Girl with a Hawk keep Justine Covault close with ‘Feel Me’
Boston band pays tribute to the late Red on Red Records founder and Boston music scene champion on Friday, November 17
Girl with a Hawk release new EP ‘Keep ‘Er Lit’ on December 8
Photo Credit: Kelly Davidson
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BOSTON, Mass. [November 17, 2023] -- They say life comes at us fast. But it can get taken away even quicker.
For Girl with a Hawk, the Boston band led by indie scene veteran Linda S. Viens, the past year has been highlighted by a blur of massive highs and the lowest of lows. It started in December of 2022, when the late Justine Covault asked Girl with a Hawk to join her emerging indie label Red on Red Records, releasing a new single and video for “Same Stars” a few short weeks later. Over the summer, Covault unexpectedly and tragically passed away, while Girl with a Hawk’s second single on the label, “The Romantic,” was enjoying success across the blogs and digital radio, helping to earn a New England Music Awards nomination in the “Rising Stars: Massachusetts” category.
Nearly a year after Covault’s invitation, Girl with a Hawk are preparing their debut EP, Keep ‘Er Lit, set for release on December 8, with a party that night – booked before Covault passed away – at The Burren in Somerville. But first comes a new single, an upbeat synth- and guitar-led yearner called “Feel Me,” dedicated to Covault and her impact on both the band and its members, out Friday, November 17 on the band’s new home of Rum Bar Records.
“I can’t say that we have closure yet; as it has only been six months since we lost Justine,” says Viens, “but I would say that the way that the song seems to embody our heartache, and at the same time confirm that our relationship is still a living thing – whether you believe that or not, does bring some comfort. We feel her guiding us, and for me personally, I still feel deeply motivated to make music and to conduct myself in ways that would make her proud. I’m sure the band feels the same way.”
Three of the five members of Girl with a Hawk had known Covault since the mid-’80s, and eventually the years turned to decades and while life pulled them in separate directions here and there, they reconnected during the pandemic when Red on Red was launched, even suggesting Lee Harrington from The Neighborhoods as their new bassist. Viens and Covault bonded over shared experiences, like being older in a city’s music scene, raising families alongside a life of rock and roll, and the weight and expectations of being a woman in a male dominated landscape.
“Justine asking us to join Red on Red Records was an epic coming full circle for all of us,” Viens admits. “Many of the things she talked about regarding her stunning record – released just six days before she died, The Signal Light, were things that were subject matter for my songs as well: we’ve lived, we’ve loved, we’ve lost and we’re still here – so let’s rock the music and this life as hard as we can while we still have the chance. And the way she focused on women-fronted bands for the label made us all very very proud. What she was doing with Red on Red was groundbreaking, and it was an absolute thrill and honor to be a part of it.”
Now the band raises a glass to Covault with “Feel Me,” and even the single artwork has their fallen leader front-and-center, as the art depicts a photo taken by Wayne Viens at a wedding in the late ‘80s. It’s a ghostly image, and an appropriate one, as the timestamp of the photo echoes the vibe of the song, with its throwback new wave flair and punk-fueled dance aura. It sounds unlike anything Girl with a Hawk have released so far, and is held together by Richard Lamphear’s synth lines, the propulsive drumming of Nancy Delaney, Harrington’s trademark bass, and some white-hot guitar work from Dan Coughlin. Viens says that Coughlin’s guitar playing here, especially in the searing solo that barrels the song towards its conclusion, expresses the ineffable, the rawness, and the pain the band felt when Covault passed away.
Viens also notes that the song was originally written after a friend had called to express suicidal ideation after checking himself into a hospital. Viens felt helpless in the situation, and eventually could not reach out to her friend.
“When Justine died suddenly after this happened, I became the person who was bereft and in despair – not suicidal thank God – but crushed by the tragedy of it. I realized playing the song live, that the song was not specific to my friend, but universal in its themes, and that I was now the person ‘who could not be consoled’. I saw that communication between souls worked both ways: I wanted Justine to know that I was with her still, even if she was in the spirit world, and that she still was with me, in the earth-bound world and that consolation and reassurance flowed both ways. ‘Feel Me’ is me speaking to her, and her speaking to me too.”
Like Girl with a Hawk’s prior singles, Viens isn’t afraid to open up her soul like a diary, allowing her emotions to flow through her songs, displayed so vividly for the world to absorb. Whether it’s “Feel Me” or the aforementioned “Same Stars,” about Viens’ brother’s incarceration, or the summer’s “The Romantic,” what Viens is feeling permeates throughout Keep ‘Er Lit. In a way, the songs reflect the shared vision she had with Covault.
“All the songs on the EP are in different ways about surviving the vagaries of fate as well as taking responsibility for choices made, etc., about the search for identity and wholeness, and about finding some kind of peace and comfort through knowing one is not actually alone, even though in tough times, we can feel alone,” Viens concludes. “It’s also about the ways we are connected to our loved ones, and rooting for them, even if separated in physical time and space. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of parallel themes with our soon to be released EP and Justine’s record, The Signal Light – addiction, depression, personal loss, and survival. Things every human can relate to; no one gets out unscathed.”
And we never know when we’ll be called.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com, radio inquiries to Lou Mansdorf at malibuloupr@gmail.com, and reach Girl with a Hawk directly at viens.linda@gmail.com.
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‘Feel Me’ single artwork:
Cover Design by Adam Sherman; cover photograph by Wayne Viens
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Girl with a Hawk is:
Linda Viens: Vocals, guitars
Richard Lamphear: Keys, backing vocals
Daniel Coughlin: Guitars, backing vocals
Daniel Bernfeld: Bass, backing vocals
Nancy Delaney: Drums, backing vocals
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‘Feel Me’ production credits:
All songs written by Linda S. Viens and performed by Girl with a Hawk
Bass by Lee Harrington
Produced by Richard Lamphear and Linda Viens, with special thanks to Pete Weiss
Engineered by Richard Lamphear and Tamora Gooding
Bass and drums recorded at Boom Boom Studios
Mastered by Pete Weiss, Jade Cow Music Services
Cover Design by Adam Sherman
Cover photograph by Wayne Viens
(c) 2023 Girl with a Hawk. All Rights Reserved.
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Girl with a Hawk bio:
Linda Viens began playing music with the gift of a classical Mexican guitar from her Dad for her 12th birthday. In college she got into punk rock. She played drums and sang in the punk band, Children of Paradise, went on to lead local roots rockers, Witch Doctor, sang cabaret with collaborator Catherine Coleman in Les Chanteuse Sorcieres, and formed the notorious funk orchestra Crown Electric Company with her former husband Wayne Viens in the mid-nineties. Linda was a founding member of Boston Rock Opera and has performed in many musical theater productions, including Sgt. Pepper, Jesus Christ Superstar, Abbey Road, Preservation, and Billion Dollar Babies vs. Aqualung. Linda has produced and recorded with some of Boston's finest including Mark Sandman (Morphine), Richie Parsons (Unnatural Axe), Asa Brebner (Modern Lovers), Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses), Jon Macey (Fox Pass), Adam Sherman (Private Lightening, Nervous Eaters) and released the album Powdered Pearls with Emily Grogan and their band together, Angeline in 2006. Linda went on to form Kingdom of Love, a studio project with producer and musical partner Richard Lamphear and released their EP Ghosts in 2017. Linda continues to work with Richard in her new band, Girl with a Hawk, formed during the Pandemic in 2021.
Richard Lamphear is a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. His former bands include alt- punk band Amoebas in Chaos and Kingdom of Love. Daniel Coughlin is a guitar player and arranger. His former bands include Children of Paradise, Witch Doctor, Lazy Susan, and The Illyrians. Nancy Delaney plays drums. Her former bands include Willard Grant Conspiracy, Boston Rock Opera and Cold Expectations. Daniel Bernfeld is a bassist and singer-songwriter. He is also a member of Sour Parade.
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Recent media praise for Girl with a Hawk:
“Songs filled with muscle and melody!” _Boston Groupie News
“The latest from Boston's Girl with a Hawk is a stunning power pop ballad that's beauty hides a heartbreaking tale. ‘Same Stars’ is about singer Linda Viens' brother, who was sentenced to a Connecticut prison for eleven years for holding up a convenience store with a toy gun while suffering from heroin addiction, and how much it affected their family. The song is filled with fuzzy and droning guitars, and has a little bit of a Wilco meets The Velvet Underground sound. You can still feel the pain in Viens' voice all of these years later. ‘Same Stars’ is a powerful piece of art that is still uplifting in spite of the pain it reflects.” _If It’s Too Loud
“It is a song [‘The Romantic’] that in its rock 'n' roll melodies channels influences from Tom Petty, The Pretenders, Wilco... and that its composer defines as an ode to true love.” _Exile SH Magazine
“‘Same Stars’ from Girl With A Hawk is a beautifully crafted song and the video is a stunning visual companion. You feel an immediate connection with the song as Viens words gently tug at one’s heart.” _The Whole Kameese
“‘Same Stars’ is a heart-and-soul touching story, a longing ballad, a bittersweet siblings love-inspired reverie with Linda Viens‘s moving voice sending shivers down your spine. Stirring.” _Turn Up The Volume
“Music connects us and we connect to it. There are certain times when music becomes a part of us, this is the case with ‘Same Stars’ the song by Boston’s Girl with a Hawk. When I first heard it, it took hold of my heart. I immediately listened to it again, while reading both Linda Viens’ inspiration behind it and her lyrics with increasingly ‘blurred vision.’ It was at that point, ‘Same Stars’ became one with my soul. I could relate to it on a personal level having battled the demons of alcoholism and drug addiction and have been clean and sober now for over three decades. The flickering of light from those same stars in the darkness become a guiding light to peace and reconciliation. More than a song to me, it’s become an anthem of hope. Hope through the turbulent times and seemingly insurmountable odds we may face in our lives. A reminder to ‘never give up the day before a miracle happens’. When I reach the end of my days, those who truly know me, know of three songs that I want played in my memory. I think my list just got longer.” _“Boris” Boden, The Secret Weapon on Woody Radio
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Press Contact: Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Radio Contact: Lou Mansdorf at malibuloupr@gmail.com
Band Contact: Linda Viens at viens.linda@gmail.com
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Thank you for this wonderful piece for Girl with a Hawk's new single, Feel Me Michael - so generous - we appreciate it!!!