Douglas McLean chats with multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman. Before heading out to some late summer concerts, Hawksley talked at length to Douglas about his new album, Less Rage More Tears, and a wide variety of other topics and songs for his latest Sound Cafe Podcast, 'Backstage'.
You can listen to the entire interview and music HERE
Award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hawksley Workman has announced a string of Western Canadian tour dates kicking off in Winnipeg on April 18, 2022. Before hitting the road next spring, Workman will be doing 2 special performances in December commemorating the 20th anniversary of his beloved Christmas record, Almost a Full Moon. Workman will perform songs curated from the popular record, interlaced with whimsical storytelling as well as other fan favourites spanning his incredible musical career.
Also announced is an exclusive run of vinyl to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Treeful of Starling. Originally released in 2006, Treeful of Starling is a quiet and poetic retreat to its predecessor, the energetic and hit-laden Lover/Fighter (2003). The Globe and Mail described the album as, “...apocalyptically pastoral...lyrically, it's soberly reflective in its observation of the world's state now and where things head.” Said the Georgia Strait, “Some record albums are just that: albums of songs. Others are more like journeys, guided explorations on which we're steered through terrain we might otherwise never see. These are the records we treasure, and it's entirely possible that, in time, Hawksley Workman's new Treeful of Starling will be numbered among them.
The vinyl will be available for pre-order online and to purchase at Workman’s upcoming shows. Fans who purchase the commemorative vinyl from Workman’s webstore also receive 9 limited edition artwork cards (4 x 2.5") by gifted artist Tim Domoslai.
“Treeful of Starling was mostly written in the Twentynine Palms, California while others like ‘Ice Age’ were written while I was laid up with serious ear damage in France quietly watching nature documentaries,” relays Hawksley of the album’s inception. “I had woken up on New Year’s Day reeling from a hangover and knew I needed to hit the pause button on the rock and roll party that had been raging for a few years by that point. I was on a plane headed west to the California desert and it was these surroundings that inspired ‘when these mountains were the seashore’ and ‘hey, hey, hey my little beauties’ about the desert birds that would weather the winter rains under my porch overhang.
Bob Ezrin had been keeping a close eye on me and had surprised me with a copy of ‘The Power of Now’, encouraging me to stay the course on writing after my first attempt at a follow-up to Lover/Fighter had been rejected by my major label at the time. After the huge effort that had been put into the production on Lover/Fighter, Treeful of Starling was seeming to want to be a much simpler affair. To this day ‘Treeful’ feels like a special record, and sometimes it feels like my best record. There are songs on there that I’m grateful to have written and still love to sing live to this day.”
Workman recently teamed up with Canadian guitar phenom and singer-songwriter Kevin Breit for an exciting instrumental side-project titled, Breit Workman, available on Isadora Records. An acclaimed, multi-dimensional performer with several solo records under his belt, Breit is one of Canada’s most sought after guitar players and has recorded with Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash, k.d. Lang, to name a few. He has amassed several notable awards including a Gemini Award, 2 JUNO awards, and is featured on records that have earned an impressive 10 Grammy Awards.
Hawksley Workman Upcoming Tour Dates
2021 12.14 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON** - Tickets available at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.ca
12.22 - Partridge Hall - St. Catharines, ON - Tickets available at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
2022 04.18 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre - Tickets 04.20 - Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre - Tickets 04.21 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina - Tickets 04.23 - Lethbridge, AB - Southminster United Church 04.24 - Red Deer, AB - Bo's - Tickets 04.25 - St. Albert, AB - The Arden Theatre - Tickets 04.26 - Calgary, AB - Bella Concert Hall (The Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts) - Tickets 04.27 - Penticton, BC - Dream Café 04.28 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre - Tickets 05.01 – Cumberland, BC - The Waverly Hotel - Tickets 05.02 - Nanaimo, BC - The Queen's - Tickets
Hawksley Workman is a JUNO Award-winning and Gold Record certified singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since his ground-breaking self-produced indie debut For Him and The Girls (1999) through to chart-topping singles of 2020, Hawksley has careened between major label international smash hits to Canadiana soaked indie releases. Boasting a catalogue of 17 solo records, Hawksley’s genre defying style strings together folk, chart pop and irrepressible cabaret. His show-stopping vocals on songs about weather, love, heartbreak and tales of end-times have garnered him a league of devoted fans.
Performing over a thousand shows worldwide, Hawksley has headlined prestigious venues like Massey Hall and The Olympia in Paris. For a uniquely Canadian artist Hawksley has built loyal fan bases in the UK, France, Norway and Australia launching many successful tours, demystifying and delighting fans while drawing on an enviable catalogue of mischievous favourites, glammy stompers and heartfelt hymns to small town Canada.
You can listen to the entire interview and music HERE
Website: hawksleyworkman.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WorkmanHawksley
Twitter: twitter.com/HawksleyWorkman
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hawksleyworkman