tag:calebhawkins.com,2005:/blogs/caleb-hawkins-blog?p=2Caleb Hawkins Blog2024-01-08T10:32:53-05:00Caleb Hawkinsfalsetag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/73300852024-01-08T10:32:53-05:002024-01-08T10:32:53-05:00New single Virginia out now!<p>My new single Virginia is out wherever streaming music is played, it's a bit of a different one from me and yet still familiar… I hope you enjoy it and the message. There's also a full production breakdown over on Patreon for those who want to support me and get behind-the-scenes information and even life stories told in the format of text and for the visually impaired I read it to you like an audiobook! You can find the song on Bandcamp as well over <a class="no-pjax" href="https://calebhawkins.bandcamp.com/track/virginia" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Here</a></p><p>But for five bucks a month on Patreon, you can help me keep the lights on and make a big impact on my ability to keep releasing music this year, as I have a LOT I want to share and talk about over there. Patreon is located: <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.patreon.com/CalebHawkinsMusic" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Here</a></p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/196070/2ae9be75e66ed182ec40860fa74da61b507db519/original/virginia-artwork.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/72309652023-06-22T22:32:19-04:002023-10-16T10:49:46-04:00Confessions Of A Songsmith<p><span>It’s late on a Thursday evening as I type this, I’m getting a little time to myself to write out the agenda for the next weeks creative endeavors, I found this is my best way to get things done anymore… If I don’t write it down then perform the task and check it off my list, it will take a lot longer for me to get to it. So… I look at the number of projects I have stacking up and it feels like a lot! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/196070/66a5785970385f9ab18318709c8f656d82e856e8/original/img-0041.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p><p><br> </p><p><span>There’s songs to mix, videos to edit, graphics to create, databases to enter venue information into and a whole lot of writing and corresponding to do.</span></p><p><span>Funny thing about being a musician is that you maybe get to spend 10% of your time being doing actual music and the rest of it is mostly spent doing a lot of other things. In 2023 that also means digital media creation and lots of administration tasks. I can see why the stars all hire someone as soon as they make enough money to pay for this to be done for them!</span></p><p><span>Photography is a big part of being an artist no matter what your main medium might be, and that has been both a blessing and a curse sometimes, but the fact remains that social media demands image, and so does a brand. I went for almost a year where I just couldn’t hardly bring myself to post anything to platforms like instagram or even this site, I was just tired of the constant hype, and to some degree I still refuse to generate unnecessary hype, but I am being much more active in the studio these days and so I suppose I probably should at least tell people about it.</span></p><p><span>My songs Time and Years have been well received, and every time that happens I keep hoping to make another song, only better! For me I have made a bit of a mental flip from being a performer and live act to being a songsmith who once in a while performs a live show, or manages to release a new video to a fledgling YouTube Channel. But the grind is real, even though I might not be very public about it I do feel like it amps up and goes through ebbs and flows of creative periods. Anyway that is about enough for this post so I will sign off now, and try and have something to share again soon.</span></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/72203572023-06-04T11:13:23-04:002023-06-19T22:15:14-04:00New single released: Time <p><span>I just want to take a moment here and say a word of thanks to everybody who helped share the new single! streaming platforms are taking their good old sweet time with launching this release for some reason and I may switch to a new distributor if they can't get their act together... </span></p><p><span>But the response from you the listeners over on Bandcamp and on Facebook has been humbling, so thank you! This song all started on my humble studio floor one evening when I sat down on the rug with a guitar and a notebook and scribbled out the opening line and the chorus. The words just hit a flow and I went with it, it's a very simple song with a message I hope people relate to…</span> <iframe style="border-width:0;height:120px;width:100%;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=309620937/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://calebhawkins.bandcamp.com/track/time">Time by Caleb Hawkins</a></iframe></p><p>I wrote this song while reflecting on the fact that 20 years ago a teenager was sitting in his room listening to a lot of Doc Watson albums and plenty of singer-songwriters as well, and one night that teenager got out some paper and a pencil and began writing his first song! At some point the songs became public, and while they were juvenile and not fully formed yet, there was enough encouragement to keep going. I am glad I did! Time reflects on making life as a creative person, running towards a goal with full speed ahead, the ups and downs of life and the knowledge that win or lose I'm not alone. I think my favorite verse is the last one of the song but I'll let others chime in with what they like best also…</p><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Time</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Twenty years of a crazy dream</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>The same water that moves the boat</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Is the drop that carves the stone</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Chorus:</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>They say time changes everything</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Who says "hold the line"</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>When the rough road</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Puts you on the side?</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Hot days and starry nights</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Old guitars with tarnished strings…</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Feelings that money can’t buy </span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Doing right on the very first try</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;">
<br><span>(Chorus)</span>
</h4><h4 style="text-align:center;">
<br><span>I still feel like I always did</span>
</h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>I just don’t seem to get ahead</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>But the plan's the same</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>Same as it’s ever been…</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>(Chorus)</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>In the end, we’re all the same</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>It’s the dreams that build our wings</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>In the jump, we learn to fly</span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"><span>And it’s love we need </span></h4><h4 style="text-align:center;">
<span>When we fall.</span> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center;"> </h4>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/72041092023-05-06T13:12:41-04:002023-06-04T10:59:40-04:00New Single Years Released!<p>My new single "Years" is out! </p><p> </p><p>It's a love song kicking off a planned release later this year of the full album! But I hope you enjoy it wherever you listen to music! </p><p style="text-align:center;"><iframe style="border-width:0;height:442px;width:350px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=641185343/size=large/bgcol=333333/linkcol=ffffff/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://calebhawkins.bandcamp.com/track/years">Years by Caleb Hawkins</a></iframe></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/71828012023-04-02T13:48:50-04:002023-05-06T13:07:40-04:00Little by little<p>It's been a busy spring already! I guess it's to be expected but I have been working a lot, some of my corporate clients really came through for me this year making me their go-to technician in the world of equipment repair, which is what I do when I'm not playing music of course…</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/196070/9ddc7c9508e8e024742da6f87267d87464562229/original/img-8428.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_right border_" /><p>December and most of January had me working nights for a while which was an adjustment for me, but it also gave me a bit of free time in the late mornings when I'd wake up and have the house to myself while the wife worked her job, so I found myself in a creative season where I'd wake up, brew a pot of tea and sit at my kitchen table and write for 90 minutes every day with an instrument at my side and my favorite pencils and hard bound writing journal in front of me. No laptop, no internet connection, just me and my thoughts and a melody usually coming rather quickly. Doing that every morning for about 45 days really stimulated a creative process that I'm glad I can return to often.</p><p>That line of work ended in January but February also continued with a creative streak and I found myself composing more instrumentals and writing musical movements I'll probably be recording, if anything just to be able to have soundtracks for the videos I am writing scripts for now.</p><p>The next phase for me is hitting “record” and I have the bar set pretty high for me these days I guess! I've taken a lot of detours musically in the last ten years, and it has been 7 years since I really put out anything serious, which needs to change this year. 4 years ago I lost a dear friend to suicide and I think for a good bit of time after that I needed to grieve, and somehow recording without my friend and producer just wasn't a good feeling so I sort of avoided that aspect of my own personal creative process. </p><p>But I've had time to heal, and I've had time to write what I really truly want to put out into the world, this collection of songs isn't just my most recent batch of 12, this is a body of work that I am very proud of and can't wait to share! These are songs I'll play for the rest of my life, songs that I'll never grow tired of playing for people wherever my music takes me.</p><p> </p><p>Anyway June wants me to throw her ball around so I better wrap this up and get moving!</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/71318562023-01-03T09:14:47-05:002023-03-10T04:14:25-05:00Back To My Roots<p>It's kind of baffling when I look back on it... I have been making music for most of my life and now I have performed live for all of my "adult life" (whatever that is) and yet the goals rarely change.</p>
<p>In March of last year, I was set to make a very decent income from performing in a handful of venues that month, and the momentum was starting to feel like pre-pandemic times again! But in the span of about 48 hours, everything started to fall apart... One venue lost its license to sell alcohol, another decided to just do Karaoke instead of guitar players... The loss was rather staggering to have all at once, but as I have learned to not count money until the invoices have been paid in full I was going to be alright, however, this loss caused me to sit down and take some time to reflect...</p>
<p>Sitting there in my studio I seriously took a hard look at what 20 years had built up, the finite numbers I saw when it came to my social media following, my payments from streaming services... The numbers from online-only musicianship just didn't line up...</p>
<p>I wanted to quit. </p>
<p>It crossed my mind that I could turn off all social media accounts and cancel the distribution of my art to platforms and just turn out the lights of the compound. </p>
<p>After 20 years of working, two failed marriages, and many financial losses underlined by poor decision-making and even worse planning I felt like I could cash in my chips, sell off the excess gear and call it a wrap. The problem was I still LIKE playing music! At least I like playing the music I truly care about... Not the random covers. Not the homogenized generic songs that bar gigs reduce you to playing, to keep the patrons buying beer. No, I could leave that stuff behind and never miss it ever again. </p>
<p>Also for the last several years, I have also been combating hand issues and chronic pain from various injuries that have never fully healed right...</p>
<p>Now I will jump in here and interject in the storyline that in 2020 I started down the path of trying to manage my pain better and so far I have managed little by little to do that and I can safely say that I am doing a lot better. I have scar tissue in my left wrist that has made it a good idea to switch to short-scale guitars and open tunings which have eased up the need to play as many knuckle-straining chord shapes...</p>
<p>Now back to the main story...</p>
<p>I was longing for the songs that I truly love. The ancient tones of generations that came before me... I love the ring of a truly great acoustic instrument under my command and the feel of wood and wire under tension creating a resonance and energy that compels me to strike the notes again and again. </p>
<p>It was time to level up or shut up...</p>
<p>So for the rest of the year, I played some dates, moved some instruments around, converted my playing to largely short-scale guitars, and logged more hours on the fiddle. I also revived my use of a camera and started shooting <a contents="YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/CALEBHAWKINSMUSIC">YouTube</a> videos again after hitting a nearly all-time low in creation in 2021. </p>
<p>I arranged with Chris Ulbricht at <a contents="Indianapolis Violins" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.indyviolins.com/">Indianapolis Violins</a> to create the monster Frankenstein of a fiddle that I now play almost exclusively, and somehow I found that July was the big push to complete a string of dates through some venues regionally before a self-created deadline... </p>
<p>On August 1st I was officially done.</p>
<p>I played my last bar gig of the year and loaded my PA and all the instruments back into the van one last time after a hard night of struggling to engage with a crowd of people who were there to watch the game and drink cheap booze.</p>
<p>Sitting at my kitchen table with a typewriter, a notepad, and a comfortable playing guitar, a cup of something warm to sip, and usually my dog June curled up at my feet I spent a lot of happy hours last year building my songwriting muscle back up...</p>
<p>For the last 7 years, I have always found one reason or another to postpone making a new album. Lack of budget, time off from performing, or any number of things popped up to give me what I felt was an ironclad excuse for not releasing anything new. The truth was I felt didn't have a whole lot to say, or much drive to express myself. And I needed to reclaim that element of creativity which I had let slide a bit as I mentally clocked in and out from the bar room stage to play covers at shows. </p>
<p>But suffice it to say when the dust settled over 2022 there is a notebook with the lyrics to some songs that I feel are more authentically "me" than anything I have written in years and the makings of a whole album. </p>
<p>The real question now is how to fit it all together and make this album... Gear isn't an issue. (I have better stuff than ever before) My studio is more than capable of getting it done. The challenges are more along the lines of the mental gymnastics involved in self-producing, engineering, and performing an album, all without any real backing. I feel my following even after all this time is still so small that crowdfunding probably isn't viable to cover the expenses I will incur during production, and streaming will not recoup my investment in less than 10 years... Still, there's always a way around the mountain so we move forward even if it's an inch at a time...</p>
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<p style="text-align: right;">Caleb</p>
<p> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/71288672022-12-27T09:26:17-05:002022-12-27T09:26:20-05:002022 A Look Back <p>So I must admit I had big plans this year to use this space more than I have... Sometimes the hustle of life just gets in the way I suppose!</p>
<p>This was a big year for my <a contents="YouTube Channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/calebhawkinsmusic">YouTube Channel</a> and as of writing this, I have crossed over 400 subscribers there which considering how long I have been uploading on the platform isn't a very large number... But the momentum is enough to keep me moving ahead at a steady speed. As I sit in a coffee shop drinking a steaming cup of spiced tea and stare out the window at the snow in the courtyard I can't help but feel a restless creativity for what 2023 holds!</p>
<p>This was a big year musically speaking, and there's a lot that never got documented very well but I can try and begin here I suppose... So where to start?</p>
<p>In March I went on a quick road trip to Nashville where I sat ten feet from the stage at The Station Inn and watched as a longtime influence on my music performed. Tim O'Brien was as good as he's ever been, and his band was a stellar lineup to say the least... Mike Bubb on upright Bass (longtime John Hartford band member) Casey Dreissen on the mighty 5-string fiddle (Casey has played with everybody) Justin Moses on Banjo and Dobro (Literally one of the most in-demand roots musicians today) and of course Tim performed with his wife Jan beside him singing harmony. </p>
<p>The show was magical, the melodic movements, the harmony... The song choices were stellar as I expected. Sitting in a row of chairs beside a group of strangers and just listening and watching was fuel for a lot of hard work I came home to tackle... <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/ec58d9c2fc0e3f0935ad0abf38006576d9d60fb6/original/img-3810.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Having a conversation with Casey about fiddles after the show prompted me to come home and finagle as best I could a better instrument for myself... It became clear in Nashville that trip that playing the 5-String fiddle is my life's work moving forward and I should probably do it on something that is up to the task. </p>
<p>Coming home I went to my luthier Chris Ulbricht and expressed my challenges with my current instrument and we agreed on a fine vintage instrument that would make a good candidate for conversion to a 5-stringed fiddle, in the meantime it was on me to shed as much dead weight from my guitar closet and play as many shows as possible to afford the new addition to the arsenal. I did a lot of research and shared my findings with Chris along the way and sent him parts and strings as they arrived from suppliers. Around mid-July, I got the call to come and pick up my fiddle, and to say Chris made my dream come true is an understatement! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/2531f05faa959b17604fe8f65e75eedf881ecb24/original/9e91afad-2ad6-48f7-bed1-c2c3605cbd74.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/df01413a7bb2205245fef0c2a71867d5594be392/original/img-8458.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />In August I made a decision that had been brewing since even before my trip to Nashville and that was to take a break from performing in bars and focus more on playing events and listening rooms for the rest of the year at least, it meant a lot of challenges finding work as a performer but at the same time it scaled back the demands on my time and opened up room to tackle YouTube more. </p>
<p>In all of this, I managed to ramp up my songwriting efforts and thankfully the rewards creatively have been very satisfying. I've found a writing regimen that works pretty efficiently for my style of songwriting and compositional preferences... I will be making a video with a bit more behind-the-scenes look at my process for writing this album but that's for another post. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/a76d9e49217d35870ba0b5a725b3027362fd4f7e/original/img-8365.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In October of every year, I feel like I make a major life change somehow... Either by choice or by accident, and in what the Jewish faith believes to be the new year I found myself doing that again this year.</p>
<p>This year with family and friends gathered in a park, and with all of the bright October colors burning in the trees I married my best friend, my strongest supporter, my right arm, and a constant source of awe and wonder. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/896ae50388a171c5b7d21f853f578f29ca4c6862/original/dscf1182.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I met Renee years ago when we were both teenagers going to a youth retreat at a church in Cincinnati, all these years later we linked back up and while the story of our joining is hard to fit in this summary of a year, we found ourselves linked up and supporting each other through some very challenging times the last two years. We have carved out a life together that involves three dogs, music, cooking, and lots of creativity. Her blog has a lot of behinds the scenes domestic lifestyle storytelling and so I will link that <a contents="Here&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://nothingbutahoundmom.com/" target="_blank">Here </a></p>
<p>As the year comes to a close I find myself reflecting on a full and eventful year that is as action-packed and challenging as it is beautiful. I am ready to meet 2023 head-on with a creative drive and vision mapped out for it that I just can't wait to share with you all! </p>
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<p> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/69935062022-06-14T09:20:49-04:002022-09-13T14:39:31-04:00Confessions of a songwriter<p>It seems odd sometimes I suppose, given everything I've been through that I don't often feel inclined to write about the lower points of life...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/a76d9e49217d35870ba0b5a725b3027362fd4f7e/original/img-8365.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />There was a time when I got my heart slightly damaged, and I wrote songs about it! After all... Isn't THAT was songwriters do? I've heard lots of jokes about how "you never want to make a songwriter angry" or some such concept...</p>
<p>Truth be told that when I've been at my lowest most heartbroken moments in life I don't really feel like writing a song about it, that if it's any good I might have to perform for the rest of my life! I'm thankful that when I was writing those heavily personal songs, I was even more obscure than I am now and was able to get that out of my system well before people could request the songs at my shows.</p>
<p>I find my satisfaction level with songwriting to come from telling stories and sharing my moments of growth and telling the stories of others, rather than airing out my laundry up on stage.</p>
<p>That being said I may do a series of blogs soon about my writing process, my choice of instrument, pencil and or paper preferences as well while writing songs. </p>
<p>I am curious to see others writing habits and styles, and maybe if you want to share, you'll leave a comment below about your process?</p>
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<p> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/69776182022-05-23T10:21:08-04:002022-05-23T10:21:08-04:00My Roots<p>I got in late last night, nearly midnight I believe it was... I had gone down to play some songs with my good buddy <a contents="Mitch Ellis" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://thelonesometroubadour.com/" target="_blank">Mitch Ellis</a> who was playing at a Pub in Fairfield Ohio, it felt good to fiddle with a full band for a change, and play the old Bob Wills tune Faded Love once again with a rhythm section! </p>
<p>Mitch plays a 12 string guitar which takes me all the way back to playing music with my Dad growing up in the greater Cincinnati area as a teenager, so it was a good time all the way around, but the second thing I got excited about was taking a quick exit from the pub and making my way to <a contents="Jungle Jim's International Market" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://junglejims.com/" target="_blank">Jungle Jim's International Market</a>...</p>
<p>How do you describe such a place? I guess you could call it a grocery store that sells food from all over the planet, but it's a store the size of a couple of super Wal Mart stores shoved together! I didn't have a lot of time before closing so I wasn't able to aimlessly wander around and shop like I'd normally do... But I went to England for a quick stroll through the tea aisle to pick up some loose leaf tea, followed by a trip to Sweden for some candy, and I managed to get some dried Hibiscus flowers from India before I swept through the spice aisle for special blends I can only find there...Back to America for a couple of Cincinnati local flavors, before heading out...</p>
<p>My family has shopped at Jungle Jim's since, about as long as I can recall, and it was nice to go back and feel a sense of my origins once again. I didn't think too much about being from Cincinnati growing up, and even when I moved to Indianapolis in 2005 it didn't phase me much. I think it was maybe because "Home" was only a two-hour car ride away.</p>
<p>But my hometown became much more sentimental when I lived in Florida, and I recall sometime around 2015 I found myself eating Skyline Chili at a franchise in Naples Florida... In general, I only ate Skyline a couple of times in my whole life around Cincinnati, it wasn't really a flavor that I had much use for... But somehow being 1200 miles from my home and family, that familiar taste and smell took me back to Ohio and the river once again, and for all my struggles in Florida at least I could spend $2.89 and eat a Coney and for that brief few bites I was home.</p>
<p>Old cliches about "Home is where you hang your hat" or "Home is where the heart is" always come to mind at different times but I don't always think of "Home" as a location nearly as much as I feel like home is a culture and a grounding. It's where I was rooted, where I was brought up with a screwdriver in one hand and a musical instrument in the other!</p>
<p>Home is the sound of steamboats and barges passing each other while the Ohio River flows under the taught cables of the suspension bridge, it's the winding back roads of Rural Route 1 and the snowy slopes of the Ski resort on one side of the road and Juniper trees with Cardinal nests in them on the other, the smell of fresh-cut hay and diesel tractors running late into the night working the land. Home is many things, it's where the guitars are, it's where the meals are prepared with care and attention to detail, but it's also the faces of people I've grown to love, and a way of life I've learned to appreciate. Cincinnati will always be a place near and dear to my heart though I only make it there a few times a year if I'm lucky. If anybody has a line on some shows out that way, let me know I'd love to play more gigs closer to "Home" </p>
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<p style="text-align: right;">Caleb</p>
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<p> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/69749552022-05-19T11:34:01-04:002022-05-19T11:34:01-04:00Beautifully Broken<p>Brandi Carlile has a song <a contents='"The Things I Regret"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/bem32zF_w48">"The Things I Regret"</a> and in there she has a verse that simply says:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">"With the weight of the world resting on my back, <br>And the road on which I've traveled is as long as it is cracked <br>But I keep pressing forward with my feet to the ground, <br>For a heart that is broken makes a beautiful sound"</p>
<p>So earlier this year I found a busted-up violin that needed a little help, my original plan was to have it restored and turned into a 5-string as that's become more of my sound over the last three years or so. The violin had nice wood, good high archings and seemed like a good candidate for my plans, but for a fairly nasty crack in the top... The original neck had been snapped in half and someone had repaired it with some form of epoxy and if you're a fan of antique and vintage instruments like me... Well, that just makes your heart hurt!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/0ed2015c2412fc4ebab72badf4e39fb9516e8ecf/original/img-4569.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>After a consult with a few people, it became clear that this violin wasn't really worth restoring to my original plans, as the cost would be rather expensive for an instrument with very little value... So another violin has been selected and at the time of this writing is being worked into the instrument I'm hoping to create my life's work with... However sitting in the case was this broken violin, with some pretty serious scars and some collateral damage from a life well played somewhere. </p>
<p>Now anybody that knows me, is probably aware that I don't mind getting my own hands dirty on instrument repair, and well... This instrument was already badly damaged anyway and "not worth fixing" so I figured I'd set about doing a little repair work myself... What could it hurt?!</p>
<p>I won't bore people with the details but suffice it to say I did a lot of research and used a fair amount of sharp tools, glue, and spool clamps, and brought this violin back to life, the cost? Well, a couple of small cuts here and there, one or two blisters, but the broken cracks are stronger now than they were as new, the violin sings again! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/d56311f2b9623bf5d77c996234d5d39e1c6b595d/original/img-4618.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>What is the point of this blog post? </p>
<p>Well just because you are broken, doesn't always mean the experts can determine your value by your flaws! A broken violin deemed ready for the woodpile in fact still has a beautiful sound left inside of it, and a broken heart can still love, possibly stronger once healed. </p>
<p>They like to say the soundpost of a violin which is a small dowel that runs from top to back of the violin for support is the "soul" of a violin. I propose then that if the soundpost is the soul then the top is the heart and lungs!</p>
<p>A broken heart can be rebuilt, and a soul can be renewed, even reset as often is needed in life... Every dream that becomes shattered or true can be renewed, but sometimes there's work involved.</p>
<p>After hearing this violin wake up and come to life for the last week now I can't fathom anyone ever thinking it ever being worthless! Every broken-hearted person I've ever known has still had a song in them somewhere!</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/58027912019-06-24T22:22:07-04:002022-05-23T09:40:27-04:00The Perfect Myth<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/4a1ee9c9ea9a10b509e25d712bdabc07e81c3bae/original/img-6209.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" />There's a myth that seems to always be around, that people on Instagram don't have dirty dishes stacked in little piles out of frame, and that coffee shop acts always play to a full house. That opening acts just got a message that tickets are selling fast to that show downtown with that band, you know... The one we've never heard of?</p>
<p>Fact is I think piracy and copyright infringement is not nearly a threat to artists these days, but obscurity is! I can recall shows where I put everything on the line, did radio interviews and sponsored social media posts, plastered posters all over town and still only played to 6 people!</p>
<p>Instead of being angry that millions of people don't seem to grasp onto your art and worship at your alter of BS, how about adoring the few that do get what you're putting out? </p>
<p>Do great work, spread great love and see what happens. </p>
<p>Caleb.</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/57954952019-06-18T10:53:07-04:002023-05-06T13:13:25-04:00Radio Silence...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/c3d939a883a7d6efd34f79c7cd5e171b723b6468/original/img-0404.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />When I was a kid, I lived with the radio on all the time... The local Country station was a valuable asset that gave out solid weather forecasts and broke into the action when big storms loomed to keep the people informed of when it was time to take shelter. They also played a wonderful selection of classic songs and an almost curated playlist of better quality recent Country during the 90s. The local college NPR station played Old Time Radio shows and I got my drama fix from those. TV was a joke for getting any reception, unless you had a dish.</p>
<p>What am I trying to say? Well I guess the thing I'm trying to convey here is that I'm breaking the radio silence over here... You know the radio silence? Like when your favorite song ends and the DJ must have taken a lunch break because nothing else came on? I upload content daily to social media but despite actually paying a fee every month to have this website I rarely actually utilize this space. </p>
<p>That ends today! From here on out you will be finding more information here about my comings and goings than anyplace else. </p>
<p>So for right now, I figured I would open up a little bit. </p>
<p>I'm making a new album, that's right! An ALBUM! Not an EP, and not another single or crude little recording in my kitchen. </p>
<p>My goal is to record simple, honest songs with upfront vocals, hardly any effects, and minimal editing. The songs will be a distillation of my life's work thus far and some folks will probably recall the sound to some of my most early DIY recordings but with much better sound quality. Also, there will be a heavy amount of video action to see here too! </p>
<p> </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/57872822019-06-11T04:37:26-04:002023-12-10T11:56:26-05:00Seasons<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/c7228e685840d5a779614d8984990a4c8dee5e3d/original/5069554089548670916-img-9948.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong></p>
<p>The last few years have been kinda crazy, moving back to the mid-west from Florida, finding work in the most obscure places and finding my voice as an artist again.</p>
<p>It is 4:25 am as I sit here typing my thoughts, and I am wide awake mulling over the last 3 years of life and making notes and plans. </p>
<p>One thing I'm learning is to write down goals, instead of just keeping mental volumes locked away in my head somewhere, I'm finding I hit goal a lot faster if there's a notebook on my desk telling me what to shoot for this week.</p>
<p>Sometimes the goals are small and simple. Sometimes I feel like I'm shooting way out of my range! But writing them down in front of me and actually having to check them off the list has been great for keeping me focused. W</p>
<p>What about you, what season are you in? What keeps you focused?</p>
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<p>Caleb.</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/55212042018-11-20T11:04:15-05:002021-09-09T14:53:27-04:00Maybe When I'm Older<p>Maybe when I'm older it will all make sense</p>
<p>Maybe when I'm grayer my voice will need the rest</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>"I don't want to be on my deathbed wishing I had played more music and taken more risks in my life"</strong></span></p>
<p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=264720276/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3714726255/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;">Kitchen Recordings Volume:1 by Caleb Hawkins</iframe></p>
<p>I wasn't long back in Indianapolis after having lived in Florida for 3 years and I had a rather odd feeling in my soul. I hadn't exactly set the world on fire from Florida as a musician. In fact, the overall struggle down there was quite real, and it showed me a lot about my vulnerability as a musician playing in bars and clubs every night. But the idea of giving up as a musician was the furthest thing from my mind.</p>
<p>It doesn't always make sense to load thousands of dollars worth of gear into a rusted out car and drive hundreds of miles to make dozens of dollars to only dozens of fans (if that many) but the urge to create means something more tangible than a well-funded bank account or a fancy car. a perfect credit score can open doors but the urge to create sometimes makes one want to strive for something much more than all that.</p>
<p>Truth be told, it's the moments when a fan comes forward and says something to me like "that song was what I needed to hear tonight" or maybe it was the fan who bought an album because they wanted their loved one to hear my words. No matter where the music ever takes me I don't want to be on my deathbed wishing I had played more music and taken more risks in my life. </p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/50751492018-02-12T14:02:37-05:002021-08-12T21:26:10-04:00The Sideman<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/6272e044c1bdf273f287028737945a327c421ca5/small/img-9657.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />Boy am I tired! The gear is all back in the house, all the guitars, amps and pedals are neatly stacked in the corner waiting for the next gig, and of course I’ll likely change the strings tomorrow afternoon. To say I’m ungrateful for the life I lead would be wrong. Truthfully I enjoy the actual playing of the music, but the load-in load-out, try to find a place still serving food at this hour sort of lifestyle is wearing thin. It’s 3:20AM as I’m sitting down to write this... </p>
<p>The gig paid fairly well, and for what it was I guess I can’t really complain, really... The band gets paid $75 a man, and we play for three hours. Problem is on this occasion I am just another hired gun coming out to fill the show out. I was told by the singer that these would all be easy songs, pretty simple Americana and Roots music. I was asked to play Banjo, Fiddle and some Electric Guitar, told that I could play instruments as I saw fit for each song. </p>
<p>My rig is pretty simple, and for a sideman/multi-instrumentalist I travel as light as possible. But still playing three to five instruments with spares where critical... The loading onto the stage just by itself can be a job. </p>
<p>Lets start with the guitar amplifier which in this case is an Ampeg Reverb Rocket that weighs over 60 pounds and thunders out a massive 50 watts through two 12’’ speakers! </p>
<p>Next comes the pedal board which is loaded with the basics one would need to cover a range of guitar tones, everything from overdriven rock and roll to pristine Chet Atkins style slapback, all the way to trippy shoegaze if I tweak the right knobs. </p>
<p>My Fiddle, Banjo and Acoustic Guitar run through a basic set of Direct Input Boxes or DI Boxes that get sent to the mixer for output to the main loud speakers. </p>
<p>The bar has barely any stage space, and the staff seems almost put out when asked if the TV audio and the Juke Box can be turned off while we play our set, not like we asked for free drinks or food, but come on! </p>
<p>The singer announces that somehow the order on the setlist is wrong, and the song we are starting with is also not listed in the correct key, which means I have to quickly navigate where things are headed, dropping a full step on the fiddle to kick off what we hope is an attention grabbing tune that will be sure to have the audience of otherwise ambivalent sports fans spun around on bar stools listening with delight as we blast through every generic Americana bar band tune you can think of. </p>
<p>After the first song I am informed that the singer want’s to continue playing songs in otherwise knuckle busting keys for me as a fiddle player, and I decide that I’m just not being paid enough to play in Eb and F#m... Naturally I decide it would be much more fun to just play my Gretsch and hope for the best. </p>
<p>We hammer our way through the first hour, playing all the current popular roots songs that people who casually listen to something other than Bro Country will be pretty used to. At some point the singer launches into an original song that because this is my first time playing with the group, I have no idea how it goes! I listen carefully and figure out it’s a pretty simple chord structor and the tempo isn’t too bad, so I roll with it. The bass player gives me the sign for a solo and I do my best to launch into something that sounds remotely close to the melody without being boring, and that’s when things go off the rails... The singer starts losing chord changes, cuts my solo off half a measure too soon and shoots me a dirty look. The crowd hadn’t even noticed, as Joe Football Star had scored a good home run, or something... (I’m not a sports fan) </p>
<p>About three questers of the way through our second set a table full of bikers had wandered in and one of the bigger, uglier and harrier guys in the group noticed my fiddle sitting on the stage and yelled as the last notes of our most tender ballad rang out “Play Devil Went Down To Geeeorgeeaaahh” ordinarily this would be met with sarcasm and a little snark if it were my show but I brush it off, there’s no way the singer knows this one and the bass player probably can’t play in that many time signatures, either... The singer comes over to me on the stage and asks if I know the song, to which I answer with a question... Do you? “No” is the reply... “But I can look up the words on my phone, what key is it in?” Me: *facepalm* I quickly try and change the subject, and steer the musical direction away from a tune the band can’t possibly pull off, but by this time the big hairy biker is waiving around a $20 bill and I see my singers face turn serious! </p>
<p>The song is a complete flop, in no part because I don’t know how to play it, but because the backing rhythm section of the Charlie Daniels Band is made of ace musicians who are used to working together through the tough tempo changes of the song, and the many stops and goes... We are not that good together, and big hairy biker dude puts his money back in his pocket, his girlfriend gives me a sympathetic smile through her yellow teeth, as if to say... <br>“Sorry baby, I tried to warn him” </p>
<p>The bass player trying to get the show back on the rails asks over the mic if there are any Johnny Cash fans in the house, which is met with a questioning shout from the crowd, as if their confidence has been shaken by our lackluster performance of the former redneck anthem we had just got done butchering... I of course can’t think of a single way to screw this one up, even for this act and grab my telecaster, quickly dial in a twangy tone and launch into the intro to Folsom Prison Blues! The bass player rumbles into a train rhythm and the singer suddenly can’t remember the first verse! I step forward and take an awkward Luther Perkins inspired solo, before just taking to the mic, myself. The sound guy had so much reverb on the singers channel that I sound like I’m singing in the Folsom Prison gym during mandatory Dodgeball practice! The crowd likes it, and I look over at my pouting singer, and realize I better end this song and get back to my corner! </p>
<p>Six more songs and we are done for the night! </p>
<p>We step off the stage, try to sell a little merch and kibitz with the crowd a bit before breaking down our show, and I of course field questions about my rig, what year my Telecaster is, how many years have I been playing, when did I take up playing the fiddle... </p>
<p>Sully, the guy who books this bands shows sidles over to us as we are wrapping the last of the cables and slowly starts the routine, again. </p>
<p>“I think you guys are onto something... Caleb, you should play more fiddle, and be louder when you do” From there we get a lecture on showmanship and how we should all smile more on stage, how the owner thought we were boring, but wants to know if we are free on New Years, and also to inform us that he needs to get a check from the bars accountant for our payment. </p>
<p>For me since I am not even a full time part of this band I let it be known that I want payment night of performance! Mostly because I may not make it back to town again for another month, and who knows when I’ll see money from these guys! Somehow the tip jar has just enough cash in it to squeeze out my fee, and I exit stage left. </p>
<p>The sixty mile drive home is rather uneventful, as was the McDonalds McDouble and fries I wolfed down in the car on the way home... Oh well, I hope I can get the smell of smoke out of my fiddle case, before the church gig Sunday!</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/46837522017-04-24T23:06:22-04:002021-08-28T06:32:02-04:00DIY, why would you want to do that?<p>DIY Music? Who would want to do that?! <br>Ok so in the past I have been scolded for making fun of “The Voice” and at times I have been rather coy when asked to be part of some sort of arts alliance or music association but I’m going to come clean here and lay out some thinking that I have had rolling around in my head for the last month... </p>
<p>Radio Shank (RIP) had a rather cool ad that sadly did nothing to help keep them thriving in the business world but it talked about DIY or “DIT” which stood for “Do It Together” and I think the Maker Community in general has had a better grasp of skill sharing than artists in the music industry have... Funny how wood workers and metal workers are artists too and yet they seem to have a better ability to get paid, and make a living from their art than musicians! </p>
<p>A little history here: I grew up around skilled craftsmen who built things out of iron and wood. Fences, railings... Sculptures and wagons and carriages to name a few things that were built, funny thing was when a guy who mostly did welding got a job that might require a lot of forging he would team up with another artisan close by and the two would share resources like shop space and materials, with a fair split of the money going to each maker.... </p>
<p>Now musicians seem to have two schools of thought... There’s the “I need to be on The Voice so I can get a record deal” and then there’s the crowd who basically screams from the rooftops “screw The Voice, I’lll build my career myself” and while neither option is what I consider “wrong” I hardly agree that this type of thinking is the best means to go about a task... </p>
<p>First of all, yes The Voice is a TV show loosely based on reality, though I certainly feel like the reality of the winners contract looks and feels more like financial bondage and a nightmare to me... There’s some perks to being on The Voice... First of all it really does put you in a place where you may get some instantaneous exposure (More on Exposure later, but remember people die from “Exposure” every year) For instance a friend of mine had around 3’400 Likes on Facebook and was on The Voice. She was booted after the first real episode but she walked away with 25k Likes on her page! Now that’s a pretty serious hike... But how many people are now die-hard fans who will come to shows and spend money? Good question... </p>
<p>Now for the folks who scream out “SCREW THE VOICE!” I say this.... <br>Sure, knock it all you want, but it is good television! While you’re probably not going to see me on the show, nor have I even so much as been asked to be a contestant... I will address the idea that doing it all yourself is not going to always guarantee a better career than going for a quick fame grab on TV... </p>
<p>The idea that you can make an album in your bedroom with free software and a basic computer setup and a few hundred bucks worth of hardware and microphones seems pretty romantic, doesn’t it? Sure an artist with even a ten year old laptop running free software has more sonic options available than The Beatles had when they made Revolver, but... Let me point out that The Beatles, while very hands on and involved in the creative process of their craft, did not make those albums alone... They also did not use home studios until later on when relationships got strained and John and George wanted to cut demos at home. They had guys like George Martin cracking the whip and calling the shots! </p>
<p>See these days I see so many artists getting a glow in their eye and talking about wanting to take a four track recorder into the woods to some remote cabin and make an album all alone and without distraction... I ask you, have you ever done it? Have you ever made an album alone before? Because I have! In fact I have made several releases tucked away and alone from the world... Frankly it’s lonely and it starts to wear you down, to the point you can’t tell if the first take was really any better than the 5th... Also you have no positive energy to feed off of after you keep screwing up the solo on the bridge. </p>
<p>I say what we need more of is DIT instead of DIY or worse DIO (Do It Ourselves) but since we like reality so much in entertainment I’m going to get real here. <br>Frankly I have no budget for my next release and my fanbase is probably too small to crowd fund off of, and seemingly my best options may well be to head out alone again to forage another albums worth of finished songs... Or else reach for the stars and grab a quick dose of fame on TV and hope it gets me enough people who want to invest at the very least... </p>
<p>Or what I can do is this: Hey “insert talented artist I know” I will film your EPK for YOUR Music, if you will come play tambourine and hit record in the software while I lay down MY tracks... Or hey I made this video of me singing a new song, will you share it on your page, in turn I’ll share the cool picture promoting you opening for that awesome national act you need to bring in a crowd for... See how that mutually scratched both backs? </p>
<p>Look, there’s less and less money to be made in music every year it seems... But there’s more and more tools out there to make it. What we as artists need to do is band together while retaining our independence from whatever it is we are afraid of being shackled to... </p>
<p>If you don’t always like each others music that’s fine but be positive, yet honest. Victor Wooten always gives three compliments for one critique, maybe we could all stand to follow that value... But if I have an awesome video camera and you have an awesome space but no video gear... Invite me over to shoot a video and in turn maybe I can shoot you some footage of your project too! If you’re good at booking gigs but horrible at recording and mixing... Trade me some gig booking (seriously I hate booking gigs) and I’d be happy to track and mix a few songs... If we could all get just as creative with how to help each other achieve our dreams as we get making excuses for why we can’t earn a living making our art, somehow I think we could ALL prosper and grow as artists and creators of things. </p>
<p>I don’t think we all need a record label, and I don’t think we need “arts alliances” with boards of directors and non profit statuses to help us make art. In fact I am VERY gun-shy of “Non Profit” outfits who are out to help me make art... They seem to be fine with not making a profit, but I’m not! I want to make a freaking living here! </p>
<p>If you’ve made it through this, I want to thank you, and I hope you’re getting something out of this, maybe some ideas, maybe the courage to finally ask for help instead of just making another excuse for why your new YouTube video or promo photoshoot isn’t out yet, or why your EP sounds like crap, because you somehow think you don’t have any access to gear. </p>
<p>Tell you what... At the next open mic you find yourself out at, why not ask one of the other artists if there’s something you can help with, maybe they can exchange a skill too. </p>
<p>Being an artist is a lot like being in a fight... You gotta fight through the noise and you gotta punch through the fog to be seen and heard... A boxer once said “When you want to break a guys nose you aim for the back of his head” I think that graphic statement is a lot like being an artists today... You want to get a million views on YouTube, better shoot a video and produce it like you want 20 million views!</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/46600772017-04-05T22:17:17-04:002021-08-15T12:15:09-04:00Periodic playlist for Spotify users!<div style="text-align: center;">So I thought that maybe I should kick in a playlist of music that I like and listen to often... So I'm picking my favorite Americana and traditional Country/Folk artists and sharing their music through playlists! It's the stuff I like to listen to and there's plenty I have plans to create in future volumes but for now here is volume one of<br><a contents="Caleb's Picks" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/121004433/playlist/2jrC1EJhRad4YChQm0DTAl" style=""><strong>Caleb's Picks</strong></a>
</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/6e9a59d3b6cab50cc25c1a43081b331f19d59b7b/original/spotify-logo.jpeg?1491445028" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/46182552017-03-06T12:09:49-05:002021-09-08T15:06:19-04:00Giant 96.5 InterviewHere's a quick cross posting from the radio interview with our friends over at Giant 96! Two songs and some discussion about music and the scene!<div style="text-align: center;"><a contents=" LISTEN HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.wsvx.com/2017/02/24/caleb-hawkins-an-acoustic-troubadour/"><strong> LISTEN HERE</strong></a></div>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/45765202017-02-04T12:07:55-05:002023-12-10T12:02:05-05:00Dear Ryan Adams<p>Dear Ryan Adams </p>
<p>I’m a big fan of yours, and your music has been a great source of inspiration to me over the years! Heartbreaker is one of my all time favorite records and Ashes And Fire has songs that I feel as though were written solely for me. My Wrecking Ball brings back a number of memories of driving my Honda around town late at night in the summer trying hard to avoid going home to my empty house every night... So many of your songs feel like a warm blanket and a cup of tea on an otherwise cold and bleak canvas of day to day life... </p>
<p>But you recently posted how you feel like because of the monsters in our government that it’s kind of tough to play Buck, your famous red white and blue Harmony guitar that has almost become an icon of your brand... I get it, I see where you’re coming from but please... PLAY that guitar loudly and often! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/691cd90a885aea9507b242ca7c4ebcac2466f94e/medium/ryan-adams-on-colbert-compressed.jpeg?1486227949" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br>Ryan you and your music are just a couple of things that make this country great, you have a creative drive and stamina as an artist that inspires far too many in this country and we as a community of creatives look up to you, we need you now more than ever to represent American artists. Government has never really been what makes a country great, it has always been the people, and Ryan... You are one of those people! We NEED you to be outspoken about being from America and to tell people around the world that Americans are not hateful monsters and that our flag is not as distorted and bigoted as media outlets will tell us. </p>
<p>Please play the red white and blue, keep the flag held up high, as someone with a platform and a voice people listen to, please be kind in choosing your words, but speak the truth even if your voice shakes while you do it. Be the difference for so many unheard indie voices today who rarely get time in the spotlights as you have managed to do. </p>
<p><br><br>Please speak for American artists and be our loudest voice, even if you have to yell... So be it! Don’t back down due to pressure or political rhetoric that says being proud of America is not cool anymore. Be the change in our country, for Gods sake DO NOT RUN FOR OFFICE! There is far more good that could be done outside the confines of such a place... <br> Just treat people well, in public and private and be kind to animals but most importantly keep bringing dignity to a flag so many others have burned, mocked and tread upon. </p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Your fan. </p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Caleb</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/44445362016-10-30T20:03:33-04:002023-05-06T13:14:08-04:00FallFor years now it's never made sense to have New Years in January... Fall has always been the new year for me, and it wasn't until around 2011 that I learned that the Jewish calendar actually places the new year in the fall! There's something ever so peaceful about watching the leaves change from green to shades of gold and red, and the joyful sound of birds on the great migration southbound.<br><br>As I sit here at my desk the gutters are filling up with red maple leaves and the yard has squirrels feverishly hauling away the freshly fallen walnuts that grow on our land. One pudgy fellow I have nicknamed "fat boy" seems to enjoy seeing just how fast our dogs can run when they go out to do their business...<br><br>Fall has a cleansing effect sometimes too, sometimes in past years my life has changed pretty drastically during the month of October, this year things so far have been pretty calm. I'm happy to say I'm doing much better emotionally and mentally than in years passed. I'm really looking forward to the next season, even if it will be a bitter sweet departure from the warm climate that I have enjoyed for the last three years or so. Fall brings to a close the long hot nights and the blood thirsty bugs that sting and bite and raise welts that are oh so itchy.<br><br>The cooler weather also seems to afford me more time in the studio to write and record new material for spring tours and shows, though these days the shows are still pretty plentiful at the moment.<br><br>Anyway the tea is gone, and the guitars are calling me, so this post is coming to a close.<br><br>Caleb.Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/42689022016-07-08T02:15:03-04:002016-07-12T08:02:17-04:00Home.So it's been a crazy summer and I haven't updated too much online other than getting in an occasional debate among friends or sharing a few thoughts on <a contents="Twitter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/CalebBHawkins">Twitter </a>and now it's time to give up a little news, but first... A story!<br><br>three years ago in the spring of 2013 I asked the girl of my dreams to marry me. She of course found this singer songwriter from Indiana charming and said yes. What came next was a crazy summer and action packed fall that had me selling off unused gear and re-homing furniture I no longer would be needing, packing everything I owned which was now condensed to a pile of mostly vintage wood and metal working tools and a ready stable of guitars into my Dad's Chevy van and driving south to Naples, Florida...<br><br>Once in Florida we were married and began our lives together. My new wife continued working at her job with the county Sheriff office and I lined up every gig as frontman, sideman or session man that I could hook up. With the help of a few new friends we formed a band and managed to play out 6 nights a week in a cover act in bars and clubs in the region. My playing grew and improved every week. I learned to sling a lot of twang heavy guitar solos for the hard partying beer drinking crowd and yet bring it to dead silence with a solo fiddle tune that could bring a tear to a glass eye. It was a great run there until things sort of wore out. First I noticed pain in my left wrist, the kind that made giving my wife a foot rub almost impossible... Then I started to feel the empty heaviness of performing songs that conveyed a message that I may not morally even believe in... Once that happened the fun of lugging in heavy PA gear, setting up a stage and needing to swap guitar strings 20 minutes to show time became a lot less exciting and a lot more soul sucking... The shear dread of attempting to wolf down a late night menu offering from a 24 hour hash house after a late bar gig was also making me feel sick most of the time. Again I am grateful for the chance to truly learn what it is to be a performing musician that many nights a week and to have a set routine Tuesday through Sunday night... But the harsh reality of performing that type of music was robbing me of the joy and even the ability of creating new music of my own.<br><br>Around that same time my wife Ashlea had some medical issues that made our lives change forever and my main focus needed to be her recovery. I will admit I had a lot to learn still after only a year of marriage, and our lives became shaken up a good deal... After the dust started to settle... So did I.<br> <br>I took a job washing dishes part time in an effort to fend off bills, and yet still be home for my wife when she needed me, also our newly adopted Puppy Savannah needed nurturing and potty training. I still managed to move up, working a day job and it ended up one year later that instead of washing dishes I was helping run the place. But living in a tourist driven community it doesn't take long to get dug into some ruts and a few bad financial decisions here and there catch up quickly. I threw myself into my work as much as possible while still trying to balance being a husband and a creative person (I often times see that I failed at both this last year and a half) Let's just say it's been hard. On the one hand I feel like I "washed up" as a performing artist but then the writer in me points out that I wasn't actually performing my own material most of the time and I'm still rather unproven when it comes to original music and performance. I'm proud to have gone from a two night a week dish washer to being management and I couldn't have done it without the stellar crew I had to work with every night on the floor.<br><br>None-the-less it is time to make some changes. With both of us working full time the last year our marriage went through some pretty rocky stretches and some pretty lonely ones as well... Living on different schedules, going to bed and leaving at differing times, not to mention the stress it caused for our adoring dog Savannah...<br><br>I've missed home.<br>The realization probably hit me about the second overdraft charge of February in our bank account... The harsh reality that no matter how frugal one lives and how hard you work, that the bills increase or the landlord raises the rent, and in a town like this if you get behind, well... There's a line of people waiting for your spot on the dirt...<p>I have missed my family and many of the familiar faces of long lost friends, not to mention the various apple orchards and artist grade bakeries I grew up indulging in as a boy in Cincinnati. I've missed the sound of tug boats on the Ohio river and the distant rumble of freight trains hauling their cargo through the night... Missed that smell of a camp fire on a firefly infested night, and I have longed for the togetherness of a local coffee shop where good friends gather to share art and fellowship.</p>This spring my Dad was diagnosed with Osteoporosis and things he used to do all the time, like climbing ladders are now on the "Do Not Attempt List" so I flew up in June to help with some work around the many houses my Dad maintains... Long story short it's become clear that this Midwestern boy needs to return to his roots, get his hands dirty, and create something meaningful again. Now it's my time to climb some ladders. A house has been renovated and a lot of packing is involved, some risks and some leaps of faith are at play but it's just that season of our lives to make some changes.<br><br>In some ways it scares me and it feels a little like backtracking but the pros and cons of leaving one home for another are pretty cut and dried. I look forward to October in the hills of southeast Indiana when the oak leaves turn a crimson hue and the maple goes from green to gold, as the wind whistles a tune through the pine needles, as if to say summer is over, but Christmas will be here soon.<br><br>I will miss warm and mild winters, especially since I hate cold weather as a rule... I'll miss the taste of fresh squeezed orange juice when it is so pure and sweet that one sip will remind you that there really has to be a God. And I'll miss the old Hispanic guy who sells tomatoes in the Ace Hardware parking lot. I will miss the crew I worked and served beside at Henning's Chicago Kitchen, and I will miss the many wonderful musicians and friends I have made in the state of Florida.<br><br>A piece of my heart will always be in Southwest Florida and we plan to return often, but it's time for our new great adventure to begin. Ashlea hasn't seen snow in years and the dog never has before. There's still paint to spread and fences to repair and wood to haul but a little voice in both our heads seems to say the best is yet to come. We look forward to getting involved in our Indianapolis community and once again rejoining the wonderful people who over the years have become dear to us both.<br><br>Where music fits into the future I honestly no longer know, as I struggle through painful tendonitis that is however slowly healing and the restoration of damaged muscles and joints. Ashlea has stood by me through my months of self doubt and worry and encouraged me through the lows, and laughed with me through the good times... Now it's my turn to move up to the plate and take a swing at something a little more fulfilling than washing dishes or rambling through a cover of Wagon Wheel.<br><br>The highway is calling and the engine is warming up, we will see you there!<div style="text-align: right;">Caleb.</div>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/42022162016-05-29T03:47:15-04:002021-05-12T00:19:52-04:00Guy Clark RememberedI woke up on May 17th to the news that Guy Clark had passed away. It was truly a sad day, while I had never met Guy, and I wasn't even lucky enough to catch him live I've had a connection to his music for a number of years now...<br><br>In 2008 I recall sitting around another such fire in central Florida late in the evening with a belly full of authentic Texas food cooked by an old raw boned cowboy wearing a wide brimmed hat, run down boots with traditional jeans and since it was hot out his Long Johns served as his shirt. I'd wandered in and out of many camp fires that week at the historical encampment, played numerous fires and listened to and told countless stories. The cowboy, who preferred to be called "Buddy" had come over from Texas to share the week with friends, and true to his camps arrangement Buddy was in charge of food and entertainment for the evening... That's somehow where I fit in. I'm not really even sure how I had been flagged to attend the dinner or to join in the inevitable guitar pull that would follow a rib sticking meal of dutch oven made Spanish Payaya but there I was tuning my guitar while the old timers and those who were of age passed around a jar of peach moonshine...<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kAtmhPUAg4U" width="420"></iframe></p>Songs about cowboys and outlaws like Billy The Kid started up and then someone sang a song about Ireland, I sang a song about a train and then the round came to another Cowboy who had wondered up to the fire and he sang "Stuff That Works"
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lgCyXw2EWuA" width="420"></iframe></p>Right there I heard the first song in a genre that I finally fully understood to be "Americana" sure the name had been passed around since "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" had shaken the music world up with it's raw rootsy old time sound but for some reason all the old time music had never been all that personal to me... This was personal though! After that nights fire I walked away with a pretty good introduction to "Texas Songwriters" and I went home and started hunting down Guy Clark albums one at a time and pulling apart the fibers of the music. I didn't write much for the next four years! The shear amount of depth and honesty that I found in Guy's music made me feel as if I should just hang it up as a songwriter until I'd learned to be a more traveled person of the road called life. <br><br>In 2012 while going through a lot of tough breaks and hard knocks the songs of Guy Clark came again to me as I was trying to pinpoint some influences I could share with some artists I was playing sideman to, and by Fall of that year I was in studio wrapping up the final day of a record with a friend when the producer and my friend went out for coffee, I stayed behind and penned my first full song in a long while... The flood gates opened and I began writing like never before, I wrote as I had once heard someone say about Guy's music "Straight from the heart, no filter" It was weeks later that I had the courage to play any of it for friends and the first thing someone randomly said was "you're channeling your inner Guy Clark on that one" It was probably the biggest compliment I had ever received as a songwriter! I had read that Guy was suffering from various health issues and I knew that our window of time was short but he left a lasting mark on me, his music and his wit will remain as one of the major foundation cornerstones of American songwriting and I can honestly say I look forward to sharing his music with my son some day. Guy Clark was an Americana pioneer in the art of song craft and I feel fortunate to be one of many who can say Guy shaped my music.<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TrRt8yfXmi4" width="420"></iframe></p><br><br> Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/41365102016-04-14T14:48:29-04:002016-04-14T14:48:29-04:00Nick Jonas and making mistakes performing live.So Nick Jonas caught a bunch of heat for a muffed guitar solo live at an award show...<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/isbXu_ABhBo" width="560"></iframe><br><br>And as you can see he kind of had a mishap there! But he shook it off and went and did his job. Now I applaud him for actually attempting to play the guitar live unlike many pop stars these days... And to be honest I myself can't bend strings on an electric guitar very well, partly due to the condition of my wrist these days and partly due to my heavy handed playing style as an acoustic musician. That said I think Nick proved that there's many great artists out there who can and do put the effort into a great performance every night, and he's no exception to scrutiny from his peers. Nick didn't have the time put in to crafting that solo that most players do, and to be honest I'm not sure it was even his song... So what's my final take on it? Playing guitar: It's harder than it looks! Playing it well? It's even harder! You can point and laugh and hit replay all you want, but your time is probably better spent grabbing your guitar and learning a few of your own riffs and solos better.</p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/41073732016-03-26T23:42:16-04:002016-03-26T23:42:16-04:00Rest, rewind and recharge.<div>So I'm writing this post after working some seriously hard days and nights of brutal back breaking work. It's been a great season down here in Naples and I'm happy to have had all the work... But I'm pretty excited to be off work for a few days to regroup, recharge and get back to long neglected interests like cooking and art. In fact tomorrow I may well go out and use my camera again for the first time in a while! My ambition tonight to even really get into playing music has been shortened by my lack of energy to even hold an instrument... Guess I will just get back to that tomorrow after a good nights sleep and a morning cup of tea. I have some pretty cool things planned for the next several months so stay tuned! </div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></div>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/41006342016-03-22T20:23:36-04:002021-09-08T13:07:20-04:00Running Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Road<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>On my way to work I snapped this picture of the sign at the end of my street... <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/0a776324f66cf46a6cab09ecc04b76913a67912c/original/img-6415-1.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Sometimes I like to take a moment to reflect that I actually do live on a a dead end street... People turn down our road often trying to get a shortcut somewhere only to find that it leads nowhere. Often people are speeding when the do it, so I see them hit the brakes before they hit the rail that would prevent them from landing in the water that's on the other side of this brush and sign. I always am reminded of the hook from this classic Hank Snow tune he had a big hit with. This is real country folks!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><br><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EuyDNWzs6To" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I suppose I started this blog post with a grand idea of making a profound point here but in reality I just wanted to show off a really great song and maybe share an observation about human nature.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/40991512016-03-21T22:52:50-04:002016-03-21T22:52:50-04:00Battery Nearly DeadTourist season is giving off it's last death rattle here in Collier County and I'm busier than ever before at work, today I woke up with a slight head cold which made a good excuse to not go in on my day off at work. I'm cooking up a few things in the studio while trying to just recharge my batteries and make sure the cold doesn't become anything serious. Bass got tracked for my lead single this week and I'm hoping to have electric and fiddle done in the next few days also. Not too much to really write about but I'm hoping to still be a lot more prolific in the year ahead. Hang in there friends summer's coming!<div style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></div>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/40922722016-03-18T08:00:00-04:002017-01-16T12:06:23-05:00Passing The Blame<p>So I feel a little rusty at blogging, like my skills have seriously lapsed over the years. I’ll just blame Twitter though for making me not feel like I need to write anything longer than 140 characters. That said I’ve finally reached a point in my artistic career where I feel like I’m ready to invest more time in creating content for my own website and worry less about Facebook and the like. It’s still tourist season for a little longer down here in Naples, Florida and I’m working nearly non stop which gives me little time for creativity outside of my actual work load but It’s afforded me this new-to-me macBook Pro which will probably be another blog story or maybe video shortly. Needless to say I’m working on getting my 2005 groove back and getting to be an active creator of original content again. I’m setting up more videos and finally have the ability to shoot and edit really high quality footage (FINALLY!) so here’s to being creative and more regular when it comes to updates on life, music, and shows! </p>
<div class="captioned justify_left"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/196070/4a1ee9c9ea9a10b509e25d712bdabc07e81c3bae/original/img-6209.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_left border_" /><p class="caption">Somewhere in Lake Carol, IL. Taken in 2015 during the Destination Tour.</p></div>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/40899692016-03-17T09:00:00-04:002016-03-17T09:03:11-04:00Broken Things. <p>We tend to love broken things for some reason... I’m not sure why, but humans love broken things... I’m no different, I admit it and gladly. There’s not much I like better than a beat up old guitar with half shot strings and some wreck of a laptop to make music with. Seemingly our current culture likes to dwell on the heartaches and mishaps of others, through media exposure... I think it’s much harder to fix things that have been broken when you don’t actually expect them to work very well... For instance I notice a lot of people seem to just love watching celebrities go through breakups and it’s sad to me that as a society we get our jollies from seeing people heart broken and miserable. When talking to an acquaintance of mine recently my friend basically said "Eh it just makes for good television" as if that was a good enough reason.</p>
<p>Now, I’ve lived with heartache and I’ve found myself broken more than a few times. The fact of the matter is that I only healed when I wanted to. I spent way too long dwelling on the details of how I got to be in such sorry shape, instead of doing the hard work of learning to walk again. I use the term “walk” as a metaphor here, and some writers like the word “fly” but let’s face it... I’m no Eagle, half the time I’m just trying to not be a chicken... </p>
<p>Truth is that just as broken bones heal and become stronger we as humans sometimes have to be broken to become whole people. I’m not advocating going out and getting your heart broken, and I sure am not championing ANYBODY to leave their spouse or significant other... When I talk about being broken I talk about other aspects of life... Pride, foolishness, fear, anger... Being broken loose from those ties that bind us, so that we can be set free. I’m not a doctor and I’m not a very wise person, my bank account shows I’m not a financial genius... One thing I can safely say is I’m not a quitter. I may be a very challenged contestant in most of the races I am trying to run in... But I’m not a quitter! How about you? What holds you back, what is it in your life that needs broken? Drop me a line, I’d love to talk. </p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></p>Caleb Hawkinstag:calebhawkins.com,2005:Post/40899332016-03-16T00:24:21-04:002016-03-16T00:24:21-04:00I was dreaming about Cash...I recently had a dream about Johnny Cash...<br>Before I was much of a performing artist I was a technically minded teenager hard pressed to pay some dues and I did a lot of live sound and stagehand work... Long story short was that I've worked with a few rock stars, some you've heard of... Some I'd like to forget... Recently I had a very vivid dream that I was a stagehand again, only it was 1965 and I was standing on the side of the stage in the shadows and Johnny was taking out all of my footlights! I remember dreaming that I was shocked and horrified at the spectacle in front of me as Johnny in his haze of drugs and booze took out the lights that I had just that afternoon serviced and checked to make ready for the big night in Nashville... The image of Johnny Cash taking out footlights is based on an actual incident that took place in '65 and Johnny was actually put in an elite group of artists that can be considered banned from the Opry. Hank Williams Sr was another member of the ex Opry Star Club...<br><br>Now I'm not much on trying to figure out what dreams mean, and honestly I'm not really too hung up on them, nor am I superstitious enough to think they project the future... In my case I was dreaming about an historical event, anyway...<br><br>Here's my take away though. Johnny lived in a time of black and white TV and mostly black and white photography, computers such as they were at the time mainly were toys for very wealthy and very big companies, internet was not even a twinkle in any young geeks eye yet and let's face it the Opry was the biggest show in country music! Johnny hit rock bottom around that time and with the help and love and support of some solid people he was able to salvage his life and live on to become one of the most important people in recorded music history!<br><br>Now as I jump on lightning fast internet with access to HD video of so many great performances and even collections of vintage and rare performances of Johnny himself I'm also able to see social media and interact in somewhat real-time with friends, family and even strangers all around this planet! Recent logins to my personal Facebook Page show my friends struggling. I see friends having lost loved ones, and jobs, marriages falling apart and I see people giving up on dreams...<br><br>Almost all of the friends I had in High School seem to no longer play music, with rare instances here and there... It saddens me to see how life seems to beat us all up and try and rob us of our dreams and goals... Last tour I had a bit of bad luck on the road and totaled the car in Nashville. Not only was my car now a heap of scrap but I was hard put to keep up with the challenges of staying on the road to continue with the tour in order to see my friends, fans and even family. It's actually intimidating me pretty badly now to work up the gumption to tour again and I have so many obstacles in my path again already this year. But the burning desire and the dream to keep on playing music is in me and the songs have got to come out. Keep dreaming and keep walking the line folks!<div style="text-align: right;"><strong>Caleb.</strong></div>Caleb Hawkins