Hawk Nelson has something to say about everything, including this article.
“You could start by saying ‘I talked today to the funniest band in Canada,’ ” Jason Dunn suggests. “You could make us sound really funny.”
That should be an easy task, considering that during my telephone interview with Jason and Daniel Biro, I had to keep asking them to repeat themselves because they were laughing so hard at their own jokes. It didn’t help that I was laughing along with them.
The guys were in Seattle working on their new album, Smile, It’s The End Of The World, which released April 4 on the Tooth and Nail label. Busy as they were, Jason and Daniel took time to comment on everything from Bigfoot sightings on Breakaway’s Summit Adventure to relationships with their grandparents to their musical mentor, Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch. (See “MORE HAWK NELSON”) The guys also talked seriously about their whirlwind career, the great deal of attention they’ve received in the mainstream music scene and the ministry opportunities it has opened.
Big Time
Hawk Nelson has hit high publicity from the get-go, most notably appearing on NBC’s “American Dreams” and in the movie Yours, Mine & Ours. Their music has been featured in episodes of WB’s “Smallville” and “Summerland” and in commercials for the 2004 Summer Olympics. They’ve toured with artists including Thousand Foot Krutch, Sanctus Real, Kutless and tobyMac.
Not bad for a band that only three short years ago was playing church basements in its native Ontario, Canada. Though there have been some alterations to the original lineup, Hawk Nelson is still predominately Canadian, thanks to the membership of Jason (vocals), Daniel (bass) and Jonathon Steingard (guitar). Drummer Sqwid (aka Aaron Tosti) hails from the United States.
The band’s big break came when they played a showcase for TV executives. A man approached Jason afterward and asked, “If you could be any band from the ’60s, who would you want to be?” Jason’s reply of “Well, I guess the Beatles” was met with a “Wrong answer!” by the man, who turned out to be with NBC’s “American Dreams.” He invited the band to come on the show and portray the legendary rock band The Who instead.
That led to an appearance in last December’s Nickelodeon film Yours, Mine, & Ours, which included a strut down the red carpet and a performance at the film’s premiere party.
The publicity also led to coverage in POPSTAR! and Tiger Beat magazines. When he thinks about those teen fan magazines and the potential that kids are pinning up Hawk Nelson posters on their walls, Daniel says, “I think it’s a concept we can’t really grasp yet because we’re a new band. But I’m going to say this: It’s an honor and a privilege.”
Meant for More
In fact, the guys think all of these opportunities are God leading them to their mission field.
“I felt like we were raised for this,” Daniel says, explaining that all four band members grew up in Christian homes. “Now here’s our chance to go out into the world. We feel as if we were meant to do that.”
Bands who get their starts in the Christian music industry and go on to find success in the mainstream often find their motives questioned by fans, and Hawk Nelson is no different. Jason says he got an e-mail recently from a fan who noticed the band in a commercial for Yours, Mine & Ours and commented, “I thought you guys were Christians.” Jason thinks it’s strange that appearing in a film would somehow mean the band had left their faith.
“Kids are all of a sudden [saying], ‘Oh yeah, we used to like Relient K, but they’re not Christian anymore.’ I find it rather humorous,” Jason says. “You have an opportunity, because the doors open for you, to reach out to kids who maybe don’t go to church, and people see that as a bad thing?”
In fact, Jason questions the whole “Christian band” label. He says after a show recently some girls asked if Hawk Nelson was a Christian band.
“It’s such a funny question to me, because I don’t believe Christianity should be a genre of music,” he says. “Christianity should more be a lifestyle, and it’s funny that sometimes it gets twisted [as a label] and it loses its effect.”
If there’s one thing the guys do know, it’s that being in the mainstream spotlight only helps them reach kids with a positive message about God.
“We played a show in Los Angeles several months ago,” Jason says, “and I gave a talk about suicide. I let them know the answer is in Jesus.”
He explains that he didn’t plan to talk about suicide that night, but he felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to share a story about a friend who had taken his own life. It hit home with the audience.
It’s a blessing to have a platform to be able to reach out to kids, but Hawk Nelson understands that it’s also a huge responsibility. “Someone wrote to me saying he wanted to kill himself. How do you react to that?” Jason says, adding that the response “I’ll keep you in my prayers” doesn’t give the immediate help necessary to teens with problems that serious. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing, but at the same time I want to encourage them.”
That’s why the band has included a link to Teen Hope Line on its Web site. “We don’t always know what to say,” Daniel says. “[The people at Teen Hope] are there 24 hours a day, and that’s what they’re trained to do. We play music. Those people have a better clue how to help.”
“We’re really not worthy to be doing this,” Jason adds, “but we have the opportunity, so it’s awesome.”
Up Next
This spring, the opportunities will expand as the band releases its second album.
“We’re really excited about it,” Daniel says. “[After the album comes out] we’re doing our own little prom tour. It’s really different for us, and we’re going to have some fun.
“Like, we want to do this thing where you can win either a date or a dance with Jason,” Daniel laughs.
Can fans expect more of the band’s signature high-energy pop/punk music on the new album?
“It’s a secret!” Jason says.
“Yeah, you should publish that,” Daniel adds. “It’s a secret.” 
READ ABOUT HAWK'S THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH CONNECTION, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND WILDERNESS ADVENTURES WITH BREAKAWAY AND BIGFOOT!
