Caleb Hawley

Artist Information

Biography

This NYC and automobile-based singer-songwriter is creating quite a buzz across pop, jazz and modern folk circles with his latest CD, Steps. "Hawley possesses the vocal range, poetic license and wit of Jason Mraz; with the fretboard dexterity of John Mayer, minus all the pretentiousness and with a Stevie Wonder sized dollop of soul." (popdose.com) Whether he's playing an original song, or putting his own little twist on a cover, he's gonna make sure you're fully entertained.... even if it takes a couple ridiculous dance moves.

Hawley averages around 200 shows a year at clubs, colleges, and festivals all over the country. He has has opened or shared the stage with artists including Shawn Mullins, Marc Cohn, Rusted Root, and The Dave Mathews Band at Jones Beach Amphitheater in July, 2009.

Awards:
2nd Place Winner, Telluride Troubadour ('10)
Finalist, John Lennon Songwriting Contest ('09)
Finalist, New York Songwriters Circle Contest ('08, '09)
Finalist, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist ('10)
Gumball Machine Winner, Washington Elementary Talent Show ('96)

What people are saying:

"Caleb Hawley came to the York College campus and put on an energetic, diverse, and professional performance and had our students talking for weeks. Hundreds attended the event with standing room only and loved Caleb's charisma. He's a true musician and entertainer.

- Rusty Ridley, Student Activities, York College - York, NE

"People are STILL talking about Wednesday night. Honestly, you did such a good job that I feel sorry for all the artists that have to follow you. Seriously, Cabel, people are going to remember you for quite a bit!"

- Margeaux Monsour, B Sides Coordinator, Messiah College - Grantham, PA

"It was fabulous. Caleb was very easy to work with. The house was packed, and he had the audience captivated. A very successful booking. Thanks so much."

- Tom Reid, Associate Director of Oberlin Union, Oberlin College – Oberlin, OH

Instrumentation

Caleb Hawley: Guitar, Vocals, Piano, Looper, unconventional percussion (pots, pans, toy 'r us),

Discography

We All Got Problems (October 2010)
Steps (2009)
Greatest Hits (2007)

Links

• Official Website
• Twitter
• Youtube
• MySpace

Audio

• Seven Minute Song Sampler
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• Other Side of it All
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• Seeing Colors
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• My Own Two Feet
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• Water on Pavement (Solo/Live)
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• We All Got Problems (Solo)
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• Every Shade of Gray
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• Fade
  Listen  

Lyrics

• My Own Two Feet
• Takin' it to the Skyway
• Daily Diet
• Blind
• Let the Games Begin
• Reach the Zenith
• Southern Gent
• Every Shade of Gray
• Other Side of it All
• Seeing Colors
• Every Shade of Gray

Video

NACA 2011 Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Coffeehouse Welcomes Caleb Hawley [+ Show ]
  

  Coffeehouse Welcomes Caleb Hawley by Natalie Bruzda Jan. 30, 2009 At first glance, Monday night...Coffeehouse Welcomes Caleb Hawley
  by Natalie Bruzda
  Jan. 30, 2009
  
  At first glance, Monday night’s Coffeehouse performance did not appear to have a popular student gathering. However, the interest in Caleb Hawley’s performance grew significantly as the 90 minute program progressed. “He might be one of the best performers I’ve heard at Waynesburg,” Freshman Alex Goodwin said. “He’s an amazing guitar player.”
  
  Goodwin believes he knows good music when he hears it. Currently, he is exploring his available options for majors, despite the power that music has over him. “My life is basically music,” he said. “I like the Coffeehouse because I am able to come and interact with professional musicians.” The University provides the student body with approximately two Coffeehouse performances a month.
  
  Although Monday’s crowd lacked the regular number of supporters, the students who waited to speak with Hawley, or to purchase his CD, indicated a positive response. Senior Beckie Willard, Musical Entertainment Committee Chair, was also impressed with the singer and songwriter who contacted her in the hopes of entertaining University students. “He is probably in the top three of all the performer that we’ve had, “ Willard said. I’ve heard more positive comments about him than I usually hear on any given Coffeehouse night.
  
  Her experience with the Musical Entertainment Committee, along with her constant exposure to the various performances provided by the Student Activities Board, gives her an in-depth look into the effectiveness of programs like the Coffeehouse. “I believe that we provide the right amount of entertainment,” Willard said. “We have enough Coffeehouses to get variety but not often enough to make it boring.
  
  Hawley started out the night with a rap song in order for the audience to get to know him; following this original were songs from artists like Justin Timberlake, Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw and The Police. He even played a protest song, a song that condemns diets. “I don’t have to be a rich superstar,” Hawley said. “I just want to play my original music as a profession.” Hawley is certainly living according to his wishes.
  
  For the beginning days in February, he will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, and then Wisconsin. “My goal for now is to be able to go to any given city, and to have at least 50 people come see me in a listening environment,” Hawley said.
  
  His self-made CD debuted in July of 2007. With his performance at the University, he potentially added more people to his fan base. Peter Mally, Freshman Religious Studies Major, agreed with the positive remarkds made by Goodwin and Willard. “I would be Caleb’s CD if I had the money,” Mally said. Although Hawley produced his first CD only a year and a half ago, in order to keep his name alive, he believes he must continue song writing. He just recorded the first song of the new CD on Saturday. Even though he draws inspiration from artists such as Stevie Wonder and Randy Newman, Hawley is unique in his own way. “I try to make the complicated sound simple,” he said.

• Debut's impressive, look for better things [+ Show ]
  

  Debut’s impressive, but look for better things from Hawley John Ziegler, Duluth News Tribune Publi...Debut’s impressive, but look for better things from Hawley
  John Ziegler, Duluth News Tribune
  Published Thursday, July 31, 2008
  
  The cover artwork on Caleb Hawley’s “Greatest Hits” shows a cartoon three-ring circus replete with trapeze, lions and elephants. This tongue-in-cheek greatest hits package (it’s his first release) is a bit of a circus itself with a mix of players and their acts that range from a eulogy to some funky back-beats, from a smokin’ sax solo to a Broadway show tune. It’s a real carnival thrill ride.
  
  The first thing you notice about Hawley is his vocal prowess. It’s extraordinary among male singer-songwriters, who usually have the pipes to deliver their own material, but rarely knock you out. Hawley has Martin Sexton-like chops that can muscle even the weakest text into something that sounds impressive. He also has a sense of humor that is on display in the writing and the performance, which adds a nice touch to what could otherwise become a bit too labored. There are complex arrangements (many stacked horn parts) and a flair for jazz that gives a distinct feel to his stuff. It’s a package that shows musical acumen and some serious study.
  
  “Takin’ It to the Skyway” is a look at how tough it is to busk outdoors in the winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Sonically, this is (and I am dead-on here) Lyle Lovett fronting the “Saturday Night Live” Band, with Lenny Pickett and the Polyphonic Spree on the side, adding their almost religious fervor.
  
  RELATED CONTENT
  The CD: Caleb Hawley's Greatest Hits
  This is a collage of sound that includes a eulogy for Top Tom Phillips (even a moment of silence mid-tune). There is an effervescent tent-revival feel to this track that is topped by a get-down sax solo from Trevor Kellum. The Lovett vocal stylings are evident throughout and make me wince, wishing Hawley could find a more original delivery. There also is a problem with the levels of the various parts in the mix that detracts, but the level of talent in all areas overcomes the technical distraction.
  
  The funky back beat of “My Own Two Feet” gives way to a chunky acoustic guitar feel in a tune about over the top self-absorption. Hawley proves himself quite a groove-master and shows he can not only create a solid feel, but work it to death in a good way. He intones “… so I found myself in the middle of the street, step by step just marching to the beat. Not thinking about anybody but just stepping in the shoes of my own two feet … they were tied so tight they ruined my life and convinced me that I’m the only one.”
  
  Both the guttural sound of British virtuoso John Renborn and the soulfulness of Al Green come together in Hawley’s reveling on “Addicted to Youth,” a buoyant look at the high school experience as a student from the inside. This one was written for a Woodbury (Minn.) High School documentary and has the characteristics of what many students went through during those years.
  
  Hawley is originally from Hudson, Wis., but graduated last year from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. His major was jazz composition and it shows in the complexity of some of the arrangements.
  
  “Southern Gent” has a string quartet giving way to a brash acoustic guitar that backs a Randy Newman-esque lyric that he was directing to his then-girlfriend (now wife) when she moved south and took up with a southern gentleman who Hawley was sure was leading his beloved down the wrong path. It’s a fun look at jealousy and betrayal (can there be such a thing?).
  
  It’s an eclectic first offering from a budding artist with much more than a Berklee degree. Hawley has produced a disc that shows talent, broad dimension and the promise of even better things in the future.
  

• Hawley hauls into hometown from NYC, is highly appreciated [+ Show ]
  

  Looking a bit like old-school Robert Plant, Caleb Hawley, a 2003 graduate of Hudson High School and ...Looking a bit like old-school Robert Plant, Caleb Hawley, a 2003 graduate of Hudson High School and now a singer-songwriter living in New York City, played a “hometown show” to an appreciative full-house at Twisted last Saturday.
  
  It was part of an 18-city tour of the United States to support his first CD. Hawley made good instrumental use of props, both those having to do with music and those that are just everyday items.
  
  His sets, a combination of covers and originals, were filled with energy and showcased his ability to play to the crowd.
  “He is an incredible performer … virtuoso guitarist … incredible Stevie Wonder-like voice that seems to come from nowhere … complex, yet very accessible sense of melody, and wacky sense of humor, Caleb Hawley has a completely unique musical perspective,” wrote Exterminating Angel Press in a recent review.
  
  Hawley is married to the former Samantha O’Keefe, also a Hudson High graduate.
  
  http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/articles/index.cfm?id=27970§ion=homepage

• Max's Five Song Picks [+ Show ]
  

  I almost don’t know what to write about Caleb Hawley, because I feel like no matter what I say I wil...I almost don’t know what to write about Caleb Hawley, because I feel like no matter what I say I will not do him justice. Caleb is an incredible performer- in addition to being a virtuoso guitarist who studied at Berklee School of Music, he possess this incredible Stevie Wonder-like voice that seems to come from nowhere. Between his complex, yet very accessible sense of melody, and wacky sense of humor, Caleb Hawley has a completely unique musical perspective. The track, which was recorded in a studio down in Nashville, is incredibly lush and orchestral- Caleb hired a cast of equally talented session players, filling out the sound with incredible results. Listen to it at Caleb’s cd, Greatest Hits, can be found on iTunes and I strongly recommend it. More songs can be heard at www.calebhawley.com
  
  

• Awkward Silence is Just Their Name [+ Show ]
  

  http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/articles/index.cfm?id=6576&pnref=VSGE0E96D628 Ryan Butler can t...http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/articles/index.cfm?id=6576&pnref=VSGE0E96D628
  
  Ryan Butler can tell you exactly when Awkward Silence formed. It was after the jazz band concert at Hudson High School Dec. 13, 2001. Butler and band mate Caleb Hawley were looking for a saxophone player to join them for a talent contest two nights later at The Quest nightclub in downtown Minneapolis.
  Eric Possehl blew them away with his polished solos on the tenor sax that night. After the concert, they asked him to join them. "We were just like, hey, do you think you can learn a bunch of our songs and play with our band?" Hawley remembers.
  What followed could be the script for a movie.
  The next day, Butler, Hawley, Possehl and Reed Grimm of Ellsworth, the fourth member of the group, practiced for 12 hours straight. Possehl's lower lip was swollen and bleeding from playing so much and so hard when they quit for the night.
  They needed a name for the band and decided to go with one suggested at a previous gig. "Awkward silence," Hawley had announced to fill the dead air while he searched for a sheet of lyrics. That would be a good name for a band, someone told him after they had finished playing.
  Hawley, the lead vocalist, came down with a case of stomach flu the day of the contest. He was vomiting when the emcee announced the band, but went on stage anyway.
  The big dance floor was packed. Hawley forgot about his churning stomach, Possehl forget about his fat lip, and they delivered what must have been a dandy 22-minute set.
  
  The judges named Awkward Silence the best band in the contest after all 50-some groups had performed.
  
  Their prize was 26 hours in a recording studio. Soon after, they had their first CD. The 11 original songs on the recording include samplings of funk, jazz, swing, reggae and blues. Their sophisticated musical taste makes them popular with the older generation, but they can also rock and roll.
  They said they learn quickly, and have covered dance tunes by everyone from Marilyn Manson to In Sync. Hawley and Butler are the two original members of the band. They met in a freshman English class shortly after Hawley and his family moved here from Fargo, N.D., in 1999. One of Hawley's guitar teachers in Fargo played with Shannon Curfman and another had taught Johnny Lang.
  Samantha O'Keefe introduced Hawley to Grimm, who is O'Keefe's cousin. Grimm has music in his genes. His mother is singer Colleen Raye and his father is Steve Grimm, Branson's male singer of the year for 2001.
  Grimm is the drummer and helps out Hawley with the vocals. Butler plays bass.
  All of the band members except Possehl are high school seniors. Possehl is entering his freshman year at UW-River Falls, where he plans to major in music education. The band was hard at work last weekend. Friday and Saturday nights they played the Prairie Fire CoffeeHouse in River Falls, plus a private party. Sunday evening, they competed in the Minnesota State Fair talent contest.
  They will be at St. Croix Valley YMCA the night of Sept. 7, and at Riversides Restaurant Sept. 14.
  Their CD, titled Awkward Silence, is available at The Vibe next to Micklesen's Drug store in downtown Hudson. It sells for $12. You can also request the CD by telephone at 377-0317.
  The band also would welcome more work. "We can play a dance gig," Grimm said.
  
  

Setlist

Since you've most likely never heard me before I won't list off a bunch of original songs that I do. However, I will assure you that it's like a Japanese movie- it hits all emotions in a span of two hours. There are funny songs, sad songs, dramatic songs, love songs, complex songs, and simple songs.

As far as covers go, I can usually play it if I've heard it before... so request away! As long as it's not Beethoven or something - that might be a little tough.
I'm not too great at memorizing lyrics though, so if you request it be prepared to sing it with me : )

Here's some songs I've played before:

Senorita
That's Just the Way it Is
Macarena (solo guitar)
Umbrella
Waiting on the World to Change
Neon
The first 10 seconds of about 20 Dave Mathews songs.
Say My Name
Find Me Somebody to Love
I Would do Anything for Love
Banana Pancakes
Better Together
I'm Yours
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
H to the Izzo
Brick House
Love the One You’re With
Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself
Short People
Magic Carpet Ride
Come on, Come Over
Hey, Ya
Aeroplane
I Wish
Sir Duke
Foxy
Can't Always Get What You Want
Rollercoaster of Love
Who Are You
Start me up
She’s a Bad Mama Jama
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
I Got You (I Feel Good)
Gotta Be
Song of the South
The Beautiful People
Break Stuff
Rapper’s Delight
Takin’ it to the Streets
Chatahoochee
Plus a ton more that are hard to think of unless they’re requested.
And yes, I can play Free Bird… and Stairway to Heaven as Well.

Basic Requirements

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