From lineup to headline. Photo: Bernie McGrew
Comprised of surfers and skaters, Freedom Hawk makes a serious bid for rock supremacy with the release of their upcoming album. If you have never heard the dark, hard-hitting, guitar-grinding rhythm of a Freedom Hawk jam, then you have been depriving yourself of what some are saying is the best newly discovered rock band to come out of the east coast in over a decade. This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, however, because these guys have been rocking out up and down that same coastline since 2005.
Hailing from Virginia Beach, Virginia, it is pretty much a given that these guys surf and skate themselves. Despite popular belief, the east coast of the United States does pump at times. Huge coastal dunes mixed with the predominant offshore winds of the local area provide the elements for some amazing little sand banks. Throw in the history of the Mt. Trashmore skate scene, and it becomes the perfect environment for musical creativity and inspiration.
After receiving heaps of local fame here in the U.S., the band has now become a musical force worldwide, having just recently finished up a spring time tour of Europe where they played venues in Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
Contributor Dave Schauber caught up with the band recently and asked them a few questions about how surfing and skateboarding has influenced their music and to tap into a little info regarding their upcoming album release, due out in 2015.
Dave Schauber: First off how was playing in Europe, that must have been an incredible experience?
Freedom Hawk: It was definitely killer playing in Europe and a major highlight for the band. Great people and huge fans of rock n roll and our music.
It is no secret that you guys have a surfing background, how has that love for the ocean influenced your music?
It has definitely influenced the lyrical content and contributes largely to our laid back, grooving vibe mixed with an aggressive, punk, metal edge. Our first song on our first demo in 2005 had the song Hollow Caverns which is about pulling into huge tubes.
I first listened to you guys back in 2007 when a friend from VB was jamming your first demo album Universal and like a lot of people I was immediately taken in by the hard hitting guitar riffs, and gripping vocals. I have read some reviewers describe the band as “Black Sabbath meets Queens of the Stone Age” but how would you guys describe your music personally, who were your major influences, and what is the creative process like when working together to put out new material?
Yeah that was our five song demo. We would describe our music as heavy blues-rock/metal with a throwback to the raw vintage 70s sound. The creative process is slow but every member has input and eventually we come to a holistic piece of work that hopefully the end product is better than if one or two individuals did all the writing and others just played what they were told to play. Sometimes we put a song together on the fly altogether or someone one or two of us brings in an idea or riff and we work around that altogether in our jam room.
Your past albums include Universal back in 2007, Sunlight in 2008, the self titled Freedom Hawk album in 2009, and then your most recent studio release Holding On in 2011. The release dates show a history of banging albums out fairly close together. Why so long between drinks on the production of this latest album, and have you guys come up with a name for it yet?
Life’s demands and touring/opportunities between those demands delayed us putting aside time and focusing on writing. We have come up with one or two songs in the process that we played live and will be on the new album…like the song “Blood Red Sky.”
