> Wow! Lucky! I've never had the pleasure of seeing him live. Next time he
> comes around though I'll definitely catch him. What is his live
> performance like?
Erm... spastic, exuberant, nonsensical, glorious! He is a performer in the truest sense of the word. He really puts on a show. I dragged my reluctant roommate to one of his performances in Ottawa a couple of years ago. He had not wanted to attend, as he despised what he'd heard of Hawksley emanating from my room at our place. After the show had ended, he told me it was the best concert he'd ever been to (though he still wouldn't listen to Hawksley's cds). Hawksley will go on these weird, wonderful monologues about rabbits and soup (?!) between songs. He uses props (megaphones, dolls heads speared on sticks, his red tiger striped striptease jacket) and dances with pure and utter abandon. He creates songs on the spot, many of which make absolutely no sense whatsoever (except to him, it seems!). He is a showman. He needs a top hat.
I taped his performance at the Festival of Friends (August 2001), and every time I watch it I get chills.
> I didn't even know he had a Xmas album out. I despise Christmas music
> though so that's probably why. Is it worth me checking out though?
Of course, being Hawksley, "Almost a Full Moon" is not your typical Xmas album. It's not a collection of traditional Christmas carols or hymns. They are original songs with a holiday/wintery theme. I would definitely recommend it, even simply for the first track "Claire Fontaine", one of his best songs. I also really love the song "Common Cold". This album was re-released last year, so there are two versions out there, one with an additional track called "watching the fires", which was released on the UK version of (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves. You can check out Hawkley's entire discography on the following website: http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/hwk/disc.asp