Chris Hawkes

Chris Hawkes
Chris Hawkes
Background information
Birth name	Christopher Thomas Hawkes
Genres	Rock Americana Pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter Guitarist Record Producer Recording Engineer
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Self-released
Associated acts	Redtag, Five Times August, The Color Gray, Dawn and Hawkes
Website	www.chrishawkesmusic.com

Chris Hawkes is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, recording engineer and producer. He performed solo, as a band member and teamed up in 2011 with Miranda Dawn forming the duo Dawn and Hawkes. He is also known for being a co-writer, recording producer and founder of One Road Studio.

Music career

Beginnings and Redtag

As a musician Chris Hawkes was first recorded and released on a 1998 compilation Garage Nights at Laser Trax released on Cannon Riggle Records.

In late 1999 Hawkes formed a band with fellow high school students called Redtag and continued to perform with college friends while attending the University of North Texas.^[1]

He graduated with an audio engineering degree from the Dallas Sound Lab in Los Colinas, Texas in 2000. Following an internship with Grammy Award winning producer Eric Delegard, Hawkes became an engineer for the University of North Texas College of Music.

Five Times August

Hawkes switched roles of frontman/songwriter to produce and play lead guitar for Five Times August a previously solo project of singer/songwriter Brad Skistimas. Hawkes first produced and performed for 2004's EP Something Clever,^[2] with Redtag drummer Cason Clifton on drums, and started One Road Studio.^[3]

The single "Better With You" was featured on MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County in its inaugural season.

A full length 2005 follow up album Fry Street, with performance and production by Hawkes,^[4]^[5] also included Redtag bassist Jake Baxter^[6] and received more play on cable and broadcast television. In 2007 tracks from Something Clever and Fry Street were compiled and released as The Independent breaking ground as an independent release available at Walmart.

The Color Gray

In 2005 Hawkes and other members, also known as Redtag, departed Five Times August and renamed themselves The Color Gray releasing 2005's self-titled EP and 2006 Control LP.^[7] The release of The Color Gray's full-length album Control was preceded with the single "Nothing to Lose" receiving spins on commercial rock radio KTBZ-FM, KLAQ, KNCN, KEYJ and playlist rotation on KDGE The Edge Dallas.

Solo career

In 2007 Chris Hawkes released his first solo acoustic album Guitar and Voice^[8] MTV featured "Falling Into Doubt" on two episodes (305 and 417) of the popular series The Hills.^[9] The song was also featured on Animal Planet show Jockey's in the 2008 season.

Hawkes released a second independent album Because I Feel That Way Too in 2009. The sophomore release features a larger roster of Hawkes's musician friends. Three tracks from the album, "Again", "Falling Into Doubt" and "Finally Free" were pre-loaded in AT&T smart phones. By late 2009, Because I Feel That Way Too was supported with commercial and independent radio play on 165+ stations in the U.S. and spurred national touring for the album.

While touring in 2010, Hawkes co-wrote and recorded "Mystery" with Annemarie Jensen (a.k.a. Mary May Love of Copenhagen, Denmark) including the song on her debut album, Melodies^[10] and his third album, Broken Record. Shortly after its release, Mystery was added to rotation on Danish popular radio station DR P4. Texas Music magazine featured another track from Broken Record, "From Love (Momma Song)", in their winter 2012 issue.^[11]

Dawn and Hawkes

In mid-2011 Hawkes produced, performed and co-wrote with singer-songwriter Miranda Dawn for her debut album, Reason to Feel Alive.

Dawn was recognized as a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting competition for her song "Forever Happily"^[12] and performed with Hawkes at the festival in May 2012. Dawn and Hawkes continued co-writing and touring together and released a collaborative effort, Golden Heart, in June 2012.

In 2013, the duo auditioned for season 6 of the American reality talent show The Voice. Their audition was broadcast on NBC on February 24, 2014, on the inaugural episode of season 6 singing an acoustic version of The Beatles song "I've Just Seen a Face". Two of the four judges, Adam Levine and Shakira pressed the "I Want You" button turning their chairs. "That was my favorite performance I have ever seen — ever — on 'The Voice'" said Levine.^[13] After a brief consultation, they picked to be on Team Adam.

Their iTunes single for "I've Just Seen A Face" charted #1 in iTunes Rock sales and #22 across all genres selling 24,000 copies in the first week as a Billboard charts "Hot Shot Debut".^[14]^[15]^[16] Their previously released "Golden Heart" EP followed, climbing to #2 in the singer/songwriter chart^[17] and Billboard Magazine's top 25 folk chart.^[18]

Dawn and Hawkes toured throughout 2014 including Hawkes's homecoming at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Texas to capacity crowd,^[19] a West Coast tour with an appearance supporting their friend Luke Wade's audition for The Voice Season 7, summer tour with Austin, TX singer/songwriter Bob Schneider,^[20] performances at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas,^[21] Austin City Limits soundstage at Moody Theater,^[22] Austin City Limits Music Festival,^[23]^[24] and performances with Chris Isaak,^[25] Patty Griffin,^[26] Jim Lauderdale,^[27] Robert Earl Keen, Hayes Carll and former host of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno.^[28] While not on tour, the duo worked on recording their first full-length album; due out early 2015.^[29]

Recording and producing career

In 2003 Chris Hawkes started his independent recording efforts with One Road Studio by recording his own bands and other regional acts.

One of the early projects, Five Times August, received play on MTV popular show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County during seasons one and two and later play on MTV, Fox, ABC, Oxygen and Lifetime. Efforts from The Color Gray were added to major market radio station playlists including KDGE in Dallas and KEYJ in Abilene. Hawkes's self produced solo record was featured on MTV popular show The Hills.

In 2006 Hawkes partnered with Disclive, a Dallas based recording company, as head engineer to record live performances of: Thirty Seconds to Mars, Flyleaf, The Toadies, Sonic Youth, Cooder Graw, Spoonfed Tribe, and Edgewater.

2007 Hawkes collaborated with several acts, producing and performing, while co-writing with Lisa Apple, Killing Caroline, The Rankin Twins and Faktion

While producing other projects, Hawkes recruited a variety of musician friends and starting recording "Because I Feel That Way Too" in 2008. The album was completed and released in March 2009.

Hawkes then produced and performed on three albums for Austin based singer-songwriters, Zach Arrington, Colin de los Santos, and Philip Q. Morrow. All three featured cello and violin arrangements; a production element that first appeared on his own 2011 album, "Broken Record".

While collaborating and performing with Miranda Dawn, Hawkes first recorded and produced with Dawn on her debut album "Reason To Feel Alive" in 2011. The majority of performances, both duo and solo acoustic, were recorded live to demonstrate the natural life in her emotive songwriting.

The duo later co-wrote and released "Golden Heart", produced and engineered by Hawkes. The 6 song EP features production with their full band and their more stripped down live acoustic sound.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album title	Album/ EP	Credits	Notes
2004	Something Clever	EP	Five Times August	"Better With You"
2005	Fry Street	Album	Five Times August
2005	The Color Gray	EP	The Color Gray
2006	Control	Album	The Color Gray	"Nothing to Lose"
2007	The Independent	Compilation album	Five Times August
2007	Guitar and Voice	Album	Chris Hawkes	"Falling Into Doubt"
2009	Because I Feel That Way Too	Album	Chris Hawkes	"Again" "Falling Into Doubt" "Finally Free"
2011	Broken Record	Album	Chris Hawkes	"Mystery" (with Annemarie Jensen) "From Love (Momma Song)"
2012	Golden Heart	EP	Dawn and Hawkes	#25 Billboard Folk, #31 Top Heatseekers

Singles

"I've Just Seen A Face" (2014 Republic Records) #13 Rock Digital Singles #22 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
"Stuck in the Middle with You" (2014 Republic Records)

Produced / engineered / mixed albums / EPs

Year	Album title	Artist credits
2004	Something Clever	Five Times August
2004	Leaving Stella	Darby
2005	Fry Street	Five Times August
2005	The Color Gray	The Color Gray
2006	Time Stands Still	Crimson Soul
	Edgefest 15: Ripped	Thirty Seconds to Mars / Flyleaf
	Acoustic Campfire with Rock 108	KEYJ / Edgewater
	(unreleased EP)	Faktion
	Exit 380: Live at Firewater	Exit 380
	Cooder Graw: Live at Firewater	Cooder Graw
	Spoonfed Tribe: Live at Firewater	Spoonfed Tribe
2007	Guitar and Voice	Chris Hawkes
	Life is a Cigarette	Better Than Sex
	Rock Show	The Toadies
	Dartmyth	Dartmyth
	Life.Love.Travel	Lance Sitton
	The Independent (l.p.)	Five Times August
2008	Lisa Apple	Lisa Apple
	Killing Caroline	Killing Caroline
	Ignite What's Inside	Faktion
	The Rankin Twins	The Rankin Twins
	In Your Head/Waiting	Dartmyth
	Home Again	Jeff Metil
2009	Because I Feel That Way Too	Chris Hawkes
	Adam's Orchard	Zach Arrington
	Songland	Colin de los Santos
2010	The Rising Sun	Philip Q. Morrow
2011	Broken Record	Chris Hawkes
2011	Reason to Feel Alive	Miranda Dawn
2012	Golden Heart	Dawn and Hawkes
2013	The Cabin Sessions	Ben Smith