This Friday, June 19, Boston rock and rollers Girl With A Hawk will present their debut album Regenesis (Rum Bar Records) to the world—via digital, vinyl, CD.
The album title itself represents a rebirth and restart of sorts for veteran vocalist and songwriter Linda Viens—who has been in the music scene since the ‘80s—for starting the band at the age of 64 in 2021: A toast of sorts to the rock-and-roll lifers who often dedicate a labor of love to their artistry.
Introduced to music at the age of 12 with a guitar, Viens has been in live bands, studio projects, part of collaborations and has performed in many musical theatre productions.
Viens took a day off and put work aside for this insightful interview to discuss the new album and, having longevity in the industry, she delves into reflective advice from life lessons and experiences.
What are three things you hope listeners take away after listening to your debut album?
First, the best way to continue to keep your heart open to all of the world’s possibilities is to forgive everything and everyone that ever hurt you.
There are songs on our debut album Regenesis that express a lot about the pain of loss, broken hearts, addiction, abuse, etc.; but, even within those losses, joy is still possible.
Second, none of us can turn back time, nor can we remain forever young; but, it’s never too late to repair a friendship and/or make amends, never too late to reinvent yourself, learn an instrument or craft, start a band [laughs] or be the person you always wanted to be.
And third, as I say in the chorus of “It’s The Way:” “Nobody’s better than anybody else.” Everyone in this world has a part to play, and a right to their freedom, peace, and joy.
We are much more alike than we are different. Let us rejoice in our collective humanity, respect each other, and lend each other a helping hand whenever possible.
What one song would you recommend to a new listener and why that particular song?
I would have to go with “I’m In Love With My Friends.”
It’s an homage to one’s “ride or dies;” our true-blue friends who are there for us when the shit hits the fan, who make us laugh when things look dark, and who inspire us to be our best selves through all of life’s challenges.
Romantic relationships don’t always survive those challenges, but authentic friendships usually do. And it’s fun to dance and shout—not sing [laughs]-along to!
With being in the entertainment industry and a lot of it often being a work of love, what is your motivation and inspiration to persevere through all the odds?
To keep going in this wildly unstable and competitive business, you really have to do it for the love of it.
When you’re leading with your ego it can be a nightmare, because there is a massive amount of talented artists producing great music every day, and you can’t create being suffocated by being envious of other artists' successes or what rewards creating music might possibly bring you.
You really have to LOVE the process of writing, producing, and making music in the basement just for yourselves.
What keeps us “in the game” is that there is nothing more joyful, silly, fun, and rewarding than hanging out with, and playing live music with, a great rock-and-roll band who are also some of your best friends.
If you are in a band (vs. being a solo artist), it’s always going to be about the “hang” in the end, because you spend an inordinate amount of time together—driving long distances and waiting around for hours to play a 45-minute set. But somehow, it’s always worth it!!
Outside of music, what do you do occupationally and what do you do for fun?
I work for a non-profit organization managing conferences, mostly.
For fun, I do soooo many things: Read, study history, yoga, travel to new places, hike, garden, cook, watch movies, go see live music, and always… porch time with a good beverage and good friends!
What are your band’s plans and goals after this release?
We are super proud of this album and will spend a lot of time getting it heard and out into the wide world, selling vinyl and CDs, and releasing singles from it as the year progresses.
We’ll take August off to chill and travel with our friends and families, and then it’s back to writing, gigging, recording.
We’d love to get into some bigger venues and festivals, of course, and we’ll also be dreaming and scheming about how to get to England, Europe, and the West Coast.
At the moment, the sky’s the limit!
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Just that I could not be more grateful to be able to do what I love with a band and team that I love.
Girl With A Hawk’s Album Release performance is this Saturday, June 20 at The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, Boston.
Girl With A Hawk
Linda Viens (vocals, electric and acoustic guitar)
Richard Lamphear (keyboards, backing vocals)
Daniel Coughlin (guitars, backing vocals)
Daniel George Bernfeld (bass, backing vocals)
Nancy Delaney (drums, percussion, backing vocals)
Get Album
https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com
Connect With Girl With A Hawk
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