ThereB次元官网网址檚 magic in music.

It gives a soul to the universe and expresses those things that canB次元官网网址檛 be put into words.

Hawksley Workman knows those fundamental truths and, for 25 years, has shared the music in his soul with the world.

B次元官网网址淢aking music is the life that chose me, I didnB次元官网网址檛 choose it,B次元官网网址� Workman says. B次元官网网址淎t the end of the day, I suppose itB次元官网网址檚 about the craft but, sometimes, when I sit down and write a song, it transcends that craft and becomes more.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 why, while Workman has an appreciation of contemporary music and musicians, his playlist on the road tends to include music by iconic musicians of the 20th century.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a child of the 20th century, after all. My formative years were in a world that was very simple, before the internet. In the B次元官网网址�80s we thought we were at the height of modernity. We flew before 9/11 and we took our music with us on a Walkman. There were newspapers, Much Music and commercial radio. It was before our culture became this categorized, a la carte thing.B次元官网网址�

WorkmanB次元官网网址檚 2020 album, Less Rage More Tears, is indicative of his approach to music.

In it, the two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter took us on a tour of his early days in the business with a mix of indie rock, pop, techno and dance music, mixed with soul-warming rhythms and lyrics.

His 2023 release of Obsessed was born when Workman was last in B.C. on a month-long tour and grew from his collaboration with Steve Bays, a musician who Workman described as B次元官网网址渁 creative genius of ridiculous proportions.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 get me wrong, I can appreciate the modern music of today, but I sometimes wonder whether any of it is going to be part of the cultural architecture of the future,B次元官网网址� he says.

B次元官网网址淚 know that I have to keep a realistic feel to the music I make. I see young people today working toward overnight virality (on TikTok) and it has nothing to do with music. ItB次元官网网址檚 all about identity B次元官网网址� identity long before they have the music figured out.B次元官网网址�

WorkmanB次元官网网址檚 own musical journey has had enough twists and turns to allow him to hone his sound into a unique genre-defying style. It strings together folk, pop, cabaret and more, and its subject matter ranges from the weather to love, to heartbreak and tales of the end-times.

And although he has seen both amazing periods of massive popularity and times of deep depression, heB次元官网网址檚 learned from it all, and itB次元官网网址檚 reflected in his music.

B次元官网网址淭ime can whiz by so quickly, and I know that IB次元官网网址檓 a different person now than I was in the past. There were times when I was on the road, surrounded by alcohol and stuff, when the road could be a very dangerous place,B次元官网网址� Workman says.

B次元官网网址淭here was a lot of pressure on me back then and, at times, I didnB次元官网网址檛 handle it well. IB次元官网网址檓 not that person now, and, for me, the road is a very productive place. IB次元官网网址檓 actually a better person on the road now than I am at home.B次元官网网址�

The truth of that assessment can be found in the astounding music that Workman has delivered in recent years and his sustained popularity in Canada and around the world.

Describing himself as a lucky person with the greatest job in the world, Workman says that performing in front of live audiences is the best part of the music business.

B次元官网网址淚 just finished an East Coast Tour, and I came back from Europe and the UK, and now IB次元官网网址檝e just started another tour, and I love it,B次元官网网址� Workman says.

Island performances:

Nov. 8: Sidney, at the Mary Winspear Theatre

Nov. 9: in Cumberland at The Waverly

Nov. 10: in Nanaimo at The Queens.

Find a full list of tour dates, plus ticket links and more information at