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Bring out the HAWKS

Sounds from the past will open for Huey Lewis & the News at Shellabration

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Above: Three members of the HAWKS, including Frank Wiewel, holding the taxidermied red tail hawk, along with Dave Hearn, at left, and Kirk Kaufman, holding two of the group’s albums, pose recently in downtown Fort Dodge. The HAWKS are one of this year’s featured warmup bands for the Shellabration featuring Huey Lewis & the News. The other warmup band is the group Far From Innocent. Two other original members of the HAWKS, Dave Steen and Larry Adams, will be joining the group for the concert. Avian hawk courtesy of Webster County Conservation.

Shellabration President Jim Reed has announced the warmup bands for the 2017 Shellabration concert featuring Huey Lewis & the News on July 8 at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex.

Longtime fans of the band HAWKS, which recorded a pair of albums in the early 1980s, are in for a treat. The group, with all original members on stage, will be the featured warmup act.

That includes Kirk Kaufman, of Otho, the owner of Junior’s Motel Recording Studio, on bass; Frank Wiewel, of Otho, founder of People Against Cancer, vocals; Dave Hearn, of Fort Dodge, owner of Silhouette Multimedia, on keyboard; Larry Adams, a contractor in Leander, Texas, on drums; and Dave Steen, of Lincoln, Nebraska, a songwriter, on guitar.

Reed said the idea of getting the HAWKS together for a gig at Shellabration has been in the works for several years. It started as casual conversation between Reed, Kaufman and Hearn and eventually evolved into this year’s gig.

They last played together, although not with every member present, during their 2007 induction into the Iowa Rock -n-Roll Hall of Fame.

It had been a while before that.

“The last time we played together in a gig situation was in 1982,” Hearn said.

The band took an unusual route to its success. Most bands will play gigs, build up a collection of songs, tour, develop a following and then maybe, record an album.

The HAWKS did almost the opposite.

“Frank Wiewel had recorded a number of tracks when his wife, Denise, convinced him the songs were good enough and insisted he send them out to the major record labels,” Reed said.

Columbia and Capitol Records both wanted to see them live.

“The only problem,” Reed said. “There was no band.”

Greg Geller, with Columbia Records came out to see them.

“He called us up,” Wiewel said. “I can’t find Otho on the map, can you get me to Des Moines, we went and picked him up. He said, ‘boy you must be out in the boonies.'”

“As far as I know, we’re the only band to sign unsolicited with a major label,” he continued. “No manager, no band.”

The HAWKS went on to release a total of three albums. HAWKS was released in 1981 and 30 Seconds Over Otho in 1982, both on Columbia. A collection of unreleased HAWKS material came out in 2003 on Not Lame Records called Perfect World Radio. The last album was made from tapes the group still had in their possession.

“Columbia never asked for any of those tapes,” Hearn said. “It was something very cool.”

The band had two singles that charted. “Right Away,” was No. 63 on the Hot Billboard in 1981. “It’s All Right, It’s OK,” went to No. 32 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in 1981.

The group is planning on plenty of rehearsals to relearn their songs, Reed is looking forward to a great show and expects them to play as well as they did in the past.

“Individually, they’ve remained musical over the years,” Reed said. “We have no fear. Given the professional nature of the musicians, I’m not worried about that at all.”

The group is no stranger to sharing a venue with Huey Lewis. They played together on the same episode of the TV show ”American Bandstand” in 1980.

Reed expects that for many fans, the experience of hearing the HAWKS live again will be a link to their past.

“I’m going to be reliving a memory,” Reed said.

Kaufman, like the other members, is also looking forward to the gig.

“It will be neat to get the same people together,” Kaufman said. “The music was really great.”

The group, in spite of time and distance, maintain their friendships.

“We never tried to kill each other,” Wiewel joked.

The group Far From Innocent, based in northern Iowa, will start the music.

The four piece band, described by Reed as a “gritty rock band,” is described as a mix of dynamic power guitars, sleek and smooth bass lines and powerful vocals.

The lineup includes Craig Harkema on bass, Heather Harkema on guitar and vocals, Lance Larsen on drums and Mike Pigman, lead guitar.

2017 Shellabration at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex

Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Headliner: Huey Lewis & the News 9:30 p.m.

Opening acts: Far From Innocent 6:15 to 7:30 p.m., HAWKS 8 to 8:45 p.m.

Tickets go on sale at midnight March 24th.

$36.00 on/or before June 18th.

$45.00 after June 19th until date of event.

(Children under 12 are admitted free)

Tickets are available online at www.ticketweb.com, by phone at (866) 468-3401 and at the following retail outlets:

Hy-Vee, CSBank, Citizens Community Credit Union, First American Bank, Great Western Bank, Northwest Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.

The show is general admission with festival style seating, concert goers should bring their own chairs. No outside food, beverages or coolers. Refreshments available on site. Free parking is provided with shuttle service.

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