Christopher Hawley

Christopher Hawley, longtime Venice resident and frontman to the Christopher Hawley Rollers is reminiscing over the band's past and looking to a future that includes the legalization of hemp for conservation and sustainability.

The band is playing at Washington state’s Hempapalooza this weekend to support the cause, and Hawley, who often plays to his favorite town, shared his Venice memories from back in the day.

“I don't remember too many acoustic venues besides Abbot's Habit when I first moved here around the turn of the century,” he says with fondness. “One time my old girlfriend and I did a set at a Midsummer Naked Open Mic that was held there. They put up newspaper to cover all of the windows, and they had a booth set up where the performers could undress before taking the stage.”

Hawley and his band will venture from the Westside to the Olympic National Forest for the second annual Hempapalooza Music and Film Festival, June 19 to 22. They also have a lot of shows coming up within easier driving distance of L.A.

“We are excited to support the Hempapalooza Festival because we are really pro hemp,” Hawley explains. “We all could really improve a lot of situations environmentally and politically if we legalized hemp. Plus, it’s a totally sustainable product. It’s a no-brainer of a great resource. I don’t’ know why we need to think about it.”

Also appearing at the festival will be Julius Melendez and the Randy Hansen band. The festival will feature Cannabis in Olympics hosted by Matt Shotwell of the Discovery channel's Weed Country. Attendees can camp or park an RV in the nearby town of Brinnon.

The festival will also focus on gathering signatures for Washington state ballot initiative I-1372, which was designed to strengthen the state's medical weed law by establishing a state board for medical cannabis laws; and state Referendum 76, which would repeal another state law, SB 5052.

The Rollers are looking forward to getting down with a Pacific Northwest fan base. They play weekly or monthly in Venice and in resort towns including Aspen, and they're regulars at the Sundance Film Festival. Despite that glitz, Hawley named laid-back Topanga Days as the band’s favorite festival. “Outdoors at Topanga, you can’t beat it." - LA Weekly

Christopher Hawley has been performing in Park City since 2003.
Throughout the years, the Venice, California-based singer and songwriter has made some close friends in town after playing during the summer and during the Sundance Film Festival.

So he's looking forward to his return this week when he'll play at Bistro 412 on April 2, Rock and Reilly's on April 3 and Flanagan's on April 4.

"When I come to Park City during Sundance, it's easy for the locals to go into hiding because of all the crowds of people that converge onto the town," Hawley told The Park Record. "It's like where I live in Venice. We get crowds of people every weekend. So, I'm looking forward to coming to Park City at this time of the year because I get to see all the locals out and reconnect with them.

"I also consider a lot of people out there some of my good friends," he said. "Some of those friendships have come about through meeting someone in another part of Utah and then meeting them again in Park City. A lot of people have signed up to the email list and have been responsive to when I come through."

Hawley remembers the first time he played in Park City.

"We played at Mother Urbans, and things started off well because we got to town and asked around where a good place to eat that had reasonable prices," he said. "Someone turned us on to Davanza's, which has wonderful food.

"After we played the show, the owner of Mother Urbans offered to let us stay in his condo, because we didn't have anywhere to stay," Hawley said. - Park Record

Christopher Hawley Rollers
The Roots of the Tree
Release Date: January 06, 2009
Produced by: N/A
Format: CD

03/04/2009
by Douglas Bice

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and yet I am guilty of doing just that. One look at the photo on the cover showing a pretty boy (Christopher Hawley) dressed in an ‘old west’ cowboy shirt and leaning up against a tree strumming his acoustic guitar and I immediately prepared myself for the worst. If my ears had a voice they would have cried mutiny had this turned out to be a watered-down twangfest. Thankfully, this is not the first time I have been proven wrong.

The Roots Of The Tree is the second release by this Southern Californian band. The first three songs on this album are drizzled with the flavor of Eric Clapton's early solo work. The song "Show Your Love" reminds one of Clapton's softer side with some nice slide work. Songs four through eight were recorded live at a bar, turning this set into a fun whiskey-soaked sing-along. You can practically smell the Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap and imagine the waitresses getting their asses slapped by
good ole boys.

You can tell these musicians are no strangers to the road. They play together well, in a tightly cohesive style while kicking up the boogie factor significantly on the live tracks. There is a small touch of country rock/gospel on the "When Jesus Fed the Multitude" showing the band can mix things up a little.

For the last two songs, the album ventures back into the studio. "Flag Girl" pays homage to an older country sound reminiscent of Willie Nelson, while the final track, "See You Again" highlights some tasty dual guitar work. The sound quality on this disc is very good overall with the guitars and vocals coming through nicely. The CD also features a music video of the CD's first song, "Just What To Do" as an added bonus.

In conclusion, this is a fun listen from start to finish, featuring some excellent guitar work with a laid back vibe. These are competent performances that can only come from a hard-working band that sound like they are having a good time. If this sounds like your cup of tea (or can of Schlitz), check out their Myspace page to hear a few samples and judge for yourself.

Recommended.


http://www.musictap.net/Reviews/2009/March/ChristopherHawleyTheRootsOfTheTree.html - MusicTap

Describe your music? Christopher Hawley Rollers plays good-time swamp-hop, roots rock n' roll and reggae/world music depending on the song or musical moment.

What organizations and causes do you support? Surfrider, recycling, beach cleaning, alternative transportation, alternative energy, live music


http://www.venicepaparazzi.com/cHawley.php - Venice Paparazzi

Five-Question Interview: Musician Christopher Hawley
A Venice, California-based musician tells us about bringing beach music to the mountains, and why L.A. is just like Taos.

By Caroline Gleich

Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Christopher Hawley lives in Venice, California, surfs, and plays rock and roll blues music with his band, The Rollers. This winter, he’s planning a tour of ski towns. Hawley frequents the types of places where you can come as you are—whether you’re wearing ski pants or your surf trunks. Caroline Gleich caught up with him and his band at a beach-bum bar steps from the sand in Venice, California, to ask about his plans for the winter.

What ski towns will you hit up on tour this winter?
Confirmed dates are January 22, 23, and 28 at the Spur in Park City and the Wasatch Brewpub on the 24th for Sundance. Then I’m heading up to Idaho, playing at Whiskey Jaques in Sun Valley on February 6. I’m hoping to get to Montana and Wyoming this year too. I’ve also played Taos Ski Valley—had an epic day there. All these locals took me under their wing and showed me the mountain.

It sounds like your tour is just an excuse to go to the mountains, ski, and get free passes…
That’s kind of an added bonus, but I feel like the folks up there relate to my music. There’s just a consistent vibe with all these places where people are skiing.

And that vibe is?
Kind of an independent, open mindset. It’s people who love nature, who are inspired by it. And that’s definitely where I’m coming from with my music.

So far, where’s your favorite place to ski?
Well, I love Snowmass but I think I’d have to say Alta. Zermatt is also cool—it’s very different but at the same time, it’s a sick mountain.

You’ve played Alta’s spring festival and Hinano in Venice Beach. How do you compare the ski audience to the L.A. audience?
The west side of L.A. is kind of like one big ski town, except it’s on the ocean. The surf vibe definitely permeates this area and parallels the ski town atmosphere. I moved here from a ski town, and I meet people all the time who have done the same thing. So I guess the audiences in both places are similar in the way they respond.

To find out more and to keep updated on the tour schedule, go to www.christopherhawley.net.http://


www.skinet.com/skiing/fondue-party/ski-culture/2009/12/five-question-interview-musician-christopher-hawley - Skinet.com

Venice Beach, California's own Christopher Hawley -- and his Hawley Rollers band ( http://www.myspace.com/christopherhawleyrollers ) -- will make their Wood River Valley debut here, as part of their 10th "Winter Ski-Town Tour," this week, performing at both Whiskey's on Friday, Feb. 5th (10pm), and at Hailey's Sun Valley Brewery Restaurant & Bar on Saturday, Feb. 6th (7:30pm).

This band's very danceable and eclectic mix of vivid fretwork, thumping bass and soaring percussion -- whose soulful roots combine the slide guitar with thoughtful lyrics -- have made it a big favorite for a number of years now at a wide assortment of western ski towns, especially (Hawley and his band are coming here straight from a very successful five-day stopover in Park City, Utah, that featured gigs at the Wasatch Brew Pub, Spur and Molly Blooms).

Featuring for his two Wood River Valley gigs Marc Friedman (on bass) and Jimmy Bowers (on drums), the Hawley Rollers band consists of various friends of Hawley's -- several of whom are fellow Californians like himself -- who likewise love bouncing from one ski or college town, artist community, and beach bar after another, performing their pulsing and memorable music before one audience after another. (Other Hawley Rollers musicians who've been known to perform in the band include Scott McLain, Randy Wooten, Dante Jaccuzzi, Ryan Adams, John Reese, Gary Davenport, Fishbone's John Steward, Darryl Blease, Ray Roosevelt and Jose Trevino.)

This percussion-rock/psychedelic folk band, whose lead singer's resonant souful voice evokes the likes of John Fogerty, Johnny Cash and Bob Weir, is currently finishing up their third album -- which features, among other notables, Bill Payne (of Little Feat) on keyboards. Copies of their first two albums -- 2006's "Red Light Green" and 2009's "The Roots of the Tree" -- will be for sale during both the Whiskey's and the Sun Valley Brewery shows.

In addition to the attached "Show Your Love" mp3 music clip in this SVO article, samples of both Christopher Hawley's mu sic and the band's as well can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Hawley17627321521
http://www.reverbnation.com/christopherhawley
http://www.sonicbids.com/christopherhawleyrollers
http://www.christopherhawley.com
http://www.myspace.com/christopherhawley

Besides their many commercial gigs around the country, Chris and his band make it a point now to perform one benefit concert a month; they currently have one slated for later this month, proceeds from which will go to http://www.SVRV.org which is currently involved, among other projects, with trying to build schools in various villages in Nicaragua (and also a community center that will double as a clean-water station for one village in particular there).

Other non-profit groups they've assisted in the past include Global Peace Central, Help Earth Foundation, Peace Not War, Project Ocean Zero, Surfrider Foundation West, The Great Sustainability Project, Ocean Defenders, and Sustainable Answers.

"My songs try to subtly raise awareness of crucial issues while putting out a fun and danceable groove," Chris Hawley explained to me recently. "We're not a 'social justice' band, per se, or about beating anyone over the head. But there are definitely causes we feel strongly and passionately about that we at least want people to be aware of, if they're not already."

Hawley, 35, says his lyrical stylings growing up back east were strongly influenced by Willie Nelson, J.J. Cale, and Grant Green, his lead guitar slide breaks from performers such as Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and Jerry Garcia, his vocals by Lowell George, and the fingerstyle techniques by Leo Kottke (among others).

A self-confessed avid skier, surfer and yogi, this Venice, CA-based musician who was born in Connecticut and got his first real taste of band life back in the 1990s in Boulder, Colorado (after he and some friends started a highly sought-after jam band there), has spent approximately six months out of each of the last five years on the road, playing countless shows in southern California and the other western states, as well as in the Rocky Mountain region, the northeast, midwest and even Europe (back in 1999, during a three-month tour there)..

"Audiences in Europe REALLY don't hold back AT ALL," Hawley said, laughing, obviously still relishing fond memories of the 1999 tour that took his girlfriend at the time and himself to Spain, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. "The people in those countries were sooo incredibly supportive of us during that time! It was pre-9/11, pre-Iraq War, and it just felt very, very right for us to be there then."

Hawley's new album, which is slated for release later this year, is the first album he's done that contains all studio tracks. "The studio is a whole 'nother instrument to get your fingers AND your mind around," Hawley told me last week, when he and his band were still regularly e - Sun Valley Online

The Christopher Hawley Rollers are a band you find in a juke joint on the side of Route 62, letting the dust come in and coating bar top, boots and guitar fret boards; playin’ crowd-pleasers ‘til sunrise and going home with enough money in the pocket to come back next week. At least, that’s the sound they’re maintaining, and that’s a respectable place to be for most people looking for this kind of stripped-down California Americana. The guest stars are impressive on the band’s third record and first all-studio album, Comes Around Again, seeing Bill Payne of Little Feat on keys and John Steward from the mighty Fishbone on drums. You haven’t yet found Chris on your nephew’s iPod or on Top 40 radio, but they’ll be around for years, and with a swath of followers behind them in every city from here to the Mississippi.

The songs are easy to learn, whether it’s the lyrics, the guitars, or the rhythm. Singer-songwriter Christopher Hawley isn’t afraid to polarize certain groups to maintain the songs he wants, as by the time we’re halfway through the album we know he’s anti-war and into Jesus. The songs are as unthreatening and easy-going as his voice, but it also makes some of the content ineffectual and the songs a bit lacking in power. The choruses are a little drawn out as the titles of the tracks tend to be repeated for the bread and butter of the songs. The easygoing verses work for other tracks though, like ‘Bank Robbing Man,’ ‘Home,’ and ‘Tecate On A Hot Day,’ where the simple stories and rhymes come out easy atop guitar melodies plucked by summer air and the hands of de-stress and enjoyment.

By the end of the record it’s clear we’re more likely to find Christopher Hawley in, as his Bio lists, “ski towns, beach bars, and college towns” and certainly nearer the typical folk acoustic scene. The occasional slide guitar and wispy, faraway melodies can at times feel like the old cowboy country first heard in it, but the man doesn’t seem to have any dire blues to harp on, and he probably wouldn’t try to harvest them if he did. The reality is the Rollers’ style changes up considerably song to song, from reggae to rock, folk, and gospel.

Positivity is a virtue, but there has to be some sort of drama to keep most new fans coming back for more. One thing that comes from complete coolness is that the Christopher Hawley Rollers want to leave you be. They’d love you to listen, relax, and have a “gold Tecate on a hot day” with them, but they won’t push it, they just want to push the positive scene. And with a record like Comes Around Again, all they can do is give. If it’s not a treasure chest for one, it could be for another. It’s unsuspecting, without demand, and the furthest thing from pretense you’ll find.

A weak hand for some, enough people will cheer with relief for the gentle vibes, and that explains how the band has come this far. Chris and the Rollers are on the brink of national exposure after having worked and toured internationally for over ten years, and they’ll surely continue to find their niche, whether it’s in beach bars or on the big stage. SKOPE out the Christopher Hawley Rollers on their Myspace, http://www.myspace.com/christopherhawleyrollers. The Rollers’ third record dropped on April 1st on iTunes and Amazon, so see if it’s what you need at the start of this sunny season.

By: Sean Flynn

http://skopemag.com/2010/05/04/christopher-hawley-rollers-comes-around-again - Skope Magazine

“You have some truly great music going on.”
BILL PAYNE, LITTLE FEAT

“playin’ crowd-pleasers ‘til sunrise and going home with enough money in the pocket to come back next week
the Rollers’ style changes up considerably song to song, from reggae to rock, folk, and gospel… stripped-down California Americana

The guest stars are impressive on the band’s third record and first all-studio album, Comes Around Again, seeing Bill Payne of Little Feat on keys and John Steward from the mighty Fishbone on drums.
…the furthest thing from pretense you’ll find”
SKOPE MAG

“new folk gold” “the Rollers’ atmosphere is inclusiveness”
“certain versatility in every CHR song that allows for diverse interpretations by varying ensembles”
“his unique brand of genuine, organic musical expression is a mishmash of vivid fretwork, approachable songwriting, thumping bass, and percussion that truly shines on his latest effort, The Roots of the Tree” … a bubbly harmony of rhythm and melody that inspires a little extra lift on the soles.”
SANTA MONICA COLLEGE CORSAIR NEWSPAPER

“golden-throated Venetian…”
ARGONAUT

“The sound quality on The Roots of the Tree is very good overall with the guitars and vocals coming through nicely.”
“They play together well, in a tightly cohesive style while kicking up the boogie factor.”
“Songs are drizzled with the flavor of Eric Clapton's early solo work.”
“This is a fun listen from start to finish, featuring some excellent guitar work with a laid back vibe.”
MUSICTAP.NET

“He aspires to write songs that are fun to listen to and speak on a deeper level.”
VAIL DAILY

“roadwise songcraft”
“rocking troubadour”
FLAG LIVE

“songs that have a real positive vibe and message…soundtrack-like or picturesque…evoke images…recapture the feeling or scene…”
DESERET NEWS

“Christopher Hawley’s songs will bring the rain and end the drought. It’s true! Well at least his song ‘Waiting for the Snow’ has been known to bring snow to tour stops in Colorado.”
“Each concert away from home brings new adventure, and each adventure brings new songs. A gifted musician and lyricist, Hawley captures the immensurable emotions of his exhilarating lifestyle and the shared experiences of the people he meets along the way.”
“…with soulful vocals and honest delivery from a man who’s lived the life to tell the tale.”
HERALD TRIBUNE - various