HawkEye a fluxus moment
2009-07-24 23:58:41

For most musicians creating and developing sounds becomes the only way to make sense of the human experience, the only way to find liberation in their souls. Music sounds differently when the band believes in what they're doing-- when there is a focus on the means and not just getting to the end. Hawkeye is a band that has made their way to Portland, Oregon, starting originally in Chicago around 2003 as the solo project of Matthew Strange.  After playing his music in a few different configurations, and cities, Strange found a home in Portland and friends to play with who really mesh with him and the music. 

Sylvia Calling
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Meeting with Mr. Strange, writer, composer, and singer for Hawkeye took me into a conversation about foundations of inspirations and how the process of making music is  something that solidifies yet, that at the same time transcends existence.Strange has a love for music in itself as well as the process of creating. “It’s about digging deep inside yourself where you can connect to a place of vulnerability and honesty about life, love, and existential thoughts.  Music can be a process of synthesizing feelings and emotions, so you can give something back to other people”. 

Strange says music is a selfless act; an attempt to speak his mind and connect to people, while not forgetting to write a really good song.

Walk of Shame
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"I think that life is short,  it's like a blink of an eye.  I think that a lot of people are living life just so worried about having security when they are old and retire, or something like that, instead of really thinking about what they are leaving behind, and doing that now...today!  Being secure in your golden years won't mean s*** when you die.  What you do here and now is what's important...what you leave behind is important.  That's all I really want to do, is leave something good behind that hopefully inspires another human being, or makes their life better.  One thing that's always kept me going in life is the inspiration that I've gotten from other musicians, artists, writers thinkers, true people, and great minds who have gone out on a limb to really give something back to the world against all the odds, and despite any consequences."

Hawkeye, while having a core of 60's psych/pop draws from many influences as Strange describes as  A mix of lo-fi/hi-fi, happiness, sadness, playfulness, revolution, dissolusion, candy pop, garage rock, psychedelic, brit pop, pre-post punk, moth funk explosion. A spark of creativity-a fluxus moment--a Happening. With songs like Beautiful Mess, Sylvia Calling, minor bird, the listener floats on waves of sound that massages the ears and kicks the brain into thinking about possibilities. 

~Djuna Simone