Hawksley Workman
A musician of incredible velocity, Hawksley Workman is at the top of his game when he has the solitude and serenity to write and record his music in atomic bursts, focused into monastic postures, accessing grace and brilliance in fluid, sweeping motions. With his increasing rock triumphs, growing fan communities and formidable body mass, Workman has evolved from the slight, pin-striped oddball with a critically-acclaimed diamond voice, to the panoramic, guitar-punishing superstar with no performance limits. After the success of 2003's Lover/Fighter, the adoring battlefield was cleared and swords were beaten into plowshares.
Now Workman invites the audience to listen with wide-eared wonder at something as simple and earnest as a Treeful Of Starling. This, his latest album in a career of far-reaching achievement, is a return to what motivated him as a musical artist in the first place. As he puts it, "an exercise in remembering what it is about music that is important to me." From this mission statement comes an album of remarkable directness and breathtaking beauty that clings to home truths and heartfelt emotions.
The swagger of Workman's delicious wolf is replaced by a reflective and quiet exploration of the world outside and the universe within. Without shouting, it demands to be heard because of the depth of feeling expressed. This is an album that sees the artist examine the contents of the soul if one were to sweep the trappings of civilization, modernization, efficiency and progress away. What would you be left with: a ruin, or a restored capacity to commune? Workman was faced with such an investigation when other paths did not lead through the woods.
Treeful Of Starling is a modest album borne partly of frustration. Since Lover/Fighter, ensuing periods of recording have yielded widely ranging results and perhaps three albums' worth of material very different in nature from this release. Needing to refresh and refocus, a retreat from the cacophony of society saw Workman hole up behind a locked door with a rented piano and a Studer 8-track to create this profound collection of introspective works.
To paraphrase the messages of these nine songs would be superfluous; they are written as plainly as any truth must be. To put is succinctly, this is an album of marveling at the eternal and elevating. What if the values and characteristics we hold most dear did not include material comforts? What is of real importance now, and what will be worth remembering in the distant future? The wonders of beauty, love and majesty beckon. Treeful Of Starling reminds us of what ideals unite us, without being cloyingly sentimental.
Where we run in the streets, Hawksley Workman invites us inside to share in a sincere celebration of lasting joys. Both the subtle sophistication and overt singability of Treeful Of Starling reveal the grace that lies at the core of our lives. This is the sonic gesture of the hand extended in earnest fellowship, for the listener to take.
Hawksley Workman
Biographical Highlights
Grew up in rural Ontario and began music as a drummer, going on to become a dizzying multi-instrumentalist who plays and sings virtually every part on his records. Spotted early in his career for writing personal letters in weekly magazines to his fictional muse Isadora. These and other writings were compiled in his first book, Hawksley Burns For Isadora (Gutter Press, 2001).
Has worked as a producer for such artists as Sarah Slean, Jeen O'Brien, John Southworth and Tegan & Sara.
Moved to Paris for a year after the release of his 2nd CD release, (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves. Has been returning to France regularly since, also collaborating there with megastar Johnny Hallyday, techno artist Tommy Hools and indie upstarts Aston Villa.
Garnered Juno awards in 2002 for Best New Solo Artist and Best Video for "Jealous Of Your Cigarette".
Toured Europe with such luminaries as David Bowie, Patti Smith, New Order, The Cure, Marianne Faithfull and Noir Désir. During the last World Cup, his rendition of The Beatles' "Revolution" provided the soundtrack for a television commercial, featuring French soccer star, Zinedine Zidane.
Contributed to the film and soundtrack for Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen, providing his take on "I've Got the World On a String". Portrayed a ghost in the film, Youkali Hotel, starring Mary-Margaret O'Hara.
Owns a century-old, one-room schoolhouse his grandmother attended as a child, which now serves as a home and recording studio.
Has his own imprint, Isadora Records, also home to Canadian singer/songwriter Serena Ryder. Member of the Universal Music Canada roster.
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