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HAWKINS balances energetic Rock and Roll mixed with infectious hooky Pop sophistication. The band embraces an ever-more genre-bending Pop Rock aesthetic as they continue to captivate their audience with musical virtuosity in a manner that is reminiscent of their Rock and Roll predecessors.
They have performed on countless major stages across the East Coast. Notable performances include Mohegan Sun Casino, The Bitter End, Foxwoods Casino, and The Pleasantville New York Music Festival. In Pleasantville, they shared the stage with illustrious acts such as Blues Traveler, Suzanne Vega, and Living Colour.
Within only their first year of establishing themselves, they have gained an astonishing number of followers. Their talent has been praised by music legends like Eddie Money, Noel E. Monk (former manager of The Sex Pistols and Van Halen), and Michael Caplan (former VP of Sony Music).
Their debut single "Lights Off" has been written and produced by the band themselves and mastered by the two-time Grammy award winner industry giant, Nathan Dantzler.
https://hawkinstheband.com/
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Transcript
Family Dynamics and Sports
00:00:16
Speaker
It's like, how do you even keep track of what the hell are you talking about? Is it the Red Sox or is it, you know...
00:00:26
Speaker
That's the same thing with our family. If you don't get a word in, do not speak. The only difference, Candace, is the Yankees rather than the Sox. That's right, Joe. Do you know what I was going to ask about? Wait a second before we get into Connecticut. So you're over more towards the West? Is that right?
00:00:53
Speaker
We're more ease. Yeah. Yeah. Red Sox on now. I get the Red Sox on now. They suckered me into the MLB TV. So I have that on. It's a. Well, that's a whole other thing. All right.
Introduction to Hawkins Band
00:01:09
Speaker
This is Ken Vellante with something rather than nothing. And got a special episode here. This this episode with Hawkins Band and
00:01:22
Speaker
Just just a great combination. Three brothers in the band, Joe, Josh and Rick and the lead singer goes by Hawk. You'll be able to learn, you know, learn about them in their interest. But first of all, I just I just really wanted to welcome each each one of you to the first, you know, full band, something rather than nothing podcast. Thanks. Thanks for thanks for hopping on, guys.
00:01:51
Speaker
Thanks for having us. It's our pleasure. Thanks a lot, Ken. We appreciate this, man. Definitely a pleasure. Absolutely. Thanks so much.
Childhood Adventures and Music Beginnings
00:02:00
Speaker
Hey, big question. We start off, try to find out what you were like when you're younger, whether you're an artist playing instruments, whatever. So what were you like as young humans? And let's start with Hawk. I was pretty wild as a kid growing up. I wasn't really into music.
00:02:21
Speaker
I love listening to music, but I had no idea what I really wanted to do. I was always on a skateboard and always playing basketball and just getting trouble in school all the time. And yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. It's a good musician story, right? How about you, Joe? Yeah, for me, I mean,
00:02:50
Speaker
I grew up just like, you know, like kind of like Hawk, you know, we were pretty wild kids, all of us. And, you know, music for me at a young age when I was just eight years old, you know, kind of really attached itself to me. You know, I began playing guitar at eight and, you know, it was like it almost gave me meaning. Like, you know what I mean? It was like one of those things that were like it was like, where has this been all my life? You know what I mean? It just made sense when I picked up a guitar.
00:03:18
Speaker
you know, even that early on in life, you know, it started to kind of, you know, just kind of resonate with me. And, you know, it was it was like a lot of chaos, you know, chaos and stuff when we were kids, you know, being brothers, you know, growing up and stuff like that. But music kind of brought us together, you know. Yeah, absolutely. And I love that. I love that connection being a huge fan of music, in particular with the band dynamic going on to Rick.
00:03:47
Speaker
What were you like when you were younger? Interesting question, Ken. So, man, when I was younger, I was kind of pretty much the same way I am now in the sense that like, you know, East Coast people, you know, we kind of talk very fast. So even as a very young kid, we were talking about this earlier. I used to be talking very, very fast. And even though I was like eight years old in school,
00:04:12
Speaker
I would talk to the adults and I would, you know, like they would all kind of like, uh, come talk to me and hang out. So I had this kind of like, this thing of like, um, a curiosity, you know, of like, of like, what, you know, of like, maybe there's something else that maybe like, maybe meant to do because I'm not fitting in with, with other people. And I think when, when I first saw a piano, I had a really, really interesting experience.
00:04:37
Speaker
I saw it and usually it was a little bit different. When I went to play it, I didn't just play it and hit the note. I played it and I closed my eyes and I felt something like when I first played it. I think that's the equivalent of me saying that's when I had my first high, so to speak. Because there's something transformative and emotive that happens when we play instruments. I think like Joe mentioned, just like us four as brothers, we were all very,
00:05:06
Speaker
very crazy people. A lot of we've done a lot of like crazy things. So we were all kind of like very energetic. But I think like Joe said, it was really the music that allowed us to harness that energy and put it towards something progressive. Yeah, I like that. And the connections I can already hear. And you describe in some of those early experiences, just the kind of like that deep, deep connection to
00:05:32
Speaker
you know, whether it's the instrument. And, you know, a big thing I heard you say as far as meaning, you know, meaning, right? Like, you know, where do I put this energy? Where do I put this thing? You know, a lot of energy. And what about what about you, Josh?
Musical Journey and Instrumental Passion
00:05:47
Speaker
Hey, Ken. So yeah, so for me,
00:05:50
Speaker
music, like starting off young, I started music at 10 years old. I actually got a guitar. I was the first guitarist in the family. It was a candy apple red squire I got on my 10th birthday.
00:06:05
Speaker
And Joe actually had a drum kit. So I'm the drummer of the band. And Joe was playing the drums. He had a little bit of rhythm. He wasn't really actually making a beat or something. But there was something there you could tell he's a natural musician. But me, I was playing the guitar. Nothing's coming out. It was like freaking noise.
00:06:26
Speaker
And then one day Joe decided to like grab my guitar and start playing it. And then like music actually started coming out of it. So like I was going to play my guitar. I'm playing your drums. So then I started playing the drum set and it's just never changed since then. Yeah, I like overall, you know, music is just a great experience. It's what basically bothered my brothers and I together.
00:06:53
Speaker
And it's something that we once, you know, like, you know, brothers, they argue and stuff. We do, too. But we always fall back to the original connection that we all have with each other, which is music. Yeah, I I appreciate I appreciate your answer. Hey, Joe, do you want to jump jump jump back in about, you know, your connection, you know, to the guitar? I mean, you know, all of you very talented. You can hear it on the just the tight sound.
00:07:23
Speaker
of the band, a lot of the energy that you talk about is certainly right there. Specifically though, Joe, what about the guitar? What did that do for you? And why do you feel when you started to get into it that everybody else was starting to hear things from you, from your guitar? Well, again, like I said, I started guitar very, very early on. And as a kid, it's like,
00:07:53
Speaker
I don't know. Like, I feel like if I was to start guitar like yesterday, I would have an entirely different understanding than I did when I was eight years old. You know, I feel like since I was eight, it wasn't like, you know, me thinking, you know, picking up this instrument. Well, I got to be good. I got to be this. I got to be that. I kind of just picked it up and was able to look at it in this majestic way. You know what I mean? It was like this magical experience and it was like,
00:08:22
Speaker
It had this purity to it and this rawness. I didn't think too much. I just picked it up and there was no second guessing. It was like, I'm going to try and do something with this. Give me this guitar. I'm going to try and make something out of it. And I feel like it was probably just being so young and
00:08:47
Speaker
you know, being able to see it as what, you know, what it was rather than, you know, if I was to, like I said, if I was to pick it up yesterday, maybe I would have been, well, I want to, I want to do this with it. I want to do, there was no expectations and there was no high bar. So it was like the perfect time for me to learn, you know,
00:09:04
Speaker
Yeah, it seems like just a strong natural connection. And I know when I chatted with you about that before, I mean, it was just readily apparent. And it's interesting to see the dynamic amongst you and the band members just kind of gravitating towards the instrument or the role that fits naturally.
Band Formation and Collaboration
00:09:28
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:30
Speaker
and Hawk, as far as, you know, let's talk, you know, stick a little bit on the band formation. I mean, how did, I mean, how'd you, how'd you, how'd you run into the brothers? I mean, were they playing on the street and you happened upon them or what was it? I mean, kind of. So it was like, uh, I started playing guitar when I was like 17, 16, 17. And I started writing some songs and stuff. And then I wanted to really pick it up about, uh,
00:09:56
Speaker
about a year, a year and a half ago. So I got, I got a little late start. I like these guys, but I went to a studio called RVP studios. It doesn't exist anymore, but I went there for some singing lessons and I was singing. Can you see by the Marshall Tucker band and Ricky heard me singing and he waited outside and he, when I come outside, he's like, Hey man, you have an awesome voice. Like do you want to like chat for a little bit? And we talked and they invited me to do a show with them.
00:10:25
Speaker
And we did a show, and then we did another show, and it went really well, and we decided to make it official. Yeah, fantastic. A great song, too. You were singing a great, great soul and blues in that song. I'm glad you were able to meet up with
Personal Challenges and Overcoming Adversity
00:10:45
Speaker
them. We have this opportunity here.
00:10:48
Speaker
Ricky, I wanted to chat with you about, I know you've dealt with some health issues and that has all obviously impacted you personally in your life, but also the band. Did you want to chat a little bit about what that's been like and what the experience has been like for you?
00:11:10
Speaker
Yeah, sure. I mean, it's, it's awfully a very, you know, it's very heavy topic to get into, because of because of what it was. But before I do get into that, if I may, can, you know, can I elaborate on my side of the story? Absolutely. You know, it's because it's because it's kind of like more crazier on my side. You know, one day I was walking in the hallway at RVP studio, and it was really early. It was like, it was February 2, right?
00:11:38
Speaker
And I was one of those days where it's like really cold and over time when you work in a studio and when you're around musicians, you sort of get used to just hearing music in the background and it becomes sort of like just uncomfortable ambience, you know, and you know, it's just sort of there, like when you're at Guitar Center. And I'm passing through the hallway and something happened that really took me by surprise.
00:12:02
Speaker
For the first time in a long time, I couldn't tell if I was hearing the radio or someone's voice. And that really, really, that really tricked me. I was like, you know that I'm not used to hearing this. So I kept trying to peek out in the door and see if it was someone just playing the radio loudly. But what I heard was when I heard Hawk sing, I didn't he broke out of that ambience because even like he was playing with such raw emotion.
00:12:31
Speaker
And I think that just trying to be like aware of stuff, just trying to be present that it happened to just hit me. I wasn't even aware of it. They're just, there's just him just rolly emoting in like outside of the, you know, inside of the room. Just hit, just hit me. And I was like, all right, I'm determined to whoever this is. I had to, I had to meet them. Um, and it was like that. So, so it really, really stood out to me. So having said that to get into your question, that was really nice, Rick. Thank you.
00:13:00
Speaker
Of course, of course. And we did make it officially put a ring on it. Immediately. All right. And that's not to carry. But yeah, so I run around the age of 16. I was I didn't know it, but I was, you know, going to the symptoms of a muscle disease. And gradually,
00:13:25
Speaker
My body started to degrade, my muscles started to all decrease in strength and there's muscles in odd parts of your body that you would never really think of like your eyes, your voice, your diaphragm.
00:13:37
Speaker
So everything for me just really evaporated. And not before too long, I became bedridden. But in that time though, I'm still trained, I'm still trusted in God, and I determined that I would walk a mile a day, even though I was bedridden. And they told me later on that that was actually something that in a way saved my mobility. So yeah, just to summarize that, I did have to go through the whole routine of them telling me like, Rick, we don't even know if
00:14:07
Speaker
we can even diagnose you because of how rare the disease you have is. It's a very, very rare illness. So after a lot of tests and all that, they basically diagnosed me and I had to learn how to walk, talk, drink, eat, speak again, everything. They told me that I would probably drive with a remote, like one of those cars that have the break in the gas at the
00:14:31
Speaker
quite where the steering wheel is, because how handicapped they predicted I would be. But little did they know, like at least four or five years after that, I was in California skydiving. You know, you know, so that's kind of my mindset. And I want people I think people can really benefit from hearing this is that I don't believe in limitations.
00:14:52
Speaker
I did not receive any of their limiting sort of beliefs on what I could do. I knew that I was going to get better. I think I'll stop there. Yeah, well, I mean, it's just it's incredible to hear and to have you deal with that adversity and jumping out a plane a bit after. And, you know, I mean, I'm sure it's a fantastic story.
00:15:21
Speaker
You know, I think there's something I can connect to. And what you're saying is I think you find it, whether it's in art or, you know, in life, in the experience that you've had where there's always going to be a lot of people saying that, you know, you can't do something, right? I mean, you guys are in a rock band, right? So, right. Like, you know, but so it takes a certain, it takes a certain kind of attitude or response, I think, in order to, you know,
00:15:50
Speaker
to get up and beyond that. So thanks for sharing that, Ricky. I really appreciate it. And yeah, it makes the story and the band story and the music even better. I wanted to see if you could, Hawk, if you could just do a little bit of a lead in on the single, Lights Off, which will play in just a tiny bit.
Success of 'Lights Off' and Rock Theme
00:16:17
Speaker
You could just do a little,
00:16:19
Speaker
little background on the song and what's going on with him, when it was released, that type of thing. Yeah, so when did we release it, guys? It was like six days ago, seven days ago? Yeah, July 31st. July 31st, yeah. All right, so hey, we're Hawkins. This is our first single called Lights Off. We released it July 31st. It already has 12000 streams on Spotify, so please go check it out.
00:16:47
Speaker
We, uh, Joe, Joe came up with an awesome for it. Ricky came up with a cool melody. I'll put in the same amount of work for it. And essentially it's just about like what it's like being 23 and having one night stands, you know, trying to find love. That's a rock and roll. You rate him rock and roll here. So, right. Let me, uh, let's go to the track right now and listen to it. All right. Sounds good.
00:17:20
Speaker
With the words that you said They're still swimming round in my head And I lost control when I saw you staring at me And I think it's something But tonight's really all that I need I only see you with the lights on
00:18:16
Speaker
When I think you're something But tonight's really all that I need I only see you with the lights on
00:19:01
Speaker
Only see you with the lights on
00:19:32
Speaker
I don't want you to leave I don't wanna I don't want you to leave
00:20:12
Speaker
All right. And that's a banger. That is that is what the heck anybody jump in. What's it like to what's it like to release a single like that? It's a great tune. Oh, man. Excited. I'm very excited. Yeah, especially with the positive feedback we've been getting. Yeah. I mean, 11000 views or 12000 Spotify streams in seven days is crazy for a band's first song, in my opinion.
00:20:39
Speaker
I think that's it's it's it's great to hear. And I certainly hope it continues. My my I sent the track to my daughter. My daughter is she's 19. She goes to school at the University of Oregon and she sports my podcast. But when it comes to music, it doesn't always align with her. Yeah. But but you you guys.
00:21:07
Speaker
Well, you're East Coast use guys. You definitely use guys. You definitely align with it. She really enjoyed the song. And so, yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. And again, great. I hope a lot of great, great success with that. I wanted to jump to, you know, as you know, with the podcast is, you know, a couple of questions kind of like,
Artistic Inspiration and Creation
00:21:36
Speaker
conceptual and the ideas around you as creators. And one of those questions I wanted to start with, Rick, is do you have a theory of art or can you answer what is art? Yeah, I definitely agree with what Bob Dylan said. You know, he said the highest aspiration of art is that it inspires and that it moves. I think that
00:22:04
Speaker
you know, there's a book that I've been reading called the, I believe it's called the, The War of Heart by Steven Pressfield. And he talks a lot about this process. And for me, just coming in creatively, it's like, you know, the music, the artist sort of has the canvas, the writer has a blank piece of paper, the musician has silence. So I believe that even like, this was like my sort of philosophy behind it. When you all take it down to the very bare essentials,
00:22:34
Speaker
You have electricity. Electricity is coming into the amplifier. The amplifier is coming into a guitar and a bass. The bass is plugged into a person. The person is plugged into the soul. The soul is plugged into God. Right?
00:22:49
Speaker
there's something more that's going on. And I think that I see that in Joey's guitar playing, I think being a prodigy that he is, you just see that there's something as a musician and someone that can understand the language, you can just see that he's speaking a language that's higher than the regular person. So I think that something magical is really going on when people play music, when there's something really going on, it's you're grabbing
00:23:14
Speaker
this stuff that's coming out of nothing. It's like ex nílio in Latin, out of nothing. It's just coming out of nothing directly towards you, into you, and it's coming out of an instrument. I think that whole process is very crazy and mysterious. We as a band have tried to harness that to try to tap into something to where we're able to produce amazing music consistently, and that's only through time.
00:23:44
Speaker
Dang, that's a hell of an explanation. I love I love the bit of that. I've asked, you know, obviously it'll be around heading towards like 50 shows. And I asked the you know, that that question a lot. But I love the component of there as far as like the kind of like the emanation or the transference of of of energy in your description of it. Definitely.
00:24:09
Speaker
a lot to think about. I love that description. What about what about you, Joe? What's art? Oh, man, that's a it's a big question. I'm kind of, you know, it's it's a little bit hard right after Ricky just when it's that beautiful description. But a lot of pressure here. No. But yes. So I think, you know, what art is is like I think it's something that's everywhere, literally like, you know, as as a guitarist and a musician,
00:24:39
Speaker
You know, you start to kind of see the world in a different way, you know, after you pick up music and stuff like that. And it's kind of like I see the patterns of art everywhere. You know, now that I understand music, it's like.
00:24:56
Speaker
You know, it's like you'll see the grain, you know, the wood grain on a table or something like that. And you'll see, like, that's art, too. It's like, you know, art is everywhere. I think it's, you know, that's the beauty of it. That's all I really have to say is that, like, you know, I see art everywhere, you know, living, breathing things, everything, man. Yeah, thanks. Thanks so much. And I love the I love the all the perspectives. Hawk. Hey, yeah. To me, art, art is like
00:25:25
Speaker
Art is the only thing that separates human beings from animals. I mean, I know we are animals, but art's the only thing that separates human beings from like monkeys and dogs and stuff. You know, it's like art is art is the only way for people to really have an outlet and show how they feel without language, you know? Yeah, yeah, that's that's really all it is. I mean, I think art is a
00:25:53
Speaker
It's just a way to put emotions into objects, into paintings, into sound, you know? Yeah. Just express one's inner self throughout many different ways. Absolutely. Josh. Yeah. So like my opinion on art is like just like how music it like it's very close to like paint and like it all could be it's so crazy that like colors could express an image, an idea.
00:26:22
Speaker
and sound waves could make you feel something. That, to me, is just amazing how, like, if you put it into an image or even an abstract, you get something out of it. It becomes personal. It becomes something. It's like talking to somebody that you've never met, but they know everything about you. You know, that's how I feel like art is. It's deeper than we think, you know? Yeah, absolutely.
00:26:45
Speaker
Yeah. And I like the, um, I like something to mention there, the kind of the physical elements of, of, of sound. My, my boy, Aiden, who, who was, uh, he's 17 and he plays, he plays the guitar primarily into a lot of music, but we, we've, when we, you know, we'd go to live shows, he'd always notice, um, you know, and I listened to a lot of, I listen to a lot of styles of music, but I listened to a lot of metal live and, uh,
00:27:13
Speaker
he was always noticing I was very much into kind of primal sounds of like the drumming almost like journeying drumming that could be in some kind of long extended metal riffs and it was just he just pointed out to me something I hadn't thought about is kind of like how that physically resonates with your body right in the audience how it physically
00:27:34
Speaker
impacts you where you know my tendency is going to be more towards the intellectualization or concept but he said just feel like you're just feeling it running through you and it was pointed out for me i learned a lot from that yeah that's definitely one of the most beautiful things about art can is like you know it can you know transcend and do something so much more differently you know than many other things in this world it's like
00:27:58
Speaker
it kind of like just energizes your spirit, man. Like, I remember some of our favorite bands, you know, when we got to see them live, it was just like, you know, you feel like you're in a movie or something, you know, when you're watching like your favorite groups up there and, you know, the music is just hitting you, man. It just becomes like this, you know, extraterrestrial thing or something, you know? Yeah, yeah. Well, and on that, on that too,
00:28:25
Speaker
I was wondering on music, you know, I talked a lot of music guests in talking to Joe before I mentioned I like to have music guests because we have the, you know, the song like that you have in the performance aspect.
00:28:41
Speaker
But, of course, a big piece of music that has been like a huge radical and many times difficult change is, you know, with there not being live music, at least in the way that we've enjoyed it over time. Do you and I'll ask each one of you to start with Hawk.
Pandemic Impact on Live Music
00:29:02
Speaker
What are your thoughts on kind of like the role of music now and the
00:29:09
Speaker
And it's connection to live music, you know, during a pandemic just kind of open ended. Well, you know, what do you what do you feel is going on? Well, I mean, I totally took I took a lot. I think a lot of us did take live music for granted because now that it's gone, it's like, damn, you know, I want to go to a show and like you'd be surprised. I am a I'm a huge dubstep fan. So I go to. Yeah. Yeah. Lots of dubstep shows.
00:29:36
Speaker
And like, that's like what I did for fun. You know, this is always go to dubstep shows. I've actually it's embarrassing to say, but I've never been to a rock show. I've only been to dubstep shows. Oh, wow. Yeah. It's like music during this pandemic is the only thing like I go out a lot. I hang out with a lot of people and like music is the only thing that like brings everyone together. It's like we're all just sitting there at the beach and it's like quiet. Like it is such a different feeling.
00:30:04
Speaker
that is
00:30:28
Speaker
the community aspect of it, too. It's interesting that I found myself and just to mention this. The last show I went into and I mentioned one other episode was with the band called Coyote, which is this great blues soul doom metal, I would say. And her name was Sarah built the lead singer. She also sings in a soul review. She was on a podcast. She I saw her open for the band Blackwater Holy Light.
00:30:58
Speaker
And I'm going to end up getting Blackwater Holy Light, the band, within the next few episodes. So I'm actually will be able to get a couple, deliberately get two bands, the last two bands that I saw.
00:31:13
Speaker
prior to the pandemic. And I think it'll be interesting to have done that and to get further into that. Because I remember that show, for me in particular, so much. Because I love live shows. I love metal shows. And it just sticks in my head because I know that's the last one that I saw. Now, let me just tweak the question a little bit and just open it up for Rick.
00:31:43
Speaker
Um, if I tweak the question like this, I, I seen video and performance video, you've done some big shows, uh, Hawkins has. And, uh, you know, it's clear to me, both in your energy and your enjoyment of, you know, the, the, the live performances, I see it.
00:32:05
Speaker
That seems to be a big part of the band. Rick, can you talk a little bit about adjusting to, you know, you get a single out now and just thinking about live music again? Yeah, you know, I think that given everything that's going on, I think that people are learning to, like Hawk said, learn to appreciate music way more because
00:32:29
Speaker
It's not everywhere. You can't just walk down the street necessarily as you would in Times Square and just suddenly hear music because there's no one there to hear it.
00:32:42
Speaker
When we came out with the record now, we did not expect that it would get so viral so quick and that people would attach to it. But I think that's what it speaks volumes for just making music that resonates with people. Like you said, both you and your daughter like it. So that's two different age groups, two different lives, two different generations. But you can both appreciate one song because
00:33:06
Speaker
there's a melody in there that really gets you. And I think for a long time, Ken, I just feel that music has been just in a really bad state where it's become overly computerized and that people are now swapping out talent for looks. And it goes back to this. Early on in the recording process in American recordings and in the UK,
00:33:33
Speaker
They, you know, they use tape and tape costs money. So when you came in there, if you couldn't get the vocal tape or the guitar tape, the drum tape in one riff, you know, one time you were out because you're costing the studio money. But because everything is digital now, we have a little bit more time and we can digitalize everything to the point where
00:33:52
Speaker
you don't even need to get to take right. We can use whatever you have. So less quality has been put in there. And I think people are really getting cheated from like everything just being constantly rebooted and rebooted. They're doing the same thing with movies, they're doing the same thing with maybe not with art as much, but more so in music for sure. You just hear that's what looping is. That's what bringing all the stuff back and just putting a different spin on it.
00:34:17
Speaker
And I think that's where our band comes in. I think that's what in terms of our live energy, when you put Hawk in a room, when you put Joshua Joseph and myself, something as unique is going on that's organic. And I think that is what people are picking up on our band versus the computerized version of what they're hearing now. Yeah. And I could, I could hear the energy even the, I mean, there's always this thing about a studio.
00:34:44
Speaker
Uh, you know, when you get into production and studio, I mean, some things sound more energetic. They have more vibrancy to it. Just kind of the way that it is. And I think that comes through, uh, in the song. So, you know, maybe a sensor you're trying to capture some of that. Um, no, but seeing us, seeing us live is a whole nother ballgame than hearing us on a studio or live performances or we like focus hard on energy.
00:35:11
Speaker
and just going crazy and Joe ripping it up, all of us dance, all of us go strong, you know? So come see us live at some point and you'll be like, wow, that's definitely not a studio recording. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And did you, you played even, you know, like the Mohegan son, right? The large, yeah, large, large venue out there out East. And yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I know eventually, I know eventually I'll be able to,
00:35:39
Speaker
to uh to see you live now one of the one of the uh big questions again um and and i wanted to ask and i know you've each one of you in your way of if pointed to your thinking on this but i wanted to ask deliberately uh before going into the big why is there something rather than nothing question about why
Motivations for Creating Music
00:36:04
Speaker
why each of you set out to create. And I'm going to start with Hawk on that one. The question is, why why do you create just in the sense of. Do you feel compelled that you have to have no choice or, you know, like a larger purpose around creation? I just create because I'm bored, man. No, I mean, the creating is like I've just always had a I just always
00:36:31
Speaker
Like I've had to create, you know, even before music, I was always like drawing in class. I was an awful student. I should start with that. I went to, uh, I had to do an extra year of high school because I, this was never, I was just never like paying attention, just drawing, doing origami. I learned how to juggle, you know, just like random stuff all the time. I think it's what, and like being, I mean, skateboarding my whole life, skateboarding is a form, is an art form, you know, each, each, like each person skates differently. It does different kinds of tricks and stuff. So it was like,
00:37:01
Speaker
Creating is just is I think it's what makes life fun for me man. So yeah, I definitely I definitely feel compelled to create There's nothing I there's nothing else I want to do like what do you what are you doing? If you're not like creating something, you know You're just like you just strolling through life until until you die like that's pretty whack. Yeah And like I want to leave my mark, you know And for for life is over like the only thing that stays are the things that you create Absolutely, absolutely a huge
00:37:31
Speaker
huge. And even your first answer, you know, like, you know, it's it's something that it's completely, completely legitimate. How about you, Rick? Why do you create, you know, more so because I need to. I think that there's there's some kind of rush that I get, you know, from just starting with nothing and then figuring out what it's going to look like in the end. You know, that's really for me is that there's there's just a huge rush in that. Yeah. Josh.
00:38:02
Speaker
Yeah, so like, I've never done any drugs. I know you hear a rock band. And I would have to say the best high is creating a song out of nothing out of the blue, channeling each other's energy, there's a connection there, sometimes even alone, you know, like if I'm writing something alone, just the rush of the pure rush of just creating something, it I'm just been I've been hooked on it ever since.
00:38:27
Speaker
Josh is right because I have done drugs and it's still a better high. He's right. He's right. It's still it's still an incredible high no matter what. And Joe. Yeah. I think you know without creation a lot of us musicians would probably be insane. You know it's like you know it's it's this relief man. I can't tell you it's like
00:38:55
Speaker
You get all this energy in your mind. You hear a sound. You hear this. You hear that. And it's got to come out. You know, I'll have music like literally wake me up out of sleep, man. You know, I'll have these dreams and stuff like that where I'll hear a song. I'll hear a riff. I'll hear a lick. I'll hear a scale. And you know, I'll hear it in my sleep. I'll wake up and I'll have to jump to my guitar, whether it's like
00:39:15
Speaker
you know, three, two in the morning, whatever, and I'll jump to my guitar and start playing it, you know, record that, and then go right back to sleep. It's like creation is just like a part of my daily life now. And it's just like without it, I have no clue what I would be doing. Seriously, it's just one of the most beautiful things, like Ricky said, you know, creating something from nothing, you know, it didn't exist. But for example, this song lights off that we made, it did not exist in the world before we all came together and made it, you know, made the tune. It's like,
00:39:45
Speaker
you know, especially with all our roles in the band, too. You know, you have a hawk killing the vocals, Rick killing the bass, you know, Josh doing an amazing job on drums, you know, and, you know, me adding my guitar elements. All of that, man, is just the most beautiful thing. Once you get us together and we're all creating in our own unique way, it becomes something entirely different. And that's a really beautiful part of art and creation, man.
00:40:10
Speaker
Yeah, I appreciate your comments. And each of your comments around that, I think just actively now, within the midst of this interview, realizing that it's great to hear the different components of some of these questions about creating, about creating art, and to hear the different angles from the band. And it all comes out with the same song. It comes out with the same results.
Philosophical Reflections on Existence
00:40:40
Speaker
And as far as the big question here is, why is there something rather than nothing? I mean, you've heard the podcast. And I know, Joe, in your answer, you just alluded to that. But I want to give you each the opportunity just kind of to kick around the big question as well is, why is there something rather than nothing? I'm going to start with Ricky.
00:41:05
Speaker
Ken, I've noticed that you've always given me all the big philosophical questions. Ricky, you're the right guy for that. But how I get to talk about skateboarding, EDM, dubstep, I get like, why is there death? Let's try. Hey, Ricky, why is there evil in the world?
00:41:28
Speaker
Well, if I had to answer this, one of the things I love about your podcast came is because it is, you know, there is a philosophical question. And if not mistaken, that comes from the philosopher
00:41:39
Speaker
Gottfried Leibniz. You're on the right track with asking Ricky this one. I told you, man. Essentially, it deals with the nature of reality. We know that we exist because we're self-aware. We're in reality. We're in something
00:41:59
Speaker
things. Therefore, something is there rather than nothing, nothing being nothingness, no, no, you know, no universe. We know that truth of the Lincoln theory that any universe that exists has to come in ex nidio out of nothing. So our universe has come out of nothing. Now, why is that? I think it is because there's some type of contingent factor on the universe coming into play. And I think that it it's evidence that one can rationalize
00:42:27
Speaker
and say that, well, there's a causative agent that willed it to be so, right? What should be evidence for God? There being something now on atheistic worldview, where that doesn't exist, you know, that's just, it's just really a cosmic accident that just sort of happened and stormed together. So really, depending on one's worldview, you have those kind of like two sort of options to look at. And thanks, Ricky, you see, and then I'll say for the rest of the guys, too, hey,
00:42:57
Speaker
I mean, the great answer. There's a reason why we're asking. He's right off the beat. I'm Frank. Welcome to my TED talk. Joe, Joe, why is there why is there something rather than nothing? I don't know, man. I like playing guitar. No, no, I would say
00:43:24
Speaker
You know, again, like you said, I kind of alluded to it before, but like, you know, for me, you know, music is something that gives me that feeling of like, why is there something rather than nothing? Because I feel like us as humans, man, you know, everyone has to have something. And whatever that something is, is that thing that makes you tick and makes you go on, whether you're an artist, whether you're
00:43:48
Speaker
you know, whether you, you know, paint, whether you do this or that, you know, there's always, there always has to be something to us individually that kind of makes us tick. And for me and the guys, it's always, you know, whether it's, you know, Hawk skateboarding and doing music and this and that, there's always something, man. And I think for us, it's just like, once you get us together, dude, and we're playing music, it's like that harmonious feeling where it does feel like there's something there. You know, it's like it gives you that purpose, man, you know? Yeah.
00:44:18
Speaker
Thanks. And man, I appreciate that answer as well. What about you, Josh? Why is there something rather than nothing? So I'm not going to give an answer like Rick did. That was phenomenal. But my perspective would probably be that we are all nothing until we find that something, until we find that purpose. It could be music. It could be cooking. It could be a mother raising her children. She gets something out of it.
00:44:45
Speaker
You create that purpose for yourself to become something versus out of nothing into no existence. You give yourself a moment to become something greater than you normally would be.
00:45:00
Speaker
Yeah, could you imagine like what it would be like, you know, living in general without like that certain thing in your life that you do? You know what I mean? It would be really, really difficult. You know, like for us, for example, a band without music, you know, what would that be like? You know, it's just a very big thing, you know, just have a rock without a bone. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I am. And in Hawk, ultimately, why is there something rather than nothing? To be honest, again, I have no idea what that question means.
00:45:31
Speaker
Hey, you know what? You know what the thing is? You know what the thing is around this question, too? And it's fun. And I'm glad you mentioned that, Hawk. I mean, the one of the things is if you look in the Buddhist tradition, there's certain questions like basically
00:45:48
Speaker
When you ask the questions, it's like, don't bother asking. So it's like, where did the universe come in and where there's something rather than nothing? You know, like there's questions that they say right off the bat, at least within Buddhist philosophy, the same look, there isn't there is there isn't an answer we'll be able to show. So not that the question isn't important, but it's one of the unanswerables, you know, I like that.
00:46:13
Speaker
Yeah. And so, like, there's there's aspects of this. And a matter of fact, on this very question, you know, just just for discussion's sake, the I was listening or reading a book by a scientist, astrophysicist, because scientists will also approach this question of like, all right, why is why is there anything like why do we observe anything? Why do we study anything? And
00:46:37
Speaker
The scientists say that the question is posed wrong. The question actually should be, how is there something rather than nothing, rather than the why? And so I think, you know, like I don't think like on this question and it's it's a fun one to kick around. There's a great tradition of being like, nah, I don't need to answer that or I'm not even sure if that's the right question or so.
00:47:06
Speaker
It's pretty open-ended, and I use it as a good prompt, and I really appreciate all your thoughts, all of you, some great responses. What I wanted to do here at the end, and I'll just completely open it up,
Social Media and Future Releases
00:47:25
Speaker
A big piece of this is obviously listeners were able to hear lights off a new single available on Spotify primarily. But I'll let you guys talk about just ways for listeners to be able to connect with your music, whether it's you as individuals, whether it's the band as a whole. I just want to make sure
00:47:53
Speaker
The listeners know how to connect with you and to get some of your stuff. Well, well, first a lights off is available on all streaming platforms. Yes. Yeah. And on all social medias, we are Hawkins the band, right? Right, Joe? Did we fix that? Yeah. Yeah. And all social medias, we are Hawkins the band, but we go by Hawkins. Sure. You could reach us on that anywhere. If you want to hear some music, you go.
00:48:22
Speaker
which are we Hawkins or Hawkins the band on Spotify? Are we going to change it? No, we should still be Hawkins on Spotify. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. We're Hawkins. Our symbol is a little robot that I drew with a balloon and he painted his heart on. So that's our symbol. So if you see that, that painting was super cool. I'm glad you like that. That's actually a, that's actually a Hawks tattoo. It comes from the tattoo that Hawk has. Incredible. Yeah. When I was, uh,
00:48:50
Speaker
Uh, I had, I had some issues growing up and I was in rehab at one point and they told me to draw my depression. And when I was a kid, I was always like, I always felt like I was like, I just wanted to fit in. And I just wanted to, like, I felt like I wasn't human, you know, I just felt like I was so different from everyone else. Sure. And so that's, that was kind of like my way. I was like, I drew the robot cause that's like what I felt like. And he painted his heart on us. He just wanted to be human. And I added the balloon cause like just to symbolize like that it was like a child.
00:49:20
Speaker
I got a tattooed and now it's our band cymbals. That's pretty cool. Nice guys. Yeah Yeah, so we can look look for that as well. Um the rest of the guys any anything you want to throw out there and make sure some strings for people to grab on yeah, um, I think that you know with our music band of the number one thing we try to do is to
00:49:43
Speaker
You know, we're we're a band for a reason and we're here to make music that people in this world have never heard anything like before. So, you know, if you want to catch our music, everything we can catch our music online, everything we're going to be releasing in the coming months and everything, it's all going to be stuff that we want people to like have this immense, you know,
00:50:05
Speaker
feeling and emotion towards. It's built for that person. You know, if you feel lost, if you feel hurt, if you feel, you know, like you're not good enough, this or that, or you feel happy, or you feel sad, or this, we want to cover everything, man. So we're going to give you a lot of different vibes with our upcoming music, dance music, that, you know, we're going to touch on everything. So, you know, keep a lookout for it. It's going to be really tremendous stuff. You know, it's going to be different than what you're hearing, man. You know, it's a very unconventional path, but
00:50:34
Speaker
I think that that's what we're here for. We feel like on the radio and the music that they've been releasing these days, it's just not good enough. We have a different view on it. It's just not good enough and we're here to make stuff that's really going to connect with people, but also just be for everything, every kind of mood, every kind of environment. Besides the dubstep that's coming out, dubstep never dies.
00:51:00
Speaker
Yeah. Well, you know, I can definitely hear a need for it, Ken, because maybe you might have been in conversations like this, or I've heard people say this, but you might people say like, man, you know, like, what's up with music nowadays? Or, you know, how come like, they I think that the people are longing for something musically, but no one really brings it up. Because like, they don't want you to know that you can get something better. I mean, honestly, like some of our friends are way better musicians that you know, that I'll hear you were like, I know better rappers.
00:51:29
Speaker
that are out today that can out wrap people that are filling arenas, you know? Right. There's people that we all know that are better artists. So I think people all naturally want something that is better. You know, they just don't they just don't know where to where to find it. And I think when it comes to us, it's like we're super engaging. So if you want to message us in our social media, talk to us like we're there all the time, we will. Yeah, we will always answer any any fan, anyone that wants to talk, argue,
00:51:57
Speaker
Give us some hate. I love it. Give it. Give it to us. Hate on us. Hate on us. But Joe's right. I want to emphasize that a little more. And Joe's right that not all of our songs are going to sound like lights off. And that not all of our songs are going to be happy. Not all our songs are going to be sad. We're going to put out some blues stuff. We're going to put out some harder rock songs, some more pop songs, maybe some laid back piano songs. We're going to touch on everything because these guys, these three guys that I'm working with are extremely talented.
00:52:27
Speaker
And there's millions of people that can play instruments, but there's not many people that could write good songs, you know, and I think all four of us have that ability. And so we're going to be wanting to set on everything because we have so many influences and I like, I like so many genres of music. I like everything. So why stick to one thing? I know like people, I know record companies want bands to do that and stuff, but dare I say like, fuck them, you know, I want to make everything.
00:53:10
Speaker
Yeah, now you're, now we're in like the age where, you know, everything, everyone is listening to everything. It's, and you'll find like influence of everything, you know, within pop, within, you know, this, within that, you know, so, so, you know, we grew up listening to everything. So, you know, we want to, you know,
00:53:12
Speaker
I will make whatever I want.
00:53:29
Speaker
what not a better time to just like take everything we've been listening to and touch upon it. Like Hawk said, we love happy music, we love sad music, we love singer-songwriter songs, we love dance tunes. So we want to be an artist that is able to kind of incorporate all of the elements we love.
00:53:46
Speaker
and everything the people love and kind of give the people something new, something different in a way no one has ever done it before. I feel like we live in an era of the new golden age of music where the independent artist can be king. You could literally work in your bedroom, create up a song, and it could actually get on the radio. It could blow up on Spotify or on different medias.
00:54:13
Speaker
And you could reach so many people like you couldn't do back in like I was saying with tape and all that, you know, you had to go to distribution companies. Now you could do it all through your computer. You know, it's just we'd live in such an amazing age where everybody's listening to everything. So I feel like they're like, you know, where people are going to gravitate towards a band that actually makes more than just one thing, you know, they're not just they're just creating, you know, like the beat. Yeah.
00:54:40
Speaker
Like every album from the Beatles are all different. You know, the white album is a collection of everything. Yeah. You know, you can't pin that album to any genre. So I feel like we are currently at that that place where we could actually do that and probably get away with it. And one thing I'd like to add also is that there's there's something different with our music that Russia specifies that it's very organic.
00:55:06
Speaker
You know, there's like, for example, like no record label, like put us together and like, like, you know, created us. We just naturally met each other. And this is just a natural, like, this is the way we naturally approach music. We just naturally ended up being three brothers and grew up together. We all actually had a natural birth. Oh, exactly.
00:55:31
Speaker
I don't know if this is a G rated podcast. If you just know this, this, uh, this, this, I always listed as, uh, explicit always because you can look up and down the ranks. It's, it's, it's in, it's inevitable. I would have been way more vile. No, I'm kidding. Well, that's, that's part of my thing at the beginning of the podcast. Like if I mentioned that it's a free for all it might be.
00:56:02
Speaker
Um, it might be a free for all, but, um, yeah, I, uh, I got, I got to tell you, um, just a little bit, um, just in general, um, with the podcast, I, I, I appreciate your time. Um, and, and, and basically the, the whole group, I, I imagine, you know, for your sides, a little bit intimidating for me is, you know, it is, is a great flow. It's a great new experience for me. And interestingly enough, you know, I had mentioned.
00:56:27
Speaker
Couple I'm heading towards 50 episodes and a couple bands Metal bands of Blackwater Holy Light The band will be on here. So that'll happen and then also a Band a dirty princess, which is one of the band members of Blackwater Holy Light will will also be on so it's kind of cool I'm kind of like to have this eclectic
00:56:55
Speaker
a connection, but also you'll probably hear two or three episodes in a row that are, you know, music band focused. And well, thanks. Thanks, Hawkins. Thanks. Thanks for kicking that off. I cannot interrupt you before we end the show. I know we never got a chance to ask you, what did you think of the song?
00:57:16
Speaker
Um, I I thought the song was I thought the song was uh, fantastic I thought like one of the things I mentioned about the production about the um production it for me when I first listened to it, I don't know what this is you you you guys an expert on this but um It had that like live Like that live feel like the energy that you talk about that you put into it is like right there
00:57:43
Speaker
The guitar was totally crisp like the instruments. I mean it's it's a great song and It's it's got it's got a hook right so that I think that's why you got like that initial interest if people are exposed to it and they hear it's it's just a it's just a good it's just a great song it's got a great vibe to it and
00:58:04
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's what people are picking up on and thank you Ken. Yeah And I hear all the different styles that you go you got going on I'd like that, you know myself, you know, I grew up I'm old enough where I grew up listening to rap right like so I'm 10 years old and like rap is just coming around I grew up outside of Providence and
00:58:28
Speaker
Rhode Island and that's all I listened to and then you know in high school then it's like industrial metal then classics you know you end up going back in time to some of the classics much later because you know when you're younger it's like you know rap had this element of being transgressive and you know obviously industrial and metal so um I definitely love the the mix of music and
00:58:53
Speaker
the mix of styles. And I'm very interested to see what you guys can do to bring those elements in. Because the little amount that I've heard, but in combination with talking to you, I can hear how that stuff is going to come out. Like I can hear those threads in your music. And it's going to be a lot of fun to listen to. Also, yes, stay tuned, man. We got some awesome songs coming that we're writing right now.
00:59:23
Speaker
All right. Again, deep thanks from the Something Rather Than Nothing podcast to Hawkins, the band. Just a great discussion. Look forward to obviously chatting with you guys again. And deep thanks for joining the program and another great wish for incredible success in the attention that's been placed on your new release.
00:59:51
Speaker
Thank you so much. We appreciate that, Ken. And it's been a pleasure to be on, man, and speaking with you about art and music and everything in between, dude. Yeah, great questions. Awesome. Absolutely.
01:00:04
Speaker
Yeah, Ken, you're a fantastic interviewer and it means the world for us if you'd have us on the show, dude. And you know, it's like you can't really engage many people as intellectually as we could you. So you're just as crazy as us almost. I like that. That's probably the highest compliment I've gotten towards 50. Just as crazy as yeah. I feel comfortable in that. And I appreciate it so much.
01:00:33
Speaker
Hawkins Band, very much looking forward to talking to you all again and have a great day. When we blow up, we're gonna give you some money for having us on. You're blowing up right now, I'll send the invoice. Have a great day.