recent hawk press

"Hints of '80s jangle psych-pop bristle amidst the brilliant and punchy power chords that ebb and flow through this 5-track rocker. David Hawkins is the driving force behind this Chicago area band that mixes his passion for the old school (Dylan, VU), the not as old (Springsteen, R.E.M , dB's) and the new (Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo). The result is an infectious blend of driving power-pop that sounds like a cross between The Foo Fighters and The Cosmic Rough Riders.

" --Miles of Music

"A fresh new voice in American music."

--Detroit Free Press

"As a teenager, David Hawkins was influenced by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who, but it was Neil Young's "Harvest" that was a revelation In the late '80s, while managing the alt-country group Souled American, Hawkins began writing his own songs. Digging into the rich musical vein of the past from Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan to Hank Williams and Robert Johnson, his music pulses with an appealing pop-rock beat, clever, meditative lyrics and finely honed melodies."

--Chicago Sun-Times

"A fine recording. I like the disc a lot the more I listen. The opening track, "Let Me In", really grabs you"

--Richard Milne, WXRT

"Hawk front man David Hawkins learned to play guitar while he was managing Souled American in the 80s, and upon leaving the job he got to live a country rock dream: he and his longtime girlfriend took up residence on an 80-acre farm in rural Illinois where he could four-track to his heart's content. The couple moved back to Chicago in 1993, and Hawkins formed the first incarnation of this band, but when his girlfriend's death from an asthma attack in 1995 put an end to the idyll, he retreated alone to the Maine woods for a while. Since returning to Chicago, he's re-formed the band and released two albums, the newest simply titled Hawk. He tends to drift toward country rock, like a shopping cart that always wants to go left, but he's held back from its cliches by a hearty respect for the acknowledge-the-tragedy-but-hold-your-head-up school of songwriting, found in its highest form in mid-70s Dylan, some Richard Thompson, and the third Velvet Underground album."

--Monica Kendrick, Chicago Reader

"Hawk has a solid foundation of guitar talent and quality vocals... They start strong with the upbeat "Let Me In," then move to the acoustic harmony-laden "Change(s). "Farrah Fawcett Hair" definitely brings the listener back to the decade when Ms. Fawcett (and her hair) reigned spreme. A great record from a promising new Chicago band."