A Q&A with Hawke the Band
The Rebirth of the Anthem – here’s Richard from Dublin duo Hawke the Band…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Gonna Be Alright’ – it’s our most recent song.
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
Thank God we started recording this one before the big C came to town ( I’m trying to cut out using the C word ( the pain in the h*** that’s been in our lives since last March )). But yeah, with everything being closed because of it, we’ve had to work on some finishing touches for the new track remotely. With the producers now being based abroad, that has been a bit of a problem. It’s great having modern technology that allows us to record remotely, but ye just lose that magic that usually happens in a studio, don’t ye? Yeah I’d say the most difficult thing has been not having use of a proper studio.
Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
Marco Rinaldi and Antonio Esposito were the two producers on this one. These two Italian stallions were a joy to work with. It helped that it was in Abbey Road too, ha ha! Regardless though, when we first met sat down in a studio with the lads the vibe in the room just really really worked – you know when it just feels right? With a lot of similar musical interests they nearly knew what we wanted before we’d even asked. So, whilst the finishing touches have had to be done remotely, we were confident they’d understand our terrible descriptions for what sounds we wanted, ha ha. They’re both wizards on the auld Logic as well. Loved working with them and I’m sure we will in the future too!
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
A little smile would be nice. When we wrote it, it was just a general song of hope, so that the listener could interpret whatever way they liked. Now though, that we’re all going through the same thing it’ll probably mean a similar enough thing for every listener. Then again though, in years to come it could then hold another meaning – it’s interpretable, there. Someone stop me waffling, next question please, ha ha.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
There is no set way to be honest. I like that though. Some days Eoghan will come with a little riff and we’d build something around that, sometimes a melody could pop into me head when I’m sitting on the jacks (happens more often than you’d probably think). Then sometimes we actually put a songwriting session into the schedule and sit down and bash out something. It’s always different though, never the same. I kind of like that though, I think that’s why I like the musician lifestyle (touring musician at least) every day is something new – a new city, a new song, a new show, a new angry live sound engineer that we have to crack out the auld Irish charm to get on the good side of. Ye we’re both definitely fans of spontaneity and I think that’s very evident in our writing process.
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
Coldplay, The Verve, Oasis, U2 would all definitely get a mention and then more modern artists that we’re liking the sound of would be Gerry Cinnamon, APRE, Inhaler & Sam Fender.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
That’s like asking what genre of music I like – all of them! Ha ha… We’re big fans of travelling and have toured in the majority of European countries and have loved that. Never played in the States though – that’d be a dream. Then Asia, anywhere that will have us to be honest! Venue wise, Anfield, Liverpool, Croke Park, Dublin and Wembley Arena, London would probably be the first three that come to my head anyways.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
Hawke The Band – ‘What About Love’.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
Make art that resonates with the masses. Play in cities we’ve never even heard of. Get sponsorship deals with companies like KFC and that. Just make a life for ourselves that we can look back on and be proud of I suppose. But yeah, a couple of million quid wouldn’t hurt either.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Yup The Flats.
The debut single from Hawke the Band, ‘Gonna Be Alright’, is out now
For more info visit: facebook.com/hawketheband
