Jemez Mountain Hawkz: Hey Mez (Ep, 2012)

Hierba recién cortada

Como sabéis, quien escribe siente una especial predilección por cierto tipo de sonidos ligados con el Folk-Rock y con el Country-Rock. Esa predilección hace que volvamos la vista inmediatamente hacia todo aquello que huela a hierba y suene a espuelas. Este Ep de Jemez Mountain Hawkz fue un claro ejemplo. No hace demasiado tiempo, descubrimos su single de adelanto, CA-2. Un precioso corte en el que los angelinos muestran todo su repertorio Country-Folk, sus perfectas armonías vocales y su gran gusto por las melodías. Con California bound, el segundo corte, la cosa va a más, mostrándonos aquí la majestuosidad y la grandeza del sonido de las guitarras de doce cuerdas en otro precioso tema con sabor a Younger than yesterday. Los otros tres temas del disco transcurren algo más parsimoniosos por terrenos más dados a las botas de montar: Long ride home, Summer´s gone y Snow is silver, canción esta que si no te dicen lo contrario, pasaría por ser un descarte de la Banda Sonora de Patt Garrett y Billy el Niño.
Precioso Ep el facturado por esta agrupación, que, por si no lo había comentado antes, cabalga a medias entre Los Ángeles y Seattle, y donde aparecen ex-miembros de bandas como The Shins, Scared of Chaka o Little Cuts.

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“Jemez Mountain Hawkz have released their debut EP, Hey-Mez, just as New Englanders contemplate the passing of summer and fill with dread at the thought of the coming winter. What can we do to prepare for the dark and cold besides hoarding whiskey and purchasing a sun lamp? Fear not music lovers, the answer lies in the soothing sounds of the 5-song EP delivered with love, and a shot of south-western sunshine, to help us make it through.
The opening track, “CA-2,” is filled with harmonica, jangly-guitars, and ends in a chorus of “ba-ba-bahs,” all of which will make any east coaster want to jump in the car and point the headlights west. Speaking of heading west, the EP’s second track, “California Bound,” finds lead singer Dameon Lee Waggoner asking for a reason to turn the truck around before he heads off to the Golden State, knowing full well nothing is going to stop him. It’s a harmonizing, beauty of a track and highlights the band’s southern vibe. “Long Ride Home” is your classic “messed up something awful and thinking about what you’ve done” folk-tinged, country song that almost everyone can place themselves in at one point in their life. The last two tracks, “Snow is Silver” and “Summer’s Gone,” seem to speak directly to the snow bound states, each song comparing love and loss with the changing of the seasons.
Hey-Mez is the perfect accompaniment to the forthcoming winter. A banjo-picking reminder that all is not lost when the sun sets at four-thirty and chill hits your bones on the walk home. Just add the Jemez Mountain Hawkz to your winter routine and set your sights on the Pacific” (musicsavage.com)

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Jemez Mountain Hawkz: CA-2 (Video-Single, 2012)

En un año en el que Beachwood Sparks han reaparecido tras un largo período de silencio, es lógico que otras bandas como Jemez Mountain Hawkz hagan lo propio y facturen un sonido semejante al de los californianos. Provenientes de Los Angeles y Seattle, mezclan casi por igual la Americana con el Country y el Surf. Y no les queda nada mal. Prometen material para este próximo mes de Octubre. Por lo pronto, nos dejan con este vídeo-single titulado CA-2. No les pierdas de vista porque el disco promete…

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“True supergroups are hard to come by, especially in the world of indie rock. This is why Jemez Mountain Hawkz is such a special development; veteran indie players hailing from Los Angeles, Albuquerque, and Seattle have converged and combined their indie pop, country-fringed Americana sounds for Jemez Mountain Hawkz’s debut EP, Hey-Mez, due out October 2nd.
It hasn’t always been sunny, spacious tunes for Dameon Lee Waggoner, former bassist for Southwestern punk luminaries Scared of Chaka and mastermind behind the formation of Jemez Mountain Hawkz. With this new group, Waggoner explores a sonically tender sound alongside acclaimed guitarist Ian Moore, fellow Scared of Chaka cohort and former Shins member Dave Hernandez, Drew Church of Little Cuts, and drummer Steven Barci.
Their semi-self-titled EP, Hey-Mez, is a journey between the classic sounds of ’60s SoCal and the transcendental nature of the band’s namesake. Dameon grew up around a Tanoan Indian area in New Mexico called Jemez, which the natives roughly define in English as “the place,” replete with mystical undertones. The five-track EP is a delicate mixture of retro pop harmonies and darker melodic hues, evident in songs like “The Long Ride Home” and “California Bound.”
Jemez Mountain Hawkz’s first video is for “CA-2,” which SPIN premiered online today. “The main inspiration for the video is the surf and skateboard culture of Southern California in the 70’s,” says Dameon. “The song is about leaving your job and worries behind and heading out to the beach.” With the help of editor Jensen Rufe, Dameon cut up vintage clips of Super 8 film footage to help capture the carefree innocence that enveloped the CA-2 highway during the Summer of Love” (audibletreats.com)

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