Rasko speaking....
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Foni Tu Argile
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Kertész
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - The Man Who Sold His Beard
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Hummingbirds
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Raggle Taggle
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - I Am Not A Gambling Man
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Turkiye
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Zibiciu
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Vasalisa Carries A Flaming Skull Through The Forest
- A Hawk And A Hacksaw - Lassú
A Hawk and a Hacksaw is a band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, currently signed to L.M. Dupli-cation. The band consists of accordionist Jeremy Barnes, who was previously the drummer for Neutral Milk Hotel and Bablicon, and violinist Heather Trost. The music is inspired by Eastern European, Turkish and Balkan traditions, and is mostly instrumental.
The band's self-titled first album (released in 2003) provided the soundtrack for the documentary Zizek!, directed by Astra Taylor, which features Slovenian cultural theorist Slavoj Žižek. Darkness at Noon (released in 2004), was the band's second release, and was recorded in England, the Czech Republic and New Mexico. It was during the recording of this album that Barnes met Trost.
In 2005, the band met Zach Condon of the band Beirut and gave his bedroom recordings to the small independent label, Ba Da Bing Records. They also played on the first Beirut album, Gulag Orkestar. The band's third record, The Way the Wind Blows(released in 2006), was partially recorded in the small Romanian village of Zece Prajini, and features members of the brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia. In 2007 they were awarded a grant by the CMN branch of the UK arts council, which enabled them to do a collaborative tour of the UK with the Hungarian folk group The Hun Hangár Ensemble. Barnes and Trost ended up staying in Budapest for 2 years.
Délivrance (released in 2009), the follow up to The Way the Wind Blows, was recorded in Budapest, Hungary. It includes collaborations with some of Hungary's best folk musicians, including Ferenc Kovacs, Balazs Ungar, and Kalman Balogh.
The first four albums and an E.P. were released on The Leaf Label. In 2010 Barnes and Trost started their own label, L.M. Dupli-cation, and released their 5th album, Cervantine, in February of 2011. The label aims to release music from around the Eastern European region.
A Hawk and A Hacksaw have appeared at All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, Roskilde (Den), The Green Man Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival, The Calgary Folk Fest, Wellington Arts Fest (N.Z.), among others. They have also toured with Wilco, Calexico,Andrew Bird, of Montreal, Beirut and Portishead.
The name "A Hawk and A Hacksaw" is a reference to the book "Don Quixote" by Miguel De Cervantes. The original quote was changed from "Handsaw" to "Hacksaw" to reference the "Aksak" meter that is so prevalent in Balkan and Turkish music. In the original "Don Quixote", Cervantes contrasts black and white rather than a hawk and a hand-saw. The Smollet translation, however, reads, "...therefore, let every man lay his hand upon his heart and not pretend to mistake an hawk for a hand-saw; for, we are all as God made us, and many of us much worse."
Joined by an ever expanding and contracting line-up of musicians, A Hawk and A Hacksaw seeks to create an ecstatic sound much like the village bands of old- virtuosity is appreciated but not over-emphasized- and it is the communal aspect of folk tradition and musicianship that becomes important.
Stumbling on A Hawk And A Handsaw can feel like finding a precious antique from distant lands and generations past, tucked away in your grandmother's attic behind a dusty sewing machine, wrapped in threadbare handkerchiefs. AHAAH is the result of is the result of drummer Jeremy Barnes (formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel) and violinist Heather Trost traveling the world, invoking heavy Eastern European influences, traditional Balkan folk with gypsy sensibilities put together with the help of the sage muses hiding in the deserts of Albuquerque. Their fifth full-length album, Delivrance has fleshed out and furthered that sound, and the result is intricate and exotic, a vivid tribute to the duo's far-foaming adventures.
Named after a line from Hamlet, AHAAH does the bard proud by turning every song into a web of intrigue and storytelling. Sometimes, words are insufficient. Sometimes the most lyrical music is the kind that doesn't need to beat you over the head with witticisms. Almost all the songs are exclusively instrumental, and the galloping violin, whimsical accordion, and eclectic orchestra (which includes everything from the upright bass, cello, and clarinet, to the bouzouki and cimbalom) weave fireside tales of sharing soup with mustached villagers, galloping along the Danube in a horse-drawn buggy, dancing late into the night on the cobblestones in the main square. Titles like "The Man Who Sold His Beard" or "Vasilis Carries a Flaming Skull Through the Forest" get your imagination gears churning, conjuring up dark and mysterious fairy tales.
Balkan influence has filtered into indie music through bands like Gogol Bordello and Beirut. Unsurprisingly, Zach Condon (of Beirut) has even collaborated with AHAAH several times. Whether this is now considered trendy or not, AHAAH mean serious business. Everything from their ornately decorated website to their extended stay in Budapest in order to get immersed in the music and culture shows passion and total dedication, and the triumphant elation of the final product reflects this. Definitely give it a spin if you're in the mood for a journey, feel like listening to something out of the ordinary, or just seek a soundtrack for your daydreams. - Nina Mashurova
Named after a line from Hamlet, AHAAH does the bard proud by turning every song into a web of intrigue and storytelling. Sometimes, words are insufficient. Sometimes the most lyrical music is the kind that doesn't need to beat you over the head with witticisms. Almost all the songs are exclusively instrumental, and the galloping violin, whimsical accordion, and eclectic orchestra (which includes everything from the upright bass, cello, and clarinet, to the bouzouki and cimbalom) weave fireside tales of sharing soup with mustached villagers, galloping along the Danube in a horse-drawn buggy, dancing late into the night on the cobblestones in the main square. Titles like "The Man Who Sold His Beard" or "Vasilis Carries a Flaming Skull Through the Forest" get your imagination gears churning, conjuring up dark and mysterious fairy tales.
Balkan influence has filtered into indie music through bands like Gogol Bordello and Beirut. Unsurprisingly, Zach Condon (of Beirut) has even collaborated with AHAAH several times. Whether this is now considered trendy or not, AHAAH mean serious business. Everything from their ornately decorated website to their extended stay in Budapest in order to get immersed in the music and culture shows passion and total dedication, and the triumphant elation of the final product reflects this. Definitely give it a spin if you're in the mood for a journey, feel like listening to something out of the ordinary, or just seek a soundtrack for your daydreams. - Nina Mashurova
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