By Jim Barber
A a lot admired, deeply revered, and endlessly convivial staple of the Kingston, Canada music scene, Rob Watkins is what you’d name a songwriter’s songwriter. His vocation and goal in life is to jot down songs – to meld collectively phrases, melodies, chords and varied devices, together with his voice, and create an aural car by way of which to share tales, to course of emotion, to entertain, to enlighten, to elucidate and to create a legacy of artwork that brings which means. Prolific and profound on the similar time, Watkins frequently posts songs, snippets of songs, tough concepts and accomplished soundscapes on his social media accounts, giving those that see and luxuriate in them a glimpse into his thoughts, his spirit and his course of.
And he additionally shares his creativity within the extra conventional milieu of the album, together with the old-school-is-new-school-again bodily technique.
Sunshine is his most up-to-date launch, an impartial album consisting of 10 songs recorded in a holistic, stripped down and really intimate method, – making a vibe that evokes scenes of a small espresso home, a quiet bar lounge, or perhaps a entrance porch or lounge. It’s one in every of his skills to have the ability to craft songs for any event, any venue and any emotional environment, as he has run the gamut from arduous rock, to Americana to people all through his 50 plus years penning his personal tunes.
His earlier album, 40 Watt Glow, launched in 2023, was a extra elaborate operation each from a writing and a manufacturing standpoint, because it concerned many friends, extra refined preparations and manufacturing. Sunshine is mild on frills, mild in tone, however arguably simply as compelling a group of music. There may be depth within the sparseness, and a lightness that belies the seeming darkness of a lot of the world round us.
“40 Watt Glow was form of my apex, I suppose you would possibly name it. For that one, I simply started working with all of the individuals I had dreamed of working with through the years, one in every of which was Kim Berly of The Stampeders on drums, and lots of people from the native scene right here who I admired, so it was only a form of huge array of individuals from round Kingston that I’d needed to work with. However Sunshine is all me. I did all of the devices, and I don’t imply to sound big-headed about that. It was very deliberate. The studio that I work with, with my songwriting accomplice Tom Harpell, he’s obtained a studio in his home, this little 10 x 10 room and we’ve a small Tascam recorder,” Watkins stated over the telephone from his dwelling close to Kingston, the place he lives together with his spouse of 35-plus years, Trish.
“We’ve been recording collectively as a duo underneath the moniker Watkins Harp for the previous 15 or so years now. So, I had this group of songs, and so they actually weren’t having something to do with our duo. These had been simply songs that I’d gathered, you already know, like several songwriter. And I had a selected path with this album. I needed it to be not so melancholy as the opposite stuff I put out. I need it to be a extra upbeat, extra optimistic message. Therefore the title, Sunshine. It simply felt prefer it was time for me to precise myself that approach. I simply need to put a happier, lighter, light-hearted array of songs collectively and that’s what that is. Musically I believe it’s a mixture of some Roots Americana with a bit British Invasion type melodies,” he stated.
Watkins is of a era to do not forget that explicit cultural invasion within the mid-Nineteen Sixties, notably The Beatles, though he was precociously younger to grasp their creative significance and cultural affect. He simply knew they had been good and made music that spoke to him – and to just about everybody he knew. The talents of statement that serve him so nicely now as a songwriter had been there at the same time as a child, and what he noticed when John, Paul, George and Ringo appeared in black and white on the large display screen of his native theatre left an enduring mark – and lit a fireplace inside his spirit – a blaze that burns as brightly in the present day because it ever has.
“The Beatles, they’re the most important affect on me. I used to be principally raised on them and their music. My brother was seven years older than me, so when the Beatles hit, he was in his early teenagers and I used to be about 4 or 5. So I used to be form of weaned on that music and I liked it. And a vivid reminiscence for me was my mother and father as soon as gave my brother some cash so we may go and see the film Assist at an area theatre the place we lived in Montreal on the time. After we obtained there, it was only a mob, a sea of youngsters. That’s all it was, younger youngsters and such. And even earlier than the movie was flickering on the display screen, the place goes nuts – all people’s screaming. All I keep in mind concerning the film was the visuals. You couldn’t hear a factor for the youngsters screaming, and that is in a film theatre,” he stated.
“Sooner or later, not lengthy after, I distinctly keep in mind sitting in my yard with a gaggle of buddies and I had this music rolling round in my head, and I simply instinctively knew that I hadn’t heard it wherever earlier than. The place’d it come from? It should have come from me, it’s one thing that I composed, this music. Quick ahead to after I was a teen, about 14 or 15, my English trainer obtained me into writing poetry. He knew that I liked music and writing music, and he stated, ‘have you ever ever considered marrying the 2, as a result of actually that’s what a music is. You write both a narrative or a poem or a sonnet and you set it to music.’ That’s when the freakin’ mild bulb went off. However once more the inspiration got here from The Beatles and in addition Hank Williams, completely. The primary music that I ever actually tuned into was really Rock Across the Clock by Invoice Haley and the Comets. I heard that and I actually fell backwards and was like, what is that this?!’”
Over greater than 5 many years of crafting his personal songs, there’s clearly been an evolution in content material, type and course of. For Watkins, it’s not a lot that he’s made radical adjustments in what he does and the way he does it, however within the mindset that he has now in comparison with 10, 20, even 30 or extra years in the past. The center is beginning to rule the thoughts, and together with that, adventurism has changed any trepidation.
“I do what feels proper to me. And I’m additionally very curious, you already know, particularly with different songwriters. That’s the primary query I’ll ask if I do know somebody does what I do. There’s that instantaneous connection and I all the time need to know the way they do it. We’re all completely different. All of us have completely different M.O.s I suppose, and its no matter works for you. And consider me, it’s taken me years to hone that ability to lastly arrive at this place the place I can say, ‘okay, I’m not so insecure anymore. I’m not afraid to simply put stuff on the market, or submit it on-line.’ I like doing it as a result of it’s suggestions for me. It’s not feeding my ego, it’s gathering suggestions. It’s me saying, ‘there’s one thing on this. There’s one thing on this music or in these lyrics, there’s one thing that I form of like. What do you suppose?’” he stated.
“I’m not taking part in as a lot as I used to and I don’t have the alternatives to get the fabric on the market to a dwell viewers as a lot as I used to. The brand new group I’m in, The Maduros, when it initially began, we stated it was going to be like 90 per cent originals and the remainder covers. And the blokes stated, ‘nicely, I suppose we received’t be taking part in that a lot. We’ve obtained plenty of new covers, and we wish to have the ability to play within the bars.’ And I stated okay, however my caveat was I nonetheless get the throw a few originals within the set simply to appease me. So what we do is we go into the gig, we play the quilt tunes, the viewers likes, then we throw these originals in and see what the response is first, after which if individuals like them we are saying, ‘oh, by the best way, that’s an authentic.’ So there’s no strain on us and there’s no strain on them. And, once more, it’s a great way to gauge if individuals like a music. And in the event that they do, examine that one off and that’s going to go on the subsequent album or no matter. However it’s a must to get some form of suggestions. And God bless my spouse. I imply, for 35 years she’s listened to plenty of crap from me. However as a result of she doesn’t play an instrument, she’s not a musician, she’s my viewers. She represents the individuals within the viewers when she’s the one who says, ‘hey, that’s fairly good,’ or ‘I believe you’ve obtained one thing there.’ As a result of each music I write and I deliver to her, I’m like, ‘hear, it’s a success,’ and she or he says, ‘yeah, you already know you stated that concerning the different 90 songs.’”
It’s that openness and willingness to be weak, not simply to his spouse, however to random social media of us or dwell audiences that marks probably the most vital space of progress for Watkins as a creator. As many of us usually discover out, opening oneself up is definitely extra liberating to the psyche than all the time been on guard.
“I’m far more assured than I used to be even 15 years in the past. I believe it’s that I discovered that it’s okay to be weak. And as a songwriter, I believe it’s a must to be. I’m additionally extra introspective now. Once more, I’m not afraid to point out my vulnerability, to say I’m an insecure man and I get jealous or I’m terrified of this or that, or nervous about getting outdated – no matter it is likely to be. So, in that respect I’m extra snug in my pores and skin now and I can say these items with out worrying about what another person says. Look, critique is critique. If somebody writes that my album was mediocre at finest and blah, blah, blah, nicely after all it hurts, however it’s a critic’s job to critique, good or unhealthy. Tom and I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate over the course of about 12 or 13 years of placing out albums as Watkins Harp. They’ve been very profitable in Europe and we’ve accomplished so much, so the accolades are nice. However there’s going to be a time after we put out an album and those self same persons are going to say it sucks. It’s going to occur, and I’m okay with that. Not all the pieces I do goes to achieve success or no matter which means. After I hear again to my songs from 30, 40 years in the past, I can inform I wasn’t writing songs for myself. I used to be making an attempt to impress individuals. I used to be making an attempt to jot down and sing what they needed to listen to, play the music they needed to listen to. I simply wasn’t very truthful. So these songs sound very distant to me now. Those I’m writing now are far more genuine and actual and sincere,” he stated, including that in addition to his method and mindset relating to songwriting evolving over time, so has his definition of what it means to be ‘profitable.’
“Effectively, 30, 40 years in the past, it was all about getting a report contract, signing with a report firm, particularly a significant label. That was the aim. And for me, if I didn’t obtain that, I should be a failure. I keep in mind turning 40 and I used to be so down as a result of I assumed, rattling, right here I’m a 40-year-old man, with children and an unsuccessful marriage, and I checked out myself as a failure as a result of I hadn’t achieved that brass ring. I by no means obtained signed, so I’m not profitable. Now, we did get an opportunity. Tom and I had been signed to a smaller label in England, Revolver Information, and that was extra of a distribution deal. However hey, we nonetheless obtained signed to a label. I used to be 59, and Tom was 60 one thing, so a few outdated geezers. So we lastly obtained it. We obtained the dream. There’s the brass ring; it’s in our fingers. We’re signed now. They’re going to do all this work for us. Effectively, it’s like most different issues, when you obtain it and also you get there you’re pondering, ‘huh, this isn’t what I assumed it was going to be.’ No, to me, success, it’s extra about me. I do know it sounds egocentric, however success to me is what makes me pleased. So success isn’t me having to make inventive compromises and never being myself and promoting 1,000,000 data, or having hundreds of thousands of downloads or being performed on the radio. Don’t get me incorrect, all that stuff is nice, as a result of Watkins Harp is being performed on the radio and we’re on tv and all that form of stuff. It’s good, however it doesn’t outline my life anymore. In my expertise, when you get even a small style of it, you simply notice it’s not what it’s all cracked as much as be. It actually isn’t.”
So primarily based on what we’ve been speaking about above, the shifts in method, the willingness to reveal his proverbial soul, to permit himself to be open to critique, to harness the writing spirit that’s already there, the method has matured alongside the person who is Rob Watkins. A part of that course of is to stroll into a brand new album venture open to what and the place the muse takes him when it comes to a attainable general theme or tone to the report.
“It’s form of like a painter sitting down at their easel with a clean canvas. You’ve got a imaginative and prescient in your head, possibly, or an thought. And also you simply begin to paint. For me, because the songs begin to collect, and after I’m about 5 or 6 songs into it, I do typically say to myself that they’re leaning kind of in a technique. However I can’t actually say that I put any extra thought into it than that. I don’t function that approach. I simply collect the tunes, after which assemble them as I type of see match. In relation to songwriting, after I sit down to jot down, I may need an thought or a germ of an thought in my head. However 99 per cent of the time, I simply let no matter it’s that should come out, come out. I don’t pressure it anymore, as a result of these are the songs the place I say, ‘okay, I’m going to jot down a music about so and so,’ they’re often shit. They’re simply absolute crap. However the ones that I write, and typically I’ll write three or 4 songs a day, and so they’re all duds, and I’d undergo every week like that, however it’s an train for me. Then as soon as in a blue moon, one thing will come, and it’s all the time from out of left area, and I’ll suppose, ‘I didn’t see that coming. I wrote it so quick.’ It was just like the music was pre-written for me. These are the particular ones that I gravitate to and those that often get launched,” he defined.
“Most of it’s inspiration. As I stated, I’m very tuned in proper now, and I do know that there’s one thing else on the market form of guiding me. Right here’s a humorous factor. I obtained an opportunity to satisfy Bryan Adams again within the fall. I went to one in every of his live shows and went backstage and stuff. And one of many questions that I requested him was, ‘how do you write a music?’ And earlier than he answered I stated, ‘is it extra of a religious factor? Do you’re feeling just like the heavens have opened up and so they’ve given you this divine knowledge.’ He goes, ‘no, I simply sit with my guitar and begin riffing. ‘Summer season of ‘69’ – increase! I used to be simply riffing on a few chords, subsequent factor I knew, I had a music.’ And I obtained it, as a result of that’s all the time been my M.O. Ninety per cent of the time I do write the music first after which the lyrics come on high of that. I’m simply sitting down, banging out chords and one thing simply form of clicks in you. He’s most likely one of many world’s finest songwriters so it was fascinating to listen to his spin on that. His take is that he simply lets it come to him. It’s going to occur, or it’s not. And it’s true.
“More often than not, I’m strumming some chords and I type of repeat them and repeat the sample and form of define the music that approach, whereas I’m buzzing alongside. In different phrases there’s an intro, right here’s a few verses, there’s going to be a refrain, does it want a bridge, no matter. I actually undergo that quite a few occasions as a result of in my head it offers me an opportunity to say, ‘if I sing it this manner, that’s my melody line, that’ll go over that approach.’ After which I’ll work out my harmonies on the similar time. However that is all occurring in my head. Like, I’ll know this wants drums, nope, this wants strings, nope, this music wants no matter it’s. That’s my regular sample – it’s guitar first, work out the construction of the music, provide you with the lyrics, which might be the toughest half for me. Versus after I used to combat for lyrics and need to say one thing cool, now I’m like, ‘why don’t I strive talking from my coronary heart?’ And, increase, the phrases come out like a shotgun. But it surely took me years to get thus far and be snug simply type of moving into the stream of it.”
Clearly, primarily based on the position that music has performed and continues to play in Watkins’ life, he believes within the therapeutic energy of the artwork kind, its skill to affect hearts, minds, souls and spirits of not simply listeners, however these whose craft, vocation and calling is to create music.
“I believe music has all the time been essential to individuals; it’s this religious factor that we don’t even notice is having an affect on us. I imply, the vibrations of notes have an effect on us. I actually consider music has therapeutic powers. I actually see that it does have the facility to vary us, to vary our views, to make us really feel liked, make us really feel needed. It’s relatable – music is that one whole widespread denominator all through all humanity. Everybody on the planet can settle for music. That’s the one factor that we’ve as a planet – there’s not an individual or a soul on the face of the earth who can say they hate music of any kind. That has by no means been stated in all of humanity. It’s our connection. That’s what it’s. It’s one factor that binds us all collectively. That’s why it’s so nice,” he stated.
“I’ve handled psychological well being points most of my grownup life, and it’s actually my remedy, as a result of it’s such a strong outlet. For me it has these therapeutic properties the place I can vent and type of purge myself that approach. It’s nearly like one other aspect of me, as bizarre as this will likely sound, typically after I’m sitting down writing a music, it’s nearly like there’s the ghost of me sitting throughout from me in one other chair, and I’m in a position to speak to that different individual, that different a part of me and simply say, ‘right here’s what I’m feeling. I’m actually down in the present day. I really feel shitty.’ And it’s type of me me the place I’m able to say that to the opposite aspect of me, which helps not solely get the emotions out, but in addition helps me with the music. Music helps me form of take a look at the within of myself, from the skin.”
Watkins’ accomplice in life and love, spouse Trish, as talked about above, isn’t solely his main viewers, however important inspiration – actually his muse. But it surely was not from some deeply ethereal, passionate romantic motivation that led to the lead-off monitor for Sunshine, ‘Get It Executed.’ As a substitute it was from the type of mundanity of on a regular basis life, however but nonetheless tinged with deep affection.
“We dwell in an outdated farmhouse, so the home by no means had a correct pantry or large kitchen. And my spouse stated she all the time needed an outdated farmhouse with a pantry. So the again part to the home or laundry room space is fairly huge too. And informed her I may construct one thing there within the nook. However as I type of chipped away at it right here and there, she was a bit anxious, and actually needed it accomplished. And I used to be procrastinating and she or he was actually form of poking me asking when was I going to get it accomplished. Sooner or later after I was simply sitting with the guitar I went, ‘hey wait a minute, there’s an thought.’ And that’s principally what the music is about – it’s me constructing this pantry for her and simply making an attempt to get it accomplished in time for her to get her stuff all moved. It’s a quite simple music, however that’s precisely the way it took place. I simply sat down in the future and had that line that I ‘obtained to get it accomplished.’ So I used to be really procrastinating about doing the work and the procrastination led me to jot down a music,” he stated, speaking admiringly concerning the love of his life, with whom he’s been for 4 many years, 35 of them as husband and spouse.
“She’s all the time been in my nook, by way of thick and skinny, by way of the worst of it. Consider me, I bleed my coronary heart out to her after I’m annoyed or a gig didn’t go nicely, or I obtained shafted cash, you already know. She’s all the time had my again. She’s all the time backed me up and fought with me, in order that’s fairly uncommon to search out if you may get somebody in your nook like that. And yeah, she’s my muse. I write a ton of affection songs for her. She’s impressed most of my music. When somebody asks me how lengthy I’ve been writing, I say, ‘oh, a mere 50 years.’ And I’ve most likely written about 4,000 songs or one thing like that – I get bored straightforward. However you already know, out of these 4,000, most likely 3,000 are written for her.”
One other stand-out monitor on the album, and one which appealed to the creator of this text, a longtime former small-town group journalist, a wry and witty tackle the Warholian notion of fame, ‘Residence City Information.’
“That got here to me simply as I used to be falling asleep one night time. And it was simply earlier than I knew I used to be going to go and see Bryan Adams and meet him, which was a giant deal for me. I do know I wrote that music to form of push to him. Though he doesn’t work with different songwriters, he doesn’t take different songs, I knew he wouldn’t take it. Nonetheless, it was a type of songs the place I stated, ‘I can hear him singing this,’ and sing it approach higher than me. It was loosely primarily based on my expertise of being form of huge information for a short time [he went the late-1980s version of viral for claiming to have eaten 10,000 boxes of Kraft dinner, getting interviewed by major media outlets and even getting an invitation to be on David Letterman’s show] after which will get simply forgotten, and he makes excuses for being forgotten,” he stated, as we moved on to the music ‘Poisonous’ which is a couple of fellow native musician who had a day job that was so terrible at occasions that it was impacting each side of her life and well being.
“It was written for this pal of mine and she or he had a extremely essential, actually high-profile job. I hadn’t heard from her for fairly some time after which type of out of the blue she shot me this message and stated, ‘I’m actually sorry I haven’t been in contact, and I apologize for that, however I’ve been going by way of these items at work.’ And I used to be unhappy to listen to what occurred. As she defined it to me, one of many issues she stated was that the atmosphere simply grew to become so poisonous. We went forwards and backwards for about 20 minutes and that phrase ‘poisonous’ simply stored rolling round in my mind and as soon as we signed off Messenger I instantly wrote the music. It simply got here out. Fifteen minutes later I noticed I had it, I had the music. After which I rapidly grabbed my guitar, had the phrases sitting in entrance of me, recorded it, and despatched her that as a message. I stated, ‘I simply wrote you this music. What do you suppose?’ She’s like, ‘oh f***! Are you the AI of songwriters? That’s superb, we had been simply speaking about this.’ I informed her the dialog actually struck a chord in me and I felt unhealthy for her. I assumed, god rattling, an ideal job like that, she’s making a great deal of cash, however she was simply so sad. And that was the factor about it, I believe she felt on the time it was actually interfering together with her marriage. And I assumed that was f***ing horrible. Like, nobody ought to undergo that, and if it’s affecting your well being, your happiness, your marriage and your sanity, there’s no sum of money that’s value it.
“The primary message behind the music is that when issues get that unhealthy, and also you’re that weak, you gotta bail. That’s the entire message: it’s not value it. Tomorrow’s one other day, one thing new will come alongside. You’ll survive. That’s the primary factor. You’ll survive this poisonous scenario no matter it could be, however you gotta bail. You gotta get out of it. So whether or not that’s bodily abuse, verbal abuse, your job, no matter it’s, and it’s a tough step to take, however it’s a must to put that foot ahead and transfer on.”
One of many extra evocative songs on Sunshine, and one which form of got here out of nowhere inspiration clever, is the second final monitor the sweetly sentimental ‘Priscilla.’
“That’s written for Priscilla Presley [former wife of Elvis and mother of the late Lisa Marie]. She was on the present Tamron Corridor and she or he’s obtained to be like 80 or one thing now [she turns 81 on May 24] So I’m watching her and pondering, ‘wow, her pores and skin is pulled so tight on her face, it’s gonna snap. She’s all the time been a fantastic lady and she or he simply launched one other ebook, a second type of autobiography [Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis.] And on the present she was telling tales, not a lot concerning the Elvis factor, however simply the stuff that she’s had occur to her. So this was after Lisa Marie died, plus her grandson [Benjamin Keough] had dedicated suicide, and despite the fact that she’s this huge movie star, she’s a human being on the finish of the day, and she or he’s gone by way of a lot stuff. And I assumed, you already know, good or unhealthy, no matter you need to say about her, I although she’s a extremely sturdy lady. That was what got here by way of in that interview. I assumed, boy in case you type of slice by way of all the pieces, she’s a really, very sturdy lady to have gone by way of what she’s gone by way of and are available out the opposite aspect, and having to do all of it within the public eye, which is a tough factor to take care of.”
For extra data on Sunshine, Watkins-Harp and extra, go to https://watkinsharp.bandcamp.com/album/sunshine-2.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
