I love it when my friends come out to my concerts because it’s always great to hang out with them and I feel supported by their attendance. However, I totally understand that they can’t come to all of my shows… that would be a lot of time and money for them to invest. But whenever they are able and willing, I really appreciate it.
There is actually something good, however, that comes from me playing gigs alone. It allows me to spend more time getting to know new people, whether they be other artists, musicians, or fans. And in an industry so dependent on connections, it is very good for me to spend some time getting to know people.
Last night I played a show at the Railway club here in Vancouver. This is a venue that bands like the Barenaked Ladies and the Tragically Hip have played at, so I was pretty stoked. When I got to the club, I met the other performers and found out that we were going to all stay on stage for the whole set. This was a foreign idea to me. Usually concerts are divided into sets with different acts - one or more opening act and then the main event. But we were all up there the whole time. I would play a song, then Jenny would play a song, then Super (that’s his real name, I think) would play a song. It was different, but kinda cool.
As I was mentioning earlier, playing shows alone allows me to meet new people. As I was drinking free beer (perks of performing), I had a conversation with a man named David. He had a fantastic D’artagnan mustache (you know, the mustache accompanied by a soul patch). For a living, David makes wooden horns… like didgeridoos and stuff like that. He told me a story about sneaking into a public park at night to cut down the perfect branch to make a horn with. He dressed completely in black and even painted his saw. He even got a woman and her dog to come with him to be on the lookout and to also be a distraction in case anyone was coming (he also told me that this was a great way to seduce women… there’s nothing more romantic than breaking the law together). Apparently he almost got caught by the cops once, but managed to sneak away. He seems to think that no one would notice a branch missing from the park, but admits that he would look mighty suspicious walking past a police car, all dressed in black, holding a saw in one hand and a giant branch in the other.
Later on I had an inspirational conversation with Super, one of the other performers, about the music business. He encouraged me to keep playing shows and told me that I have some good talent. Encouragement is like the fuel to my music career. It drives me to keep performing. I think I will always play music nomatter what, at least privately, just because I love it… but in order for me to play publicly, I need to know that other people actually appreciate my music. It would be selfish for me to play songs that people don’t even like. A few months ago I was unsure if anyone would like my music, but now I’m starting to think that it really does connect with quite a few of people. I just need to get the exposure so that people know about my music. If you have any ideas or connections for me, let me know.
Tags: Barenaked Ladies, David, didgeridoo, free beer, Jeff Hawker, Railway club, stealing branches, stolen wood, Super Robertson, supper show, Tragically Hip, Vancouver
Awesome stuff Jeff. It’s good to hear you’re finding great oppurtunites to get your name out there. It’s also a great encouragement, as an artist, to find that our friends are getting out there.
Wow, that “David” guy you described sounds just like a guy I know named Fire Man who also hangs out at the Railway. Maybe he’s going around calling himself “David” now. Weird. Anyway, your getting out and meeting some of the city’s coolest cats is inspirational. Keep on gigging.