Despite a dark period in his life, Kevin Hearn still needs his Nightlight
By Andrew Horan

Many artists compare their records to photo albums, something that reflects a certain period in their life. Kevin Hearn�s 2001 effort, H-Wing, was written during a particularly trying time for the singer-songwriter. In 1998 he was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, a form of blood cancer. It was the best and worst of times for Hearn; things were just starting to take off in the U.S. for his �day job� The Barenaked Ladies but at the same time he had his illness to contend with.

The critically acclaimed H-Wing, named for the wing of Toronto�s Princess Margaret Hospital where he received a bone marrow transplant, was a dark, somber affair that landed Hearn a Juno nomination for best artwork.

In the words of BNL band mate Ed Robertson he �kicked cancer�s ass� and the mood of his new CD, Nightlight, reflects this.

�This time I was way more relaxed. I wasn't afraid of dying before the record was finished,� Hearn admitted. � I needed to do something a little more upbeat. However, while writing I ended up returning to subjects related to my experience. I guess I had unfinished emotional business, I wrote about broken relationships, haunting memories and having hope no matter what.�

Obviously, his fight with cancer and triumph over it had a huge impact on his life and it was the thread that tied H-Wing�s tracks together. He could have continued to explore that period in his life, releasing a different version of H-Wing over and over again, but he chose not to. Opting instead to write songs with no common theme or concept. Yet the songs on Nightlight ended up having an element of reflection on experiences in his life�s that tied them together, a �little stroll through the rough part of the memory lane district� as he puts it in the bio for the album.

�The source of most of the lyrics is my own life experience, so inevitably there are themes that reoccur,� he said.

Between successfully beating cancer and playing keyboards for The Barenaked Ladies one might find it surprising that he found time to work on a solo album, his third overall, let alone tour in support of it.

Not to mention helping out a variety of Canadian musicians, such as Jason Plumb, Patricia O�Callahan and Fernando Saunders, on their respective albums.

�It is always a challenge to do my solo work,� he confessed. �I work on it whenever I can and thank my band mates (Great) Bob (Scott), Chris (Gartner) and Derek (Orford) for putting up with the slow pace. I recorded this record two years ago, I wanted to wait until I could present it and be available to play a few shows and promote it properly.�

Having a solo career can be difficult when you�re a member of one of the most successful bands to come out of Canada in the last 10 years. On BNL�s most recent tour Hearn took a couple boxes of his new album with him and sold them at shows along the way. He said the feedback he received was very positive.

�After H-Wing, I think this album was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps Nightlight is more accessible,� he said.

Hearn�s solo work is a bit removed from BNL�s serio-comic pop, it�s more influenced by The Rheostatics, the band he did a stint with before hooking up BNL. He said some BNL fans enjoy his solo work while others don�t which is fine with him. Just don�t expect him to strike out on his own.

"I hope that I can always do my solo work, however, I wouldn't want to be a full-time front man. I enjoy songwriting, collaborating and being an instrumentalist,� he said.

� I make records of my own so that I can realize musical ideas that don't fit into the BNL framework,� Hearn continued. �Hopefully the songs and music are good enough that they will attract their own audience.�