Six West

by Chris Pilger
I Can if I Want
Fall 2009 Spotlight 13
14 Fall 2009 Spotlight
Those lyrics are from “I Can If I Want,”
a song co-written by Jason Hastie CA, but
they also provide an insight into Jason’s life
philosophy. His genuine enthusiasm and
passion for all he does is evident as he talks
about his various projects over breakfast in his
favourite Calgary diner, The Belmont. From
professional to entertainer, entrepreneur to
author, Jason integrates his disparate identities,
goals and values into an engaging whole.
Interestingly, though, that riskier, chase your-
dreams approach wasn’t always part of
Jason’s life. “I had a bit of the ‘quarter-life’
crisis that people talk about,” Jason admits.
“Until that point, things had been very
prescribed—I had gone to university, graduated
with a commerce degree, started articling,
and earned my CA designation.” Those steps,
while incredibly educational and valuable, are
also very set. “The next move was always very
apparent,” Jason says. “You never had to answer
the ‘what’s next’ question.” It was only after
some reflection, and time, that Jason really
began to consciously fuse together all parts
of his personality into the ambitious, multifaceted
path he is on today.
The Professional
Even though it seems the seeds of being a CA
were planted fairly early, Jason didn’t originally
start down the path towards a CA designation.
“Coming out of high school in Saskatchewan, I
actually enrolled in an engineering program at
university,” Jason says. After only one semester,
though, Jason felt something wasn’t right. “It
became apparent that an engineering career
wouldn’t be fulfilling for me. The best way I
can explain it is that it just didn’t fit.” So, he
left university and turned to one of his first
loves, music.
Jason spent time travelling throughout the
US with a Christian-affiliated band before
returning to school. “It was a fun time for me,
and I really enjoyed performing, but I knew I
had to return to school.” So, he entered the
business faculty and soon set his sights on a
CA designation.
After completing his degree, Jason worked
at Hergott Duval Stack, a local firm in
Saskatoon, and completed the Masters of
Professional Accounting (MPAcc) program
at the University of Saskatchewan. He
still has fond memories of that small-firm
environment, and credits it with providing
the foundation for his success today. “You
really got to see all aspects of a business—what
made them successful, what didn’t work. You
also really learned to ask a lot of questions, a
trait which has since proven invaluable.”
Like many others, Jason then looked
west for a new challenge. “Alberta just
seemed like it had such a business-oriented,
entrepreneurial culture—that has always
appealed to me, so it made sense to make a
move.” He relocated to Calgary and began
working at BDO Dunwoody, where he really
began to seek out opportunities that interested
him personally and professionally.
However, it wasn’t long before Jason’s
entrepreneurial side moved to the forefront,
and he started his own small financial
consulting practice. “One of the things
I always appreciated most was making
personal connections with clients and
helping them succeed. Working with clients
on an individual basis seemed like a natural
progression and a way to use my skills to help
people and really have an impact,” Jason says.
His information technology background
also led Jason to another professional role—he
acts as a consultant, on a part-time basis,
for Long View Systems, an IT service and
solution company headquartered in Calgary,
with branch offices in Edmonton, Vancouver,
Victoria, as well as Denver, Dallas and
Houston in the US. “My own company was
doing well, but it’s all about experiences in
I like to do things my own way
Same old same old don’t feel right…
I don’t know what happens next I guess
But I’ll ride the wave with no regrets
The Entrepreneur
While his professional experiences
have varied, they all reflect, in some way,
Jason’s entrepreneurial attitude. Of course,
that is most apparent in the financial
consulting firm he started, but it is part of
all those professional roles. “To me, being
entrepreneurial is a way of looking at the
world and how you approach your work,”
Jason states. “You can act entrepreneurially,
even if you are working in the middle layer
of a large organization. Working hard, taking
calculated risks, being aware of the bottom
line and how what you are doing is of value
are all entrepreneurial characteristics that
anyone can have.”
Jason’s entrepreneurial roots started back in
high school, when he noticed the menus at
a local restaurant could use some updating.
“I got out my dot-matrix printer, made
up a sample, went to the restaurant and
pitched them on my new menu concept.”
The restaurant’s owners took Jason up on
his offer, and he had his first sales and first
entrepren - Spotlight 2009

Six West is a Calgary based duo featuring the talents of Abbey Powell and Jason Hastie – the act was initially known as Deuces Wild but underwent a name change in late 2008. Beautiful Something marks the debut album release by the twosome, who are “unattached” despite the messages and themes that are found in many of the songs on the album which contains six songs they have co-written, several of them with Nashville based Canuck, Tim Taylor.
The album has already served up a couple of single releases in “You Got Me Thinkin’” and the title track “Beautiful Something”. There are a bunch more here with should create even greater impact with radio, not the least being “It’s Easy For Girls”, a dating song debating who has it tougher - the ‘guy’ or the ‘girl’. Nobody wins the struggle, but the jaunty vocal work by Hastie and Powell make this a real keeper.
- By larry Delaney in Country Music News