Tim Harwill dot com

Home is where the work is for Koko and me as we settle into preparing for a major change to the touring calendar and a return to the recording studio. While catching up on my household chores will occupy some of my time and alternate -week appearances hosting the open mic at the Redline Diner in Spruce Grove are booked thru August, upcoming appearances featuring either the outlaw country string trio or the electro/acoustic duo will be receiving the majority of my focus over the next several weeks. To say that I’m excited about the impending change would be an understatement, as early reviews for the new trio have been excellent and I’ve enjoyed performing in a multi-player environment on stage more than I thought I was going to. The end result being that my days of working primarily as a solo performer are taking a hiatus of sorts, as shows featuring the duo, trio, or band will shortly begin to dominate my touring calendar until further notice.

It’s a treat to work with talented people and I’m always thrilled to share the stage with some of the best country and roots music professionals in Alberta.

I’m certainly not saying goodbye to life as a solo performer however, as there are times when going it alone is the only way to get it done, on stage or in life, and I do suppose that I’ll always enjoy the challenge of delivering a show on my own. The simple reality is that after more than a decade of almost constant travel and well over a thousand solo performances I’ve been a little worn out by the surprisingly intense demands that the stripped-down approach has placed upon both the man and the music. Fortunately it’s a never-ending highway a man travels, and my hope is that a detour and some time spent working with friends old and new will help to restore my energy and enable me to continue to deliver the goods on stage for as long as my journey lasts.

Until further notice then my harmonica collection will be kept in storage, with my ‘Lightning Lips’ available at a moments notice should the need, or a solo performance, arise.

Thanks for being here and see you at the show.

- TH, 05/21/2013

A late cancellation has delivered a last-minute opportunity for me to return to one of my favorite venues in the capitol district and I’m happy to invite you to join me at Cafe Tiramisu, 10750 – 124 St., Edmonton, AB, this Friday at 7PM. I’ll be performing a couple of solo sets featuring a selection of old pop songs along with some new Harwill tunes and I hope you’re able to take advantage of the opportunity, as the show is sponsored by Cafe Tiramisu and features no cover charge.

Always pleased to help out a venue that’s demonstrated a commitment to live music and looking forward to hitting the stage!

I also wanted to remind everyone about the Open Mic at the Redline Diner, 300 St. Matthews Ave., Spruce Grove, AB, where I will be hosting this Sunday, May 19, 2013, from 4PM til 8PM, and on alternate Sundays until further notice. With 15-minute time slots and a 1st-come-1st-served sign-up sheet, we’ve got room for up to 14 performers to share their talents with us and I hope that you’ll bring your instrument and join us real soon.

Thanks for being here and see you at the show!

- TH, 04/16/2013

It’s a trip down memory lane (and the never-ending highway) this weekend as I head south to the village of Eckville, AB, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for a night of honky-tonkin’ good times on stage at the Eckville Hotel. With excellent reviews rolling in from bands of all stripes that have had the good fortune to perform for the people of Eckville I’m looking forward to hitting the stage at 9 PM ‘Harwill Time’ this Friday, April 26, 2013.

If you’re driving in from out of town I recommend calling ahead to reserve a room because like all professional men of the road Harwill remains 100% against drinking and driving!

Thanks for being here and see you at the show.

- TH, 4/24/2013

With a couple of weeks off of the highway and after several months of preparation it’s time to begin assembling individual songs into the coherent and focused collection that composes an album. Although the title selection process may not be quite final at this point, this initial stage of the recording process will help to define the tone and direction of what will be the finished work. In fact, these first ‘scratch track’ recordings function as a gated stage in the recording process that actually decides the ‘go/no-go’ fate of the proposed album project, making it perhaps the most significant step in the production overall.

As such, I’m very excited to get into the headphones and roll some disc because I’m finally going to hear if the work that I’ve been doing since completing my last production is going to lead me to the next one!

I’m also as grateful as a man can be to be able to do what I do and to have another opportunity to record my music. In spite of the incredible advances in technology that have made it cheaper and easier to create professional caliber recordings than at any time in the past, it remains an honor and a privilege to be given the opportunity to record music and one that I appreciate a great deal. Each time that I enter a recording studio it is with gratitude and respect for the tradition and the posterity of what I’m about to do as well as a personal commitment to deliver the very best performance that I’m able to produce when the mics are turned on.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the results!

I also wanted to send a “Thank you very much!” to all my friends at Cafe Tiramisu, 10750 – 124 St., Edmonton, AB, for hosting and attending another outstanding evening of good friends, good food, and live music last Friday night. I appreciate the support more than I can say and look forward to seeing you next time through.

Thanks for being here and see you at the show.

- TH, 4/11/2013

With spring having officially arrived (finally!) I’m pleased to invite you to join me for an evening out at one of my favorite venues in the capital district this Friday, April 5, 2013, at 7PM, when I will return to Cafe Tiramisu, 10750 – 124 Street, Edmonton, AB, for a solo performance. The owners of a renown kitchen and perhaps the finest pizza in Edmonton, Cafe Tiramisu features an unbeatable combination of warm-and-welcoming audience and solid acoustics, making a night on stage there one of life’s great pleasures.

Always happy to return to a quality venue and appreciate the support more than I can say!

I also wanted to be sure to send a hearty and personal “Thank you very much!” out to my new friends at the Stonewall Pub in Calgary for the outstanding hospitality and fabulous support. As friendly and supportive a crowd of Calgarians as any I’ve seen in my years on the highway, I look forward to performing at the Stampede Bar-B-Q in July for such an outstanding houseful of people!

I was thrilled to be introduced to the talents of a couple of Alberta’s finest young singer/songwriters and new friends last week in Calgary, as the fabulous Ms. Laura Anne Hickli and the outstanding Ms. Dylann Golbeck were kind enough to share the stage with me at the Stonewall. As fine an example of young talents as there is in Canadian music today, it was a pleasure to see/hear the two of them perform in their home town and I look forward to hearing big things from them in the future!

Thanks for being here as always and see you at the show!

- TH, 04/01/2013

Having successfully missed the last gasp of winter (hopefully!) while enjoying a warm weekend in the interior of British Columbia, this week finds me preparing to return to Calgary and a one-night stand at the Stonewall Pub. Located at 735 Ranchlands Blvd. NW, this will be my first stop into the place and I’m looking forward to joining a couple of Southern Alberta’s finest young talents, Dylann Golbeck and Laura Hickli, on stage Saturday night at 930pm. Here’s hoping you’re able to join me for a howdy-and-shake at one of Calgary’s newest live music venues.

Always pleased to be invited into a new venue and looking forward to hearing/seeing Dylann and Laura perform live!

Also wanted to send a hearty “Thank you very much!” out to my new friends at ‘Crush on Victoria’ at Kamloops, BC, for the outstanding hospitality, great food, and welcoming audience. A stylish, fun, and friendly place operated by good people, I enjoyed spending an evening on stage there and look forward to a return visit.

Thanks for being here and see you at the show!

- TH, 3/19/2013

Download official Tim Harwill publicity photograph here.

While I’ve been enjoying the warm weather of impending spring here in Alberta, it’s back to the stage for me this week as I’m off to Calgary to make an appearance on a radio show this Friday afternoon courtesy of UP! 97.7 FM before heading over the Rockies to a one night stand at ‘Crush on Victoria’ in Kamloops, BC, Saturday night. Here’s hoping you’re able to listen in Friday at noon or drop by Crush (650 Victoria St.) for a howdy-and-shake, where the show will start at 7:30PM.

Appreciate the support of Calgary radio very much and looking forward to catching up with friends and family at Kamloops!

Also wanted to send a hearty “Thank you very much!” out to my new friends at the Redline Diner at Spruce Grove, AB, for the outstanding hospitality, great food, and welcoming audience. A fun and friendly place operated by good people, I enjoyed spending a weekend on stage there and look forward to a return visit.

With the clocks now moved ahead and the daylight hours slowly extending the rehab (rebuild?) program continues for me here at Thorsby. I’d be lying if I were to claim that I was pleased at my progress so far however I remain committed to restoring my health, both physical and mental, in order that I may continue wandering this highway of dreams, broken and otherwise, that has been my home.

Both patient and stubborn, as always I endeavor to persevere.

After completing what will have been a busy month of travel and performance in March, the plan is to produce a few scratch track (acoustic) recordings of the latest batch of new songs during the month of April, when touring obligations are light. The new tracks will spend the spring and summer in the CD players of The Legends band and the Harwill production team prior to feedback and review sessions in the fall. At that point and as the touring calendar permits, another set of scratch recordings featuring a ‘semi-final’ list of tracks and arrangements will be produced for distribution to the same group of people for further comment. The artistically demanding and time-consuming process repeats as required and/or necessary, with other considerations secondary, until completed. A lengthy production approach, the meandering organics of the method described will ultimately lead to full band recording sessions (after a year or so of refinement, discussion, and preparation) which a man hopes will see the light of day as a produced and recorded musical work in album format by late 2014.

All things willin’ and the creek don’t rise.

Being only too aware of how hard life laughs when a man makes a plan, as an adherent of the common sense it remains my choice to have at least this one. Thus equipped and in spite of a well-documented inability to hit the curve ball I continue with the windmill-tilting course of living this life that I have loved so well, and trust always that the best is yet to come.

Thanks for being here and see you at the show.

- TH, 03/12/2013

Sometimes it works, and sometimes it don’t.

With a few minor exceptions that statement can be applied to a whole lot of situations however in this case I’m using it (facetiously?) to describe the current state of my touring calendar. The winter of my discontent continues and in spite of my complaints a return to the stage is at hand as I’m scheduled for an appearance at Jeffrey’s Cafe & Wine Bar, 9640 – 142 St., Edmonton, AB, this Thursday, February 28, 2013, at 8pm.

One of the premier jazz music venues in the Alberta capital district, over the last few years Jeff’s has become one of my favorite places to perform through a winning combination of fine hospitality, good food, and excellent acoustics. The fact that they’ve committed to regularly featuring yours’ truly on their entertainment calendar has no doubt added to my affection for the place however you’d be remiss not to stop by if you’re a fan of live music ~ the majority of it jazz ~ which is featured most nights of the week.

A great bunch of people and a place who’s support I appreciate more than I can say, here’s hoping we see you there.

It has been recently noted that my particular form of insanity (of which I possess no short supply) seems to peak at irregular but highly predictable intervals. With an astonishing degree of accuracy, it appears that I tend to detach from my mental and emotional stays primarily under the influence of two opposing sets of circumstances. The first; when I’ve been on the road too long, and the second; when I’ve been off of the road for any length of time.

Suffice it to say that I’m aware of my quandary and working diligently to ignore it.

The reality is that being too long on the road tires me out and makes me paranoid while being off of it for any length of time leaves me to explore the recesses of my mind and scares the hell out of me. With no psychiatric education to lean on the schizophrenic effects of this life that I’ve chosen tends to leave me befuddled, and partly (not completely!) explains my choice of canine living companion. For a man’s best friend is exactly that and should be; his best friend under any and all circumstances, and for this I’m eternally grateful to my hairy pal Koko, the best I’ve had and certainly the most long-suffering.

As strict an editor as I could force myself to be throughout my artistic life, the decision not to write or publicly speak of any circumstance of my private life has been one that I’ve taken seriously. For the most part I’ve taken the role of ‘objective commentator’ and have aspired to maintain a clear separation between my artistic, personal, and professional lives and viewpoints. While a serious examination of my contributions to music and poetry actually reveals this to be true, without prior knowledge of the authors life and times that fact may not be obvious. For the record and for my sanity then, I find that I must declare some few things to be true, and if by saying so it helps my work to be understood, now and in the future, then it will have been worth the saying.

I detest pandering in all forms, and artistic pandering more than any other kind. Specifically I hold in particular disdain any and all ‘art’ or ‘music’ that is commonly described as ‘easy to identify with’ on behalf of its’ intended audience. This is modern code for ‘lowest common denominator’ appeal, and has no place in the world of art or music.

I abhor populism of all types, and artistic populism the most. In particular I am horrified by ‘art’ or ‘music’ which claims to identify with, celebrate, and/or by definition belong to ‘the common man’. This is modern code for ‘you’re too stupid to appreciate how much money we’re making exploiting your circumstances’ and also has no place in the world of art or music.

I am disgusted by the obsequious. I have a particular distaste for the ‘artistic’ types who seek to curry favor and develop fame by methods described popularly as ‘networking’ in the business world. This is modern code for ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ and once again has no place in the world of art or music.

Having made a point of always being easy to find, should any of these positions cause you offense and you feel the need to discuss the ramifications of them; personal or otherwise, do feel free to drop me a line here. Alternatively I’m always available after the show to discuss any and all circumstances of our being together, and will look forward to chatting with you there.

As always thanks for your support and see you at the show.

- TH, 02/24/2013

With the winter adventure continuing at Thorsby a man off of the road has the time to review his work and consider the road traveled less. So it is that while examining the numerous lyrical scraps of disparate thought scattered among the pile of unfinished digital laundry that composes my laptop hard drive I happen upon the rare nugget of wisdom reprinted below.

On writing, Faulkner remarked, “Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him,” in an interview with The Paris Review in 1956.

Appreciating the good fortune afforded me in having had the opportunity to find comfort in the wisdom of Faulkner’s words, and having taken no small amount of guidance from them, I’m pleased to share them with you here. In fact it is my commitment to applying the method described by them to songwriting, singing, guitar and harmonica playing, performing, and music production and engineering that has governed my approach since beginning my career in the music business, and that continues to this day.

While my hope is that the work I’ve managed to complete to this point plainly describes both the approach and my commitment to it better than I can in words, I wanted to thank the late genius publicly for his assistance. I’ve no doubt I’d not have made it this far without them and in any case I’m grateful for the guidance and trust also that they’re worth passing along to the latest generations starting out in this business.

I’m sure most folks have heard all about how tough it is out there in the 21st century music industry and what a difficult career choice it can be. Most people have been made too aware of the intellectual property and technology wars underway in the courts involving the entertainment industry and the internet throughout the previous decade. While these circumstances certainly represent the facts of life in the modern world of music, the arts, and entertainment, at no time have Faulkner’s words rang truer than they do today!

As the globalization and corporatization of the modern world continues unabated and seems sure to describe the future, the value of ‘guiding principles’ is enhanced. A logical response to the increasing chaos and inherent intrusiveness of the digital age is the clear description, an easily recalled reminder if you will, of the basic tenets of the artists’ approach. The straight forward D-I-Y directions contained in Faulkner’s plain spoken description of the ‘best’ approach to writing empowers the modern artist to embrace the increasingly sporadic opportunities of the globalized world while simultaneously validating the life choice of independent art.

Here’s hoping that the great author’s words can shine a little light onto your artistic endeavors and help you to keep pushing that rock up the hill of your choice today. They’ve been a tremendous help to me over the years and I continue to find laughter, solace, and direction in them today.

All the best to you and yours and keep on keepin’ on!

- TH, 02/02/2013

The adventure continues in 2013 with a 2-set performance scheduled for this Sunday, January 27, at Lord Nelson’s Bar & Grill, 1020 – 8 Avenue S.W., in Calgary, AB., with a start time of 9PM. This will be my first visit to Lord Nelson’s as well as my first show stop at Calgary since last years’ Stampede and I’m looking forward to unveiling the ‘Old Songs For New Friends & New Songs For Old Ones’ show for all of my friends down south.

Thanks for spreading the word and I look forward to a howdy-and-shake and to catching up.

Thanks again for checking the calendar here for the latest updates and see you at the show!

- TH, 01/21/2013