Reviews

Not even the seasoned writers at trend-setting country-rock magazine No Depression can tell that much about the boys hiding behind the cryptical name of I See Hawks In L.A. This does not stop them from already making comparisons with Gram Parsons (!).

One thing for sure, though:

This is the best band in the Byrds-genre in a very long time. I have listened to the harsh branch of country-rock, called Americana, for quite some time and I haven’t come across anything like it since Jayhawks put out “Hollywood Townhall” in 1992. Or let me put it this way, since Ryan Adams was good for real, namely the time around “Heartbreaker”.

We get a heavy dose of everything that turned several generations on to a genre created by Gram Parsons, The Byrds and The Band. Irresistable harmonies, an exact yet laid-back country groove, touching lyrics and mood swings and jangling guitars at exactly the right places. No wonder that Chris Hillman, the ex-Byrd, agreed to take part in this record. Hillman, who by the way could be heard on “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo”, is having a fine old time again. You can easily understand why.

The band is also politically aware for real. The homepage reveals a strong political engagement and the songs deal with social conflicts, gamble abuse and panic in Disneyland. Robert Byrd, The Senator of West Virginia, is hailed, among other things for his criticism of the war in Iraq, fully aware of that his intire career as a politician is in danger.

“California Country” is a complete album, the best of its genre right now. Unless this band gets decent distribution in Sweden and Europe, it’s a tragedy.

Jörgen Boman / 2007-05-19
www.musiklandet.se

CALIFORNIA COUNTRY named to Radio/Press BEST OF 2006 lists:

“I have no idea who these guys are, but I suspect I’d enjoy seeing them live. Once again, California and Americana, but with a weird overlay of darkness that’s perfectly expressed by the nighttime gas station on the cover. They’re a bit of a throwback — I could see them as some tangential Byrds spinoff that I’d have to use one of Pete Frame’s family trees to decipher, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I might try to rustle up their previous record next time I’m in the States. They’re that interesting.”

— Ed Ward, No Depression Top Ten

“2006 was the year of Gram Parsons, for many strange reasons, and I See Hawks, a Byrds/Burritos blend of brainy talent, benefited from all the posthumous attention paid to Parsons. It’s also one of the best post-Byrds roots records since Gene Clark’s No Other.”

— Bob Gulla, Boston Phoenix Best of 2006

Freeform American Roots Chart
#10 album of the year

Top Ten, Folkways, KUT, Austin, David Oberman DJ

Top Ten, Lost Highway, WMBR, Doug Gesler DJ

Medicine Show UK, Most Played Album Of The Year,
Top Live Show Of The Year (Belladrum Festival, Scotland)

Freight Train Boogie, Best Independent Releases 2006

Top 10 CDs 2006, Michael Meehan, Freight Train Boogie

#4 album of the year, Folk And Roots, Colin Fielding 3INR (96.5 fm), Australia

#2 album of the year, American Music Top 100, 103.1 FM, Belgium

Best of 2006, Countrymusic24 Radio – Berlin, Gerd Stassen DJ

#5 album of the year, Best of 2006, The Music Never Stops, KPFK 90.7, Barry Smolin DJ

#5 album of the year, Paul Heyblom, VOETBAL MAGAZINE (Netherlands)

Click HERE for Swedish review.

Review from Spain:

I See Hawks In L.A.: California Country

Once in a while, in the world of music, the unexpected surprises us. The unfamiliar enters our reality, and surprises us with something that we cannot even describe. At the same time, we savor the beauty of this music that arrives from unknown artists.

The band, I See Hawks In L.A., is delightful surprise. Curiously enough, they are indirectly well known in certain circles. Let me explain: everyone who has seen the San Miguel beer commercial (where there is a band playing at a highway honky-tonk joint in front of a very bored audience) has seen the band. In the commercial, the audience perks up when the San Miguel beers enter the scene. Suddenly, the audience is inspired to get up and dance to El Paquito’s el Chocolatero. The band playing in front of the bored audience is I see Hawks in L.A.

A strange way to be introduced to this band. The band was formed in 1999 in Los Angeles by Rob Waller and Lacques brothers Paul and Anthony, so they already carry a lot of experience and history on their backs. They have produced 3 CDs: I See Hawks in L.A. (on the already defunct Ethic label in 2001), Grapevine (on Western Seeds Records in 2004) and the last and magnificent California Country (in 2006 also from Western Seeds Records). They have proven that the old fashioned sounds of Country Rock from the 1960’s are not dead. Artists like Dillard and Clark, Flying Burrito Brothers, etc. have left a clear influence on the Hawks’ sound. Their music is seasoned with bits of folk music and brush strokes of Bluegrass. The result is that this band immediately reels you in.

What started as an entertaining idea over a couple of beers has become, with the passing of time, a way of life. Awarded Best Country Band in 2002 and 2003 by the prestigious L.A.Weekly publication, the band has captured a devoted fan base in Los Angeles. In a region such as California, where film is one of the principal industries, the band has been selected to compose the soundtrack for a number of documentaries, movies and T.V. shows, in addition to solidifying their spot on the American Sound charts with their second CD, Grapevine, becoming very well known in the area.

Back to the magnificent California Country, by far their best work; work that propelled them to became known outside of the limits of California. Most of the songs are written by Robert Waller and Paul Lacques (both perform duties on guitar and dobro, vocals and production), Dave Zirbel plays steel, Cody Bryant on banjo and Rick Shea on mandolin and acoustic guitar, along with the collaboration of the legendary Chris Hillman on mandolin. The final product does not disappoint.

Motorcycle Mama, Raised by Hippies and California Country are examples of the Hawks knowledge of medium tempo seasoned with slow tempo and magnificently demonstrated on Midnight Orlando (my favorite song on the disc) or the precious Take My Rest and Hard Times? ( the latter a prime example of the influence of the hit single Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson).

In August, 2006 they will tour in the United Kingdom. What a joy it would be to hear this band there, this band that comes from the depths of the unknown, without any promotional support, but, little by little, and armed only with their vast quality and style, they will arrive to catch a little bit of stardom. They are obviously fixed in the charts of American Sound, but no one thinks they can enter the official lists and orthodoxies governed by Music City.

I See Hawks in L.A. is a band that gives us hope and confirms our faith in the genre of Country Music, a genre more alive today than ever.

Review from Holland:

Wat begon als een flauwekulbandje om muziek te maken op de veranda, eindigt (voorlopig) als een hooggenoteerde act in de US countrylijsten. Een komische groepsnaam van een humoristisch annex sarcastisch gezelschap dat op hun 3de album California Country zo ongeveer het hele countryspectrum – van traditioneel tot alternatief- behandelt. De belangrijkste leden van I See Hawks In L.A. zijn Rob Waller (leadzang, akoestische gitaar) en Paul Lacques (gitaren, lapsteel, Dobro en 2de stem) die – op één nummer na – alles samen componeerden. Beiden zorgden voor een melodierijke stevige rocksound dat in veel gevallen de basis vormt voor de 13 nummers. En ook de teksten mogen niet onvermeld blijven, want die vertellen quasi grappig over van alles en nog wat. Luister bijvoorbeeld naar opener Motorcycle Mama (helemaal klaar voor een lekker ritje, maar dan weigert de motor dienst) of naar het bijtende Slash From Guns N’Roses met heuse Slash- venijnige gitaarsolo. Ook ervaringen met Californië, Disney/Orlanda, de romance in Houston, the summer of love in Raised By Hippies, het gouden meisje of cannabisgenot in Barrier Reef, werden spitsvondig opgetekend en ouderwets goed muzikaal vormgegeven. Een handvol muzikanten droegen aan de opnames een steentje bij met, als meest bekenden, oudgediende snarenspelers Rick Shea en Chris Hillman. Boven op dit alles moet dan nog de kleurrijke meerstemmige samenzang vermeld worden en dan zijn alle relevanties over het mooie California Country genoemd. Voor een hoge verkoopverwachting zie ik echter veel beren op de weg in ons kikkerland.

— Huub Thomassen, Real Roots Cafe, Holland

GOOGLE Translation:

What started as a rubbish band make music on the veranda, finishes (provisionally) as hooggenoteerde act in the US countrylijsten. A comic group name of humoristic annex sarcastic gezelschap that on their 3rd album California Country this way approximately the complete countryspectrum – of traditionally to alternative treats. The most important members of I See Hawks in L.A. to be Rob Waller (leadzang, acoustic jet ear) and Paul Lacques (jet ears, rag stalk, Dobro and 2nd voice) that – on one number after – together composed everything. Both ensured melodierijke firm rocksound that in many cases the basis form the 13 numbers. And also the texts cannot remain unmentioned, because those tell seeming funny of everything and still what. Lustre for example to more open Motorcycle mummy (entirely ready for nice ritje, but then) or to the caustic Slash From Guns N Roses with heuse Slash- refuse service to the engine virulent gitaarsolo. Also experiences with California, Disney/Orlanda, the romance in Houston, the summer or love in Raised By Hippies, reef gouden the little girl or cannabisgenot in Barrier, clever were noted down and old-fashioned well musical were formed. Hand-full muzikanten contributed a steentje to the prerecordings with, as most acquaintances, oudgediende snarenspelers Rick Shea and Chris Hillman. On top of all this then and then its all relevances still the coloured polyphonic samenzang mentioned concerning the beautiful California Country must become called. For a high sale expectation to see I however much roaring on the way in our frog country.

by Doug Miller

The cover of I See Hawks in L.A.’s latest album, “California Country,” provides appropriate art for the beautifully baffling topography of a state where millions upon millions still rush in search of their versions of gold.

It befits the “progress” that has led us to 2006: A sad and lonely gas station in the middle of the night, perhaps right off the I-5 corridor, with a cool wind blowing from the desert through the valley and out to the rows of McMansions overlooking the chilly Pacific.

When asked to describe the message of the album, Paul Lacques, the Los Angeles-based country rock band’s co-founder and multi-instrumentalist, recalls a recent trip near his boyhood home in Southern California’s high desert.

::READ ON::

2006 was the year of Gram Parsons, for many strange reasons, and I See Hawks, a Byrds/Burritos blend of brainy talent, benefited from all the posthumous attention paid to Parsons. It’s also one of the best post-Byrds roots records since Gene Clark’s No Other.

— Bob Gulla, BOSTON PHOENIX

Connoisseurs of surreal country in the grand Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers/Byrds tradition will find much to love on California Country, a collection of shrewd, witty songs custom-fitted — big beats and all — for the beards’n’boots crowd. Here’s a disc that suggests its creators have their ears in the ’70s and their minds in a modern protest rally: “Byrd from West Virginia” praises the titular senator for his outspokenness on the Iraq War, and “Barrier Reef,” with its hilarious refrain that “The keeper of the leaf/Is the barrier reef to my sanity,” hints at the backwardness of the national ban on marijuana. Elsewhere, the ever-evolving lineup of I See Hawks in L.A. sees fit to cut loose. “Slash from Guns N’ Roses,” which hooks up those accustomed to trafficking purely in twang with some excellent rock guitar licks, is a prime example; in it, a Slash impersonator is confronted by the real deal at an L.A. party. “Motorcycle Mama,” meanwhile, revisits a beloved character from a same-named Neil Young song — here, she’s still laying her big spike down, only she sounds more inclined to a saddle up when she’s off the hog. Musically, I See Hawks in L.A.’s heavenly three-part harmonies are tight as ever, and frontman Rob Waller sounds by turns broken, brainy, and borrowed from a different, cooler planet. Should NASA ever find an outer-space mission for a whiskey-shooting country singer, he’s their man.

— Tammy La Groce

10-Pack Of Top Tunes
10 songs that really stood out to me in recent random listening:

1. Slash from Guns N’ Roses/I See Hawks in L.A.: Nothing like a good story song, and this is quite a tale: the saga of dueling Slashes appearing at rival L.A. parties in trendy Beachwood Canyon, with plenty of deliberate guitar cliches leading into an epic faceoff to determine which Slash is the imposter. And if you’re wondering where this fine alt-country/rock band comes up with this stuff, I’m told it’s based on a real incident. Album: California Country.

— Ken Barnes, USA TODAY

Sheringham Community Paper, Nottingham, England, August 2006

At the drop of a hat my good friend Kevin Neave took me over to Nottingham to see a gig that I simply couldn’t miss.  There’s a big scene in Nottingham and ‘The Forest Tavern’ on Mansfield Road sports some high powered gigs.  A lot of American artists seem to include this venue in their tours of the UK, Emmylou Harris was in Nottingham only days before I was there.  On this occasion I went to see I See Hawks in L.A. and Tony Gilkyson in support.  What a night:

I See Hawks in L.A.  An unusual name but what a sound.  Three vocals in harmony, great lead-fill guitar work in a style so appropriate to this feel coupled with slide and a lovely relaxed manner which wrapped itself around you like a blanket.  You could describe their stuff as ‘Country’ but you’d be missing something.  It had the usual great lyrics, harmonies and rhythms but had a biting edge I always associate with stuff from L.A.  A touch of Rock perhaps.  Either way it was warm and rich and left you feeling good.  What more can I say?  A great gig all round, great venue, great music and a great night. 

— Tim Jefferson

June 27th, 2006
By Steven Mirkin

. . . I See Hawks in L.A. was a perfect choice to open the show. As the title of their new album, “California Country” (Western Seeds), clues you in, the Hawks draw inspiration from Buck, the Byrds and the Burrito Bros., among others, but with a modern, at times ironic (“Raised by Hippies” and the pot smuggler’s sing-along “Humboldt”) sensibility. On Saturday, their impressive three-part harmonies were often overshadowed by the interplay between guitarist Paul Lacques and guest Rick Shea on pedal steel.

Los Angeles is a desert, both geographically and culturally, but those of us who pay rent here occasionally find an oasis in the Capital of Crap. I See Hawks In L.A. blew on the scene like a hot Santa Ana with their debut album in 2001. They blend country and psychedelia with soaring three-part harmonies that leave the poseurs of alt-schmaltz dust choked. Lead singer Rob Waller and lead guitarist Paul Lacques co-write most of the songs, smart and wry tone poems about mayhem and mortality and sing-a-long anthems that hoist the freak flag high.

The quartet’s third album California Country is rife with rage over the triumph of vultures. In songs like “Hard Times (Are Here Again),” and “Byrd From West Virginia” (an ode to Senator Robert Byrd), they celebrate the power of free-thinking – an authentic American value currently underutilized. “Slash From Guns N’ Roses” is the true farce about an imposter who passed himself off as the title character – a not-uncommon phenom in this celebrity-infested rathole. “Barrier Reef” is the group’s latest grand cannabis epic: “The power of the leaf/Is the barrier reef/To my sanity.”

These guys are the house band for a revolution that isn’t over yet. Some of us are growing marijuana, some of us are psychedelic country rockers, and – as the Hawks suggest in “Raised By Hippies” – some of us are being born. On that rare smog-less day, you can see us flying over the L.A. basin, proud and free.

— Michael Simmons, High Times

This was a band most were unfamiliar with, but by the end of the set no one was going to forget them. Belting out some of the finest countrified rock you’ll ever hear they have set the bar high for future gigs. ‘Raised by Hippies’ and especially especially especially (it really was that good) ‘Golden Girl’ were some of the best tunes all weekend.