Will Lawton (born 24 June 1974) is a British singer-songwriter, pianist, hang player,[1] and music therapist. He has been the song-writing force behind four EPs and six studio albums. Lawton’s music “weaves a tapestry of live piano with a supple and distinctive voice that speaks of love and loss, truth and lies, the whole spectrum of this painful, yet magical existence we call life”.[2] He draws inspiration from singer-songwriters including Ray LaMontagne, Eddie Vedder, Nick Drake and Ben Harper.
Will Lawton | |
|---|---|
 Will Lawton performing at Abbey House, Malmesbury in March 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 24 June 1974 |
| Origin | Somerset, England |
| Genres | Indie Rock, Cross-over Jazz, Folk, |
| Occupation(s) | Singer songwriter, music therapist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Piano, Hang |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Mad Ron Records, Will Lawton Music, Supermarine Music |
| Website | willlawtonmusic |
Music career
editLawton began his musical career after forming Orangutan with guitarist and drummer Joe Holweger and recording the Surprised Coconut EP[3] in west London. In 2001, Lawton with Neil Muttock on guitar formed The Zennor Project with band members Tracy Jane Sullivan, Peter Van Pletzen and Ashley Moffatt and released the Twist EP. Lawton, Holweger and Muttock reconvened and went on to release two albums, The Monkey and the Whale by Brontosaurus in 2006, and Ember by Orangutan in 2008
In 2012, Lawton performed with The Heavy. He went onto record a solo project, The Wood Room Session at Real World Studios. He formed The Home Fires[4] with Neil Muttock and Nikki Capp and performed at Priddy Folk Festival and Purbeck Folk Festival in 2012. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the band recorded This Too Shall Pass at Real World Studios, which featured musicians Phillip Henry (dobro), Hannah Martin (violin and vocals) and Bethany Porter (cello and vocals).
Lawton started working with drummer Weasel Howlett in 2015[5] and the duo went onto write and record Fossils of the Mind[6] at Real World Studios. The album was released in 2017,[7] with a vinyl release the following year after a successful crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter.[8] As of 2019, the band are active and regularly joined by Buddy Fonzarelli on bass guitar,[9] Ami Kaelyn on guitar and vocals and Harki Popli on tabla. They recorded a live session in March 2019 in the library at Abbey House in Malmesbury and released 'Abbey House Session' in 2020. Lawton currently performs solo, with his band and works as a music therapist. To accommodate the growing number of current band members, the band currently perform as 'Will Lawton and the Alchemists' and re-released 'Fossils of the Mind' under this name in 2020.
In April 2020, Will collaborated with a group of poets that he had never met after issuing an appeal for original poetry written during the time that the UK was in lockdown. He composed, recorded and co-produced 'Salt of the Earth' which was co-produced, mixed and mastered by Patrick Phillips. Each poem is embedded in meditative piano and ambient soundscapes and was released digitally in May 2020.
Lawton met Argentinian guitarist Ludwig Mack in October 2020 through Instagram. Mack had travelled to the UK to meet British musicians but arrived just hours before the first national lockdown. Stranded in a cottage in Hullavington, Wiltshire, the duo realised they lived only a few miles away from each other and began collaborating before recording and releasing a four track EP called ‘Heroes’, recorded and produced by Lucas Drinkwater at Polyphonic Recording in Stroud.[10]
In 2022, Will Lawton and the Alchemists recorded an EP titled ‘Alchemy’ at Play Pen Studios in Bristol, produced by Patrick Phillips. The band toured this EP around South West England in February and March of 2023[11] ahead of the release on 17th March 2023. The video from the lead single ‘Black Bricks’ was premiered on God Is In The TV.[12]
Reviewing Alchemy, The Big Takeover wrote that Will Lawton and the Alchemists are “an eclectic band that draws on all genres, from the grace of the classical world to the mathematics of jazz, from the drifts of folk to the ornateness and complex structures of the progressive world, Will’s piano leads his musical gang through some gorgeous and glorious sonic pastures”.[13]
Lawton has had radio play on BBC Wiltshire, BBC Bristol, BBC Somerset, BBC Airwaves Festival, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Gloucestershire and Scala Radio. His live performance has been described by Slap Magazine as “melodic and inventive…..a truly breath-taking performance”[14] and the music with his band has been described as “gloriously unique and brilliantly exploratory”[15] by Greenman publications and “refreshing, fascinating and exciting”[16] by Ocelot magazine.
Discography
editWill Lawton and the Alchemists
edit- Alchemy EP, 2023
- Abbey House Session, 2020
- Fossils of the Mind, 2017 (originally released as Will Lawton & Weasel Howlett)
Will Lawton and Katey Brooks
edit- Listen To Your Dreams (single), 2022
Will Lawton and Joe Holweger
edit- A Strange Thing EP, 2021
Will Lawton and Ludwig Mack
edit- Heroes EP, 2021
Will Lawton
edit- Salt of the Earth, Vol. 1 (Lockdown), 2020
- The Wood Room Sessions, 2012
The Home Fires
edit- This Too Shall Pass, 2013
Orangutan
edit- Ember, 2008
- Surprised Cococnut (EP), 2000
Brontosaurus
edit- The Monkey and The Whale, 2006
The Zennor Project
edit- Twist (EP), 2001
References
edit- ^ arlingtonartsblog (19 January 2016). "Pianos, performance and Peter Gabriel: an interview with Will Lawton". arlington-arts.com. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "DANCE LIBERATION | Ton Boon Dharma | Bradford-on-Avon". Ton Boon Dharma. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "discography". Will Lawton Music. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Will Lawton". Malmesbury Acoustic Sessions. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Will Lawton and Weasel Howlett – The Boondocks Festival". Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ jason. "Album review: WILL LAWTON & WEASEL HOWLETT – Fossils Of The Mind". Get Ready to ROCK! News | Reviews | Interviews | Radio. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Gigride (7 March 2018). "Catching up with Will Lawton". Medium. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Fossils Of The Mind: Will Lawton & Weasel Howlett (Vinyl LP)". Kickstarter. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ Worrow, Author Darren (27 January 2019). "Will Lawton & Weasel Howlett – 8th February @ The Cause, Chippenham". Devizine. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "BBC Radio Wiltshire - Mid-morning on BBC Radio Wiltshire, BBC Airwaves, Will Lawton". BBC. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "devizine.com". 26 February 2023.
- ^ Cummings·News·, Bill (3 February 2023). "PREMIERE: Will Lawton & The Alchemists 'Black Bricks' Video - God Is In The TV". Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Will Lawton and the Alchemists - Alchemy (Supermarine Music)". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Slap Magazine, issue 96, October 2019" (PDF).
- ^ Franklin, Dave (24 February 2023). "Premiere: Black Bricks – Will Lawton and the Alchemists (reviewed by Dave Franklin)". Dancing About Architecture. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Gig Monkey music review: Will Lawton & Weasel Howlett 'Äì Fossils of the Mind". www.theocelot.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2021.