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Greg Hawks served as John Howie Jr.'s right-hand man in the early Two Dollar Pistols and also led his own band, the Tremblers. With the latter he released the underappreciated Fool's Paradise, which included a Tex-Mex-leaning take on Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest" and a title track that's one of the great lost songs of this state's alt-country prime. Although both those outfits would sometimes plug in and turn up, Hawks never drifted far from his musical roots. Thus, Coming Home—a magnificently arranged and executed album of bluegrass and vintage-sounding country— is driven by the spirit of rediscovery, not reinvention. And while it does look to the past for musical inspiration, it's not at all uncomfortable in the now.
Guests occasionally drop in on banjo and fiddle, but mostly it's Hawks—a roots virtuoso with both a steady hand and a light touch—on guitar, mandolin and other stringed things. He wouldn't get showy or waste a note on a double-dare, but a pair of potent instrumentals (including public-domain piece "Temperance Reel," one of two non-Hawks tunes here) makes it clear he's capable of doing what the tune demands.
Hawks obliges the country-album rule of including at least a couple of songs about hearts in trouble, but Coming Home is dominated rather by a steadfastness of love—be it for music, family or place. The witty "Some Things are Better Left Alone" (power lines and creosote for starters) acknowledges the "lonesome sound of ol' George Jones." "Train of Love," as heartfelt as it is gorgeous, honors a woman whose selfless love continues to roll on. And "Simple Pleasures" offers thanks for, among many other things, the morning sun in the Carolina sky. The title tune, though, gets the key line, a love triple-shot: "Now the road I want to travel's a little driveway made of gravel/ On a shady Piedmont hill in Caroline/ Where the trees sway in the breeze whispering sweet melodies."
Greg Hawks has made that short but rewarding trip home, and the surroundings clearly suit him.
Greg Hawks plays The ArtsCenter Friday, Jan. 11, at 8:30 p.m. He'll release Coming Home at the show. Tickets are $13.
- The Independent Weekly
It's been six years since one-time Two Dollar Pistol Greg Hawks released his solo debut backed by the roots rocking Tremblers, 2001's "Fool's Paradise" on Yep Roc. A variety of major life changes later, the Mount Airy, N.C.-native has returned with a bluegrass-flavored effort that pays fine tribute to his Blue Ridge beginnings.
Hawks, as he proved on "Fool's Paradise," is a distinguished done-me-wrong detailer, and he does right a few killer kiss-offs here, including "Sacred Vow" and "Just Because You Can (That Don't Mean You Should)."
But the reintroduction of faith in Hawks's life as well as a newfound appreciation of everyday living are at the core of songs such as "Simple Pleasures," "What's Your Hurry?" and the easy-going title track. His everyman voice, while limited in range, soulfully captures the honest, direct lyrics.
Hawks has again surrounded himself with superb supporting players, which here include 2005 Galax winning fiddler Steve Fraleigh and banjoist Rick LaFleur. This smile-producing, toe-tapping next chapter in Hawks's musical history is quite the nice surprise. (greghawksmusic.com)
- Country Standard Time
Discography
Fool's Paradise (LP) 2001
Coming Home (LP) 2008
Photos
Bio
Greg Hawks pays homage to his Blue Ridge Mountain roots in his new album, Coming Home, with 14 songs of hard-driving bluegrass, soulful country singing, and thoughtful songwriting. Hawks’ versatile harmonies blend seamlessly with banjo, fiddle, guitar, pedal steel, and mandolin to tell stories of love, loss, faith, and redemption. While Coming Home has a distinctly modern sound, it’s firmly rooted in Brothers-style mountain harmony (think Louvins, Osbornes, Stanleys, and Jim and Jesse); straight-ahead bluegrass (think Jimmy Martin, Stanley Brothers, and J.D. Crowe); and real country (think Merle, Hank, Lefty, and Jones). Along with 11 originals, Hawks offers a lively version of the fiddle tune “Temperance Reel” and completes the record with a vocal quartet of the gospel “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” and an original instrumental, “There You Go.”
Born in Mount Airy, N.C., Hawks hails from a long line of Scots-Irish who settled the foothills of the Blue Ridge in the 1700s. “To this day, when I hear that pure mountain harmony,” Hawks says, “it cuts all the way through me. I never knew other music existed until my family moved. I remember people outside Mount Airy laughing because I said Buck Owens was better than The Beatles.”
After several years of rock and roll and country bands, Hawks released his first CD, Fool’s Paradise, to local and national acclaim. This album of ten originals and two covers (including a version of Springsteen’s “Tougher Than the Rest”) delivers hard-edged, rocking country in the spirit of the Bakersfield sound of Owens and Haggard and the classic country rock sound of Gram Parsons and The Everly Brothers. Hawks then pursued a new album devoted to the two and three-part harmonies of string and bluegrass music. Several life changes – the birth of his son, the death of his father, and a return to faith -- inspired original songs such as “Simple Pleasures,” “What’s Your Hurry,” and the title track, “Coming Home.” Backed by his own bass, guitar, mandolin, and banjo, Hawks balances traditional sounds with modern themes. He also calls on the talents of local musicians such as Rick LaFleur, Daniel Aldridge (Constant Change), Steve Watson, and Steve Fraleigh (2005 Galax winner).
Coming Home brings Hawks full circle, a return to tradition that he says feels right and real. “It’s my journey back to my roots,” Hawks says. “I read once that Ralph Stanley said he never called his music anything other than mountain music or good ol’ country music. That’s where I belong.”
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