FFWD Weekly
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Home is where the songs (and the cows) are
Singer-songwriter Jane Hawley grows roots out West
Kaos Cafe Songwriter Showcase Sunday, January 26
by Martin KempApparently, back in biblical times, groups of people embarked on long journeys, or sojourns, to a place known as Mecca. One such group, the "musicianites," had to travel to Mecca (referred to in modern times as Toronto or Los Angeles) in order to receive any sort of recognition for their craft.
But as Bob Dylan tells us in The Book of Bob, times change. Or are changing. Or something.
Take, for instance, EMI recording artist Tariq, who, after moving to Calgary a few years ago from Montreal, still calls Cowtown home.
And after leaving Toronto to move out West, singer-songwriter Jane Hawley eventually ended up on a ranch one hour from Calgary in Longview, where she is neighbors with such well-known musicians as Cindy Church, Ian Tyson, Amos Garrett, David Wilkie and of course, many cows.
As geography becomes less and less important to the music industry, more musicians seem to be sticking around these parts, able to pursue a serious career, while still living in the town / city / ranch of their choice.
After just releasing her second solo CD, entitled Letters to Myself, Jane Hawley is content as ever to pursue her career from the comfort of home. And despite the work involved in living on a ranch, Hawley does not look upon her chosen residence as a barrier to success.
"I want to do (music) for the rest of my life," states Hawley. "My goals are very high - I'd like to get awards and be on Letterman and all that stuff! As far as the ranch affecting my career - it won't, because I have my career, and my husband has his."
With a unique and quirky singing voice, Hawley prefers the term "roots music" to describe her songs. And even though she lives on a ranch and "checks cows every day," her roots-rock style places her a bit outside the contemporary country music genre. Hawley does not necessarily see herself as a potential country music star, a lá Shania.
"First of all, I know my voice is very non-commercial," she explains. "I'd love to be played on the radio all the time, but I'm not writing for that. I have no great plans on becoming a Shania Twain because I would have to really compromise my writing, compromise my style, and my voice especially."
While fostering a healthy solo career, Hawley is also gaining national recognition as a member of Calgary's Beautiful Joe. A collaboration between Hawley and local boys Tim Leacock, Steve Pineo, Danny Patton and Ross Watson, Beautiful Joe have turned some heads nationwide, even scoring a coveted spot on the Rita MacNeil extravaganza.
Staying close to Calgary has meant that Hawley has been able not only to work with Beautiful Joe, but also to participate in a solid community of songwriters.
One of several local performers to be featured at the upcoming Kaos Cafe Songwriter Showcase, Hawley sees such events as an opportunity to strengthen the local music community, and to meet and perform with other musicians.
"I'm really into this singer-songwriter series because I don't know some of the songwriters," she says. "I know from the Calgary Folk Festival that there are a lot of songwriters from Calgary that I had never heard of.
"There is a really good scene here for singer-songwriters."
While showcasing Hawley and other local songwriters, the Kaos series, which runs January 19, February 16 and March 16, is an attempt to show off the quality and variety of songwriting in Calgary. Performing on the first night of the series, Hawley will share the evening with Jenny Allen and Tinderbox's Kris Wenzel, after which she will probably feed a few cows and continue on with her career.
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