Known for their psychedelic electric layering over country and folk music forms, the Hawks have gone back to basics on “New Kind of Lonely,” cutting 13 songs on acoustic guitars and upright and electric bass, standing in a circle around some nice German microphones. Overdubs of the trademark Hawks vocal harmonies, some dobro, and Gabe Witcher’s stellar fiddle complete the sparse, haunting sound.
The Hawks have been known for their lyrical celebrations of earth and its imperiled ecosphere, odes to the endless highway, and withering social commentary, but on this CD death and loss, in very personal terms, weave into almost every song, even the hard charging barn dance numbers.
In reaching back to pre-electric traditions, the Hawks seem to have tapped into the mortality that looms in the work of Hank Williams, The Stanley Brothers, and the Carter Family, far from the feel-good suburbiana of today’s Nashville songwriting. Dark times do need some kind of acknowledgement. I See Hawks In L.A. have taken this on.
I See Hawks In L.A. will release “New Kind Of Lonely” in February with shows at McCabes and other favorite haunts, a tour of the Carolinas and Tennessee in May, and wherever the road takes them this summer.
Formed in 1999 by Rob Waller and brothers Paul and Anthony Lacques during a philosophical discussion and rock throwing session on an East Mojave desert trek, I See Hawks In L.A. first gathered on the front porch in Echo Park, drank whiskey and wrote their first batch of songs and then sought advice from local country rock guru David Jackson, bassist with John Denver, Dillard and Clark, and EmmyLou Harris.
Jackson promptly joined the Hawks for their eponymous recording, featuring legendary fiddler Brantley Kearns (Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, Hazel Dickens). The CD established the Hawks signature sound: high lonesome three part harmonies, innovative telecaster and steel or unadorned acoustic arrangements, with lyrics musing on mortality, whales, and the geography of pre-apocalyptic L.A.
ISHILA received rave reviews, made the F.A.R. Alternative Country Chart, and continues to get regular airplay. The Hawks quickly rose to the top of heap in the brand new Los Angeles alternative country scene. Shows all over SoCal garnered the Hawks L.A. Weekly Best Country Artist awards in 2002 and 2003.
Bassist/vocalist Paul Marshall (Strawberry Alarm Clock, Hank Thompson, Rose Maddox) threw in with the Hawks after sitting in at Ronnie Mack’s Barndance in Burbank. When brother Anthony left to pursue documentary film making, drummer Shawn Nourse (Dwight Yoakam, James Intveld) signed on for a trip to SXSW and played with the band for eight years.
The Hawks’ second CD, “Grapevine,” was released on the summer solstice 2004, and immediately went to #1 on the F.A.R. Chart, lingered in the Americana Chart’s top 100 for months, and hit #2 on XM Radio’s X Country station. Stellar reviews and a national audience followed the Hawks 28 city Summer ’04 tour, from a state prison in Vermont to a Mississippi roadhouse to the Cactus Cafe and KUT’s Eklektikos in Austin, to Hempfest in Seattle.
The Hawks released their third CD, “California Country,” in June 2006, with guest spots from Chris Hillman, Rick Shea, Cody Bryant, Danny McGough, Tommy Funderburk, and other SoCal roots brethren. Tackling subjects like despair in Disney World, blackjack in Jackpot, hippie parenting, donkeys, and Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia, “California Country” brought more bluegrass, Phase 90 country psychedelia, and steel driven honky tonk to the Hawks sonic empire (See reviews page).
That summer the Hawks hit the road with Tony Gilkyson and Kip Boardman for a 57 show tour of the U.S., England, and Scotland: thirty states, two currencies, many varieties of local whiskey, including highlands single malts and North Carolina moonshine, not a lot of sleep, and too much fun. Highlights include the Belladrum Festival with peat fires and teepees near Inverness, Scotland; a Vermont barn dance; an outdoor festival near Yellowstone and Seattle’s Hempfest; and Joe’s Pub in NYC. The mid-oughts saw the band embraced by many of their roots country predecessors, billed frequently across the country with Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Bernie Leadon, Chris Hillman and Herb Petersen, and Ray Wylie Hubbard.
In March ’08 the Hawks cut their 4th CD “Hallowed Ground,” with stellar guest spots from fiddlers Gabe Witcher and Dave Markowitz, pedal steeler Dave Zirbel, acoustic guitar from Rick Shea, and accordionist/pianist Richie Lawrence. “Hallowed Ground” was released in May to rave reviews, and hit #1 on the Freeform American Roots radio chart, hovering in the top 10 for four months, and hitting #4 on the Euro Americana Chart.
The Hawks had a green and grand tour of Northern Ireland and Norway in August ’08. In fall ’08 the Hawks’ upbeat paean to married life “Hallowed Ground” was music in a particularly morbid and bloody scene in “True Blood” on HBO (we’re still not sure how we feel about this).
Spring 2010 brought the release of “Shoulda Been Gold” on American Beat records, an ironically titled compilation of the best of the CDs, early unreleased recordings, and some brand new songs, bringing in the usual critical praise (see reviews page). “New Kind Of Lonely” comes in right on time–I See Hawks In L.A. by fate or mysterious internal rhythm seem to put out a CD every other year since their first release.
The Hawks can be frequently spotted in their SoCal native habitats: The Grand Old Echo in our own Echo Park, McCabes, outdoor Grand Performances in downtown Los Angeles, The Cinema Bar in Culver City, Ronnie Mack’s Barn Dance, Pappy and Harriets and Gramfest in the high desert, and Ben Vaughn’s Wonder Valley Music Fest at the Palms bar, even further east of nowhere; and at acoustic house concerts, and any dive that will take them, from Seattle to San Diego, and all the Sans and Santas in between.
In The Garden
I See Hawks in L.A. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got into a terrible fight
The flowers trembled and some stars fell from the sky
And the snakes watched silently, the bees imperious
From their place in the divine
As ambitious noise from urban toys
Bothered paradise again
The world is still a tree
In the garden
The lilies in the field
In the garden
Consider you and me
Well, my three-masted schooner was loaded for sea
With a load of lumber to trade for tea
But the harbormaster said your passage is not free
Then the breeze blew in from SMC
And the quad was filled with brilliant teens
Drawing fabulous fire through invisible wire
And I joined them in the trees
In the garden
The world is still a tree
In the garden
The lilies in the field
In the garden
Consider you and me
CO2 is bringing weather like this town has never seen
October thunderheads are black and red on sunset in a dream
Two Angelinos in gray hoodies are jacked up about the rain
The farmer's market in EP has an organic ex-Marine
He sorely wants to meet my dad and talk of 1953
Now all ye hunters and ye gatherers prepare
For wild blue wandering
Wild blue wandering
The lyrics to I See Hawks in L.A.’s song “In the Garden” are a contemplation of the dynamic relationship between humans and nature. The opening lines introduce two opposing forces, a botanist and an astrophysicist, who come into conflict with one another. The flowers tremble and some stars fall from the sky as a result. The snakes in the garden watch on silently and the bees hold an imperious air as if they are above the conflict. The constant noise from urban settings is a recurring theme throughout the song, as it constantly bothers the tranquility of nature.
The second verse tells a story of a seafarer who is faced with the news that his passage is not free. He then discovers a group of brilliant teens drawing “fabulous fire” through “invisible wire”. The singer joins them in the trees, highlighting the notion that there is still a tranquil space in the world where humans and nature can coexist, albeit momentarily. The lyrics are a reminder of the beauty of nature and the need to preserve it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the botanist and the astrophysicist
Two intellectuals with vastly different areas of expertise
Got into a terrible fight
They had a heated argument or disagreement
The flowers trembled and some stars fell from the sky
The disagreement caused a disturbance in nature
And the snakes watched silently, the bees imperious
The animals observed the events, some with a sense of superiority
From their place in the divine
From their natural position in the world
As ambitious noise from urban toys
The loud and intrusive sounds of the city
Bothered paradise again
Caused a disruption in nature's peace
In the garden
A place of natural and divine order
The world is still a tree
Nature remains at the center of existence
The lilies in the field
A symbol of the beauty and purity of nature
Consider you and me
Reflect on our place in this natural world
Well, my three-masted schooner was loaded for sea
The artist had a ship ready for trade
With a load of lumber to trade for tea
The singer was carrying goods to trade
But the harbormaster said your passage is not free
They were not permitted to leave without paying a fee
Then the breeze blew in from SMC
A wind from a new direction
And the quad was filled with brilliant teens
A group of intelligent and creative young people
Drawing fabulous fire through invisible wire
Creating art with technology and imagination
And I joined them in the trees
The singer joined the young people in their creative endeavors
CO2 is bringing weather like this town has never seen
Climate change is causing extreme weather events
October thunderheads are black and red on sunset in a dream
A surreal and ominous image of a stormy sky
Two Angelinos in gray hoodies are jacked up about the rain
Two people from Los Angeles are excited about the rare rain
The farmer's market in EP has an organic ex-Marine
A farmer's market has a seller who used to be in the military and grows organic produce
He sorely wants to meet my dad and talk of 1953
The seller wants to connect with the singer's father and talk about the past
Now all ye hunters and ye gatherers prepare
A call to action for those who rely on nature for survival
For wild blue wandering
A sense of exploration and adventure in nature
Contributed by Andrew V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.