A Hawk and a Hacksaw is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

duo from

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, currently signed to L.M. Duplication. The band consists of accordionist Jeremy Barnes, who was previously the drummer for

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed by Jeff Mangum in Ruston, Louisiana, in 1989. They were active until 1998, and then from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock and psy ...

and

Bablicon Bablicon was an American Elephant 6-affiliated musical project, consisting of members of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Gerbils, formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2002. Dave McDonnell—credited as the Diminisher—formed the band with Jeremy Barn ...

, and violinist

Heather Trost Heather Trost (born July 18, 1982) is an American violinist and singer. Biography Trost was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is one of the two members of the United States, American Balkan Folk band A Hawk and a Hacksaw, with husband Jeremy B ...

. The music is inspired by

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountains, and ...

, Turkish and

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

traditions, and is mostly instrumental. They have released six albums and have toured internationally. The first four albums and an EP were released on

The Leaf Label The Leaf Label is a British independent record label based in Yorkshire, England. Initially an electronic music label, releasing mainly instrumental music, the company's approach now features artists spanning jazz and post-punk. History The Le ...

and afterwards on their own label L. M. Duplication.

Career

While Barnes lived in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, he found himself in a Ukrainian area with many people from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

and began to develop an interest in

Romanian folk music Romania has a multicultural music environment which includes active ethnic music scenes. Traditional Romanian folk music remains popular, and some folk musicians have come to national (and even international) fame. History Folk music is the ...

. The band's self-titled first album recorded by Barnes in the south of France, was released in 2002. It provided the soundtrack for the documentary '' Zizek!'', directed by

Astra Taylor Astra Taylor (born September 30, 1979) is a Canadian-American documentary filmmaker, writer, activist, and musician. She is a fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation for her work on challenging predatory practices around debt. Life Born in Winnip ...

, which features Slovenian cultural theorist

Slavoj Žižek Slavoj Žižek ( ; ; born 21 March 1949) is a Slovenian Marxist philosopher, cultural theorist and public intellectual. He is the international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, Global Distin ...

. In March 2005 the band released their second album ''

Darkness at Noon ''Darkness at Noon'' (, ) is a novel by Austrian-Hungarian-born novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940. His best known work, it is the tale of Rubashov, an Old Bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried for treason against the ...

'', recorded in England, the Czech Republic and New Mexico. It was during the recording of this album that Barnes met Trost and that the band became a duo. In 2005, the band met Zach Condon of the band

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

and gave his bedroom recordings to the small independent label,

Ba Da Bing Records Ba Da Bing Records is an American record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The name is derived from the saying "ba da bing, ba da boom", common among Italian-Americans, especially in New Jersey. The label was founded in Leonia, New Jersey, in 1 ...

. They also played on the first Beirut album, ''

Gulag Orkestar ''Gulag Orkestar'' is the debut album of Beirut. It was recorded in 2005 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Gulag was a Soviet government agency administering criminal justice, while ''orkestar'' is the Serbo-Croatian word for "orchestra". It is wr ...

''. The band's third record, '' The Way the Wind Blows'' (released in 2006), was partially recorded in the small Romanian village of Zece Prăjini, and features members of the brass band

Fanfare Ciocărlia Fanfare Ciocărlia is a twelve-piece Romani Balkan brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Zece Prăjini. They are known for their fast, high-energy music with complex rhythms and high-speed staccato clarinet, saxophone, and tru ...

. In 2007, they were awarded a grant by the CMN branch of the

UK Arts Council The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (lat ...

, which enabled them to do a collaborative tour of the UK with the Hungarian folk group The Hun Hangár Ensemble, coinciding with the release of a collaborative EP. Barnes and Trost lived in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

for two years. ''

Délivrance Délivrance is the fourth full-length studio album by A Hawk and a Hacksaw, released in 2009 on The Leaf Label. Singles "Foni Tu Argile", a traditional Greek language, Greek Rembetiko, Rembetika song, is the first single from the album. It was ...

'' was recorded in Budapest, Hungary and released in 2009. It includes collaborations with a number of Hungarian folk musicians, including Ferenc Kovács, Balázs Ungar, and

Kálmán Balogh Kálmán Balogh (born January 18, 1959) is a Hungary, Hungarian cimbalom player and leader of Kálmán Balogh's Romani people, Gypsy Cimbalom Band. History Balogh is a Hungary, Hungarian cimbalom player and part of a lineage of Hungarian Roman ...

. In 2010, Barnes and Trost started their own label, L.M. Duplication, and released their fifth album, ''

Cervantine ''Cervantine'' is A Hawk and a Hacksaw's fifth studio album, and the first to be released on the new label, L.M. Dupli-cation. The album's sound stands out from previous recordings, drawing a stronger influence from Greek Romani music, and the m ...

'', in February 2011. It features guest performances from Stephanie and Chris Hladowski. A Hawk and A Hacksaw have appeared at the

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

, the

Green Man Festival The Green Man Festival is an independent music, science and arts festival held annually in mid-August in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. Green Man has evolved into a 25,000 capacity week long event, showcasing predominantly live music (in particular ...

Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

, the Calgary Folk Fest, Wellington Arts Fest (N.Z.), among others. They have also toured with

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

Calexico Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Dieg ...

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing musi ...

of Montreal of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collec ...

, Beirut and Portishead. They were chosen by

Jeff Mangum Jeffrey Nye Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Comp ...

to perform at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

festival that he curated in March 2012 in

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and close to the Exmoor National Park. T ...

, England. They performed a new and original soundtrack to

Sergei Parajanov Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Parajanov was born to ...

's 1964 classic; ''

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors ''Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors'', alternatively translated into English as ''Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors'' or ''Shadows of Our Ancestors'' (), also known in English under the alternative title ''Wild Horses of Fire'' and under the mista ...

''. In 2013 they released the soundtrack as ''

You Have Already Gone to the Other World ''You Have Already Gone to the Other World'' is A Hawk and a Hacksaw's sixth studio album with the subtitle ''"Music inspired by Paradjanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors"''. It is a concept album which is written as a retrospective soundtrack ...

''.

Name

The name "A Hawk and A Hacksaw" is a reference to the book ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

. ''Don Quixote'' was written in 1605. This quotation comes from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' probably written in 1600; ''I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw''. The original quote was changed from "Handsaw" to "

Hacksaw A hacksaw is a fine-toothed saw, originally and mainly made for cutting metal. The equivalent saw for cutting wood is usually called a bow saw. Most hacksaws are hand saws with a C-shaped walking frame that holds a blade under tension. Suc ...

" to reference the

Aksak In Ottoman musical theory, ''aksak'' () is a rhythmic system in which pieces or sequences, executed in a fast tempo, are based on the uninterrupted reiteration of a matrix, which results from the juxtaposition of rhythmic cells based on the alter ...

meter that is prevalent in

and

Turkish music The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks migrated to Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music ...

. In the original ''Don Quixote'', Cervantes contrasted black and white rather than a hawk and a hand-saw. The

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (bapt. 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish writer and surgeon. He was best known for writing picaresque novels such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' ...

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." Barnes explained the name as "when I was starting he band I felt like – and I still do feel like -

Discography

Studio albums

*''A Hawk and a Hacksaw'' (2002 – Cloud Recordings, 2004 re-issue -

) *''

'' (2005 –

) *'' The Way the Wind Blows'' (2006 –

) *''

'' (2009 –

) *''

'' (2011 – L.M. Duplication) *''

'' (2013 – L.M. Duplication) *''

Forest Bathing ''Forest Bathing'' is the seventh studio album by A Hawk and a Hacksaw. It was released April 13, 2018. Prior to its release, the song "A Broken Road Lined With Poplar Trees" premiered on Under the Radar's website. Album name and concept Th ...

'' (April 13, 2018 – L.M. Duplication)

EPs

*'' A Hawk and a Hacksaw and the Hun Hangár Ensemble'' (2007 –

)

Singles

*" Foni Tu Argile" (2009 –

)

References

External links

A Hawk and a Hacksaw official websiteThe Leaf Label official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawk and a Hacksaw, A Culture of Albuquerque, New Mexico American folk musical duos Mariachi groups Klezmer groups