Banjo player, singer and composer Hilary Hawke is one of the leading figures in modern old time music. For 18 years now she’s been based in New York City, and for much of that time was part of Brooklyn’s storied Jalopy Theater & School of Music, a pivotal spot in the roots music scene. I reviewed two of her records in the duo Dubl Handi, but I’m darned if I can pry them out of the archives, and she also contributed to the music of Locust Honey. She has released several albums as Hilary Hawke Band, as well as Lilygild (an instrumental album with guitarist Reed Stutz), Open the Doors (a neo-classical collaboration with keyboardists Ola & Claude Aldous) and with The Wild Goats — and was on the 2019 Broadway cast recording of Rodgers’ & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.
Her latest solo album Lift Up This Old World consists mostly of original material that I’d call indie folk with old time or bluegrass instrumentation. It has really grown on me over the past couple of months. There’s a theme here, of finding your own path and trusting your instincts as you follow your muse where it takes you, and this is an excellent album throughout. She’s playing with a core trio that’s been together since 2023, with guitarist Ross Martin and fiddler Camie Howes. Hilary plays washboard and clarinet in addition to banjo and vocals, Jacob Joliff plays mandolin on the lead single “All I’ve Ever Known” and there’s a bass and a few more instruments on most tracks. Here’s a live video by the trio.
The trio shows its chops right out of the gate with an interpretation of “Liza Jane” that blends the traditional and the modern. The only other non-original of the 11 tracks is an emotive take on Radiohead’s “No Surprises” in a vocal duet with actor and singer Damon Daunno. The second track, that single “All I’ve Ever Known” is particularly strong, a modern folk song set squarely in a bluegrass arrangement. Also in a more traditional vein is the tune/song set “Parts And Labor” with “4 Cent Cotton,” the stately banjo instrumental segueing seamlessly into the very old-time song about backbreaking labor for little pay, with Hilary playing clawhammer style and lovely harmony vocals from Samoa Wilson. The fiddle and three-finger banjo duet between Hilary and Camie at the end of “Never Take Me With You When You Leave” is very nice; this song would be right at home on a Hazel and Alice record, methinks.
“NYC Waltz,” a lovely slow song about a love-hate relationship with the city, to me has a strong Jimmie Rodgers vibe, as does “Lonely Heart”; “World Rests Its Head” is a bit of Newgrass; “Sun Is All Around” is basically a slow rock song by a bluegrass band; and the album ends softly with the chamber pop love song “Dreaming Of You.” Hilary Hawke’s instrumental and vocal abilities have never been in question, but “Lift Up This Old World” finds her flexing her songwriting skills very impressively.
(Adhyâropa Records, 2025)
