digital Only)
  10. Silent Night (CD and Digital Only)

Almost a Full Moon Tour

12.05 – Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre SOLD OUT
12.07 – Vancouver, BC @ St. James Hall SOLD OUT
12.08 – Edmonton, AB @ Citadel Club Theatre SOLD OUT
12.09 – Edmonton, AB @ Citadel Club Theatre SOLD OUT
12.10 – Edmonton, AB @ Citadel Club Theatre SOLD OUT
12.11 – Edmonton, AB @ The Club at the Citadel Theatre SOLD OUT
12.13 – Fredericton, NB @ Wilmot United Church (Tickets)
12.14 – Halifax, NS @ St. Matthew’s Church SOLD OUT
12.16 – Hamilton, ON @ Library In The Round Series (Tickets)
12.17 – Huntsville, ON @ Trinity United Church SOLD OUT

Christmas Tour

We are very excited to announce Hawksley’s Almost a Full Moon Tour on the 15th anniversary of the release of his Christmas LP “Almost a Full Moon”.  Tour dates are below, tickets go on sale this Friday August 19th.

VINYL RELEASE:

In celebration of this anniversary, we will also be releasing a limited edition vinyl pressing of Almost a Full Moon, which will include a special Lyrics and Chords “Songbook” of the original album tracks, as well as a free download card for the album, including the two bonus tracks “Watching The Firesand “Silent Night”.

TOUR DATES / On Sale Now:

12.05 – Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre (tickets)
12.07 – Vancouver, BC @ St. James Hall (tickets)
12.08 – Edmonton, AB @ The Club at the Citadel Theatre (tickets)*
12.09 – Edmonton, AB @ The Club at the Citadel Theatre (tickets)*
12.10 – Edmonton, AB @ The Club at the Citadel Theatre (tickets)*
12.13 – Fredericton, NB @ Wilmot United Church (tickets)
12.14 – Halifax, NS @ St. Matthew’s Church (tickets)
12.16 – Hamilton, ON @ Hamilton Public Library In The Round Series (tickets)
12.17 – Huntsville, ON @ Trinity United Church (tickets)

BOOK RELEASE:

Hawksley is also officially announcing the release of a very special illustrated children’s book titled, Almost a Full Moon. Based on the lyrics of a song from the album of the same name, Almost a Full Moon is a warm-hearted tale of family, community, food and home and is illustrated by Jensine Eckwall, who helps bring beauty and a hint of magic to Workman’s evocative lyrics. The book will be published September 6, 2016 by Tundra Books (a division of Random House Canada). Pre-order is available here here.

 

*Edmonton: Beyond The Stage series passes available now, individual show tickets available Sept. 15, 2016.