During the first few seconds of Bobby Hawk’s first solo single, “Lights On Kinks Out,” the listener feels as though they’re tuning in through static to find a secret message unfolding on a faraway radio station. As the song comes into audio focus, it transforms into a haunting musical mantra about escaping a bad situation and returning to where one’s heart resides.
For Hawk, music, mantras, and meditation are all part his daily process. Born the tiny town of Sibley, Illinois (population: 300), the son of a musician quickly followed in his father’s footsteps, studying with Casey Driessen and learning to play violin, saxophone, mandolin, and guitar.
Now based in New York City, he’s frequently found playing at his favorite Brooklyn venues: Sunny’s, St. Mazie, Skinny Dennis, and Barbes, among others. Hawk uses twice-daily meditation and music as a form of spiritual healing and fulfillment; two practices he happily shares with his fans. Drawing inspiration from the elements he finds around him (reimagining a Django Reinhardt melody backwards or exploring an abandoned upsate New York property for the recording and video of “Lights On Kinks Out”) allows Hawk to create a musical experience that feels at once comfortably worn and familiar while also imaginative and new.
Over the years, Hawk has performed with the likes of Abigail Washburn, Jacob Jolliff, Clint Black, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, and more. As he sets off on his solo music journey, Hawk has one hope for his listeners: “I hope they hear how much music means to me, as well as how cathartic listening and creating can be."
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