Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ron Hawkins is releasing a new solo EP titled Trash Talkin’ At The Speed Of Sound due on May 12, 2023, via Sonic Envy.
SWOMP’s Dana Haggith caught up with Hawkins to discuss the new EP and his upcoming tour.
Long-revered as one of Canada’s great contemporary singer-songwriters, Hawkins is probably best known for his work as principal songwriter and lead vocalist for Canadian band Lowest of the Low.
The first single from his new EP is the dizzying, danceable “Church Of The Chemical DJ”.
Stream it HERE.
““‘Church Of The Chemical DJ’ is a song about the ways in which we sedate ourselves against the monsters under the bed,” Hawkins says.
“Uptight satellite soldier boys living in a, ‘Wonderland of the free… coma of the brave’.”
The upcoming six-song collection showcases the widest sonic array of anything in the singer, multi-instrumentalist, and accomplished visual artist’s back catalogue, seamlessly incorporating electronic elements like vintage synths and drum machines with an ambitious production style.
While it’s technically a “solo” album, the EP features “production” from the multi-talented Devon Lougheed (Skye Wallace, Hey Ocean!), the quotations owing to the blurred lines between creator and curator as they navigated through the record-making process.
“What brought us together, and I think what made this collaboration so rewarding, is that we’re both willing to try anything with a big grin on our faces until we’ve exhausted every option,” Hawkins said.
“My style is very much about quick combustion – fast, directly to the point – whereas Devon is a master of dynamics. I’d send over demos from my home studio that went in all kinds of directions, and then he really guided them towards the finish line. It was funny when the label asked us to break down who played which instruments and parts, and we really had no idea in the end.”
The result is like a dark short film pressed on vinyl, unlike anything else we’ve heard from the notably prolific Hawkins but at the same time, unmistakably him.
The common thread woven through all is a bold and brazen approach to songwriting – unrepentantly potent poetry anchored by simple-but-substantial melodies comprising some combination of indie, folk, and punk rock.
Such is the case with his latest EP, Trash Talkin’ at the Speed of Sound. But while it carries Hawkins’ now signature take on the “three-chords-and-the-truth” ethos, it also circumvents its inherent musical confinements.
Back by popular demand – Hugh Christopher Brown, Hawkins and Stephen Stanley are dusting off their road cases and fueling up the van for another adventure through two countries and three musical catalogues.
11 dates in May will see Lowest Of The Low co-founders Hawkins and Stanley pulling from their extensive collective and individual songbooks while Brown’s lengthy resume includes co-founding legendary Toronto soul outfit Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, and his acclaimed folk-rock collaboration with singer/songwriter Kate Fenner.
The trio have hand-chosen eleven intimate venues to create an atmosphere conducive to the up-close and personal songs and stories on tap for this tour.
Trash Talkin’ At The Speed Of Sound Tracklist:
1. Ambulance Chaser
2. Church Of The Chemical DJ
3. RIP Van Winkle
4. Can’t Be Love
5. One Horse Town
6. The Undertow
Tour Dates:
May 05 – Marysville, ON – Hotel Wolfe Island
May 11 – London, ON – The Palisade Socialbowl
May 12 – Hamilton, ON Mule Spinner
May 13 – Buffalo, NY Oxford Pennant Room
May 19 – New York City, NY – Parkside Lounge
May 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Big Wrench
May 21 – Ottawa, ON – Redbird
May 25 – Peterborough, ON – Jethro’s
May 26 – Prince Edward County, ON – Sam’s Place
May 27 – Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall
Hawkins boasts a celebrated catalogue over 20 records deep.
Some are solo offerings, others feature backing bands the Do Good Assassins or Rusty Nails, and some, of course, find him fronting the almighty Lowest of the Low, whose iconic LP Shakespeare My Butt continues to dominate lists of “essential Canadian albums” to this day.
In 2000, and once again in 2015, Hawkins was voted Songwriter of the Year by NOW Magazine’s reader’s poll. Hawkins was honoured with 102.1 The Edge’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and in 2008, The Lowest of the Low was inducted into the Canadian Indie Rock Hall of Fame and awarded Gold certification for Shakespeare My Butt.
For more details visit https://www.ronhawkins.com/.