Don Hawkins

Future Ghosts Don Hawkins

Future Ghosts A collection of songs by Don Hawkins Don Hawkins has been playing and recording music for three decades now but Future Ghosts is the first release under his own name. In the spirit of a true solo album, Don wrote, played and recorded everything at his home studio in the shed under the Redwood tree behind his house. Stuart Thomas lent his technical advice and mixed two songs, She's The One and Fine. When asked to describe Future Ghosts, Hawkins compared it to a 'small movie, not a blockbuster or an epic. The songs are just musings and observations put to a pop music background. There are ballads, some power pop and some edgy stuff all on an indie record budget!' Future Ghosts is being released on the independent Stella's Dream Records label. Some History: In the 80's Don Hawkins played guitar, sang and wrote songs for the pop trio All Fell Down. The group flirted with labels like A&M and Warner Brothers and eventually entered into a publishing agreement with CBS Songs, but their efforts never did culminate in a major label release. On hand to produce many of their early recordings was a young Matt Wallace, who would go on to work with The Replacements, John Hiatt, Sugarcult and many more including 2005 Grammy winners Maroon 5. The original drummer in All Fell Down was Michael Urbano who has gone on to work with Sheryl Crow, Smashmouth and many others. Mike was replaced on drums by Joe Lamond who is currently the CEO and president of NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants). The bass player in the group was Matt Dillon who is now working for Natalie Cole. In the early part of the 90's Don played guitar and sang both live and on records with pop singer/songwriter Anton Barbeau who is still who he is. During this time they shared the bill with artists such as Jellyfish, Robyn Hitchcock, The Gin Blossoms, Weezer, and The Bay City Rollers just to name a few! Don still records with Anton from time to time. In the later 90's Don started a project band called the Claustrophobes with his friend and sometime co-writer Stu Thomas. Also in the group were the late Erik Kleven on bass and James Neil on drums. James later left to join Capricorn Recording artists Deathray. He was replaced by Larry Carr, who is now in Popgun, and then Brad Cross. For the last few gigs The Claustrophobes were helped out on bass by Larry Tagg, who has on his resume stints with Bourgeois-Tagg, Todd Rundgren, and Hall and Oates. Don and Stu started a record label called Stella's Dream/Halftone Records in order to put out a CD called Underdog Pop which was recorded by the original Claustrophobes line-up at David Houston's studio. In 2001 the label released a CD by the Decibels that is called The Big Sounds Of The Decibels. From 1999 through 2004, Stella's Dream was distributed by Bayside Entertainment Distribution. Meanwhile back in the present Don Hawkins has released his first solo record, a 13 song collection called Future Ghosts on the Stella's Dream Records label available in the spring of 2005.