They may claim on Facebook to be merely “friends playing music together,” but that modesty underestimates The High Hawks’ status as a supergroup comprised of members from jam-oriented Americana and bluegrass ensembles. The cumulative effect of members of Great American Taxi, Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth, Hard Working Americans, DeadPhish Orchestra and Stevens Point ‘grass jammers Horseshoes & Hand Grenades is greater than their formidable parts.
The sextet’s debut traverses the emotional and sonic hills and valleys of ‘70s country rock including The Marshall Tucker Band and The Allman Brothers (the latter no slouches at jamming in their heyday, too). And The High Hawks’ reclamation of The Band’s name from when they backed Ronnie Hawkins can’t be coincidental. One of the High Hawks sounds like a ringer for Levon Helm, and these guys share with the Canadian proto-Americana quintet an ingratiating narrative gift for self-mythologizing. Robbie Robertson’s crew would likely not have dabbled in reggae, as The High Hawks do on one of their album’s 13 tracks; but the experimentation with the Jamaican genre well aligns with the recent history of country music. As 2021 progresses with more music venues reopening, doubtless The High Hawks will find their way onstage to jam out on some of the tracks comprising their impressive premiere.
