Joe Hawley (9,575 views)

[Anacrusis]

Joseph Robert Hawley
Years Active: 2002 - Present
Associated Acts: Tally Hall, Miracle Musical
Recorded Range: C2 - C♯6
Voice Type: Baritone

SPOILER: Click to show

{Vocal Summary}As a co-founder of "fabloo" rock band Tally Hall, red tie Joe Hawley is the man behind many of the band's catchiest guitar riffs, vocal leads, and memorably mischievous songs. Vocally, Hawley is a baritone with an especially strong low range, which he’s used to flesh out Tally Hall’s distinctive harmonies and to croon out smooth, yet haunting melodies in his solo work. And while he most often takes lower parts, Hawley also wields a versatile upper range that includes solid belts throughout the 4th octave and a powerful head voice which expands his range a whole octave further. All together, his four-octave range is unified by a crisp tone that projects all aspects of his voice with great clarity.

Significant High Notes:
C♯6 ("Welcome to Tally Hall" unmarked live show)
B5 ("Welcome to Tally Hall" live Craig Ferguson 2008)
G♯5 ("Praise You" live Rickshaw Stop 2008)
G5 ("Be Born" live The Rugby Store 2008, during kazoo solo)
E5 ("Bring Her Along")
E♭5 ("Inside the Mind of Simon" The Mind Electric demo, "Isle Unto Thyself", "Variations on a Cloud")
D5 ("Lady Madonna")
C♯5 ("Misery Fell" various live performances, "Welcome to Tally Hall")
C5 ("Bahamian Rap City", "(I Know) It’s Just the Same")
B4 ("Be Born", "Haiku", "You & Me")
B♭4 ("Bahamian Rap City", "Inside the Mind of Simon" The Mind Electric demo)
A4 ("Bahamian Rap City", "Be Born", "Lady Madonna", "Spring and a Storm", "Stranded Lullaby", "Taken for a Ride", "Time Machine", "Welcome to Tally Hall")
G♯4 ("Enchirito", "Good Day", "Joe Hawley Attacks"*, "Since I Don't Have You")
G4 ("Bahamian Rap City", "Be Born", "Introduction to the Snow", "Just a Friend" various live performances, "The Mind Electric", "Murders", "Space Oddity", "Special", "Turn the Lights Off" live Rickshaw Stop 2008, "Variations on a Cloud")
F♯4 ("Crazy Food", "Good Day", "Hoodz ‘n the Woodz", "Praise You" live Rickshaw Stop 2008, "Since I Don't Have You", "Smile Like You Mean It", "Time Machine", "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" live MMC, June 26th, 2005)
F4 ("The Bidding", "Dream Sweet in Sea Major", "Inside the Mind of Simon" The Mind Electric demo, "Introduction to the Snow", "Isle Unto Thyself", "L'Frou Jibet", "Lady Madonna", "Space Oddity", "Spring and a Storm", "Weird Bed & /or Yes Please")
E4 ("The Apologue of Hot Rod Duncan", "Aristotle’s Denial", "The Bidding", "Dream Sweet in Sea Major", "Fate of the Stars", "Hoodz ‘n the Woodz", "Hymn for a Scarecrow", "Introduction to the Snow", "Misery Fell" live The Rugby Store 2008, "Ruler of Everything" various live performances, "Space Oddity", "Special", "Spring and a Storm", "Time Machine", "Two Wuv", "You & Me")

Significant Low Notes:
C♯3 ("Aristotle’s Denial", "Bahamian Rap City", "Banana Man", "The Bidding", "Fate of the Stars", "Since I Don't Have You", "Special", "Spring and a Storm", "Time Machine", "Turn the Lights Off", "Weird Bed & /or Yes Please")
C3 ("Gobble Chicken Song", "Haiku", "(I Know) It’s Just the Same", "Introduction to the Snow", "Just a Friend", "Misery Fell", "Pure Imagination", "Sacred Beast", "Taken for a Ride", "Variations on a Cloud")
B2 ("Banana Man", "Dream Sweet in Sea Major", "Gobble Chicken Song", "Haiku", "Hoodz ‘n the Woodz", "Hymn for a Scarecrow", "A Lady"**, "Murders", "Pure Imagination", "Ruler of Everything", "Smile Like You Mean It", "Space Oddity", "Space Station Level 7", "Special", "Unreleased Joe Hawley/Andrew Horowitz Song Snippet", "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" live MMC, June 26th, 2005)
B♭2 ("Good Day", "Fate of the Stars", "Smile Like You Mean It", "Stranded Lullaby", "Variations on a Cloud")
A2 ("Aristotle’s Denial", "Bahamian Rap City", "Banana Man", "Black Rainbows", "Bring Her Along", "Hymn for a Scarecrow", "A Lady"**, "Murders", "Pure Imagination", "Rotary Park", "Ruler of Everything", "Sacred Beast")
G♯2 ("Aristotle’s Denial", "Joe Hawley Attacks"*, "Lady Madonna", "Stranded Lullaby")
G2 ("Bring Her Along", "Dream Sweet in Sea Major", "The Mind Electric", "Sleigh Ride Invincibility Star", "Space Oddity", "We Are in Space")
F♯2 ("The Apologue of Hot Rod Duncan", "Banana Man", "Go to Bed", "Hidden in the Sand", "Murders", "Rotary Park", "Since I Don't Have You", "Special", "Welcome to Tally Hall")
F2 ("Hidden in the Sand", "Inside the Mind of Simon" The Mind Electric demo, "Introduction to the Snow", "Isle Unto Thyself", "L'Frou Jibet", "Stranded Lullaby")
E2 ("Aristotle’s Denial", "The Bidding")
E♭2 ("Good Day", "Hidden in the Sand", "Lady Madonna")
D2 ("Boralogue IV", "Rotary Park")
C♯2 ("Turn the Lights Off", "Weird Bed & /or Yes Please")
C2 ("Dream Sweet in Sea Major")

* This song is not in standard tuning, so I rounded up notes to the nearest A=440Hz pitch.
** Although "&" and "A Lady" are different songs, Joe’s verse has the same exact melody in either, so I’m only listing "A Lady".

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes}
E♭5 ("Two Wuv" [2] They never replicate this part live, so it’s hard to tell who does the high falsetto in the bridge.)
C♯5 ("Since I Don't Have You" [2] Mixed belt thing-y near the end. Could be one of the track's guest features. Doesn't sound like Joe.)
B4 ("Fate of the Stars" [2] Top harmony note in the chorus. Could be Joe, Rob, or Zubin. Very hard to tell.)
B♭4 ("The Mind Electric" [2, 4])
G4 ("Misery Fell" [2] Top harmony note during the final chorus., "The Whole World and You" [2] Top harmony note during the bridge.)

E♭2 ("The Mind Electric" [4])
D2 ("Bahamian Rap City" [4])
C2 ("Black Rainbows" [4])
B1 ("Aristotle’s Denial" [1])
G1 ("Dream Sweet in Sea Major" [5] There's been a lot of debate over this note, and I'm really unsure about it. If anyone has any advice to offer, it is much appreciated.)
..................................................
1. Brief jumps into high or low range (eg. Yelps, trills, anacrusis, etc.).
2. Notes whose singer is unclear.
3. Non-melodic (ie. Spoken or off-key) notes that also lack a clear pitch.
4. Possibly pitch-shifted notes.
5. Notes that do not fit the labels above but whose quality is still unrepresentative of the singer's usual work (eg. excessively distorted screams or sustained, but non-projected vocal fry).

..................................................
• Blue: Falsetto, head voice, and/or whistle register (projected mixed voice is kept in black).
• Grey: Notes that are mostly fried or growled, but which have enough resonance to be considered melodic.
• Bold: Some of the singer's arguably most impressive notes within a given register. Click on a bolded song title to hear audio of that note.
• Italics: Non-melodic notes (ie. Spoken or off-key).
• Underlines: Notes that are buried in the song's mix or which blend together with the other voice(s) in a harmony.

[Velsarie Vivardesque]

Coolio threads, well designed. Just one more little thing left which is that ugly spacing in between the pic and singer's info, consider working it out but it is still nice

[Anacrusis]

Nov 21, 2021 3:52:47 GMT Velsarie Vivardesque said:

Coolio threads, well designed. Just one more little thing left which is that ugly spacing in between the pic and singer's info, consider working it out but it is still nice

Sweet! Thank you for your feedback! And good catch: I overlooked that extra spacing. I've removed it now.

[brookesquatchy]

In Dream Sweet in Sea Major, once at about 17 seconds and again at about 39, to my ears someone drops to what i think is a G1 in a channel panned to the right (I'm bad at pitching so it might not be a G1). I'm not sure if its worth even bringing up because I'm sure it's been noticed and not included for a reason but I kind of just want answers on what the consensus is on that note and its legitimacy, because I'm struggling to reach a conclusion about it by myself.

[Anacrusis]

Jan 16, 2022 3:54:30 GMT brookesquatchy said:

In Dream Sweet in Sea Major, once at about 17 seconds and again at about 39, to my ears someone drops to what i think is a G1 in a channel panned to the right (I'm bad at pitching so it might not be a G1). I'm not sure if its worth even bringing up because I'm sure it's been noticed and not included for a reason but I kind of just want answers on what the consensus is on that note and its legitimacy, because I'm struggling to reach a conclusion about it by myself.

Excellent catch! No one's pointed this out to me before. And when I notewatched that song, I assumed it was just 2nd-octave.

This find really made me think for a while, and I appreciate the detail you included on where/when Joe hits it. I definitely see how this note gives a G1 impression, since Joe puts some fry on it and since it's tonally kind of similar to the C2 at the beginning.

However, after revisiting it throughout the day, my personal conclusion is that it's a G2 with a fry mix. I think this for a few reasons:

• If you listen real close (I only caught this after 20 times replaying it), you can tell the fry on either G melts away after a second or two, leaving the note with what appears to be full resonance for a moment. So while he may have dipped below G2 briefly there, his intended note appears to be G2. Otherwise, if he were aiming for a 1st-octave note, it would have a constant fry/mix, like the intro's C2.
• The note that precedes either of the two G's is a clear 2nd-octave note: F2 before the first G, and Ab2 before the second G. I could tell again by the resonance of these notes. This doesn't necessarily mean the G can't be G1, but in my thinking, this makes it more plausible that Joe would want to go to a neighboring note in the scale (G2) than to go down an octave, which is how he'd do the G1. After all, the harmony line including the G and the other notes mentioned is all done in one breath.
• Lastly, while this point doesn't necessarily rule out the G1 possibility either, it just makes sense to me that the fry on these G's is due to Joe getting tired or pushing his voice as hard as he can in order to keep the lows audible in the recording with the other voices. The low harmony line there does require Joe to hold some of his lowest notes for a while, so it makes me think he's just pushing through the crackle/strain by the time he reaches G, which is the end of that breath for him.

I could very well be wrong. Those G's do sound pretty meaty, like how a trained bass singer might do them. But that moment in either G where the fry/crackle wears off convinces me that it's most likely a G2 that he just pushes a little too harsh at first. I've never heard a note around G1, through subharmonics or other techniques, where the tone does quite what it's doing with Joe here.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention! I had a lot of fun thinking this through...although, I'm also very sorry to have rambled like this, lol. I'll put this note in the spoiler in case anyone has more ideas.

[Ultimoot]

Gonna be honest, those G1s on 'Dream Sweet in Sea Major' definitely sounds like pulse phonation/strohbass. Perhaps the term fry-mix wasn't even a thing and people often confuse it with pulse/strohbass. Strohbass is essentially a strong M0 "fry" sound. Using fry in M1 "modal" would emulate a feature of M0, but this is not “mixing” with M0. Only one mechanism can be used at a given moment. Countable or not I'm just not confident in the answer.

[Anacrusis]

Jan 17, 2022 22:07:49 GMT Ultimoot said:

Gonna be honest, those G1s on 'Dream Sweet in Sea Major' definitely sounds like pulse phonation/strohbass. Perhaps the term fry-mix wasn't even a thing and people often confuse it with pulse/strohbass. Strohbass is essentially a strong M0 "fry" sound. Using fry in M1 "modal" would emulate a feature of M0, but this is not “mixing” with M0. Only one mechanism can be used at a given moment. Countable or not I'm just not confident in the answer.

Thanks for weighing in! I forgot registers are mutually exclusive, which honestly makes the G1 even more iffy. It's like in one moment he's frying very intentionally, then the next moment he's just humming in normal M1 register, like how the sound waves of a bell scatter away right after the bell is struck. I'd normally expect a note this low to be fried from start to end, like that intro C2, which is also his lowest established note. Otherwise, the G1, as strong as its tone may be at first, might as well be spoilered with tag #1 (brief dip into low range). The C2 fry, in comparison, is as strong as a brick, which is why I had no hesitation to include that.

I think considering the singer's intention can also provide insight here. If Joe were a baritone with an established M0 history, say like Iggy Pop or Danny Elfman, then it'd be easier for me to infer what he's going for. But in this context, I'm still leaning toward G2, simply because the whole surrounding passage is around an octave higher than G1. It just makes more sense melodically.

[Macca]

can you send me a link to the questionable A1 in Boralogue IV

[Anacrusis]

Feb 5, 2022 3:51:32 GMT Macca said:

can you send me a link to the questionable A1 in Boralogue IV

Sure, buddy. Here ya go. I could've sworn I heard an A1 in that weird radio voice he's doing. But now that I re-examine it, it's not there. What is there, however, is a D2 at the most resonant part of his speech ("house"), which I think is countable, so I'm adding it.

[Macca]

Also those D2s sound kinda growled

[tweer64]

The last sung note of “Weird bed &/or Yes Please” sounds very low.

[Anacrusis]

Oct 26, 2022 21:28:15 GMT tweer64 said:

The last sung note of “Weird bed &/or Yes Please” sounds very low.

Thanks for pointing that out! I missed that song entirely. And you're right: C♯2 is definitely one of his lowest notes. Good catch.

[Anacrusis]

Jan 16, 2022 3:54:30 GMT brookesquatchy said:

In Dream Sweet in Sea Major, once at about 17 seconds and again at about 39, to my ears someone drops to what i think is a G1 in a channel panned to the right (I'm bad at pitching so it might not be a G1). I'm not sure if its worth even bringing up because I'm sure it's been noticed and not included for a reason but I kind of just want answers on what the consensus is on that note and its legitimacy, because I'm struggling to reach a conclusion about it by myself.

I know it's been a while, but on second thought, I'm counting that G1. From what I hear, I think there's enough "meat" on that fry to count it. It's pretty resonant. Thanks again for bringing this note to my attention.

[sylvia!!]

Oct 27, 2022 5:08:07 GMT Anacrusis said:

Jan 16, 2022 3:54:30 GMT brookesquatchy said:

In Dream Sweet in Sea Major, once at about 17 seconds and again at about 39, to my ears someone drops to what i think is a G1 in a channel panned to the right (I'm bad at pitching so it might not be a G1). I'm not sure if its worth even bringing up because I'm sure it's been noticed and not included for a reason but I kind of just want answers on what the consensus is on that note and its legitimacy, because I'm struggling to reach a conclusion about it by myself.

I know it's been a while, but on second thought, I'm counting that G1. From what I hear, I think there's enough "meat" on that fry to count it. It's pretty resonant. Thanks again for bringing this note to my attention.

notes that are fry/subharmonic/something-something-low-note-technique are usually marked grey to my knowledge (see mike patton thread for copious amounts of said grey)

[sylvia!!]

personally I'm a little bit iffy on that g1 actually being a g1 or even a countable g1 but i do hear the c2s after, not sure if they're grey-worthy though

other than that this threads pretty good - those bolds are a full on chef's kiss

[Anacrusis]

Oct 30, 2022 23:21:12 GMT sylvia!! said:

personally I'm a little bit iffy on that g1 actually being a g1 or even a countable g1 but i do hear the c2s after, not sure if they're grey-worthy though

other than that this threads pretty good - those bolds are a full on chef's kiss

Hell yeah. Joe's such an underrated singer imo. He might just be my favorite Tally Hall member after Bora.

I've un-greyed the C2. As for the G1, I look back on my comments and am amazed by my knack for going on and on about shit I clearly know nothing about...I'm really not the most qualified for deciding on these kinds of notes. If anyone has any advice, it is much appreciated. But for now, I'll slide this back in the spoiler (with the link). Tbh, it's so low and uncommon for Joe, I always felt kinda weird counting it.

[tweer64]

One thing to keep in mind is that Joe frequently uses pitch-shifting in his vocals, especially in his post-Tally Hall songs.

[brookesquatchy]

considering i was the one who brought up the G1 i think it might be worth mentioning what i think is probably going on with it, even if it is no longer a talking point really. I think it's a G2 with the same effect put on it as the bit around the 2 minute mark of the same song. the rest of the phrase before the G2/G1 seems natural

also i think there's a C♯2 here on the word "there's the kinky." it sounds. quite strange. so it's probably for the spoiler but im more bringing it up because if it isn't countable it would make me wonder what would make this questionable and not the bahamian rap city D2s for example. and i don't mean that in a rude way i would be genuinely curious

[Plasmariel]

Hey, so about his infamous screech in "Welcome to Tally Hall" during Live performances, I know this debatably a singing note but 42 seconds in this YouTube video, Joe screams so loudly to reach the note that he ends up going up to C#6 instead of B5 youtu.be/qN5DCWh9OBg
I don't know the actual origin of the recording.

[Anacrusis]

Aug 18, 2023 4:13:43 GMT Plasmariel said:

Hey, so about his infamous screech in "Welcome to Tally Hall" during Live performances, I know this debatably a singing note but 42 seconds in this YouTube video, Joe screams so loudly to reach the note that he ends up going up to C#6 instead of B5 youtu.be/qN5DCWh9OBg
I don't know the actual origin of the recording.

Good find! I really want to count it because then he could have a recorded four-octave range, thus making him one of the greatest singers to have ever walked this earth and elevating every vocalization he's ever made to the rank of angels it has a considerable resonance to its tone. But I'm reluctant because of the way his voice sort of "flips" up to that pitch, as if he were trying to slide into the original pitch but lost control and entered the C# by accident. It just doesn't seem connected to the rest of his falsetto.

But I could see the other argument. For now, I've added it to the Spoiler, with the link you provided. Thanks!

[Anacrusis]

May 23, 2023 19:42:10 GMT brookesquatchy said:

considering i was the one who brought up the G1 i think it might be worth mentioning what i think is probably going on with it, even if it is no longer a talking point really. I think it's a G2 with the same effect put on it as the bit around the 2 minute mark of the same song. the rest of the phrase before the G2/G1 seems natural

also i think there's a C♯2 here on the word "there's the kinky." it sounds. quite strange. so it's probably for the spoiler but im more bringing it up because if it isn't countable it would make me wonder what would make this questionable and not the bahamian rap city D2s for example. and i don't mean that in a rude way i would be genuinely curious

Con-graaaatulations! You have changed my mind on both of the things: the things that are in question. These two things, as per the reverse English alphabet, are the D2, which I now D-clare-2 be possibly pitch-shifted. Hence I am BANISHING ITS AMBIGUOUS ASS to the spoiler. And then there's the C-Sharp-Two, which I have isolated by deleting all non-Hawley members of Tally Hawl from existence so that only he could be heard. This Hawl-micide (or should I say, Hawl-mageddon) does reveal, in the left channel, a beautifully fried C-Sharp-Two which failed to capture my dodgy attention upon first listen.

Thanks for the finds!

As for the G1, I think that's an interesting idea for how he may have produced that pitch. The only doubt I'd have about that is the fact that the G1 (real or fake) seems to have some fry on it. So I think it was at least originally a fried note (most likely 1st-octave for Joe) before he did something, like lowering the pitch, to make it so strong for a G1. Or maybe there's something you can do in audio engineering to add that quality to a tone in post. I don't know much about engineering, though.

[Plasmariel]

Aug 18, 2023 5:18:17 GMT Anacrusis said:

Aug 18, 2023 4:13:43 GMT Plasmariel said:

Hey, so about his infamous screech in "Welcome to Tally Hall" during Live performances, I know this debatably a singing note but 42 seconds in this YouTube video, Joe screams so loudly to reach the note that he ends up going up to C#6 instead of B5 youtu.be/qN5DCWh9OBg
I don't know the actual origin of the recording.

Good find! I really want to count it because then he could have a recorded four-octave range, thus making him one of the greatest singers to have ever walked this earth and elevating every vocalization he's ever made to the rank of angels it has a considerable resonance to its tone. But I'm reluctant because of the way his voice sort of "flips" up to that pitch, as if he were trying to slide into the original pitch but lost control and entered the C# by accident. It just doesn't seem connected to the rest of his falsetto.

But I could see the other argument. For now, I've added it to the Spoiler, with the link you provided. Thanks!

Joe Hawley is an extremely talented guy, sings super well too and has a great control over his falsetto, I could only hit that B5 in that voice when I'm warmed up because DAMN. But that's not the topic, sorry. Considering what high notes are accepted for singers like Robert Plant (praise him) with voice cracks, I'd say that C#6 is very much worth considering but I could be wrong.
I have experience about switching registers around those notes in falsetto voice, so what I'd tell you is that he possibly entered his 3rd head voice while doing so (a sort of pseudo-whistle register, but I could be wrong because it's at a different place for everybody). Thanks a lot for your insight!
Oh yeah, also, in this Live performance of the tune, Joe also reaches the B5 during the "Antiquities" part with a very powerful, more opened head voice. youtu.be/b80GShuy2qo 2:18

[Anacrusis]

Aug 18, 2023 15:02:39 GMT Plasmariel said:

Aug 18, 2023 5:18:17 GMT Anacrusis said:

Good find! I really want to count it because then he could have a recorded four-octave range, thus making him one of the greatest singers to have ever walked this earth and elevating every vocalization he's ever made to the rank of angels it has a considerable resonance to its tone. But I'm reluctant because of the way his voice sort of "flips" up to that pitch, as if he were trying to slide into the original pitch but lost control and entered the C# by accident. It just doesn't seem connected to the rest of his falsetto.

But I could see the other argument. For now, I've added it to the Spoiler, with the link you provided. Thanks!

Joe Hawley is an extremely talented guy, sings super well too and has a great control over his falsetto, I could only hit that B5 in that voice when I'm warmed up because DAMN. But that's not the topic, sorry. Considering what high notes are accepted for singers like Robert Plant (praise him) with voice cracks, I'd say that C#6 is very much worth considering but I could be wrong.
I have experience about switching registers around those notes in falsetto voice, so what I'd tell you id that he possibly entered his 3rd head voice while doing so (a sort of pseudo-whistle register, but I could be wrong because it's at a different place for everybody). Thanks a lot for your insight!
Oh yeah, also, in this Live performance of the tune, Joe also reaches the B5 during the "Antiquities" part with a very powerful, more opened head voice. youtu.be/b80GShuy2qo 2:18

Those are my thoughts exactly. Joe is honestly my favorite singer from Tally Hall, a group that happens to be full of good vocalists. And some of the stuff he does, in low or high registers, are stuff I know I could never replicate. Pitch aside, that B5 sounds like it came from a soprano. And he's a baritone. (Although I want to make a disclaimer that the strike-through text in my original comment was just a joke on how a lot of us, myself included, might get frustrated when a singer like Joe teeters JUST BELOW the next successive octave in his countable range, but I digress).

That is a good find for the 2nd B5. I really like the tone on that. Hearing it makes me think he could easily project into the 6th if he wanted to.

And with that said...I'm counting the C#6 now. You've encouraged me to go and check out some other C#6's, and when I found Danny Elfman's, I realize I'm being too harsh/demanding. Danny has a similar enough approach to the note, and he's an incredible singer. It's not quite the same voice as his B5, but Joe's C# here is definitely significant. I mean, he doesn't even crack up around there. It's a solid slide up to the pitch and back down. I'm adding the note back. Thanks for your insight!

[brookesquatchy]

i actually think that C#6 might not need to be italicized. i personally am ehhh on its coutability but its in the key of the song, he jumps up to it and does a scale down with the following A5 being about as long as the C#6. the cracking sort of thing of his voice in the clip is odd but the note is kind of implemented into the melody in my opinion? idk its ur thread ur opinion possesses more gravitas than my own in this instance, that's just my 2 cents. i don't listen to enough live performances of welcome to tally hall to say this from a position of authority

[Goober]

Sounds fine to me. He is now in the "Better than freddie mercury club" Along with william shatner.