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Stream Review: Freedom Hawk Play New Songs Live, 06.03.20

Posted in Reviews on June 5th, 2020 by JJ Koczan

If you want to know the arguments in favor of bands doing live streams, here are a couple numbers to consider. In about 13 hours after completing their 25-minute set from what was presumably their rehearsal room in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the heavy rock four-piece Freedom Hawk boasted 8,100 views of the resultant video. It was shared nearly 100 times, including by me, and had over 425 comments. True, none of that translates directly to money. They probably didn’t sell many t-shirts specifically as a result of doing the stream, but consider this: they also set up a donation link and brought in — as of this writing — $630.

I don’t know how much Freedom Hawk get paid to play a show, but I do know this: playing this gig involved no major travel for the group. They didn’t have to load in or load out, or find a place to eat in a strange city, or spend money on gas, food or lodging. They were able to directly engage their fans while also keeping the presentation strictly on their own terms. It was a GoPro or a phone set up in a corner of their rehearsal room. It kind of looked like a security camera, actually. But they played four songs — a smart move to keep it relatively brief; a lesson other streamers who approach it like a regular live show should learn — that are as yet unfamiliar to their fans, got to showcase the direction of their new record, and rather than go through the give-and-take of touring, were able to take in a decent amount of money that they can then take forward to the recording process.

Of course, touring has other tangible and intangible upsides, but so does streaming. I wouldn’t advocate one over the other; I’d advocate both if circumstances allowed for them. But in the current pandemic situation even as lockdowns ease, streaming makes the most sense, and even though I saw them in January live on stage in Brooklyn (review here), I have no problem admitting to being grateful for the opportunity to check them out again from the comfort of my own home, without driving into the city, paying tolls, gas, social anxiety and so on.

True, being at home offers its own distractions. A 6PM start-time came up against my toddlerian son’s bedtime, and I spent the first eight or so minutes of the stream trying to cast it from my phone’s Facebook app to the Chromecast in my living room, without ever succeeding. My wife had a Zoom birthday party for one of her friends at the same time, and all of this was happening at once. It was far, far removed from the experience of being in front of a stage, staring ahead as Freedom Hawk graced a crowd with new songs and a set of old favorites. But like any new experience, there are kinks to work out in terms of process on all ends, including the audience’s. And it being live, as opposed to just a watching a video pre-recorded, makes a huge difference in the mindset.

I don’t know when Freedom Hawk‘s next record might surface, but the songs sounded spot-on. With the four-piece arranged in a circle facing each other as they surely would in rehearsal, it was fun to hear drummer Lenny Hines ask what one of the new songs was called — it was “Seize the Day,” as guitarist/vocalist T.R. Morton informed, his signature effects coming through his voice when he sang on mic — and there were other flashes of the band’s persona that came through subtly. It has to be a little awkward for a group basically inviting an audience into a rehearsal space that was previously entirely their own — the banners on the wall, a flag on the ceiling, the garage doors up; maybe a storage area or something like that? hard to tell — but Hines, Morton, bassist Mark Cave and guitarist Brendan O’Neill made the most of the occasion, stopping for a sip of beer between songs and even offering a “cheers” to the virtual crowd. As I might at a show, I lifted my cup of water in salute.

As for the new material, the other cuts alongside “Seize the Day” were “Baron,” “Dickerson” and “Jimmy Jam,” though of course any and all titles might change before a final record comes out. The sound was quintessential Freedom Hawk: flashes of NWOBHM riffing set to a forward heavy-rock groove, moments of psychedelic nuance brought to bear with strong purpose in the songwriting. Freedom Hawk have never been a hard band to appreciate when it comes to hearing tracks for the first time, and that accessibility served them well in this context. It wouldn’t work for every band, but again, at 25 minutes, this was almost a teaser for the live experience and their next album at the same time. And having sat and watched it in its entirety, even distracted by a pre-bedtime diaper change and getting dinner started, I look forward both to when I might see the band again — on stage or not, should they decide to do another stream — as well as hearing the LP when it might arrive.

This was fun. Watch it here.

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

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Freedom Hawk Announce West Coast Tour; Working on Next Album

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 31st, 2020 by JJ Koczan

Virginia’s Freedom Hawk have begun writing songs for their next record, which they’ll issue through Ripple Music maybe late this Fall — unless writing takes like another week and they’re done, then record immediately — if not in 2021. Still, progress is progress, and they’re continuing to tour in support of fifth album, 2018’s Beast Remains (review here), which is never bad news to see. Plus they say they’re trying out new material on the road, so that tells you at least a couple songs have been put together enough for a stage.

I’ll take it either way, but there is a part of me that feels kind of bad for the fact that I basically expect a Freedom Hawk album every year. I have z-e-r-o reason to do so, and yet, I do. This is a band that puts marked care into the songs they write, and for whom songwriting is a clear priority, and still I’m sitting over here on my couch like, “What? You guys can’t just plug in, bang out 38 minutes of catchy-as-flu high-grade riffery and tour? Come on!” Two or three years between LPs for anyone is reasonable. For some reason, it just always feels like forever going from one Freedom Hawk LP to another.

Again, though, whenever it shows up, it’ll be welcome. You like rock and roll? Them too. You should party.

Tour dates and whatnot:

Freedom Hawk To Hit The West Coast In March!

Virginia’s, Freedom Hawk will be rolling through the US in March with their latest record Beast Remains (Ripple Music, 2018) in tow. Their unique brand of energetic dune rock will elevate your mind and body, through heavy riffs, rolling grooves, and soulful psychedelic melodies wrapped in metal harmonies! Grab a ticket to take a heavy transcendent trip with the warm sun melting your face while cruising with the top down to your favorite beach party on the sand dunes. Come rawk out with your hawk out!

Tickets available @: https://bnds.us/i9tx5f

The band will be playing tracks from their latest album Beast Remains and classics from their previous decade of material with possibly a few new tracks from their forthcoming Ripple release sprinkled in. Look out for a new album in 2020 and more live dates as they continue to expand their music and their reach to fans around the world!

The band says of the new material “We are really excited about the new tunes coming together. The material seems to capitalize on our previous work but really expands into newer territory of tasty bluesy melodies, driving harmonies, and killer song structures that have hooks for days…. We feel like this is our best stuff to date. We can’t wait for people to hear it!”

~Peace&Rawk~

Spring US Tour Dates booked by the new heavy music division of AMG featuring many Ripple Music artists:
March 6 – Denver, CO – Streets of London
March 7 – Salt Lake City, UT – Bottoms Up
March 8 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
March 9 – Seattle, WA – Funhouse
March 10 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
March 11 – Eureka, CA – Siren’s Song
March 12 – Santa Cruz, CA – Urbani Cellar
March 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Hi Hat
March 14 – San Diego, CA – Til Two Club
March 15 – Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room
March 17 – San Antonio, TX – Faust
March 18 – Dallas/Fort Worth, TX – Division Brewing
March 19 – Lafayette, LA – Freetown Boom Boom Room
March 20 – Jacksonville, FL – Archetype
March 21 – Raleigh, NC – Slims Downtown

https://www.facebook.com/freedomhawkmusic/
https://freedomhawk.bandcamp.com
http://www.freedomhawk.net/
http://www.ripple-music.com/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/

Freedom Hawk, “Brutal Winds” official video

Freedom Hawk on Thee Facebooks

Freedom Hawk Post “Brutal Winds” Video; Playing Descendants of Crom 2018 & More

Posted in Bootleg Theater on July 13th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Earlier this Spring, Virginia Beach riff aficionados (ariffionados?) Freedom Hawk toured Europe to celebrate the release of their fifth album, Beast Remains (review here), on Ripple Music. The photo above was taken at The Underworld in Camden Town, right after the four-piece’s set at Desertfest London 2018. They toured from April into May and it was by no means their first time abroad. At this point, Freedom Hawk are veterans whose contributions to underground heavy rock are significant, largely avoiding the trap of East Coast aggression, but still bringing a clear-headed intent to a vibe somewhere between classic metal and fuzzy good times.

The question going forward will be just how much Beast Remains is an anomaly. The album was recorded as the first for the band with the four-piece lineup of guitarist/vocalist T.R. Morton, bassist Mark Cave, drummer Lenny Hines and guitarist Brendan O’Neill. This comes off having done 2015’s more psychedelic Into Your Mind (review here) playing as a trio for the first time. Accordingly, whatever they do next, one expects a certain shift will be apparent even just for the continued development of chemistry among the personnel. At the same time, Freedom Hawk have developed one of the most recognizable sounds in US underground heavy. Like few others, if you hear someone put on a Freedom Hawk song, there’s never any doubt about who you’re listening to. They’ve managed over their years to develop their sound without losing sight of that aspect of who they are. Morton‘s vocals are a big part of it, but by no means the only element at play. The track “Brutal Winds” for which they have a new video playing below, is quintessential to where their sound is at on Beast Remains.

Freedom Hawk will hit the Descendants of Crom fest in Pittsburgh at the end of September and they have a handful of other live shows leading up to it that you can find listed under the “Brutal Winds” clip, along with a link to the full-album playlist on YouTube. It’s also of course on Ripple‘s Bandcamp, linked at the bottom of this post.

Please enjoy:

Freedom Hawk, “Brutal Winds” official video

“Brutal Winds” by Freedom Hawk
Producer: Bradford Davis
Director: Jarrod Russell
Steadicam Operator: Maxwel Fisher

After completing a successful European Tour, We are releasing an official music video for our song “Brutal Winds” from Beast Remains. The video is on our YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/76wcS9Y-9EI

We also loaded up videos that were sent to us from Fans and other videos and made a Beast Remains playlist of the album at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1bKVPqA878pvz-yIoIP59Ep38xBh8DYR

Currently plotting, planning and working on more US dates and tour(s) in support of Beast Remains..for later this year/early next year. We revamped our Bandcamp site and now have Beast Remains Vinyl, CDs and fresh merch available at www.freedomhawk.bandcamp.com too in support of our Gas Tank/Touring Fund.

Here are a few scattered up and coming US show dates in the meantime with more dates/tour(s) to come:

17 Aug – Norfolk VA @ Charlies w/ Backwoods Payback
8 Sep – Kill Devil Hills, NC @ The Brew Station w/ Snake Mountain Revival
27 Sep – Washington, DC @ Slash Run w/ Electropathic (Gary Isom’s new band)
28 Sep – Philadelphia, PA @ Ortliebs
29 Sep – Pittsburgh, PA @ Descendants of Crom

Freedom Hawk on Twitter

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Freedom Hawk on Thee Faceooks

Review & Track Premiere: Freedom Hawk, Beast Remains

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on March 5th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

[Click play above to stream ‘Danger’ from Freedom Hawk’s new LP, Beast Remains. Album is out March 23 on Ripple Music with preorders available, and Freedom Hawk begin a European tour April 25. Click here to pop out the tour poster.]

It’s now been a decade since Virginia Beach heavy rockers Freedom Hawk released their full-length debut, Sunlight. If one looks at the trajectory of their career since — in terms of profile and craft alike, it is a steady upward curve. That is, they have never put out a record that wasn’t a marked progressive step forward from the one before it, and they’ve never failed to grow their audience with each new offering. Sunlight, as it happens — amazing how these things work out — was reissued last year as Freedom Hawk‘s first outing for Ripple Music, after two albums through Small Stone in 2015’s Into Your Mind (review here) and 2011’s Moving On (review here) and the prior 2009 self-titled (review here), which was issued by MeteorCity.

Their fifth long-player, Beast Remains, finds their processes in a state of even further refinement, reaffirming some things that have always been true about them as a band while pushing them ahead into new territories and new trajectories that even Into Your Mind didn’t hint at, all the while cutting back from 52-minute to a crisp 40-minute LP runtime, giving Beast Remains a sans-nonsense sensibility that rests well alongside their long-since proven songwriting acumen. Their growth process has been steady and incremental, and in some ways, tracks like “Danger,” Champ” and “Deep Inside” are continuations of a thread of craft the band has been weaving for the last 10 years, guitarist/vocalist T.R. Morton remaining a central presence in delivering memorable hooks across the span, alongside bassist Mark Cave, drummer Lenny Hines and guitarist Brendan O’Neil.

Freedom Hawk have always struck me as a comfortable band. They push themselves creatively — one can hear it almost immediately on album opener “Solid Gold” just how much they’ve moved past their core influences and developed their own sonic persona — but in terms of their pacing their writing style, a persistent smoothness of production, and the general laid-back spirit that permeates even the most driving of their songs, they’ve never been an act looking to challenge their listeners in the name of some grand artistic statement or something like that. They’re a rock band. They rock. Their material is rife with hooks, whether it’s “Solid God” with Cave‘s bassline underscoring the guitars amid double-kick gallop and Morton leading the way through the chorus, or the classic-metal-style swing of “Danger” and the later title-track and the subsequent motor-riffing “Deep Inside,” the initial Judas Priest-style chug of which is prevalent enough to earn its early lyrical reference to a “ripper.”

But they’ve never been an act who’ve sounded like they’re physically pushing themselves, even in the multi-layered solo section of “Deep Inside” or the prior NWOBHM-meets-Bark-at-the-Moon-ery of “Darkness and the Light,” and while in the past I’ve associated that with a kind of lackadaisical side to their approach — the thought being they found their niche early and are content to reside in it — as they somewhat contrast some of that with the more metallic turns of Beast Remains, I can’t help but think maybe what I was hearing all that time was just the fact that they’re beach bums. East Coast beach bums, and so of a generally more intense variety than they’d be if they hailed from, say, San Diego, but beach bums nonetheless. Some of the psychedelia of Into Your Mind, which on the whole is greatly dialed back here, shows up in a trippy semi-jam in the second half of “Brutal Winds,” or in the reverb-soaked soloing in the second half of the penultimate “Coming After You,” but even that is delivered with substantial force, and one would say the same of “Champ” as it closes out.

But that beach bum vibe remains, and I think it’s part of the reason — see also: fuzz — one so often finds Freedom Hawk compared to Fu Manchu. However, something else that Beast Remains proves without question is that Freedom Hawk are a two-guitar band. The harmonies on “Champ,” or the lead lines that intertwine throughout the ultra-catchy “Darkness and the Light” only demonstrate what the band probably already knew. Into Your Mind was tracked as a three-piece and even so, they used layering to affect a dual-guitar sound. Thus, Beast Remains, gives O’Neil a chance to make a standout first impression alongside Morton playing live. And for only having three people, the guitars still sound revitalized on cuts like “Brutal Winds,” “Deep Inside” and “Solid Gold,” though I’d argue it’s the bass and drums leading the way on that opening track. That in itself is a point of growth for Freedom Hawk, whose approach has remained organic despite the smoothness of the actual recording and the focus still very much placed on the riffs themselves throughout.

It’s a fascinating balance Freedom Hawk have found over the last 10 years in their sound, between pushing themselves forward and remaining true to who they are creatively and in terms of their craft. Their sound is recognizable immediately as their own even s it moves into new territories with Beast Remains, and there’s no question they benefit from keeping to an ultra-manageable 40-minute runtime, which lets songs like “Darkness and the Light” and “Coming After You” function all the more as individual standouts on this strong collection of quality material. Perhaps that’s been the most consistent thing about Freedom Hawk over the last 10 years. I don’t think they’ve ever wanted to change or rule the world — but simply to carve out their own place within it, so that those who can get down with it will do so. Beast Remains, as their fifth album, stands out as proof of just how much they’ve been able to do that during their time together, setting forth the parameters of who they are and want to be and accomplish as a band and then working like hell to make that happen on their own terms, slowly changing over time, but consistent in several key facets, among them the quality of the output itself.

Freedom Hawk on Twitter

Ripple Music on Thee Facebooks

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Freedom Hawk & Irata Announce Feb. West Coast Tour Dates

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 2nd, 2017 by JJ Koczan

I mean, uh, sold. Right? Virginian heavy rockers Freedom Hawk head west next month alongside North Carolinian chuggers Irata, and I’m not even sure this one needs comment from me other than to reinforce the notion that you should make every effort to go to whichever one of these shows is closest to where you live. They’ve also got the last date of the tour open on Feb. 19 somewhere around Austin — or, presumably, a reasonable day’s drive between Austin and the Eastern Seaboard — and how much fun would it be to book those two bands somewhere and put on a kickass show to round out their tour? I like that idea. If I lived in Eastern Texas or somewhere else down south, I’d probably like it even more right about now.

Freedom Hawk are heralding an impending Ripple Music reissue for their 2008 debut album, Sunlight, and still supporting their 2015 fourth long-player, Into Your Mind (review here), while Irata — who upon returning from this tour will roll out again alongside All Them Witches — go on the back of their 2015 Retro Futurist offering, Loris.

Dates, links, audio and whatnots follow, as seen on the social medias:

Freedom Hawk / Irata US Tour

February 3 – February 17

Freedom Hawk and Irata Live will embark on a tour to the US West Side to continue the search for the perfect riff!!

Freedom Hawk will also have in tow their Small Stone 2015 release – Into Your Mind AND a hot off the press Ripple Music special remastered limited edition Vinyl/CD (Jan 27) release of their 2008 self released album – Sunlight.

IRATA will have their 2015 Retro Futurist release “Sweet Loris.” in tow and will be jamming these righteous tunes on tour with Freedom Hawk before returning to the road in March, 2017 with Nashville band All Them Witches.

HIWATTAGE Booking presents…
FREEDOM HAWK & IRATA:
THE ENDLESS SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT RIFF – WEST SIDE TOUR – FEB 2017!!
3-Feb Nashville, TN Springwater
4-Feb Fort Worth, TX The Rail Club club
5-Feb El paso, TX Rockhouse Bar & Grill
6-Feb Open (drive day)
7-Feb San Diego, CA Soda Bar
8-Feb Anaheim, CA Out Of The Park Pizza
9-Feb San Francisco, CA Thee Parkside
10-Feb Eugene. OR Old Nick’s Pub
11-Feb Portland, OR High Water Mark Lounge
12-Feb Seattle, WA Funhouse Seattle
13-Feb Yreka, CA, Chromaphonic Music Hall
14-Feb Sacramento, CA Starlite Lounge
15-Feb Las Vegas, NV, Beauty Bar
16-Feb Tucson, AZ The Flycatcher
17-Feb Fort Stockton, TX The Garage
18-Feb Austin, TX Swan Dive
19th-Feb Open (hit us up)

https://www.facebook.com/events/402574540082569/
https://www.facebook.com/freedomhawkmusic/
http://www.freedomhawk.net/
https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/into-your-mind
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/iratabandofficial/
http://www.iratalive.com/
https://retrofuturist.bandcamp.com/album/irata-loris

Freedom Hawk, Into Your Mind (2015)

<a href="http://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/into-your-mind">Into Your Mind by Freedom Hawk</a>

Irata, Loris (2015)

<a href="http://retrofuturist.bandcamp.com/album/irata-loris">Irata “Loris” by Retro Futurist</a>

https://www.facebook.com/freedomhawkmusic/
https://freedomhawk.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/freedomhawkband
http://www.freedomhawk.net/
http://www.ripple-music.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/

Freedom Hawk to Reissue Sunlight on Ripple Music

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 17th, 2016 by JJ Koczan

Virginia Beach four-no-three-no-four-piece heavy rockers Freedom Hawk just wrapped a tour up the Eastern Seaboard with Colossus supporting their 2015 fourth long-player, Into Your Mind (review here), released by Small Stone. Today brings word that their 2008 debut outing, Sunlight — which has been sold out on CD for long enough that I don’t know how long it’s been, but can still be streamed via the player below — will be pressed anew by Ripple Music, making Freedom Hawk the latest in a line of bands that includes Wo Fat, Gozu and Roadsaw who’ve gone from one imprint to working with the other. Four bands. A noteworthy statistic.

Whether Freedom Hawk‘s relationship with Ripple will extend beyond this reissue, I don’t know, but it’ll be worth keeping an eye out as they move forward with their recently reconstructed lineup, detailed here. Here’s PR wire info for the interim:

Ripple Music to Bring Freedom Hawk’s Debut Album, Sunlight, to Vinyl and World-Wide Release

Ripple Music is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of the long-lost debut album “Sunlight” from retro-rock pioneers, Freedom Hawk. Hailing from the barrier dunes of Virginia, this quartet blends heavy riffs, a rolling groove, and soulful guitar melodies to produce the sound that is Freedom Hawk. Widely recognized as one of the leading forces in the retro-rock movement, their brand of heavy rock coupled with a high energy live show, leaves many wondering if they’ve stepped through a time warp that has taken them to rock’s heyday of the 70’s by the power of their dark music fueled by the sun.

Originally self-released as a digital and very limited-run CD release in 2009, Ripple is proud to give this seminal album the full “Ripple” vinyl treatment. “Sunlight” is hard and powerful riff rock wrapped in core metal tones with melodic high pitched vocals and slight psychedelic edges. The driving beat and heavy guitars with timeless vocals gave light to the new birth in heavy music. Relegated to digital only status for too long, Sunlight will be released world-wide on January 27th, in two vinyl versions and CD.

Ripple is proud to help bring this amazing album to a whole new audience and spread the word on the killer riffs of Freedom Hawk.

Freedom Hawk, Sunlight (2008)

<a href="http://freedomhawk.bandcamp.com/album/sunlight">Sunlight by Freedom Hawk</a>