| Hawk Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Peterborough, Ontario
Canada |
| Genre(s) | Pop punk Alternative Rock Punk Rock Christian punk |
| Years active | 2003 - present |
| Label(s) | Tooth & Nail Records BEC Records |
| Associated acts |
PAX 217 |
| Website | http://www.hawknelson.com/ |
| Members | |
| Jason M. Dunn Jonathan Steingard Daniel "Brio" Biro Aaron "Skwid" Tosti |
|
| Former members | |
| Davin Clark Matt "Matty" Paige |
|
Hawk Nelson is a Christian pop punk band hailing from Peterborough, Ontario Canada . The band has become popular on the Christian music scene and was voted "Favorite New Artist" by CCM Magazine in their February 2006 Reader's Choice Awards.
Contents |
Biography
The band played independently in Peterborough, Ontario for a few years before they signed with Tooth & Nail Records, largely on the recommendation of Trevor McNevan, the lead singer of fellow Tooth & Nail band Thousand Foot Krutch. McNevan, also from Peterborough, is credited with discovering the band. In July of 2004, Hawk Nelson released their major label debut Letters to the President. It was produced by Aaron Sprinkle and McNevan, who also co-wrote the album's fourteen songs. He has also appeared on some of the band's songs, as well as in their video for the song "California". They won GMA Canada Covenant Award [1] for Modern Rock/Alternative Album of the Year in 2006. The band has achieved some success in the mainstream as well. They portrayed The Who on an episode of the NBC drama American Dreams, and they recorded a song named "Bring 'Em Out" for the 2005 motion picture Yours, Mine, and Ours. This song and another hit song "The Show" were used on Sunday Night Football comercials. "Things We Go Through" from Letters to the President was also featured in Yours, Mine, and Ours. In October of 2005, the band re-released Letters to the President, with new material including their cover of The Who's My Generation, three acoustic versions of some of their hits, and a limited edition cover. The band released their second studio album, titled Smile, It's The End of the World, on April 4, 2006. This album was also co-written by Trevor McNevan(Thousand Foot Krutch). The album's first single, "Everything You Ever Wanted", went on to hit #1 for 9 weeks on the R&R Christian CHR chart, and was the fourth most played song of 2006. [2] The band spent the summer of 2006 touring the major Christian music festivals, and also took part in Jeremy Camp's Beyond Measure tour. Hawk Nelson released a 3-track Christmas EP titled Gloria on November 21, 2006, and in winter of that year they toured with tobyMac's Winter Wonder Slam tour along with The Afters, Family Force Five, and Ayiesha Woods. Bulletproof Records and Producer Ralph Sall have assembled the compilation Charlotte's Web: Music Inspired By The Motion Picture featuring music by Christian artists including Hawk Nelson, Amy Grant, and Billy Ray Cyrus, which was released December 12, 2006. In addition, Bob Carlisle, Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer) and The Send have all contributed exclusive tracks. Hawk Nelson performed in 2006 on the Fringe Stage at Creation Festival Northwest, then again on the main stage at Creation in 2007. They performed sometime between July 25-July 28 2007 at Creation Festival Northwest on the Main Stage, and they played again on the Fringe Stage at Creation Festival Northeast sometime between June 27-June 30 2007. In 2007, Hawk Nelson performed at Winter Jam with a wide variety of other Christian bands, which were Newsong, Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman,Sanctus Real, and Britt Nicole. Also, Hawk Nelson toured with MxPx, Run Kid Run, Project 86, The Fold, and The Classic Crime. They also performed this year at the Rock the Desert concert in Midland, Texas, Rock the Light on September 1st, 2007 in Kansas City, MO, as well as Rock the Universe in Universal Studios Florida on September 7, 2007. Hawk Nelson announced in a recent concert in Dallas, Texas that their new album is set to debut on April 1, 2008. The New Album will be called "Hawk Nelson Is My Friend" and is also co-written by Trevor McNevan(Thousand Foot Krutch), along with a few others. They already have the CD recorded. Jesus Freak Hideout said in a concert review that Jason Dunn played an acoustic set one night with a new song tentatively titled "Tonight".
Members
Current members
- Jason Kevin Dunn - lead vocals, piano (2003-present)
- He was born in Peterborough, Ontario, and now lives in Minneapolis, MN.
- Daniel Biro - bass, backing vocals (2003-present)
- He hails from Barrie, Ontario. He is married to a wonderful woman named Bonnie.
- Jonathan Steingard - guitar, backing vocals (2004-present)
- Jonathan released a solo album called Fox Run. He is married to a lovely lady named Jessica.
- Aaron "Skwid" Tosti - drums (2005-present)
- He used to play for PAX 217, as well as briefly for Superchic[k].
- Jordan Dean - guitar, backing vocals (2007-present)
- Jordan Dean is not a member of Hawk Nelson. He merely plays backup guitar for most of Hawk Nelson's shows. He is a long time friend of the band members' and is usually on tour with them. He was the lead of his own band named Berlington, also known as Trouble With Ferguson. Berlington is no longer a band. He now left the band and is back in Canada.
Past members
Discography
Albums
| Release Date | Album Title | Record Label | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Saturday Rock Action | Tooth & Nail Records | |
| July 13, 2004 | Letters to the President | Tooth & Nail Records | |
| April 4, 2006 | Smile, It's the End of the World | Tooth & Nail Records | |
| April 1, 2008 | Hawk Nelson Is My Friend | Tooth & Nail Records |
EPs
| Year | EP Title | Record Label | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Saturday Rock Action | Tooth & Nail Records | Band's debut EP |
| 2004 | California EP | Tooth & Nail Records | Second EP leading up to debut album |
| 2005 | Bring 'Em Out | Tooth & Nail Records | Third EP bridging first and second album, Digital EP only available on iTunes Store |
| November 21, 2006 | Gloria EP | Tooth & Nail Records | Fourth EP, featuring Christmas songs |
Misc.
| Year | EP Title | Record Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Letters to the President: Expanded Edition | Tooth & Nail Records |
Videos
- The Grand Introduction (Saturday Rock Action, 2003)
- California (Letters to the President, 2004) [1]
- Every Little Thing (Letters to the President, 2004) [2]
- From Underneath (Letters to the President, 2004) [3]
- Letters to the President (Letters to the President, 2005) [4]
- Bring 'Em Out (live, featuring Drake Bell) (Soundtrack: Yours, Mine and Ours, 2005) [5]
- The One Thing I Have Left (Smile, It's the End of the World, 2006) [6]
- Zero (Smile, It's the End of the World, 2007) [7]
Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- In an interview [8], Jason Dunn, the band's frontman, revealed the meaning of the band's name. He said that when he was about 14 years old, he played the video game 2 Xtreme on the Sony PlayStation. It required the player to create a name for the character. He got the first name from Tony Hawk. "Nelson" he got from a boot repair store in his hometown: Nelson Boot Repair.
- Prior to the formation of Hawk Nelson, Dunn, Clark, and Paige had formed the Peterborough-based group called Swish, while Biro sang lead vocals in a four-piece group called the Cheese Monkeys from Planet Nine from Barrie, Ontario.
- In 2006, Hawk Nelson won Best Artist in Ignite Your Faith Magazine's Golden Ear Awards. Jason Dunn also won best male vocalist, and "Letters to the President" won the #3 spot in the Best Song category. [9]
- Jason is a die-hard Calgary Flames fan - he has a collection of Flames jerseys and a black tattoo of the Flames logo on his right shoulder.
- Hawk Nelson plays the party band for the film Yours, Mine and Ours (2005).
- Little known facts: Jason has diabetes and is left-handed.
- Jason's dad and David's dad were in a band together in high school.
- Former guitarist David Clark went on to become a cop.
- Jason and Trevor McNevan (lead singer of both Thousand Foot Krutch as well as FM Static) grew up in the same church.
- Daniel got his nickname 'Brio' when an elementary teacher pronounced his last name, Biro, wrong.
Awards
GMA Canada Covenant Awards [10]
- Modern Rock/Alternative Album Of The Year Award, 2006.
External links
- Hawk Nelson's Official Website
- Hawk Nelson's MySpace
- Hawk Nelson's PureVolume
- Hawk Nelson's Podcast on iTunes
- Hawk Nelson Fanzone - Fan Site
- Hawk Nelson Fanzone - Fan Site in spanish (Foro de Hawk Nelson en ESPAÑOL)
- An Interview with Jason Dunn
- "The One Thing I Have Left" artist commentary
- http://www.hearitfirst.com/winterjam
- Hawk Nelson Takes Fans Out To The Ballgame!
| Hawk Nelson |
|---|
| Current Members: Jason Dunn • Jonathan Steingard • Daniel Biro • Aaron Tosti |
| Former Members: Davin Clark • Matt Paige |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Letters to the President • Smile, It's the End of the World • Hawk Nelson Is My Friend |
| EP's: Saturday Rock Action • California EP • Bring 'Em Out • Gloria EP |
