Biography

"With its new album 'Grapevine,' the evocatively named band I See Hawks In L.A. has secured its place at the head of the city's country-rock and psychedelic cowboy faction."

--Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times

"Celebrating the release of their extraordinary new
Grapevine CD, I See Hawks in L.A. continue to
explore artistic territory few others visit. The driving-force
duo of singer Rob Waller and guitarist Paul
Lacques have cooked up one of the most
audacious sounds the Golden State has ever
produced. Their songs have an air of both
spontaneous immediacy and shrewdly applied
musical craftsmanship so unconventional that
frequently cited precursors the Flying Burrito
Brothers pale to utter irrelevance beneath the
band's high-altitude artistry. A wilder blue yonder."

-- Jonny Whiteside, L.A. Weekly

"Do two great groups constitute a, you know, scene? Along with Beachwood Sparks, the Hawks have updated Southern California country rock. Their music, driven by the fine steel guitarist Paul Lacques, is sinewy yet poetic--more nihilistic than decadent, with an urban-desert poetry all its own."
-- Richard Gehr, Village Voice


I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. feature the spiritous musings of vocalist Robert Rex Waller, Jr.; the soulful three part harmonies of fiddler Brantley Kearns (Dwight Yoakum, Dave Alvin, Hazel Dickens), bassist Paul Marshall (Strawberry Alarm Clock, Hank Thompson, Rose Maddox) and guitar/dobro/steel player Paul Lacques (Double Naught Spy Car); Shawn Nourse (Dwight Yoakum, James Intveld) lays down the rock solid country drums.

Formed during a philosophical discussion/rock throwing session on an East Mojave desert trek, the Hawks return inevitably to spiritual geography and eco-apocalyptic visions in their songs, tackling topics like donkeys, alt herb farmers, amenity migration, Disney World, Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia,
and: do you think that's really JFK in his coffin?

The Hawks have finished their new CD "California Country" for Sovereign Artists records, featuring guest appearances by Chris Hillman, Rick Shea, and Cody Bryant, to be released in February 2006.


2005 REVIEWS OF "GRAPEVINE" AND 2004 SUMMER TOUR:

LA Weekly July 22-28 2005 Music Picks of the Week
Ray Wylie Hubbard, I See Hawks in L.A. at McCabes.

"Though hell forever be remembered for the satirical 'Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,' made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker, legendary Texan Ray Wylie Hubbard the headiest headneck of the Outlaw Movement wrote dozens of killer, smart songs. I See Hawks in L.A. are our hometown cosmic cowboys; like Ray Wylie, theyre equal parts spiritual seekers and honky-tonk storytellers, creating an American West of honor and wisdom. Does that ethos exist in a time of spilt blood? Did it ever? It does tonight at McCabes."
-- Michael Simmons, L.A. Weekly


"For anyone who fancies fine country music, this album belongs on your must-buy list. This California band captures the expansive, vibrant heartbeat of West Coast country. Great musicianship in the service of excellent tunes. Top 10 CDs of 2004."
-- Philip Van Vleck, Durham Herald-Sun


"A fantastic fusion of twang and pop sense."

-- Dave Menconi, News Observer, Chapel Hill

"Seemingly from out of nowhere, I See Hawks In L.A. have roared out of the scrubby Western terrain to claima stake on the Americana scene. Poetic, introspective, and superbly talented, they're just what the nation needs."

-- Andria Lisle, The Memphis Flyer

"Occasionally a band manages to make sense of the moniker alt-country, and I See Hawks In L.A. fits the bill. Harking back to the early sound of the seminal country-rock thing, on Grapevine, I See Hawks captures the magic that flowed from the Byrds' Sweethearts Of The Rodeo and the two Gram Parsons solo albums. It's not 'pure' country, but rather a unique yet indentifiable style filtered through the casual easy living mentality of Southern California.

"Anchored by longtime veterans of the L.A. music community, the band features rich harmonies led by Robert Rex Waller Jr., whose voice bears an uncanny resemblance to the Monkees' Mike Nesmith, an often overlooked alt-country pioneer. With Paul Lacques' fine steel playing and Brantley Kearns' smooth fiddle, the band would be right at home on the Opry stage. But there's a sly undercurrent that indicates a different perspective. In the edgy 'Humboldt,' the band sings of a pot deal that takes a strange twist, and the sweet, loping 'Hitchhiker' recalls the '60s free spirits. An afternoon with Grapevine is like a pleasant road trip through the desert, with a flask of wine, a bag of gold and a pretty girl. Life was good then."

-- James Kelly, Creative Loafing (Atlanta)

"Members of a Los Angeles band called I See Hawks In L.A. apparently have true country-rock blood pulsing through their veins. Someting of an all-star band in the Southern California country scene, the Hawks revolve around the songwriting of Robert Rex Waller Jr. and Paul Lacques. On their album Grapevine, they do harmonic meditations on the state of the city and the state of themselves, and come up nothing but golden."

-- Rob Kelley, The Oregonian


"The mission of I See Hawks--chock-full of some of the most in-demand roots music session cats in L.A.--is to underline the 'Southern' in Southern California. Orange groves, check. Dusty highways, yep. Beating hot sun, uh-huh. Sounds like country music to me--and hold the 'alt,' thank you very much. Sure, flashes of modern life pop up in the lyrics, but the sound is pure classic twang, and all the sweeter for it."

-- JR, Willamette Week

"These cowboys make it clear that their focus is cosmic, but from a very L.A. viewpoint. From the languourous strains of 'The Beautiful Narcotic Place I Reside' to their debut album's eponymous title, 'I See Hawks In L.A.' (a call for California to fall back in the ocean and let the snakes take over), this Burrito Brothers update run by a group of self-proclaimed eco-radicals rattles the cage of country with psychedelic overtones and Byrds-like harmonies."
-- Grant Britt, Independent Weekly (Raleigh, NC)

"Along with Beachwood Sparks, I See Hawks In L.A. are credited with reviving the Southern California cosmic cowboy sound. Their freewheeling, poetic style is in direct contrast to the one-dimensional Americana artists that currently can be found on every L.A. street corner."

-- Nashville Scene

"This LA band caught my ear straight out with their tight, eerie sound that plays into songs sounding straight ahead country, LA rockin' and bluegrassy. This is west coast rock with a distinctive Southern California feel to it with space between the layers of sound that allow you to move along at your own pace. Fine guitar work with pedal steel, dobro, & electric from Paul Lacques, strong satisfying vocals form Robert Rex Waller and with the talented Brantley Kearns on fiddle and Paul Marshal on bass, this is a band of serious talent."

--Kay Clements, Freight Train Boogie

"A country-rock band from southern Cali that play a Neil Youngish country-folk mixed with a Springsteen-leaning lyrical take. The key word is California here as the laid-back style overrides the ever-present Nashville infestation of country music. The new record Grapevine is filled with a moody vibe and bits of psychedelic flourishes, cryin' fiddles and acoustic and slide guitars. Hell, there's even some rip-roaring bluegrass, replete with soaring harmonies, thrown into the mix."

-- Shukla, Creative Loafing (Charlotte, NC)

"It's funny that the left coast figures the group I See Hawks In L.A. as part of the city's growing underground scene. Listen to them, especially their latest, Grapevine, and I swear I'd put the group from somewhere in the South. Sure it plays tricked-out traditional country that has that polished sheen that screams Nashville. But its combination of pedal steel, fiddle, soaring harmonies and rough-hewn Roger Miller baritone gives Grapevine enough cred to make any traditional country fan smile. But I See Hawks In L.A. comes at it from a different tack. Grapevine doles out tunes about lost love, muscle cars, the Book of Revelation, marijuana and idyllic Western scenes that read like poetry."

-- Jeri Rowe, Go Triad (North Carolina)

Wednesday nights Downtown have become one ot the epicenters of the L.A. roots/Americana community, thanks to the bluegrass stylings of I See Hawks In L.A., probably the preeminent group currently on the scene. They took a little while off to tour the East Coast behind their wondrous new CD, Gtapevine (which, like its title, owes equal amounts to Los Angeles and Bakersfield, combining a honky tonk heart with a mountain band soul), where they were met with rave reviews, but they are back home now, and have once again returned to their Wednesday night residency at Coles in Downtown L.A. They call it Truly Acoustic Wednesdays, and it is just that, everything unplugged and natural, but that doesnt mean that these weekly shows dont crackle with a natural electricity of their own.

--Paul Andersen, Entertainment Today

"Cosmic Americana as perhaps Gram Parsons envisioned it, from rippling waves of pedal steel and soaring multipart harmonies to beautifully evoked images of California landscapes and poetic lyrics celebrating the joys of alternate consciousness while damning the politics making it illegal (the rousing 'Humboldt' is a country-rock anthem waiting to be discovered). Richly melodic, thoughtful, sometimes psychedelic--perfect roadtripping music."

-- Bliss, Fade In

"There is a nagging doubt about Grapevine, the latest album from I See Hawks In LA. I'm not quite sure whether I'm being genuinely and right royally entertained by some wonderful country rock, or gently ribbed by some wonderfully ironic country rock. Whichever it is, listening to it proved to be a hugely enjoyable experience and perhaps that's the whole point. There is one thing about them that I will accept without question or demur and that's the label psychedelic country. If the Beatles had gone west instead of east they might just have sounded like this. But the label not only fits perfectly the kind of bright sunny sound the band have produced, it also gives a reviewer from the cold north-east of England a warm and inviting image to hang on to. What is also beyond question is that I See Hawks In LA have managed to inject fresh life and energy into a genre that is now firmly in the mainstream and what's more they've done it without discarding one of its traditional stengths, melody. Libre Road for one is a celebration of the worth of country music. This is not a band who indulge in change for change's sake, Grapevine displays an instinctive understanding and appreciation of the roots of the music without being slave to them. The band will no doubt have been hit with a stream of comparisons from The Flying Burrito Brothers (they mentioned the Mojave Desert first) to The Eagles. All of them meant kindly I'm sure but none of them truly capturing the spirit of the band. They are also musicians who obviously derive great pleasure from what they do. They revel in the rocked up Texarkanada but move easily and effortlessly into the undiluted bluegrass of The Salesman and onto the warm ballad melodies of Hitchhiker. To hear a band so at home, not only in three distinct styles but in three distinct generations is refreshing and reaffirming. And, for the sheer joy that it brings, Grapevine is an album that will never outstay its welcome."

-- Michael Mee, Netrhythm (England)


"Ever wondered what would have happened if Gram Parsons hadn't flamed out and the Burrito Brothers were still playing? I See Hawks in L.A. has it all -- twang, distortion, backbeat and lyrics that blend cowboy poetry with an ironic vision of the West. Throw in Rick Shea, the former guitar player for Dave Alvin's Guilty Men and a helluva country songwriter, who'll open and then sit in. You've got a can't-miss double bill that should make you forget taking out a second mortgage so that you can afford to see the Eagles this summer."

--San Jose Mercury News


"This Los Angeles group offers country rock for urbane cowboys. The band's got flair and range, from hillbilly picking ('The Salesman') to Dwight Yoakam-style smooth ('Hope Against Hope'). But its musicianship and harmonies are what really set the Hawks apart."
--Anne Bothwell, Dallas Morning News

The Hawks host a downtown L.A. acoustic roots music series, bringing in their brothers and sisters from SoCal's thriving alt country scene, with national touring artists added to the mix. The Hawks' song "I See Hawks In L.A." was named crucial listening in an L.A.Times cover story on Echo Park. The Hawks recently played Austin's SXSW, Gramfest in Joshua Tree, Grand Performances series, downtown L.A., and Hempfest in Seattle.

The Hawks debut CD, "I SEE HAWKS IN L.A." also got rave reviews (SEE BELOW) and made the F.A.R. Alternative Country Chart and The Music Never Stops' Top Ten CDs of 2001.

In 2003 The Hawks scored a "Modern Marvels" for the History Channel, a documentary on American cattle ranching from its roots in 19th century Texas to modern mega-factory-farms. The Hawks made soundscapes with old time fiddle, dobro, and jawharp, and brought the music to modern times with some Merle Haggard's Strangers-type country stomp and some space age (al la "Jetsons") guitar and human beat box.