Chris Hawkes
Encyclopedia
Chris Hawkes is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, recording engineer and producer.
He attended the University of North Texas
in Denton Texas studying Art before deciding to pursue music and sound recording full time.
Redtag:
In late 1999 Hawkes formed a band with fellow high school students, Daniel Loflin, Ben Drake and Aaron Cauble called Redtag. During his years in Denton at the University of North Texas Chris reformed Redtag several times.
Five Times August:
Hawkes departed from the usual role of frontman/songwriter to produce and play lead guitar for Five Times August
with singer songwriter Brad Skistimas and Redtag drummer Cason Clifton. Skistimas had previously released solo recordings under the name Five Times August. The first album featuring Hawkes and Clifton was 2004's EP "Something Clever". In addition to performing lead guitar, bass, percussion, background vocals Chris also produced, engineered and mixed the album starting One Road Studio.
The single "Better With You" was featured on MTV
series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
season one.
Following the success of the release, the other member of Redtag, Jake Baxter, joined Five Times August
.
A full length 2005 follow up album "Fry Street", featuring performances and production by Hawkes, received numerous plays 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 Wal-mart
.
The Color Gray:
In 2005 after disbanding from the singer of Five Times August, Hawkes and other members, also known as Redtag, formed The Color Gray.
Hawkes wrote, engineered and produced 2005's self titled EP and the 2006 "Control" LP. The release of The Color Gray's full-length album "Control" was preceded with attention for the first album single entitled "Nothing To Lose". It received spins on commercial radio including KTBZ-FM
The Buzz in Houston KLAQ
"The Q" in El Paso KNCN
"C101" in Corpus Christi KEYJ Rock 108 Abilene and an official playlist add in their own major market home area on KDGE The Edge Dallas.
The Color Gray disbanded in late 2006.
Solo:
In 2007 Chris Hawkes released his first solo album "Guitar and Voice"
MTV
showed interest in Chris's work again featuring "Falling Into Doubt" on the popular series The Hills Episode 305 and Episode 417
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 diverse 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". It also started the initial recording of what became his third album, "Broken Record". Shortly after it's release, "Mystery" was added to rotation on Denmark's most popular radio station, DR P4
.
"Broken Record" features a variety from guitar and string arrangements to a full blues band.
Following an internship with Grammy Award
Winning Producer Eric Delegard, Hawkes became lead engineer for the University of North Texas College of Music
.
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. Bands to date include: 30 Seconds to Mars
, Flyleaf
, The Toadies, Cooder Graw
, Spoonfed Tribe, Edgewater
2007 Hawkes collaborated with several acts co-writing producing and performing on albums for Killing Caroline, Lisa Apple and Faktion
While producing other projects Hawkes collected 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.
He attended the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
in Denton Texas studying Art before deciding to pursue music and sound recording full time.
Music Performance
As a musician Chris Hawkes was first recorded and released on a 1998 compilation Garage Nights at Laser Trax released on Cannon Riggle Records.Redtag:
In late 1999 Hawkes formed a band with fellow high school students, Daniel Loflin, Ben Drake and Aaron Cauble called Redtag. During his years in Denton at the University of North Texas Chris reformed Redtag several times.
Five Times August:
Hawkes departed from the usual role of frontman/songwriter to produce and play lead guitar for Five Times August
Five Times August
Five Times August is the name of a solo music project by Dallas, Texas independent singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Skistimas . Every song off the album "The Independent " was placed on popular MTV programming like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. He is also the first unsigned act to get...
with singer songwriter Brad Skistimas and Redtag drummer Cason Clifton. Skistimas had previously released solo recordings under the name Five Times August. The first album featuring Hawkes and Clifton was 2004's EP "Something Clever". In addition to performing lead guitar, bass, percussion, background vocals Chris also produced, engineered and mixed the album starting One Road Studio.
The single "Better With You" was featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, often referred to simply as Laguna Beach, is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from September 28, 2004 until November 16, 2006. It documents the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, an affluent seaside community located in...
season one.
Following the success of the release, the other member of Redtag, Jake Baxter, joined Five Times August
Five Times August
Five Times August is the name of a solo music project by Dallas, Texas independent singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Skistimas . Every song off the album "The Independent " was placed on popular MTV programming like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. He is also the first unsigned act to get...
.
A full length 2005 follow up album "Fry Street", featuring performances and production by Hawkes, received numerous plays 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 Wal-mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
.
The Color Gray:
In 2005 after disbanding from the singer of Five Times August, Hawkes and other members, also known as Redtag, formed The Color Gray.
Hawkes wrote, engineered and produced 2005's self titled EP and the 2006 "Control" LP. The release of The Color Gray's full-length album "Control" was preceded with attention for the first album single entitled "Nothing To Lose". It received spins on commercial radio including KTBZ-FM
KTBZ-FM
KTBZ-FM, also known as 94.5 The Buzz, is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Houston, Texas with studios located in Houston at 2000 West Loop South, Suite 300, and with transmitter facilities located in Missouri City, Texas.- History :...
The Buzz in Houston KLAQ
KLAQ
KLAQ , known as "The Q 95.5", is an active rock radio station based in El Paso, Texas. The station is under ownership of Townsquare Media....
"The Q" in El Paso KNCN
KNCN
KNCN is an FM station licensed to Sinton, Texas playing to the Corpus Christi metro area. It signed on in 1976 from a combined studio and tower site north of the bay north of Corpus Christi and east of Sinton, Texas. Facilities were the same as now a 100,000 watt signal from a 410 foot above...
"C101" in Corpus Christi KEYJ Rock 108 Abilene and an official playlist add in their own major market home area on KDGE The Edge Dallas.
The Color Gray disbanded in late 2006.
Solo:
In 2007 Chris Hawkes released his first solo album "Guitar and Voice"
MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
showed interest in Chris's work again featuring "Falling Into Doubt" on the popular series The Hills Episode 305 and Episode 417
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 diverse 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". It also started the initial recording of what became his third album, "Broken Record". Shortly after it's release, "Mystery" was added to rotation on Denmark's most popular radio station, DR P4
DR P4
P4 is the regional radio channel of Denmark's national public broadcasting corporation, DR. The 11 regional stations which make up P4 originate their own local programming and also carry jointly produced nationwide content...
.
"Broken Record" features a variety from guitar and string arrangements to a full blues band.
Discography
- 1998: "Garage Nights at Laser Trax" (Cannon & Riggle)
- 2004: Something Clever
- 2005: Fry Street
- 2005: The Color Gray
- 2006: Control(Nico)
- 2007: The Independent
- 2007: Guitar and Voice
- 2009: Because I Feel That Way Too
- 2011: Broken Record
Record Producer/ Recording Engineer
Chris Hawkes graduated with a special training degree from the Dallas Sound Lab in Los Colinas, Texas in 2000.Following an internship with Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
Winning Producer Eric Delegard, Hawkes became lead engineer for the University of North Texas College of Music
University of North Texas College of Music
The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
.
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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
popular show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, often referred to simply as Laguna Beach, is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from September 28, 2004 until November 16, 2006. It documents the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, an affluent seaside community located in...
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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
popular show The Hills.
In 2006 Hawkes partnered with Disclive, a Dallas based recording company, as head engineer to record live performances. Bands to date include: 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, Flyleaf
Flyleaf
Flyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005....
, The Toadies, Cooder Graw
Cooder Graw
Cooder Graw was a self-described "loud country" band from Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas. It is also the title of their second album.The group formed in 1998...
, Spoonfed Tribe, Edgewater
Edgewater
Edgewater is a common name used throughout the world as a place name. It is often found in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.-United States:*Edgewater, Alabama*Edgewater, Colorado...
2007 Hawkes collaborated with several acts co-writing producing and performing on albums for Killing Caroline, Lisa Apple and Faktion
Faktion
-History:Faktion formed in 2002 as a four-piece group after the band members met at the University of North Texas. Originally, guitarist Marshal Dutton was the band's vocalist, but frontman Ryan Gibbs was recruited and the band became a five-piece group....
While producing other projects Hawkes collected 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.
List of albums produced/engineered
- 2004: "Something Clever" - Five Times AugustFive Times AugustFive Times August is the name of a solo music project by Dallas, Texas independent singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Skistimas . Every song off the album "The Independent " was placed on popular MTV programming like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. He is also the first unsigned act to get...
- 2004: "Leaving Stella" - Darby
- 2005: "Fry StreetFry Street (album)Fry Street is a 2005 album by the band Five Times August. Every song on the album were used on the popular MTV series, such as Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The album's title was taken for the name of the street in Denton, Texas where the band lived at the time of recording the album...
" - Five Times AugustFive Times AugustFive Times August is the name of a solo music project by Dallas, Texas independent singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Skistimas . Every song off the album "The Independent " was placed on popular MTV programming like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. He is also the first unsigned act to get... - 2005: "The Color Gray" - The Color Gray
- 2006: "Time Stands Still" - Crimson Soul
- 2006: "Control" - The Color Gray
- 2006: "Edgefest 15: Ripped" - 30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, FlyleafFlyleafFlyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005.... - 2006: "Acoustic Campfire with Rock 108" - KEYJ, EdgewaterEdgewaterEdgewater is a common name used throughout the world as a place name. It is often found in English-speaking countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States.-United States:*Edgewater, Alabama*Edgewater, Colorado...
- 2006: (unreleased EP) - FaktionFaktion-History:Faktion formed in 2002 as a four-piece group after the band members met at the University of North Texas. Originally, guitarist Marshal Dutton was the band's vocalist, but frontman Ryan Gibbs was recruited and the band became a five-piece group....
- 2006: "Exit 380: Live at Firewater" - Exit 380
- 2006: "Cooder Graw: Live at Firewater" - Cooder GrawCooder GrawCooder Graw was a self-described "loud country" band from Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas. It is also the title of their second album.The group formed in 1998...
- 2006: "Spoonfed Tribe: Live at Firewater" - Spoonfed Tribe
- 2007: "Guitar and Voice" - Chris Hawkes
- 2007: "Life is a Cigarette" - Better Than Sex
- 2007: "Rock Show (Toadies album)Rock Show (Toadies album)Rock Show is a live album by Toadies. It is a recording of the final show of the band's "Second Coming" reunion tour, recorded March 17, 2007 at the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas, Texas. The album was recorded by DiscLive and released immediately following the show. It is...
" - The Toadies - 2007: "Dartmyth" - Dartmyth
- 2007: "Life.Love.Travel" - Lance Sitton
- 2007: "The Independent (l.p.)The Independent (l.p.) (album)The Independent is an album by Five Times August. It was the first release by an unsigned artist to get national Wal-Mart distribution. It is a re-release of the 2005 album "Fry Street" with same tracklisting, but different album title and artwork...
" - Five Times AugustFive Times AugustFive Times August is the name of a solo music project by Dallas, Texas independent singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Skistimas . Every song off the album "The Independent " was placed on popular MTV programming like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. He is also the first unsigned act to get... - 2008: "Lisa Apple" - Lisa Apple
- 2008: "Killing Caroline" - Killing Caroline
- 2008: "Ignite What's Inside" - FaktionFaktion-History:Faktion formed in 2002 as a four-piece group after the band members met at the University of North Texas. Originally, guitarist Marshal Dutton was the band's vocalist, but frontman Ryan Gibbs was recruited and the band became a five-piece group....
- 2008: "The Rankin Twins" - The Rankin Twins
- 2008: "In Your Head/Waiting" - Dartmyth
- 2008: "Home Again" - Jeff Metil
- 2009: "Because I Feel That Way Too" - Chris Hawkes
- 2009: "Adam's Orchard" - Zach Arrington
- 2009: "Songland" - Colin de los Santos
- 2010: "The Rising Sun" - Philip Q. Morrow
External links
- One Road Studio Official site
- Chris Hawkes page at AustinMusic.com