I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
''THE SHOULDA BEEN GOLD 2001-2009''
JANUARY 26 2010
78:48
1/Sexy Vacation
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:52
2/Shoulda Been Gold
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:27
3/Humboldt
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:17
4/Byrd from West Virginia
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:03
5/Raised by Hippies
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:45
6/Bossier City/4:33
7/Highway Down
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:14
8/Texarkanada
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:00
9/Laissez les Bon Temps Roulet
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:33
10/The Salesman
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:35
11/Midnight in Orlando
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:00
12/Soul Power
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:50
13/Hope Against Hope
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:30
14/Wonder Valley Fight Song
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:52
15/Grapevine
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:37
16/I See Hawks in L.A.
I See Hawks in L.A. / Paul Lacques/5:11
17/The Mystery of Live
Rob Waller/4:29
Joe Berardi /Drums
Cody Bryant /Banjo
Marc Doten /Bass, Organ
Tommy Funderburk /Vocals (Background)
M.B. Gordy III /Drums
Lisa Haley /Fiddle, Frottoir
David Jackson /Bass
Victoria Jacobs /Vocals (Background)
Brantley Kearns /Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Paul Lacques /Dobro, Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals
Richie Lawrence /Accordion
Paul Marshall /Bass, Vocals
John McDuffie /Pedal Steel
Danny McGough /Celeste, Organ
Shawn Nourse /Drums
Carla Olson /Vocals
Rick Shea /Mandolin
Vic Koler /Bass (Upright), Mixing
Rob Waller /Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Marcus Watkins /Guitar (Electric)
Dave Zirbel /Pedal Steel
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz The irony of a working band with no hits, or even a recognizable name, releasing a "greatest-hits" album -- let alone one that runs a whopping 79 minutes -- is not lost on the founding members of I See Hawks in L.A. Founding members lead vocalist Rob Waller and guitarist Paul Lacques address that anomaly in their wry, witty seven pages of liner notes to this generous 17-track overview of the titular years. The group only released four albums during those nine years, but this career/label-spanning disc packs enough terrific Americana into its playing time to convince any fan of the genre that this group's music has flown under the radar for too long. It's impossible not to reference Gram Parsons, not just due to the sun-baked West Coast roots and C&W sensibilities, but because of the soul and subtle humor evident in the groove. Seven songs are previously unreleased, so even those familiar with the Hawks' catalog will need to add this to their collections, especially since some of the newly recorded tunes, including the title track, are highlights of the collection. Lead singer Waller has an emotional, natural voice that gives these strummy gems a focal point while lifting them to a level out of the reach of less talented singers. Sumptuous harmonies such as those on the closing gospel "The Mystery of Live," interestingly recorded live, also help these songs soar like the bird in the band's unusual name. Instrumental guests provide fiddle, pedal steel, and organ that augment the quartet's sound, and Carla Olson helps on female harmonies for two cuts. Her presence on "Bossier City" reinforces the understated Parsons/Emmylou Harris influence. The humor and bluegrass of "The Salesman" balances more serious material such as "Highway Down," one of the Hawks' most intimate and moving songs, and a lost classic in waiting. "Midnight in Orlando" name-checks Disneyland/World with droll lyrics played against a lovely slow Eagles-style melody tinted by sorrowful pedal steel and soulful organ. The energy raises a few notches on the uptempo "Wonder Valley Fight Song," about as close to rock as this album gets. The disc's title implies that these tunes should have been, if not gold records, more popular than they were. At the very least, this collection should help establish I See Hawks in L.A. as a journeymen roots act with more than a few tricks, and memorable songs, up its collective sleeve.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
California-based I See Hawks in L.A. pursue a kind of cerebral, witty, and at times refreshingly silly alt-country path along the lines of earlier California country-rock bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, and the Byrds, following the template of what Gram Parsons once called "cosmic American music." Formed in 1999 by Robert Rex Waller, Jr. and brothers Paul Lacques and Anthony Lacques, at first I See Hawks in L.A. were strictly a loose recording outfit, but after their self-titled debut album was released on the now defunct Ethic Records imprint in 2001, the positive critical reaction convinced them to start doing shows. A second album, Grapevine, appeared in 2004 from Western Seeds Records, followed by California Country, also on Western Seeds, in 2006, and both releases received well-deserved praise for the band's clever, fun, and often politically and environmentally charged songs (most of them written by Waller and Paul Lacques) and impressive three-part harmonies (sung by Waller, Lacques, and bassist Paul Marshall). The band's lineup has been an ever evolving thing, but has generally included Rob Waller on lead vocals, guitar, and Dobro, Paul Lacques on vocals, guitar, and Dobro, Paul Marshall on bass and vocals, Dave Zirbel on steel guitar, Cody Bryant on banjo, Rick Shea on mandolin, Brantley Kearns on fiddle, and Shawn Nourse on drums, with numerous names from California's alt-country scene contributing frequent guest spots. A fourth album, Hallowed Ground, was released early in 2008.
''THE SHOULDA BEEN GOLD 2001-2009''
JANUARY 26 2010
78:48
1/Sexy Vacation
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:52
2/Shoulda Been Gold
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:27
3/Humboldt
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:17
4/Byrd from West Virginia
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:03
5/Raised by Hippies
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:45
6/Bossier City/4:33
7/Highway Down
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:14
8/Texarkanada
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:00
9/Laissez les Bon Temps Roulet
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:33
10/The Salesman
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:35
11/Midnight in Orlando
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/5:00
12/Soul Power
Anthony Lacques / Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/3:50
13/Hope Against Hope
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:30
14/Wonder Valley Fight Song
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:52
15/Grapevine
Paul Lacques / Rob Waller/4:37
16/I See Hawks in L.A.
I See Hawks in L.A. / Paul Lacques/5:11
17/The Mystery of Live
Rob Waller/4:29
Joe Berardi /Drums
Cody Bryant /Banjo
Marc Doten /Bass, Organ
Tommy Funderburk /Vocals (Background)
M.B. Gordy III /Drums
Lisa Haley /Fiddle, Frottoir
David Jackson /Bass
Victoria Jacobs /Vocals (Background)
Brantley Kearns /Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Paul Lacques /Dobro, Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals
Richie Lawrence /Accordion
Paul Marshall /Bass, Vocals
John McDuffie /Pedal Steel
Danny McGough /Celeste, Organ
Shawn Nourse /Drums
Carla Olson /Vocals
Rick Shea /Mandolin
Vic Koler /Bass (Upright), Mixing
Rob Waller /Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Marcus Watkins /Guitar (Electric)
Dave Zirbel /Pedal Steel
REVIEW
by Hal Horowitz The irony of a working band with no hits, or even a recognizable name, releasing a "greatest-hits" album -- let alone one that runs a whopping 79 minutes -- is not lost on the founding members of I See Hawks in L.A. Founding members lead vocalist Rob Waller and guitarist Paul Lacques address that anomaly in their wry, witty seven pages of liner notes to this generous 17-track overview of the titular years. The group only released four albums during those nine years, but this career/label-spanning disc packs enough terrific Americana into its playing time to convince any fan of the genre that this group's music has flown under the radar for too long. It's impossible not to reference Gram Parsons, not just due to the sun-baked West Coast roots and C&W sensibilities, but because of the soul and subtle humor evident in the groove. Seven songs are previously unreleased, so even those familiar with the Hawks' catalog will need to add this to their collections, especially since some of the newly recorded tunes, including the title track, are highlights of the collection. Lead singer Waller has an emotional, natural voice that gives these strummy gems a focal point while lifting them to a level out of the reach of less talented singers. Sumptuous harmonies such as those on the closing gospel "The Mystery of Live," interestingly recorded live, also help these songs soar like the bird in the band's unusual name. Instrumental guests provide fiddle, pedal steel, and organ that augment the quartet's sound, and Carla Olson helps on female harmonies for two cuts. Her presence on "Bossier City" reinforces the understated Parsons/Emmylou Harris influence. The humor and bluegrass of "The Salesman" balances more serious material such as "Highway Down," one of the Hawks' most intimate and moving songs, and a lost classic in waiting. "Midnight in Orlando" name-checks Disneyland/World with droll lyrics played against a lovely slow Eagles-style melody tinted by sorrowful pedal steel and soulful organ. The energy raises a few notches on the uptempo "Wonder Valley Fight Song," about as close to rock as this album gets. The disc's title implies that these tunes should have been, if not gold records, more popular than they were. At the very least, this collection should help establish I See Hawks in L.A. as a journeymen roots act with more than a few tricks, and memorable songs, up its collective sleeve.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
California-based I See Hawks in L.A. pursue a kind of cerebral, witty, and at times refreshingly silly alt-country path along the lines of earlier California country-rock bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, and the Byrds, following the template of what Gram Parsons once called "cosmic American music." Formed in 1999 by Robert Rex Waller, Jr. and brothers Paul Lacques and Anthony Lacques, at first I See Hawks in L.A. were strictly a loose recording outfit, but after their self-titled debut album was released on the now defunct Ethic Records imprint in 2001, the positive critical reaction convinced them to start doing shows. A second album, Grapevine, appeared in 2004 from Western Seeds Records, followed by California Country, also on Western Seeds, in 2006, and both releases received well-deserved praise for the band's clever, fun, and often politically and environmentally charged songs (most of them written by Waller and Paul Lacques) and impressive three-part harmonies (sung by Waller, Lacques, and bassist Paul Marshall). The band's lineup has been an ever evolving thing, but has generally included Rob Waller on lead vocals, guitar, and Dobro, Paul Lacques on vocals, guitar, and Dobro, Paul Marshall on bass and vocals, Dave Zirbel on steel guitar, Cody Bryant on banjo, Rick Shea on mandolin, Brantley Kearns on fiddle, and Shawn Nourse on drums, with numerous names from California's alt-country scene contributing frequent guest spots. A fourth album, Hallowed Ground, was released early in 2008.
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