The northern Michigan rock band releases its third album on Friday, performing at The Venue Event Center in Cadillac. Get the band’s back story and listen to its music at Local Spins.
Energy and Electricity: The live-show vibe of The J Hawkins Band. (Courtesy Photo)
SCROLL DOWN TO LISTEN TO THE BAND’S RECENT SINGLE
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Visiting Traverse City in late June to headline the National Cherry Festival, members of platinum-selling rock bands Cheap Trick and Collective Soul were strolling the town “to get a quiet beer,” when they heard some enticing music at Kilkenny’s Irish Pubn and popped inside.
The J Hawkins Band was on stage firing up its gritty, northern Michigan-fueled, heartland rock – something bandleaders and singer-songwriters J. and Danielle Hawkins describe as “a sound that blends Southern rock soul with country fire.”
“They had to come see who we were,” guitarist J. Hawkins recalled of the fortuitous meeting with the acclaimed rock musicians. “We ended up establishing a friendly relationship after our show and are still in contact. … We are always told there is a different energy when we play; people feel it is different than a cover band up there.”
On Stage: J Hawkins (Photo/Amanda Dewey Photography)
Call it one of the high points from the Traverse City band’s relentless touring, heartfelt songwriting and studio work, something that’s also led to release of the group’s third studio album, “Long Way to Nashville,” which officially hits streaming platforms on Friday (Oct. 17). They released a single, “Time to Go,” from the album in August. Scroll down to listen to the track.
“I think when I started writing these new songs, we were just playing out so much to push our last record ‘Up from the Ashes’ … but still struggling to get noticed, so a bit of tongue in cheek: It is a ‘Long Way to Nashville,’ ” Hawkins said of the tracks recorded in Southfield, Mich., with Silvio Ciccone and Kenny Olson (one-time guitarist with Kid Rock).
“We are a Southern rock, Americana band. I think our influences are rooted in bands like Blackberry Smoke, Bob Seger, Whiskey Myers, Chris Stapleton – those types of acts.”
Hawkins, who grew up in Kansas, migrated to Michigan in 1999. His wife, Danielle, grew up in Big Rapids. Both of them attended Ferris State University.
“Danielle and I grew up in very musical families. Her grandmother taught her piano at a young age,” Hawkins said.
“My father was a drummer and a singer in a fairly regionally famous ’70s band in Kansas when I was young. I spent a lot of time in rehearsal spaces and back stage. So I was singing for a long time and eventually picked up guitar when I started performing. Music was always playing in our house, from Motown to classic country – a lifestyle that Danielle and I share today.”
RELEASING THE ALBUM ON FRIDAY IN CADILLAC
The band continues to perform regularly, hosting its release show at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Oct. 17) at The Venue Event Center in Cadillac, with The Boardman River Band also on the bill. Tickets, $15, available online at thevenueeccadillac.com.
Half of the Husband-and-Wife Team: Danielle Hawkins (Photo/Amanda Dewey Photography)
The band — J. and Danielle Hawkins, lead guitarist Matt Sharp, guitarist Cy Shoemaker, bassist Jim Smith, drummer Sterling Hill and lap steel/pedal steel guitarist Matthew Valdiviez — follows that with shows Oct. 25 at Marl View Sports Bar & Grille in Vestaburg, Nov. 2 at Union Street Station in Traverse City and Nov. 28-29 at Kilkenny’s Irish Pub in Traverse City.
“I think the big feedback we get from our shows – from fans, managers – is the energy we perform with. There is an electricity in the air,” Hawkins said. “The club owners, the managers, the crowd feel like they are seeing something different.”
“The buzz for us is the love we have for each other and the music. I am a fan of hers (Danielle) and she is a fan of mine, and we have the best seat in the house to watch each other perform.”
Learn more about the band online at thejhawkinsband.com.
LISTEN: “Time to Go,” The J Hawkins Band
The J Hawkins Band (Courtesy Photo)
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