Another 24 Article - John Wort Hannam

My first actually published article for 24 Hours Calgary was on this Albertan singer songwriter called John Wort Hannam. He's actually really good, and i seriously recommend his album Queen's Hotel. You can find links and read the article by clicking "read more" below, I have included a screenshot as well.



http://johnworthannam.com
http://www.myspace.com/johnworthannam

Hannam's musical influenes shine through in his songs

John Wort Hannam is considered by many to be one of Canada's great singer-songwriters.

The unquestionable authenticity of his folk-tinged country songs is informed by his influences – legends such as Guy Clarke, and Loudon Wainwright, even Fred Eaglesmith.

“A lot of those guys are great storytellers and that's what first attracted me to songwriting, not necessarily the texture of the music but more the story, and getting that across.”

Hannam taught creative writing at the Kainai Nation reservation surrounded by a culture with a rich oral tradition for five years. Coming from a proud working class background, he left his steady and fulfilling job to pursue music full-time in 2003.

That now, four albums into his recording career, Hannam is still reflecting on that decision in songs such as on “With The Grain”, the opener off his new album Queen's Hotel, is a testament to the blue-collar values that play such an important role in his music.

His populist politics are most explicit in the broken dreams of “Requiem For a Small Town” and the pro-union song “Tonight We Strike”, but are also subtly woven in a much more personal way. Take, for instance, “Pier 21” when a father tells his son, “here's hoping a lifetime of coping has made you a better man” before he leaves home to make his own life.

Hannam's “down and out” realism is balanced by an honestly hopeful outlook and an eye on the big picture.

"I love sad songs, and songs with people that are struggling, but when I write about those topics I try to hae some semblance of hope attached to them as well," he says. "There's a lot of beauty in sad songs and I think that's what sort of attracts me to that subject matter."