HAWKWIND Announce UK Tour; Band To Appear At Hawkfest 2010 In August

Legendary space rockers HAWKWIND will embark on a major UK tour in December 2010, in support of their new studio album, Blood Of The Earth.

The nationwide tour consists of 13 dates. Tickets are priced at £20, are available from the National Credit Card Hotline 0871 2301101 or can be ordered from SeeTickets.com. The tour kicks off at the Holmfirth Picturedome on Friday, Decemeber 3rd. Support for all dates comes from UK rockers THE JOKERS.

For a full list of dates, head to this location.

In addition to the UK tour, Hawkwind will appear at Hawkfest 2010 next month, which returns to Afton Farm on the Isle Of White. Curated by the members of Hawkwind, Hawkfest takes place between August 27th and 29th. Hawkfest originally came about after the breakdown of the free festival movement in the mid to late 1980's. The band felt that major festivals had lost what made them great. Gone was the intimate, carnival atmosphere and the colourful characters, only to be replaced with huge-scale commercialism.

Wanting to get back to the roots of what made festivals so enjoyable, Hawkwind constructed a family friendly event where children could play and explore, whilst parents watched great music, safe in the knowledge that the kids would be safe.

Tickets are priced at £70, for further info visit Hawkfest.com.

Plastic Head North America has confirmed August 10th as the North American release date for Blood Of The Earth, the new studio album from Hawkwind. The album contains eleven songs and features special appearances from violinist Jon Sevink (THE LEVELLERS), BBC personality Matthew Wright, and a posthumous performance from the band's late keyboardist Jason Stuart. It is the band's first new album in five years.

"Hawkwind are the greatest counter-culture band of all time," says Mojo Magazine editor Phil Alexander. "In a career that has spanned 41 years, they have survived psychedelia, prog, punk, post-punk, metal, rave, having an impact on music in all these phases while remaining a law unto themselves." During a June 10 ceremony in London, Alexander presented Hawkwind with 2010's Maverick Award (previous winners include Manic Street Preachers, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Jesus & Mary Chain). During the presentation he noted, "Hawkwind are mavericks in every sense of the term, with the ability to shatter genres and think differently."

Among Blood of the Earth's new selections, the album includes re-recordings of songs 'You'd Better Believe It' (originally appearing on 1974's Hall Of The Mountain Grill), and 'Sweet Obsession' (originally released on Dave Brock's 1984 solo album Earthed To The Ground). Guitarist Niall Hone recalls, "the creative process behind this album was an explosive concoction of technology and sheer human endeavor resonating in the mould of space rock legend." Bassist Mr. Dibs notes, "working on this album has been great fun and a massive learning curve for me in terms of technology. Keyboarding Tim Blake adds, "Hawkwind albums tell tales of places, time and people, and each one has its particular imprint. It's the same with Blood of the Earth."

Formed by Dave Brock in 1969, Hawkwind's legacy spans both decades and genres. Psychedelic '60's and hard rock '70's, the band's line-up has over time included Nick Turner, Robert Calvert, Simon House, Ginger Baker, Lemmy Kilmister, and Alan Davey. The English band has influenced decades of highly respected musicians and enjoyed years of international chart success. Hawkwind's unforgettable live performance has been seen at venues and festivals around the globe. Throughout their career, the band has supported numerous charities, participating in events from Greenpeace, Free Tibet, and Sea Shepard Conservation Society. The band's current line up features vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Dave Brock, drummer Richard Chadwick, with guitarist Hone, bassist Dibs and keyboardist Blake.

Confirmed track listing for Blood Of The Earth is:

'Seahawks'
'Blood Of The Earth'
'Wraith'
'Green Machine'
'Inner Visions'
'Sweet Obsession'
'Comfey Chair'
'Prometheus'
'You'd Better Believe It'
'Sentine'
'Starshine'

Blood of the Earth will be available for North American fans on compact disc and limited-edition 180-gram, clear, double vinyl that includes a vinyl-only bonus track. Hawkwind are planning to tour later this year in support of Blood of the Earth.

Plastic Head North America is distributed in the United States via EMI Label Services/Caroline Distribution and in Canada via EMI Music Canada.

HAWKWIND Signs With EASTWORLD RECORDINGS

Eastworld Recordings has announce the signing of legendary space rockers HAWKWIND.

The original pioneers of space rock return with their eagerly awaited new album, "Blood Of The Earth", their first in five years. Produced by the band at state-of-the-art recording facility Earth Studios, "Blood Of The Earth" takes the listener on a journey through crushing visceral space rock, doom driven poetry, whimsical mantras and imagination opera. An example of humans and machines pulsing in harmony out into the void....

HAWKWIND is an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures.

Formed in early1969 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Brock, HAWKWIND has gone through many incarnations and styles of music. Critic Jim Green describes their trademark sound as characterized by "that gargantuan and impenetrable pre-metal/hardcore drone, those great riffs, that inexorable drive to destinations unknown". Dozens of musicians have worked with the group; notable fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock was an occasional collaborator.

"Blood Of The Earth" will be available on the formats below

CD:

01. Seahawks
02. Blood Of The Earth
03. Wraith
04. Green Machine
05. Inner Visions
06. Sweet Obsession
07. Comfey Chair
08. Prometheus
09. Youd Better Believe It
10. Sentinel
11. Starshine (Bonus Track)

Deluxe 2CD:

Deluxe - Disc 1 - (Studio)

01. Seahawks
02. Blood Of The Earth
03. Wraith
04. Green Machine
05. Inner Visions
06. Sweet Obsession
07. Comfy Chair
08. Prometheus
09. You’d Better Believe It
10. Sentinel

Disc 2 - (Live)

01. Galactic Angels (Bonus Track)
02. Wraith (Bonus Track)
03. Tide Of The Century (Bonus Track)
04. Magnu (Bonus Track)
05. Levitation (Bonus Track)
06. Long Gone (Bonus Track)
+ Interview

LP:

Side A

01. Seahawks (06:14)
02. Blood Of The Earth (02:59)
03. Wraith (06:07)

Side B

04. Green Machine (04:04)
05. Inner Visions (04:29)
06. Sweet Obsession (04:45)

Side C

07. Comfy Chair (04:54)
08. Prometheus (05:48)
09. You’d Better Believe It (07:11)

Side D

10. Sentinel (06:03)
11. Starshine (07:11)
12. Sunship (02:54) (Bonus Track)

Hawkwind's Keyboardist Jason Stuart Passes Away

Sadly news also this week of another keyboard player who has passed away. Hawkwind's Jason Stuart died on Monday 8 September following a brain aneurysm on Friday. He was 39. The following appeared on the Hawkwind site...
"We first met Jason when he was playing keyboards with Captain Rizz, who supported us on the Alien tour in 1995...
We remained friends, Jason jamming with us at parties and in the studio. In 2004 he joined the band full time playing a batch of live dates and recording the studio album Take Me to Your Leader. We spent the next 4 years working together both on the road and in the studio...
Jason will be sadly missed by us all, he was a much loved member of the Hawkwind family and became a major part of all of our lives…Its difficult to imagine how things will be without him, but in order to go forward, we must remember the many happy and funny times we spent together...
Jason was an integral part of the band, a wonderful keyboard player and a great character. We will miss him, he lived just down the road from us and many hours were spent playing music together and reminiscing about our adventures in far off places. I will always remember when we visited the Oracle at Delphi and much to his delight he discovered the ancient tablet with the first written notation of music... We will never forget you my friend..." (Dave Brock)