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| Gonna find God in the midday Sun..... |
Originally a member of the Lowest of The Low, a band that garnered surprising popularity, given that their first album was an independent release, Hawkins made a solo album The Secret of My Excess, and then put out Greasing the Star Machine with the Rusty Nails.
You would have thought NAFTA might have helped us get more recognition of deserving Canadian artists like Hawkins. Maybe Arcade Fire made it over the cultural wall to the USA, but it seems the wall still remains. Now that America's 24-7 news cycle is fixated on the Toronto's beleaguered mayor maybe more people will realize that there actually is a country north of us.
Hawkins is a pretty terrific lyricist, and possesses a sense of humor all too lacking in music, albeit pretty dark. Not to say this is novelty music, because unfortunately people tend to associate humor in music as not being "serious", which is seriously idiotic. The word is that he is revered by our friends to the North and one listen to this album will do a lot of explaining. There is a nice mix of songs here, from flat out punky scorchers here alongside poignant ballads. He really does sound a bit like Elvis Costello, but I find the songs to be definitely his own. I really love his vocal delivery---it sounds as though it is something that he is very conscious of and has worked at.
Ron Hawkins: vocals, guitar, piano hammond organ, talk box
Blitz: bass guitar
Mark Hansen: drums and percussion
Lawrence Nichols: vocals, harmonies, melodica
Christopher Plock: baritone and tenor sax
Jason Walters: baritone sax
The first song out on Crackstatic is Bite Down Hard, a anthemically hooky high energy number with great lyrics. The album is filled with black self-deprecating humor like on Beat Me Senseless;
There's a boxing ring in my reality
And there's a punching bag and it looks a lot like me
And they'll finally enrol my name in the Glass Half Empty Hall of Fame
If I beat me senseless again
Little Backstabbers is a vicious song, reminiscent of early Elvis Costello. Other highlights include the
oddly upbeat darkness of Small Vicories, the long song Beautiful Chemistry. The title track of Cracktastic is also great, a song criticizing the quality of music on radio. If Jonathan Richman sang Radio On! in Roadrunner, Hawkins is singing Radio Off!, or more accurately kick the radio until you hear static.
I've emphasized Hawkins as a singer and songwriter but I also must say that the Rusty Nails back him very ably on this album. From start to finish this is a standout album that needs to be heard.
These days Hawkins is playing with the Do Good Assassins these days and has subsequently released several other albums. Judging by YouTube he also performs a fair amount of one-man shows. He is also is an artist. Most of his art seems to be portraits, often of other musicians. You can see his paintings and order some of his discography on his website. He and several other Canadian artists are also profiled in a documentary by Tim Thompson entitled Born To It. Now available on DVD at Victimless Capitalism.
Crackstatic is definitely Cracktastic. You should give this Canadian classic a listen.
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