Rural Eastern Washington native, recent Berklee grad returns to the 509

Hannah Jackson’s road to graduating from Boston’s esteemed Berklee College of Music and returning to Eastern Washington to perform a solo set in Spokane all began in a small, unincorporated community on the Canadian border.

Danville lies on the Kettle River about 30 miles north of Republic, Washington. On the other side of the border is Grand Forks, British Columbia. According to the 2020 U.S. census, 51 people call the small community in north Ferry County home. Long before Jackson knew she wanted to be a folk and Americana musician, the rural surrounding was molding her.

Many of Jackson’s earliest memories revolve around music. Her mother taught her piano at a young age. By age 3 she was singing on stage at church, and by 6 she found musical theater.

“I’ve never really been stage shy,” Jackson said. “Music has just always mesmerized me and been sort of a grounding tool to kind of recenter.”

While attending Curlew High School, Jackson did not get the “standard” band or orchestra experience – in fact, they were not even options. Instead, she joined a bluegrass and roots program taught by one of her favorite teachers and greatest mentors, Connie Fletcher.

“Being rural has really shaped how my music has developed, especially when it comes to the kind of music I play,” Jackson said. “If I had been in any other place, I probably wouldn’t have had that same experience.”

At 14, Jackson joined the Smalltown Strings, a local Americana band fronted by Caroline Carlile, who happens to be Brandi Carlile’s niece. She made music and played shows with the group through her teens, but as the end of high school loomed, Jackson still did not know what she wanted to do post-graduation while those around her asked over and over.

“It got to a point where I was like so sick and tired of people asking me that I just Googled, ‘Best music schools,’ ” Jackson said with a laugh.

The online query led Jackson to Berklee and an application to the prestigious school of music on the other side of the country.

“I didn’t apply to any other colleges,” Jackson said. “I was like, ‘I’m going here or I’m not going to college, because I want to do music and I know that I’m good and I want to explore life outside of rural Eastern Washington.’ I guess I kind of shot as far east as I could.”

Now, Jackson has just graduated from Berklee with a degree in professional music, which she describes as the “choose your own adventure” major. While the overall course is designed to prepare students for many potential career opportunities, the student specifically chooses three concentrations to focus on – Jackson’s were songwriting, contemporary writing and production, and music and health.

Recently, she has been leaning into the production side of music as well as music therapy.

“Coming from a rural place, getting therapy on its own is a handful,” Jackson said. “I see how music connects people and I see how music heals, especially in communities where there isn’t a lot. I wanted to take that arts and health route to be able to maybe gain a little bit of a tool kit that I could possibly bring back home later in my life.”

Friday night she will return to Eastern Washington to play a set at the Hamilton Studio Listening Room under her stage name Haptonstall, which is her grandmother’s maiden name.

Jackson and her guitar look to pair raw, honest lyrics with the intimate venue. She considers herself an “observer,” often inspired by overlooked details, her own life experiences and an ability to put herself in the shoes of others.

“I’ve definitely always been a very perceptive person, I tend to pick up on nuances, at least I try to,” Jackson said. “I write about what I see, and I write about what I feel.”