2022 - Present
When I started recording my new album, Chip Away at the Stone, I already had the ten songs written—carefully chosen from a group of 18. Over the past three years, I worked closely with Martin Bak and his team at SLR Studios to shape the sound and let the songs grow into what they were meant to be.
I didn’t rush the process. I let it unfold one song at a time—partly to fit a realistic budget, but mostly because I wanted each song to have its own space and stay as honest as possible. With SLR’s guidance, I was able to stay true to the heart of each track while crafting something I’m proud to share.
The result is a collection that explores what it means to wrestle with the world’s noise—expectations, pressure, past wounds—and emerge with something real. Chip Away at the Stone is about confronting the self in quiet moments, stepping outside the crowd, letting go of illusions, and choosing what really matters.
Each song reflects a piece of that journey: the exhaustion of trying to fit in (Facing the Crowd), the ache of disconnection (Under a Blue Light), the limits of control (Can’t Carry Mountains), and the hope of healing and freedom (We Can Be Anything, It’s Not Over). The album is honest about the struggle, but not without light. There’s resilience here—a steady movement toward truth, connection, and grace.
At its core, this album is about returning to what’s essential: learning to carry a light through the dark and discovering who you are when everything else falls away.
2016 - 2022
Nine Kinds of Crazy began when Mike Muzzatti and Chuck Arsenault invited me to join them for a recording session at Mike’s new basement studio. They were working on some of Chuck’s solo instrumental tracks. At the time, I was performing solo acoustic shows a couple of times a month and starting to focus more seriously on my own musical direction. I was also finishing up the video for Light, Shadow & Transparency, so I wasn’t sure if I was ready to dive into a new band project — but that hesitation didn’t last long.
The three of us began tracking songs together, exploring ideas, and developing a strong creative bond. Over time, we created three EPs as a group. By 2021, I felt a growing pull toward making a full solo album, though it took time to fully understand what that would mean for me. I ended up leaving the project rather abruptly — something I wish I had handled with more care — but I remain incredibly grateful for the time we shared and the music we made together. Looking back, I know stepping away was the right move, and I’m thankful I followed that instinct to work with Martin Bak and his team at SLR Studios.
2016
WRITTEN BY WILLIAM HAWKSWORTH © 2016 • PRODUCED, MIXED & MASTERED BY MARTIN BAK OF SLR STUDIOS • ENGINEERED & CO-PRODUCED BY JUSTIN DOW • VOCALS & ACOUSTIC GUITARS BY WILLIAM HAWKSWORTH • ALL DRUMS, BASS, KEYBOARDS & EXTRA PARTS WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH MARTIN BAK & JUSTIN DOW OF SLR STUDIOS • UNDER WATER VIDEO FOOTAGE CAPTURED BY JOE SYMCHYSHYN • DIGGING FOOTAGE CAPTURED BY JON GILLIES
For my first solo song, I wanted to try something different—so I brought together two songs I had written ten years apart. I’ve always loved longer, more experimental tracks, especially from my time in King Misfit, and this felt like the right moment to go a little outside the norm.
I was really into video production at the time, so I decided to create an official music video—something artistic and one-of-a-kind to match the song’s length and feel. I spent a lot of time developing the idea, and once I connected with Melissa Williams, the creative process really took off. She’s incredibly gifted—full of ideas and hardly needed any direction at all.
I poured everything I had into making the video. It took a while, mostly because I don’t move at a hustle pace when I’m working alone. That’s probably why I’ve always gravitated toward band settings. Still, looking back, I’m amazed at how it all came together—especially without any storyboarding. I just followed my gut and let creativity lead the way.
2009 - 2012
ALL SONGS WRITTEN, PERFORMED AND PRODUCED BY KING MISFIT © 2011 • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED • CO-PRODUCED, ENGINEERED, MIXED & MASTERED BY MARTIN BAK OF SLR STUDIOS • CREATIVE DIRECTION FOR ALBUM COVER BY MICHAEL DEAN MUZZATTI & WILLIAM HAWKSWORTH • GRAPHIC DESIGN AND BRANDING BY WILLIAM HAWKSWORTH • PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN HARRIS
King Misfit was an exciting and incredibly challenging project. I was surrounded by some seriously talented musicians, which pushed me to raise my game to the highest level I could. I’ve always loved heavy music, and this band finally gave me the chance to step into more of a frontman role, moving beyond the acoustic, personal songs I was used to.
One of my favourite parts of being in King Misfit was writing lyrics that matched the raw intensity of the music. It was like stepping into a character—I had to create a whole world and storyline for King Misfit. Singing with a powerful, gritty voice didn’t come easy either. I gave it everything in the studio, but I had to hold back a bit during live shows to avoid burning out halfway through the set.
I learned so much from this experience and will always reflect on the creative process with real appreciation and good memories.
2005 - 2008
ALL SONGS WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY 8IGHT PAST NINE © 2007 • ENGINEERED, MIXED & PRODUCED BY MARTIN BAK OF SLR STUDIOS • MASTERED BY CHUCK CARVALHO OF JOAO CARVALHO MASTERING, TORONTO ONTARIO • GRAPHIC DESIGN & BRANDING BY WILLIAM HAWKSWORTH • PHOTOGRAPHY BY RIKKI MELOCHE
8ight Past Nine originally began as the name I used for my solo work about a year before Kevin Jarvis and I decided to form a band again. Kevin liked the name, so we stuck with it—and by then, I had already started developing the logo and branding.
As we shared ideas and worked on a setlist of original songs, Kevin met Chuck Arsenault at Navy Yard Park in Amherstburg. Chuck was carrying his trumpet, and the two got talking about music. Before long, he joined us as our keyboard player. Chuck brought a strong background in music theory, which became a huge asset to the band. He also had a long-running musical partnership with bassist Todd Kidd, having played together for years in a touring cover band—so naturally, Todd joined us too.
We already had our sights set on Ken Money for drums, and it didn’t take long before he came on board. While Kevin and I were the main songwriters, every song was truly shaped by the whole band.
After finishing our album Stood in the Rain, we had a solid run and even came close to winning the Bodog Battle of the Bands. We began discussing a second album, but plans changed when Ken moved out west to Squamish, British Columbia. We brought in Fabio Rufo as our new drummer, and the band continued to play, including performances at the Amherstburg Wine Fest and a live show recorded by St. Clair College students for a local Cogeco Cable broadcast. (You can watch the videos below.)
2004
Back in 2004, I began collaborating with Jamie Reaume, a singer-songwriter from Windsor, Ontario. At the time, he was managing the Winter Rose benefit CD for Transition to Betterness and invited me to be part of it. I had been working on a new song, Between the Lines, so I asked Jamie and Cory McMahon to join me in recording it. We tracked the song at a studio in Chatham, Ontario—a place Jamie had worked at on several previous projects.
Around that time, Jamie and I spent a lot of hours working on songs together, recording demos at my place with the limited gear I had. During those sessions, I wrote the first version of what would eventually become Chip Away at the Stone, the title track of my new album. It had a different title back then. In 2020, while compiling songs for the album, I came across that original demo and connected with it in a completely new way—something I couldn’t have experienced back in 2004.
Jamie also contributed creative ideas to Fall Behind, which—along with Between the Lines—later found a home on the 8ight Past Nine album, Stood in the Rain.
PROJECT MANAGED BY JAMIE REAUME • ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE ALBUM BENEFITED TRANSITION TO BETTERNESS
2001-2003
Urban Disciples was founded by Kevin Jarvis and me in 2001. We’d been best friends since 1995—like brothers—and spent most of our time together. I taught Kevin a few guitar chords early on, and within a couple of years, he was writing songs alongside me.
We began forming the band by reaching out through Speakers Corner in downtown Windsor, where we connected with Alberto Leal (bongos/percussion) and Chris Gatto (drums). Mandy Avram (keys) and Pat Greenway (bass) completed the first lineup. Soon after, we recorded a 3-song demo.
Over the next two years, the band went through several lineup changes. Mandy left and was replaced by Ben Muresan on keys. Pat was filling in on bass until Richard Jaworski took over. Both Richard and Chris left during the recording sessions for the Changes album. George Manuary recorded all the drums, and Robert Ross handled all the bass on Changes. It was hard to keep a steady bass player—Jeff Meloche joined for a while, followed by Glen Latouf, who filled in for a few gigs. On drums, Greg Samek came in briefly, then Ken Money stayed until the end.
Urban Disciples was a challenging but passionate project. I gave it everything, but ongoing difficulties and growing tension, especially between Kevin and me, made it harder to continue. Eventually, it became a clash of egos, and I stepped away. Leaving wasn’t easy, but staying had become harder.
Kevin and I took the chords and melody from our first song we wrote together, “It Don’t Come Easy,” and transformed it into a Christmas song called “A New Light is Dawning.” We recorded it for the Christmas Mission: 2001 CD fundraiser to support The United Church Downtown Mission of Windsor.
We were in the middle of recording a second album, “On Brock Street,” but we disbanded before finishing it. Here are some samples from those sessions.
ALL SONGS PRODUCED BY URBAN DISCIPLES & ROBERT ROSS FOR IARC © 2002 • ENGINEERED BY ROBERT ROSS FOR IARC PRODUCTIONS, WINDSOR ONTARIO • MASTERED BY RON SKINNER OF HEADING NORTH MASTERING OF TORONTO ONTARIO • ENHANCED CD PROGRAMED BY ROBERT ROSS FOR IARC • VIDEOGRAPHY BY GAVIN BOOTH, MATT GERVAIS & ADAM KARPENKO • GRAPHICS BY WILL HAWKSWORTH & JEN BOUFFORD • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMIE SANDRE
2000
The project started when I posted a flyer at Long & McQuade in Windsor, Ontario, hoping to form my first original band. Chris Bondy reached out, and we quickly clicked as a songwriting duo.
A few months later, while we were recording rough ideas on Chris’s 4-track tape recorder, drummer Jeff LeLacheur got in touch. He was already jamming with guitarist Cory McMahon, so we set up a session—and it went really well.
We spent the next stretch rehearsing covers and working on original songs, eventually deciding to record a 5-song demo at Echo Digital Recording Studio—the only local studio I knew of at the time. None of us had any recording experience, and we didn’t even use a click track, so the timing is inconsistent. Looking back, I find the recordings embarrassing in terms of quality—but it is what it is. Despite that, I have a lot of great memories from the project.
ALL SONGS PRODUCED BY ORPHIC © 2000 • ORPHIC IS COMPRISED BY WILL HAWKSWORTH, CHRIS BONDY, CORY MCMAHON, JEFF LELACHEUR & SUSANNE THIBERT • RECORDED AT ECHO DIGITAL RECORDING STUDIO • GRAPHICS BY JENNIFER BOUFFORD • BREAK MY FALL, FURY’S EXHALE & OVERDRIVE WRITTEN BY WILL HAWKSWORTH • SMILE AGAIN & HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN WRITTEN BY CHRIS BONDY
1996
I grew up listening to my dad play songs around the campfire, and ever since I was a kid, I wanted to learn to play too. I finally picked up a guitar around the age of 16, and my dad taught me the basic chords to get started. By my senior year of high school, I was writing songs in the only way I knew how—learning by listening to my favorite artists.
One night, I was hanging out at Gavin Booth’s place, playing songs like Wheat Kings by The Tragically Hip. Someone asked if I had any originals, so I played a couple. Not long after, Gavin offered to connect me with his friend Ryan Fields, who had a multitrack recording setup at home. We started tracking some demos together.
I am embarrassed by those early songs, but here are a couple of short clips anyway—just for fun.
SONG WRITTEN BY WILL HAWKSWORTH © 1996 • ENGINEERED & MIXED BY RYAN FIELDS WITH HIS SMALL HOME STUDIO • BASS & LEAD GUITAR BY RYAN FIELDS • DRUMS BY GAVIN BOOTH • VOCALS & RHYTHM GUITAR BY WILL HAWKSWORTH