I See Hawks In L.A. is an

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

group from Los Angeles,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

founded in 1999 by Rob Waller and brothers Paul and Anthony Lacques with the support of established West Coast country rock bassist David Jackson. Their music incorporates the traditional elements of country music, vocal harmonies and traditional instruments including

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

. Their 2001 debut album, I See Hawks In L.A., (featuring ex

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s ...

and

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerable s ...

fiddle player Brantley Kearns and an album cover designed by ex-

Vision Street Wear Vision Street Wear is an American clothing, skateboarding and BMX brand. Started in 1976 by Brad Dorfman, the company sponsored early skateboarding greats such as Mark 'Gator' Rogowski, and Mark Gonzales. Although Vision is mostly known for its ...

artist Andy Takakjian) made the Alternative Country Chart and led them to perform regularly in country music clubs in California, joined by ex-

Strawberry Alarm Clock Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967, originating in Glendale, California, a city about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The band is best known for its 1967 hit single " Incense and Peppermints." Their music ...

and Hank Thompson bassist Paul Marshall and Dwight Yoakam's drummer Shawn Nourse. With this core line-up now established they went on to record four more albums (as of summer 2010) and tour more widely, including a 2006 tour of the US and Europe with

Tony Gilkyson Tony Gilkyson (born August 6, 1952) is an American musician based in Los Angeles. He is known for membership in the groups Lone Justice and X (U.S. band), X. Career He is the son of Jane Gilkyson and songwriter/folk musician Terry Gilkyson, as w ...

and another European tour in 2008. They have since opened shows for

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayl Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, ''Ramblin' on My Mind (Lucinda Williams album), Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (198 ...

and

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

, the former

Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the sole consisten ...

and

Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, '' The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band ...

musician who played on I See Hawks in L.A.'s third album along with a number of respected country music session musicians such as Rick Shea,

Tommy Funderburk Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...

, Cody Bryant and

Danny McGough Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English jou ...

. The band continues to play regularly and has become one of the best-known country music acts in Southern California. Their albums have had country music chart success and they were named Best Country Artist by ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' in 2002 and 2003. From 2003 to 2006 they enjoyed a residency at

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet, also known as Cole's P.E. Buffet, is a restaurant and bar located at 118 East 6th Street in the Historic Core district of downtown Los Angeles, California, the oldest operating in Los Angeles at the same location ...

in downtown Los Angeles and they regularly appear at

The Echo (venue) The Echo is an American music venue and nightclub, located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. For 14 years, it hosted Funky Sole, an all-vinyl 1960s funk-and-soul dance party. The venue is also known for their punk rock s ...

in Echo Park, CA, and Pappy & Harriet's in

Pioneertown, California Pioneertown is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of the High Desert (California), High Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is an 1880s-themed town developed as a ...

. They have also appeared at the

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

festival in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, the

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...

tribute Gram fest in

Joshua Tree, California Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 6,489 at the 2020 census. At approximately above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the Hig ...

, and the

Seattle Hempfest Seattle Hempfest was an annual event in the city of Seattle, Washington, United States, (and the world's largest annual gathering) advocating the legalization of cannabis. It was held every summer for 19 years, from 1991 to 2020, after which per ...

. Regarding the name they say, ''The band name was a code, a question, a diffident invitation: If you see hawks, then maybe we should talk.'' The topics of their lyrics include a bio-sketch of Senator

Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A Democratic Pa ...

of West Virginia, who stood up to

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

From 2003 to 2006 the Hawks enjoyed a weekly residency at Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet in downtown Los Angeles. Guests at these shows included PF Sloan, Lowen & Navarro, Carlos Guitarlos, and Amy Farris. With a core lineup of Rob Waller, Paul Lacques, Paul Marshall and Shawn Nourse the band recorded Grapevine, California Country and Hallowed Ground. These albums featured numerous guests including Chris Hillman of the Byrds, Rick Shea, Tommy Funderburk, Cody Bryant, Dave Zirbel, Gabe Witcher, Dave Markowitz, Joe Beraldi, Richie Lawrence, Marcus Watkins, Marc Doten, John McDiffie and Danny McGough. Singer songwriter Carla Olson was a featured guest of the group's Shoulda Been Gold "best of" album which included a few new tracks and she continues to collaborate with the band on recording projects and live shows. In 2012 I See Hawks In LA recorded their first all acoustic album, "New Kind Of Lonely," which made the top ten Freeform American Roots and European Americana charts. It was released in Europe and the UK on Blue Rose. In 2018 the band released "Live And Never Learn," their 8th album. Drummer Victoria Jacobs appeared all 14 tracks and is the featured duet vocalist along with Rob Waller on the tragicomic ballad "My Parka Saved Me" which received substantial airplay on US, UK and European Americana radio. The band's July 2019 album, "Hawks With Good Intentions," is an acoustic folk Americana collaboration with the UK's leading folk duo, The Good Intentions. The project began as a songwriting session between Hawks Rob Waller and Paul Lacques with Peter Davies (of The Good Intentions).

Discography

* ''I See Hawks In L.A.''(1999) with David Jackson (bass) and Brantley Kearns (fiddle) * ''Grapevine'' (2004) * ''California Country'' (2006) with Cody Bryant (banjo),

, Chris Hillman (mandolin),

, Rick Shea (mandolin), and Marcus Watkins ("Twin Patriotic Guitar") * ''Hallowed Ground'' (2008) with Richie Lawrence (accordion/piano), Dave Markowitz (fiddle), Rick Shea (guitar),

Gabe Witcher Gabriel Witcher (born June 11, 1978) is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and arranger, best known as a fiddle player and singer. He is a founding member of the string ensemble Punch Brothers. Witcher and his fellow Punch Br ...

(fiddle), and Dave Zirbel (pedal steel guitar) * ''Shoulda Been Gold'' (2010) (compilation with five new or unreleased tracks), with

Carla Olson Carla Olson (born July 3, 1952) is an American, Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer. Biography Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Olson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1978 where she formed the Textones, whose deb ...

* ''New Kind of Lonely'' (2012) with Richie Lawrence (accordion), Dave Raven (drums), Cliff Wagner (banjo), and

(fiddle). Cover art by Mary-Austin Klein. * ''Mystery Drug'' (2013) *''Live And Never Learn (2018)'' * "Hawks With Good Intentions"

References

External links

I See Hawks in LA collection
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

's live music archive {{Authority control American country rock groups Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups from Los Angeles 1999 establishments in California