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Haiku project unites top folkies

Last Updated: July 16, 2011 11:15p

. Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman plays guitar and sings at the Home County Folk Festival Saturday July 16, 2011 as part of the Great Canadian Haiku Project. On stage for the project were Royal Wood, Emm Gryner, Penn Kemp and Catherine McInnes. (MIKE HENSEN/THE LONDON FREE PRESS/QMI AGENCY) Buy This Photo from Sun MediaView larger version in photo gallery

Home County Folk Festival’s Great Haiku project was a big winner on Saturday afternoon on Day 2 of the fest’s 2011 edition.

Canadian singer-songwriters Hawksley Workman, Emm Gryner and Royal Wood used the 17-syllable poetry form to turn lyrics submitted from across Canada into musical gold.

“One things for sure. None of us have to write lyrics anymore,” Gryner said. The three — and festival artistic director Catherine McInnes — worked with 17 haiku chosen from scores submitted.

The winning entry combined haiku from three poets — Helen Baker, Terry Ann Carter and Trevor Malone. All four performers sang their interpretations of the winning haiku which paid tribute to Canadian icons Gordon Lightfoot, Emily Carr, Leonard Cohen and Terry Fox.

Each performer seemed to relish the chance to sing “Leonard Cohen sings Hallelujah!” That phrase had Wood lingering over in his keyboard treatment, while Workman used his electric guitar to chunk chunk chunk some chords as he saluted Cohen.

Later, Wood also used a saying he attributed to a grinning Workman to coax the hundreds of fans jamming the area opposite London Life into a singalong.

“Like Hawksley once said, ‘Singing is about sexual confidence,’” Wood said before using part of a haiku -- “game in overtime/Hockey Night in Canada” -- as the chorus of his new song.

Perhaps piqued by the suggestion their voices could be a sign of such self-assurance, the fans impressed Wood with their singing.

“I think every poet secretly wants to be a singer. That was fabulous,” London’s poet laureate and the event’s MC Penn Kemp told the crowd to cheers.

McInnes said she wanted to create a project that allowed lyrics to flourish in a concise, creative form. She has resisted Twitter, McInnes said, but found its 140-character per tweet limit an inspiration.

McInnes stepped in as a performer when Hamilton’s Tom Wilson, an early backer of the haiku project, found he had a conflicting date with Canadian folk trio Blackie & the Rodeo Kings.

Wilson’s son, Thompson Wilson, was among the Home County performers who had to battle a 45-minute power failure in parts of the park late Saturday afternoon.

Before the power at their south stage came back on, the younger Wilson and his Harlan Pepper bandmates stepped off the stage to play their country rock unplugged. On their set list was Bob Dylan’s You Ain’t Going Nowhere, covered by The Byrds in the 1960s as one of the first country rock classics.

Like Bluesfest London, which continued its 2011 run nearby in downtown London, Home County continues until 11 p.m. Saturday. Both fests end Sunday night.

The winning haiku in Home County's Great Canadian Haiku contest follow the three-line, 17-syllable format. The first and third lines have five syllables each. The second line has seven syllable.

London poet laureate Penn Kemp chose the winner and other finalists.

Lightfoot hit me hard/Sundown burned into my brain/never been the same

Emily's vision --/from this deep coastal forest/comes a raven's caw

Leonard Cohen sings/Hallelujah! crocuses/On Parliament Hill

Terry Fox's things --/a lone sock, the heel worn through/miles still left to go

Haiku lyrics by Helen Baker, Terry Ann Carter and Trevor Malone

The poets and musicians who set the haiku -- Emm Gryner, Catherine McInnes, Royal Wood and Hawksley Workman -- jointly own copyright.