Youngblood Hawke is your new favorite band. If you do not recognize the name, you are sure to have heard and know all the words to their breakout song, “We Come Running.” The band name comes from the novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk. The novel is about a Kentucky mountain boy who wants to become a writer so he moves to New York. Youngblood Hawke began making a name for themselves at 2012's SXSW. Since then, they have began to blow up nationally. Youngblood Hawke are playing Bunbury Music Festival on The River Stage Friday at 6:45! CincyMusic.com sat down with the band in anticipation for their performance at Bunbury Music Festival.
The novel, Youngblood Hawke, you named the band after has always been one of my favorites. Tell me about the feeling you had after reading that inspired you to name the band after the book…
Everything about the story resonated with me. I was moved from the very first page! I felt like I could relate to the main character of the novel, a man willing to do anything for his art. Our previous band went through many similar experiences that he went through, finding and eventually losing success. After reading the novel I was inspired to write music again.
“We Come Running” is thought of to be your anthem, do you have certain themes or words that you craft your music around?
Usually we just get in the studio and start writing! Whatever we're thinking about, feeling or going through at the time pours out into our music. Our songs are very personal stories and we're always pulling directly from our own lives, from experiences we've been through. When we started writing our album we were going through many hard changes in our lives, a theme of hope started to emerge. It didn't happen intentionally, but we started to write songs to make us feel better, to pull us out of the hole we found ourselves in. It was definitely a cathartic experience.
What's the first concert that you attended?
My brother took me to a Public Enemy concert when I was 9! I was scared out of my mind, I thought the guns they held on stage were real.
When can we expect the full length album?
Our album comes out April 30th! We're beyond excited! We've been working on the record for 2 years, its finally complete.
If you could work with any artist, who would that be and why?
I'd love to work with Rolling Stones or Fleetwood Mac. It would be amazing to work with artists that have been around for a long time and have maintained great careers, I feel like we would learn so much. It would also be interesting to work with artists in completely different genres, like Kendrick Lamar or Asap Rocky.
What's been your biggest moment so far? The time when you felt like this is why I do this?
We toured with Keane last month and got to play Radio City Music Hall in New York. The place is mind blowing, it gave me the chills! That was definitely an important moment for us.
At CincyMusic.com, we support musicians just starting out. What advice do you have for an artist just starting out?
Go for it! Make music that means something to you. Never try to copy something thats already out there, work hard to create a unique sound that is a true reflection of yourself.
Do not miss Youngblood Hawke on Friday at Bunbury Music Festival. And....I hear that they may just have a surprise up their sleeve for us at the festival!
