We originally were passed a copy of this tape in a batch of stuff from Doug Wong - it had been languishing in the CCPS queue until we had a chat with Neil MacGonigill, and he name-checked Jane Hawley and reminded us of the link between this excellent recording and Beautiful Joe (and the Co-Dependents). Originally from Edmonton, Hawley played fiddle with the country punk gods Jr. Gone Wild - it's that band's piss and vinegar that seeps thru Letters to Myself. And we like it. A lot. [center][img width=632]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1721010732641x822101517960369000/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [b]Alberta's fine for the Next Big Thing[/b] JAMES MURETICH Herald writer It doesn't pay to have stars in your eyes. Next thing you know, you're no longer walking on the ground. And that isn't good if you're a singer-songwriter who's in love with the roots of country music. Which is why Jane Hawley doesn't start packing her bags for Nashville-or at the very least, Toronto-when music industry types start talking about her in terms of the Next Big No thanks. Alberta's JUST fine, especially the ranch she shares south of Longview with her bullriding husband. "I'm really patient and sometimes I worry that I'm too laid back about things. But, I don't know, I don't think I could've rushed any of this," says Hawley. Which goes a long way to explaining why Hawley's songs are the kind that pour from the heart and from experience and don't fall off some country-music cookie-cutter sheet. Her new solo CD could very well establish her as one of the most talented country singer-songwriters north, south, east or west of any border. Called Letters To Myself, it's a blend of ol' country-roots music and contemporary country that's as edgy as anything coming out of Austin. It's been released independently but many a major label is interested. And that's just Jane's solo career. The band she plays in along with Steve Pineo and Tim Leacock, Beautiful Joe, is also a sought-after commodity whose country-pop-rock turned heads during last summer's Country Music Week and earned them gigs on TV's Rita MacNeil Show and Country Beat. "I grew up in Toronto, but I was really into Emmylou Harris. In fact, the first concert I went to was Loretta Lynn with Conway Twitty and I had to go with my mom because no one in my school would go with me," says Hawley "They were like: 'Oh my God, you're a geek." After playing in T.O.'s fledgling country scene with the likes of Handsome Ned and Blue Rodeo, Hawley found herself Alberta bound. After some Top-40 country bands, she landed a gig with Edmonton's notorious rockin' country band Jr. Gone Wild. Since then, Hawley's built a reputation as a solo artist and now as member of Beautiful Joe. And after many, many years in the wilderness, she's hit her stride creatively just at a time when people are developing an interest in the real downhome country of other women artists like Gillian Welch. "I have city roots in me and yet I moved out here and met and married my husband, who grew up on a ranch and did rodeos and everything. "So, I've got the city in me but I've got that rank part of rodeo, too and I think people hear that in my style of music," says Hawley. "I think that's why my style can appeal to country and alternative listeners, too because it's got both of those styles." And as more and more people become fans of the woman and her music, Hawley maintains her easy-does-it attitude. "I hope this year will be... ah, but there's always next year, too. You just got to be patient. It's like I say: 'Everybody's always just about to get signed." Just not everybody has as much talent as Jane Hawley or Beautiful Joe, for that matter. [img width=662.5px]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1721010720024x825063647926018000/richtext_content.jpeg[/img]
