Andy Hawkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Benton Hawkins (1965-04-28)April 28, 1965 (age 60) |
| Genres | Noise rock,drone,experimental music |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Strata |
| Website | azonicsonic |
Andrew Benton Hawkins (born April 28, 1965) is a composer, record producer and guitarist fromMissouri as well as a founding member of the bandBlind Idiot God. He has also recorded as a solo artist under the moniker Azonic, releasing two experimentaldrone albums that were more abstract and feedback-based compared to his more structured work in Blind Idiot God.[1]
Andrew Benton Hawkins was born on April 28, 1965, and grew up in St. Louis,Missouri. At the age of thirteen, Hawkins became motivated to play music when he discovered the balletFirebird composed byIgor Stravinsky, which he claims to have opened his eyes to the boundless possibilities of music.[2] While still a teenager, he formed Blind Idiot God withTed Epstein andGabriel Katz in 1982. They originally played a blend ofhardcore andfunk music before augmenting their sound to includedub,free jazz andclassical music.[3] In 1987, the band released their debut album, theeponymously titledBlind Idiot God, to great acclaim in the underground musical community. Their second album and third album were produced by composerBill Laswell and titledUndertow andCyclotron respectively.
After Ted Epstein left the band in 1996 and Gabriel Katz followed in 2012, Andy became the only original member still performing in Blind Idiot God. In 2014, he founded the Brooklyn-based label Indivisible Music, with the intention of "promot[ing] that which cannot be divided, the elemental idea of music for its own sake."[4] Blind Idiot God releasedBefore Ever After on February 24, 2015, marking the band's first album of new studio material in thirteen years.[5]
In 1994, Hawkins releasedHalo, a solo album recorded with Bill Laswell and bandmate Gabriel Katz. Comprising four lengthydrone pieces, the album marked a departure from his recordings with Blind Idiot God.[1] It was well-received from a critical standpoint, withThe Wire crediting it as an understated masterpiece ofpost-metal.[6] Two Azonic tracks also appeared onSubsonic 3: Skinner's Black Laboratories, a split with guitaristJustin Broadrick ofGodflesh. Brian Olewnick ofallmusic described Hawkins' work as a "fuzz-strewn maelstrom that would send most metal guitarists loping home, tail between legs."[7]
Azonic, now performing as a duo of Andy Hawkins andTim Wyskida, will play its first show in decades on April 14 at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn. A second album is set to be released by Indivisible Music on October 20, 2017. The music was recorded atMartin Bisi's BC Studios with producerBill Laswell overseeing the final mix.
With an ability to traverse multiple genres and styles and utilize distortion anddrone music, Andy Hawkins' technique has been described as being forceful yet precise. Hawkins has noted the importance of equipment and the role space plays in his sound, saying, "I can't play through a small amp for an entire recording. I've got to have that big-amp impact along with the ambience of the room. There's a lot of complexity in a distorted guitar tone, and it needs some room to breathe."[8]The Wire described him as "a master of oceanic reverb and sustain, turning riffs from concrete slabs to gentle, body-caressing ripples."[6] Hawkins has cited modern classical composers suchGyörgy Ligeti,Krzysztof Penderecki and especiallyIgor Stravinsky as an influence, creditingThe Firebird with kindling his passion for music at an early age.[2]
Hawkins and his wife, Mili, live in Brooklyn NY.