#Hawktail

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Brittany Haas and Friends - “Pony Boy” (Live, Sept. 15, 2024)

Singing Mark Simos’ song and playing lead fiddle, Brittany Haas embodied “Pony Boy” at the 2024 Seagrass Music Festival in Maine.

Leading a temporary band of Friends including mandolinist and harmony vocalist Joe K. Walsh, guitarist Yann Falquet and bassist Aidan O’Donnell, Haas used the Sept. 15 performance to demonstrate that although she is a band woman, a member of Punch Brothers, Hawktail and Crooked Still, she’s got the chops and pipes to be a frontwoman.

Perhaps even more importantly, this jaunty little number, just released on pro-shot video, illustrates Haas’ undying commitment to serving the music in whatever capacity.

Grade card: Brittany Haas and Friends - “Pony Boy” (Live - 9/15/24) - B+

3/7/25

[marxonculture]

Albums of the Year 2024

I used to do this every year, but as with everything else in my life, the pandemic and academia got in the way. This is the first year since 2021 where I've made a concerted effort to keep up with (at least to some extent) new music, and I'm feeling the itch to do that typical too-online, self-indulgent thing of writing up a list of my favourite new albums of the year in the vain hope someone might care about it.

Believe it or not, I used to do a full 50-album list, but I'm chilling out a bit with this one and limiting it to 20. These are the records that have gotten me through a hugely transitional year in my life, and my only hope is that if you're reading this, at least one of these records might end up meaning something to you, too.

20. Cunningham Bird by Madison Cunningham and Andrew Bird

A collaboration, built over the last few years, culminates in a wonderful ode to one of the greatest, most volatile, singer/songwriter collaborations of all time.

19. Understory: Live at the Village Vanguard by Ben Wendel

One of those great, live jazz recordings that makes you feel as if you're sat in the venue, watching it all unfold. Brought me back to my own, religious experience at the Vanguard from a couple years ago.

18. Woodland by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

The neo-old time genre's greatest songwriting duo return with an unapologetically contemporary suite of beautiful new songs. There's a reason Welch is your favourite folk songwriter's favourite songwriter.

17. Nothing by Louis Cole and the Metropole Orkest

If you're into Louis Cole's whole deal, then the majority of this record will feel pleasantly familiar to you. Just add on a full orchestra to give the oddball's usual brand of jazz/funk/fever dream songwriting some extra depth, as well as provide a new colour palette for some rather daring compositional diversions. Lovely.

16. Eagle's Point by Chris Potter

Not a huge amount to say about this one other than that it's an immensly entertaining set of new tunes from four of the greatest jazz musicians currently alive. What's not to like?

15. King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 by Denzel Curry

Not usually my preferred brand of hip-hop, but at this point, I'll give anything Denzel Curry does a chance, and while this record isn't as much my thing as his last few projects, it's so meticulously made and visceral that I've found myself returning to it over and over again.

14. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish

The first of three absolutely essential pop records from 2024 on this list. Eilish and her brother/producer have designed an imaculate album of queer love (and lust) songs which feel especially mature for such a young artist.

13. Against the Fall of Night by Sungazer

I'm glad bassist Adam Neely has diverted his attention away from video essays to focus on his metrically-experimental, electronic jazz group, Sungazer, because this band is doing legitimately crazy and fascinating work. Give this a spin if you like the challenge of trying to head bang to music which refuses to be rhythmically predictable.

12. brat by Charli XCX

Maybe the album of the year in terms of pure cultural dominance. brat is, by my count, second only to one other pop record released in this calendar year (stay tuned). If you could make an audio recording of adrenaline, it'd sound like this. Summer may be over, but I'm not ready to stop bumpin' that.

11. Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé

She's just unstoppable, okay? This latest record from arguably the most famous woman alive is properly totemic pop Americana. If I had to pick a single song of the year, it might be '16 Carriages', which makes it all the more impressive that the rest of the album is good enough to hold up in comparison. It's also cool getting to see some of my favourite bluegrass musicians being involved in a project this massive.

10. Speak to Me by Julian Lage

Julian Lage might be the single most impressive jazz guitarist alive. All of his projects are good if not great, but this one was particularly exciting because he made his recorded return to the acoustic guitar - a real treat whenever it happens. Surrounded by a large-ish and very eclectic ensemble of musicians, Lage's compositions and playing sparkle even more than usual.

9. Wall of Eyes by The Smile

I like Radiohead, okay? I do think Yorke, Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner have found something special with this new collaboration. The sophomore record is more assured than their debut and has Yorke's best songwriting in years. This stuff is hypnotic!

8. All Now by The Staves

I was so worried that after the eldest Stavely-Taylor sister left the band, that the sound produced by the two remaining sisters would suffer some. Sometimes it's nice to be emphatically proven wrong. All Now is a sonic extention of The Staves' last record, Good Woman, but this one trades wistful melancholy for relentless optimism, and my goodness does it work for them.

7. Fearless Movement by Kamasi Washington

There are very few things more satisfying than when an artist you've felt let down by in the past makes an unequivocal return to form. Kamasi Washington has always been compelling, but I've found him liable to get caught up in his own legend at times at the expense of his music. This new record feels a lot more grounded and a lot more substantial. It's also just a ton of fun!

6. Väsen & Hawktail by Väsen and Hawktail

Two of the most exciting acoustic ensembles in the world, who have been dancing around one another for years now, have finally come together for a full-length record, and it's marvellous! Both bands have lost a member to other projects recently, so given their natural proclivity for each other's music, it made sense for them to collaborate in order to fill those gaps. The sound of these combined groups is nothing short of miraculous. If you like instrumental folk music at all, then this is essential listening.

5. Service Merchandise by Previous Industries

Often, nostalgia can be a blight on culture, but when employed effectively, it can be a tool for exposing deep truths. My personal favourite rapper, Open Mike Eagle, along with Video Dave and Still Rift, have done just that on their debut album as a trio. Service Merchandise doesn't bemoan the loss of the past, but rather highlights the out-of-placeness of those who cling to it. The themes are sombre but the bars carry Eagle and co.'s signature whimsy.

4. GNX by Kendrick Lamar

In contrast, the latest release from LA rapper Kendrick Lamar is maybe the least whimsical major release of the year. It's direct, confrontational, and introspective to the point where it comes uncomfortably close to self-indulgence. What is lyrically quite a challenging record is made spectacularly listenable thanks to its absolutely stacked lineup of bangers which are sequenced to perfection. Undoubtedly Kendrick's best since To Pimp a Butterfly.

3. Fly by Michael Mayo

To my mind, the most deeply underdiscussed and most exciting young voice in jazz right now is Michael Mayo. I'm deeply obsessed with his debut album, Bones, which is a big, dense production. His latest, Fly, is far more intimate by comparison, but no less ambitious. Backed up by virtuosos Shai Maestro (keys), Linda May Han Oh (bass) and Nate Smith (drums), this suite of songs by the vocalist and composer is the most involving jazz record I've heard all year.

2. Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

I wanted to put this list out today, because come Monday I will have seen Vampire Weekend tour this album live, and the experience will likely skew my opinion of it.

I cannot think of another mainstream popular music outfit that addresses the modern Jewish experience at all, leta lone this well. Vampire Weekend are truly singular in that way. Every new release of theirs speaks to diaspora Jewishness in new, specific and relevant ways. What makes this particualr record so special though is how aesthetically adventurous it is while being so cogent in the delivery of its themes. This is up there with the band's very best records in a discography without a single dud. P.S. 'Classical' is an all-time great indie rock song.

1. The Golem and Other Tales by Sam Reider and the Human Hands

Accordionist and pianist Sam Reider's newest project is a manifestation of something I've been personally wishing for for close to a decade now: jazz and progressive instrumental music as a vehicle for explicitly Jewish cultural expression.

When I was in New York working towards the PhD I would ultimately flame out of, I spoke with Sam Reider and his bandmate, saxophonist Eddie Barbash, about the connection between their music and their relationship with Jewishness (not to be confused with Judaism). It was a lovely and eye-opening conversation that I'd like to think was as helpful to them as it was to me.

I'm not arrogant enough to suggest that this album is a result of that conversation, but it's so unbelievably exciting to see Sam, Eddie and the rest of the Human Hands construct a suite of pieces which so perfectly capture what I was searching for during that period of my life.

Reider's compositions are a particularly magical amalgamation of jazz, bluegrass, klezmer and other folk traditions from around the world. Those combined sound worlds feel like natural bedfellows in Reider and co.'s capable hands, and on this record. The result is an instrumental retelling of the 16th century Jewish folk tale, The Golem of Chelm. I can't tell you just how special this album is to me, but I can tell you that it sounds amazing, and that this group of musicians, led by Reider feel like they were cosmically destined to make this music together.

[terribleadventuresdotcom]

summer. 8:35 pm. dinner was good, chores are done. you decide little adventures are better than no adventures. some kids are out skateboarding. you pick up a discarded glass bottle on the way and put it in the trash. the scent in the air reminds you of something you can't quite place. it is 83° F.

[avishabilis]

Listen/purchase: Hawk Ale by Väsen & Hawktail

[cosmoseinfeld]

gonna come out as an alex shelley hair hater

[boilingrain]

I’m almost completely done with the allegiances for Floodwaters but I have run into a small problem

So I decided to have one Main/POV character in each clan and I’ve already decided the POV characters of Thunderclan, Shadowclan and Windclan (Hawktail, Blackberrynose and Snowfeather respectively) but I can’t decide which Riverclan cat should be the POV character

With the other POV characters, I decided while writing down notes about their personalities that I wanted to show things through their eyes. I didn’t really go into this with plans about specifically who would be the main characters (since the main characters from the original version, After the Flood, have been deleted from existence because the original draft of the story with the allegiances was lost when I moved computers and Minnow is really the only remaining character from the original because I forgot everybody else)

I’m considering Aspennose but idk

[sketch-shepherd]

Hawktail being pretty

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Hawktail with Darol Anger - “Unless” (Live)

Hawktail and Darol Anger gave Grey Fox attendees the feeling of floating on water with “Unless.”

Captured on professional video at the 2024 bluegrass shindig, it’s a staggering display of virtuosic improvisation within instrumental composition and one of those special moments that tends to happen only in a festival setting.

The track finds the expanded band setting off lazily down a slow-rolling river as Anger and fellow fiddler Brittany Haas saw in harmony.

They soon transfer oars to guitarist Jordan Tice, who engages with Paul Kowert’s bowed bass before Anger, then Haas, join in to propel the music toward the rapids that take “Unless” back to dry dock.

Grade card: Hawktail with Darol Anger - “Unless” (Live) - A+

9/24/24

[wowtalesofadventurers]

Payeke: Warrior of the plans

This World of Warcraft fanfiction featuring my Tauren warrior Payeke Hawktail is made for International Women Week and International Women's Day.

Payeke Hawktail wake up from her sleep by the light of the sun and get up from her bed. After getting dressed, Payeke get out her big sword and her shield and head out to the fields of Mulgore. The home of the Tauren seen peaceful but there are be troubles with the Grimtotem tribe and quilboars, which the latter has cause many young Tauren like Payeke to become adventurers to deal with them as well help out across Azeroth.

With her sword, Payeke fight the group of quilboars, with each one fall to her blade.

[darkcterz]

Oow thank you! @the-owl-tree

This is so cute!

OOOH OOOH YEAAH!

Congrations for 999 Followers big friend :D

Do you make my girl "Hawktail" she's not evil she's a good girl please i'm following you too!

punk lesbian *salutes*

[ankhlesbian]

^ they dont know abt my epic warrior cat self ibsert (named hawktail btw)

[wowie-zowie-art]

Cavernclan sketch!

(Please do not repost or claim as your own)

I was feeling pretty nostalgic last night and dug up some old warrior cat ocs! I wanted to practice character designing once again, and while I think I could have spent some more time on some of the facial expressions, I am very happy with the shapes, colors, and most of the posing!

It was a treat sketching these guys out again, and while this isn't everybody, I still very much enjoy these characters! From left to right, everybody in order is; Houndstar, Muddypelt, Poppyseed, Cardinalcall, Tenderheart, Finickystep, Whistlingbreeze, Strongheart, Hawktail, and Shimmerlight!

[concerthopperblog]

The Best of AMERICANAFEST 2024

AMERICANAFEST is an assault on the senses. With hundreds of parties, official and unofficial, going on in dozens of venues throughout Nashville, there's so much choice you risk being paralyzed with indecision. For our part, we caught 45 shows across a eight venues and, while we saw a few bands we probably wouldn't buy an album from (remember, friends, buy your music), we didn't catch anything that wasn't good. That said, only a few can be the best. Here are the best things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024.

Best of the Fest- Amythyst Kiah and Danielle Nicole At this point, I should probably disqualify Amythyst Kiah from getting “Best of the Fest” and give some other people a chance. She has, I think, won it every time she has played the festival and I have seen her. And she just keeps getting better. Pulling heavily from her forthcoming album Still + Bright, Kiah blended her standard blues and Americana with elements of symphonic metal and classic rock for a sound that is like no other.

This year, Kiah has to share her award with Danielle Nicole. Of the three bands I saw Wednesday night at Exit/In, she was the one I knew nothing about. Boy, had I been missing out. Sounding like what would happen if Janis Joplin fronted The Jimi Hendrix Experience, her power trio blasted through 45 minutes of pure blues-rock fury and I was there for it. For intensity, this was by far the set of the weekend.

Best Work Ethic- Secret Emchy Society and Amelia White The old saying is “work smarter, not harder.” But there's something to be said for working harder and nobody at AMERICANAFEST 2024 worked harder than these two. Cindy Emch of Secret Emchy Society made the trip from California and made the most out of racking up all those airline miles. Over the court of AMERICANAFEST's six days, Emch curated three events (including a 9 hour-long house show) and performed at five. All of these performances helped promote either her fellow Bay Area roots musicians or the Queer Country community. I was able to catch her at her official Showcase on Saturday night at The 5 Spot, my first time seeing her with her full band, and her brand of hard-living, hard-drinking, hard-rocking country music kept the packed audience entertained, even with her playing the dreaded 11 pm final slot of the festival, when many fest goers are either headed home or too tired to rock.

While Amelia White might not have had as far to travel as Emch, living in East Nashville, but that didn't stop her from putting the work in during AMERICANAFEST week. Over the course of the festival, White performed at seven official and non-official events. I was able to catch her at two of these; the official East Coast Social Club showcase at The Bowery Vault and the unofficial Americanamitzvah event at the Love and Exile Bar. In both cases, White showed why she's been dubbed “The Queen of the East Nashville Underground.”

Best Import- Tami Neilson A New Zealander by way of Canada, Tami Neilson is no stranger to Nashville. In addition to having played a number of shows at AMERICANAFEST in the past, Neilson was also, as a child, a member of The Neilsons, a family band that used to be regular performers at Opryland, a, sadly, now defunct Nashville amusement park that Neilson referenced from the stage when I saw her at the Lightnin' Management Medicine Show at 3rd and Lindsley on Thursday, noting that the city had literally paved over Opryland to put up a parking lot (attached to a tacky shopping mall). Neilson's blend of classic country and rockabilly is a crowd pleaser whenever she plays AMERICANAFEST and her booming voice almost needs no amplification to be heard.

Best Genre Blender- Hawktail A supergroup made up of crack musicians Jordan Tice, Brittany Haas, and Paul Kowert, Hawktail defies any type of genrefication you might want to put on them. With a bluegrass core, the trio mixes elements of jazz, Americana, rock, and chamber music into a sound that is like no other. I got to seem them open AMERICANAFEST on Tuesday night, first with a solo set and then backing up Aoife O'Donovan. In both sets, jaws dropped as the band displayed an instrumental virtuosity that refused to acknowledge genres exist.

Best Find- The Kentucky Gentlemen This is normally where Danielle Nicole would go if she hadn't been so good as to take my “best of” slot. But that's ok because I had another AMERICANAFEST discovery that nearly rivaled them; The Kentucky Gentlemen. Mixing classic country riffs with Bobby Brown-esque r&b vocals and moves, The Kentucky Gentlemen dazzled The 5 Spot on Saturday night with a set high on kinetic energy and infectious hooks.

Best Party Atmosphere- Paisley Fields As one of the current standard-bearers for Queer Country, Paisley Fields has a lot of baggage to carry around in one 45 minute set. But you wouldn't know it from his show, which is a fun, often raunchy, and always musically on-point party. Whether he's unleashing the least subtle Queer Country song in history (“Ride Me Cowboy”) or his protest song (“Tear This Statehouse Down”), he never loses sight of the fact that music gets its message across best when its audience is having fun.

Best New Venue- Cannery Hall Damn, is it nice to have The Cannery back. After a couple of years of dormancy, a victim of Nashville's skyrocketing rents, a new ownership group turned the former Cannery Ballroom/Mercy Lounge/Hi-Watt into a new event space that introduces the best technological improvements to a storied Nashville venue. Just being inside the walls of the place where so many of Nashville's favorites got their start was a nice return to glory. While I only got to see the Cannery Mainstage (for McCrary Sisters, Jon Muq, and Amythyst Kiah), I came away impressed enough to start looking for shows at the venue's two other stages to attend, just to soak in the history.

There it is. The favorite things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024. If you attended, leave us your favorites in the comments!

[plexusnexus87]

Beautiful, beautiful vocals yet again by Aoife O'Donovan on the single 'America, Come' off of the acoustic EP, "Aoife O'Donovan & Hawktail Play All My Friends" which is 6 tracks taken from her album, 'All My Friends'. Listen now:

[shotgunhoney]

Trophy Wife by Casey Stegman

"Trophy Wife" by Casey Stegman

Betsy Booth (aka Miss Ocracoke 2012) stood equal distance between her lover, Dale Chumley (aka Detective Chumley of the Ralston County Sheriff’s Department), and her husband, Big Hank Booth (aka The Mall Baron), in the empty food court of the Hawktail Galleria.  It was two hours after closing, and most of the lights were out, except for a scattering of sodium vapors above and the blazing red…

[sketch-shepherd]

Had a fun idea to do a lineup of certain SSO horse breeds I own. On the top are my three Jorvik warmbloods- (from left to right) Easterlily, Bluesky, and Hawktail, with Hawktail being my starter horse. ^^