Gregory and the Hawk
Encyclopedia
Meredith Godreau is an American singer-songwriter performing under the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk. Active since 2003, Godreau initially enjoyed independent success with 2 EPs
and a full length album selling a total of 15,000 copies.
, Godreau moved to upstate New York
when she was twelve. This was where she learned a number of instruments, including piano
, clarinet
, oboe
, violin
and viola
before settling on her "$70 Christmas gift": the guitar.
Godreau then took on the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk in 2003 to avoid being pigeonholed as a singer-songwriter, despite citing her influences as Nick Drake
, Liz Phair
and PJ Harvey
. The name was derived from her brother, Gregory, and his imaginary childhood hawk. This was when she released her demo EP
, including early versions of the popular "Boats and Birds" and "Isabelle". When asked about going by her real name, Godreau responds, "There is no reason for it. But, I’d walk by places and it’d say ‘Playing Tonight – Joe Jones’ and I think that was super-boring and I’d never want to go to that show".
Godreau began playing solo shows in small venues around New England until 2005 when she met Mike McGuire in New York. The two played live shows together for several months before bassist Jeff Ratner and drummer Adam Christgau (both of New York band Paper And Sand) joined the band. The four of them recorded the Boats And Birds EP.
, increasing Gregory and the Hawk's popularity. Soon after the release, the four friends moved apart, and so Godreau began playing live with just Ratner on upright bass, and herself on acoustic guitar and vocals.
, and had several solo shows. As stated by FatCat Records, "[we] discovered our newest signing, Gregory and the Hawk, entirely by accident, whilst out one night at a bar in Brooklyn. An unknown band came on stage and Meredith Godreau began to sing, instantly stunning everyone in the room". A month later, she was in the studio recording her first FatCat single, Ghost and debut album, Moenie and Kitchi, which were both released in September and October 2008, respectively.
During an interview with AU Magazine, Godreau was asked about her work with FatCat Records and responded, "I wasn’t really aiming to be on a record label, but now that I am, there have been so many great people that I’ve met in the last couple of years because of it that I would never, ever say that I wouldn’t want to have that. I’m very glad about the people I’ve met, and not necessarily the technicalities of being on a label".
), with most vocals and guitars recorded simultaneously in just one take. Gregory and the Hawk took a three-continent tour for this album, taking in support slots for múm, The Album Leaf, Mice Parade, Frightened Rabbit, Asian Kung Fu Generation and other bands. "Moenie and Kitchi was not produced by me... and I really like[d] it, but it wasn’t very personal to me. I wrote the songs but I felt like it was not something I could have made on my own," Godreau told AU Magazine. Godreau decided to create her most recent album back in her own garage/studio.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and a full length album selling a total of 15,000 copies.
Biography
Originally from Medfield, MassachusettsMedfield, Massachusetts
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,024 according to the 2010 Census. Medfield is an affluent community about 17 miles southwest of Boston....
, Godreau moved to upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
when she was twelve. This was where she learned a number of instruments, including piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
before settling on her "$70 Christmas gift": the guitar.
Godreau then took on the pseudonym Gregory and the Hawk in 2003 to avoid being pigeonholed as a singer-songwriter, despite citing her influences as Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
, Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
and PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
. The name was derived from her brother, Gregory, and his imaginary childhood hawk. This was when she released her demo EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, including early versions of the popular "Boats and Birds" and "Isabelle". When asked about going by her real name, Godreau responds, "There is no reason for it. But, I’d walk by places and it’d say ‘Playing Tonight – Joe Jones’ and I think that was super-boring and I’d never want to go to that show".
Godreau began playing solo shows in small venues around New England until 2005 when she met Mike McGuire in New York. The two played live shows together for several months before bassist Jeff Ratner and drummer Adam Christgau (both of New York band Paper And Sand) joined the band. The four of them recorded the Boats And Birds EP.
Boats and Birds
In 2006, Gregory and the Hawk self released the Boats and Birds EP as a home-studio project containing the songs "Isabelle" and "Boats and Birds". Both songs received a great amount of attention on social networking website MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, increasing Gregory and the Hawk's popularity. Soon after the release, the four friends moved apart, and so Godreau began playing live with just Ratner on upright bass, and herself on acoustic guitar and vocals.
FatCat Records
In Your Dreams, Gregory and the Hawk's first full length album, was self released the following year with Mike McGuire and Susan Ambrose as the only other players. The album received many positive reviews but it wasn't until a show in Godreau's native Brooklyn that FatCat Records stumbled across her. Before Gregory and the Hawk was signed, Godreau already sold 15,000 copies of her demos and full length album, had 18 pages of cover versions on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, and had several solo shows. As stated by FatCat Records, "[we] discovered our newest signing, Gregory and the Hawk, entirely by accident, whilst out one night at a bar in Brooklyn. An unknown band came on stage and Meredith Godreau began to sing, instantly stunning everyone in the room". A month later, she was in the studio recording her first FatCat single, Ghost and debut album, Moenie and Kitchi, which were both released in September and October 2008, respectively.
During an interview with AU Magazine, Godreau was asked about her work with FatCat Records and responded, "I wasn’t really aiming to be on a record label, but now that I am, there have been so many great people that I’ve met in the last couple of years because of it that I would never, ever say that I wouldn’t want to have that. I’m very glad about the people I’ve met, and not necessarily the technicalities of being on a label".
Moenie and Kitchi
In the recording of Moenie and Kitchi, many of the instruments were played by the album's producer, Adam Pierce (Mice ParadeMice Parade
Mice Parade is an indie/shoegaze band from New York City led by percussionist Adam Pierce. Mice Parade's albums were all initially released on Pierce's record label, Bubble Core Records and Fat Cat Records...
), with most vocals and guitars recorded simultaneously in just one take. Gregory and the Hawk took a three-continent tour for this album, taking in support slots for múm, The Album Leaf, Mice Parade, Frightened Rabbit, Asian Kung Fu Generation and other bands. "Moenie and Kitchi was not produced by me... and I really like[d] it, but it wasn’t very personal to me. I wrote the songs but I felt like it was not something I could have made on my own," Godreau told AU Magazine. Godreau decided to create her most recent album back in her own garage/studio.
Leche
Godreau started working on Leche throughout the winter of 2009, writing and self-recording, then taking her music to a team of friends, engineers, and collaborators including Pierce, as well as Jeremy Backofen (Felice Brothers) and Rob Laakso (Amazing Baby, Diamond Nights, Mice Parade, Swirlies). Godreau writes, "it turned out the idea behind the album was about traveling all around - both physically and psychologically - and observing many different places, people, and behaviors but always from a detached perspective, never directly involved. Traveling was a major influence on the album, as was personal change and growth". The album was released in Canada and the United States on November 9, 2010 and in the UK and Europe on November 15, 2010.EPs
- Gregory and the Hawk (Demo) EP (2005)
- Boats and Birds EP (2006)
- Huckleberry Cherry and Boules EP (2010)
Compilations
- The Lonesome Call of the... WHPRWHIL, Whprwhil Records (2006)
- Pickathon, Pickathon Roots Music Festival (2006)
- Nano-Mugen Compilation 2009Nano-Mugen Compilation 2009Nano–Mugen Compilation 2009 is a compilation album released by Asian Kung-Fu Generation on July 1, 2009, to advertise their eighth annual Nano-Mugen Festival held at the Yokohama Arena through July 19-20th.-Track listing:# – ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION...
, Ki/oon RecordsKi/oon Recordsis a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.-Artists:Their artists include L'Arc-en-Ciel, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, FLOW, Home Made Kazoku, Puffy AmiYumi, Polysics, Pushim, chatmonchy, Denki Groove, The Babystars, DOES, Guitar Wolf, Miki Furukawa, Nico Touches the Walls, plingmin,...
(2009)