Musicadium Artist Profile: Pete Hawkes
This month Musicadium profiles one of Musicadium’s first artists to sign up, Pete Hawkes.
Q. What styles and influences are on your latest album?
The Pete Hawkes/Phil Emmanuel album (lost souls entwined) is very different to anything I have done so far and is an errie/spooky kind of album, a dedication to the lost musical greats who were never known in their time, people such as Nick Drake, Eva Cassidy, Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton who were ‘famous’ only after death. The music has a bit of Nick in the acoustic guitars, Danny and Roy in the electric styles, played by Phil Emmanuel, especially the volume swells on the electric but its a completely new blend.
The Hawkes/Swarbrick album (which is a re- release of an old Festival records album with ou ttakes and some of Swarbricks arrangements that never saw the light of day) is the session we did at Ian Blakes Blue Bear Studio’s which is my folk stuff, written in my own style, using alternate tunings mainly and unusual hooks and melodies although on several tracks you get Swarbricks lilting, idiosyncratic fiddle style that really ended up being THE folk fiddle style that came out of the UK and was prominent on Fairport Convention & Martin Carthy’s albums and many more. He did a very good job on Jemimma’s lullaby and Reuben’s Fancy I thought. The later was his title; he fell in love with my border collie (Reuben) and gave him the tune.
Q. What did you think of the last Harry Potter book?
Actually, this is going to sound strange, but I didn’t read it - I read the first few, and thought the others were just a money making exercise from Hollywood. I hear from others that lots of people get killed in it and it has all the well known characteristics of the earlier books
Q. What inspires you? What makes you wake up and think “wow that really matters?”, what makes you want to write songs that make people sit down and think?
Good question; I’m inspired by ordinary people who often get overlooked. I really believe, strongly believe that everyone has something to offer, its just in alot of cases things happen in life so that they never get the chance- I’m inspired by the real people, so often, in the music or entertainment world, the real ones miss out, they didn’t get the exposure or the marketing, but they were really great at what they did - and I think that’s great, thats what counts, thats inspiring. Not everyone has the family connections or money to be in a position for any kind of possible ‘liftoff’ like Nicole Kidman for example; not that I have anything against her, but she had the conditions to be able to push a career to the point she has - so the real people who have had, by the roll of the dice, less oportunity, but who can do it better count so much more for me. Its not really their fault, the dice roll they were given.
Also what counts for me is people who love and help others. I love, for example, my father who has helped me in so many little ways - tried his best for me- not always worked but I know he tried - cos he loves me. You cant ask more than that.
I’m not a fan of the plastic American/marketing/world of ‘Tom cruise smiles’ and red carpet - its just all a bit fake to me, Australian’s with suedo American accents (vomit)with more money than they can poke a stick at wanting even more money and complaining how hard life is…and how they have had such a roller coaster life ….Go to Russia and see people who really do have cause for complaint! I feel this move to a plastic kind of McDonalds throw away culture to be in some ways a degradation of the human spirit and its very much in the music scene now with the emphasis on production rather than content - I prefer to keep it real, and its inspiring to me in some way.
Aand lastly a few laughs with good friends I have known for a long time, thats always inspiring!
I write songs like ‘a housewifes’ lament, ‘an emotional winter’, and so forth based on my observations of ordinary people and their stories, real stories, about the real world I have seen and heard - not about the world that is provided to me on television. I want people to hear these things and relate to them in some way so they understand that perhaps they are not so different, perhaps get some comfort in knowing its ok to be depressed, or have someone leave you …that these are common experiences……but I never try to change anyone, I just want them to consider that they are not alone .
I’m also inspired instrumentally by the greats, Charlie Parker, Louie Armstrong, Bartok, Bach, Hogie Carmichael. These people. A great melody is a great invention on it own.
Q. If you could replace George Bush with anyone you like for President, who would it be and why?
I would replace him straight away - he really shouldn’t be there - quite frankly I dont think he has the IQ, in my opinion; I think Hilary is a good alternative, she has the Clinton reputation to handle, but she stikes me as a capable and intelligent woman in her own right and it would be nice to have a woman in power as well to break the mould I think. She certainly cant do any worse than Bush.
Q. How did you come up with your band name?
Pete hawkes, well its my name so it was easy!
Q. What’s your favourite song to play?
I love playing the ‘celtic hornblower’ its an exercise on guitar, also from a guitar point of view - ‘the belly laugh rag’ -but I love mostly these days the witchcraft chamber music, ‘the warlocks dream’, ‘in the labyrinth of lady laura’, and the arrangements i’m pleased about with that album. The more I play the more value I understand in ‘less is more’. Its the little things that you do at the right time and in such a way that it just makes you have to take note that become more important.
Q. How long of you been playing your instruments/singing and did you take lessons?
Never took any lessons, learned by playing old blues records, I learned slide guitar before playing in standard tuning, which is quite different experience to most guitarists. My mom bought me a guitar at an early age when she suspected I might be musical and it went from there- its something you can do on your own and get an immediate response from, so it was just lots of experimenting and I developed my own style naturally, doing it that way you dont have any creative boundaries in your mind. Some classical palyers I knoW have a mind set already in their ideas, based on what other people have taught them. I dont think there is any music police ( except perhaps Sting) - there is no right or wrong, if its good for you and it sounds good, the end justifies the means.
Q. Any new influences that you will be drawing into your next release?
Well the ‘requiem for the lost souls entwined’ with Phil has Nick Drake, Roy Buchanen and Danny Gatton in places, but its wrong to try to think all songs come from someone else, most of this album is highly original and comes somewhere from me. Good job Phil did on the disk, there is a part where he makes his electric guitar sound like a carnival where he uses the volume swells over many notes in a long section - that’s very hard to do - I dont know if many players in the world could do that- he plays evocatively, which is nice - so many people think that music is about speed, its not! so when you get someone who can play Bach’s ‘Joy ‘faster than anyone in the world, its nice to know he is a musician and loves guitar for emotional ( rather than speed) reasons.
Q. What’s your favourite colour?
Red, then purple.
Q. What kind of instruments do you use?
I designed a guitar with Neil Laughlin, who makes guitars in Tasmania, I was once going to do it myelf yeasr ago and lived with him and worked with him in Margate Tasmania. We designed a guitar in 1989, I made the design and its just been finished and I’m so thrilled with the results- I use it all the time ( see it on www.myspace.com/laughlinguitars) I also use Cargil abd Gilet acoustics both Australian guitar makers who handcraft the guitars, I prefer small body parlor style guitars. For electric work I use gretch, fender and gibson. I dont consider myself an electric player, i’m an acoustic animal, but I do do session work on slide for the electric, but that’s kind of it it on those things.
Q. Why did you choose Musicadium to digitally distribute your music?
Kley seemed such a nice bloke and very genuine, and its an australian company and I want the returns to go to Australain people, not americans. I’ve really enjoyed working with Musicadium.
Q. Do you have a day/square job as well as music? If so what is it?
no I am a professional muso - thats it, for better or worse !
Q. When did you first know that creating music was for you?
at the age of twelve
Q. The best thing about being an artist is?
doing what you love and cos you love it - thats why i do it - I really enjoy it
Q. What are you listening to right now?
I listen to the old blue greats alot, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, but always Louie Armstrong, Charlie Parker, for celtic guitar hard to beat Tony Mcmanus. For Jazz, Martin Taylor is really ubelieveable. The best players are really the ones not many people know. Simpson can play an acoustic guitar. I like Dougie McClean’s songs, especially ‘Ready For The Storm’. I love lots of russian music as I lived there for a while. I’m fond of Bach, Strauss. I like Danny Gatton and Roy and Gerry Donahue for electric playing. Not much beats Stefan Grapelli and Django. I like the fiddle of George Washingmachine. He can do it! I love Ry Cooders playing, and admire him for someone who really has followed his passions and not sold out. I like Phils playing, especially when he does songs and makes them his, like Chariots of Fire, or Joy. He’s definately real as it comes that boy. I dont think he would change for anyones marketing strategy. I dont like the James Taylor thing were you really do sell out and pretend to be Mr sensative each night - kind of selling your sensativity to the highest bidder as that’s part of getting bums on seats, but he has written some great songs as well I guess and the music is of a high quality albiet its the same thing all the time, like a formula that he knows will keep selling. I love to bits Alison Krauss and Union station, especially with Jerry Douglas on slide - great! I love Dr John, a legend!! I hate rap, think its crap with a silent c really, and I dont think music is about a single drum beat going on while some punk talks shit, moving his hands up and down? Pretend musicians for me, but each to his own. I’m not partial to Country music, but then again, in Nashville if you listen to the street players you get the real stuff and some of it is hot, there is Jazz/Country in Nashville, and played with people who are demons - so they have won me over a little. I love anything with a melody really. I’m old fashioned and take little value in production. I would buy the old blues records if they had a hundred more scratches on them. People these days worry so much about production but its actually the content that counts.
