Nine Mile Station – The Americana Vibes!
Interview with Will Hawkins
- Can you tell us more about your upcoming self-titled album with Nine Mile Station? What can listeners expect from this release?
The music on this album was born from adverstity, sadness and loss…but is hopeful, optimistic and empowering. In 2017 I lost my mother after a short battle to Alzeimer’s. I was her caretaker in the last months of her life and struggled with my grief in the years that followed. At the time I felt I had enough darkness around me and made an effort to write music that would be uplifting and inspiring. With the help of my bandmates and co-producer Fernando Perdomo we created powerful sing-alongs inspired by our heros like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Neil Young that help transport our listeners to a special place in the distance that we all get to find and reinvent and ourselves.
- The album features collaborations with Fernando Perdomo. How did this collaboration come about, and how did it contribute to the overall sound and direction of the album?
My first introduction to Fernando was through the Echo and the Canyon documentary with Jakob Dylan, Beck, Fiona Apple and legends of the Laurel Canyon music scene like CSNY, Mama’s and the Papas, the Byrds and Jackson Brown. I remember sitting in the theater and not being able to take my eyes off him. A few months later a mutual friend introduced us and he sat in with the band after our regular guitarist bailed on a show. After an explosove show Fernando asked to join the band and a few weeks later we were in the studio recording new songs. They rest is history!
- The album was set to release on July 21, 2023. How has the process of creating and recording this album been different from your previous works?
Well, one of the biggest differences was that we wrote and recorded many of the songs during a worldwide pandemic lockdown. The good thing about that was that for the very first time I was able to focus on my writing without distraction and I think the amazing results we all had together are compelling. The other difference was that my previous releases were solo albums, where here I fully collaborated with my band to create our sound.
- What was the inspiration behind the songs on the album? Are there any specific themes or messages that you aimed to convey through the music?
There are common themes through out the album that inspire celebratory reinvention, freedom, and joy in finding and following your true self. The music is meant to be an escape from the things that bog you down and free you to be who you want to be and spend time with the people that you want to be around. A lot of the music on this album was written after I lost my mom to Alzeimer’s in 2017. She was always a big suppoirter of my music and I hadnt really been doing much with it the last decade. After she died I started playing, just to kick away some darkness and find some joy in my day. And one song led to another and then another and tehn I started performing around Venice and LA. I met my bandmates along the way and Nine Mile Station was born.
- Nine Mile Station’s sound blends elements of classic rock with modern influences. Could you elaborate on the musical style and sound that listeners can expect from the album?
Although Fernando and I share some influences with Tom Petty and Neil Young we kinda go our own way after that. Fernando is a huge fan of prog rock and Im definitely more leaning towards Americana. So together we create something quite new and I think Fern’s influence creates many more layers and nuances in our music than you might find in other bands in our genre.
- Were there any particular challenges or highlights during the recording process of the album? How did you overcome any obstacles that arose?
Recording during the pandemic presented many challenges and we naviagted around them best we could. For a good part of that time we could only have 2-3 people in the studio at the same time, and we did so masked and 6’ apart. We also had issues with some other musicians we tried to work with because they didn’t take the health concerns seriously or believed in the many conspricay theories being shared. There was a lot of stress and anxiety in the outside worls that we worked hard keeping out of the studio.
- Is there a song on the album that you feel particularly connected to or proud of? Could you share the story behind it and why it stands out to you?
Fall into the Sea is one of the first songs I wrote that I really held myseld accountable for my own actions and tried to find understanding with a former partner who cheated on me. I relazied that I had to take some ownership of that failed relationship in that I wasn’t 100% present in ways I should have been. We lived down the street from the Santa Monica Pier and it came to represent my life crashing down at a time where I thought I was untouchable. I think humility is something we gain through loss.
And the muscianship on this by Nick Moran, Brendan Vasquez and Fernando Perdomo on this track is off the charts good. This is so much more than a typical Americana track and has so many layers and depth…it’s an epic journey that really takes the listener somewhere.
- How has your musical journey with Nine Mile Station evolved since your earlier works? Are there any new elements or approaches you’ve incorporated into this album?
My past works were all solo projects, so I was not only the driving force in the band and main songwriter, I didn’t really collaborate much with the hired musicians that recorded with me. That’s not true with Nine Mile Station and I think working with these amazing musicians elevated the work. And it didn’t hurt having the likes of legendary Al Schmitt and Niko Bolas on our team mixing and producing with us. Together they’ve sold tens of millions of albums, thousands of gold and pltinum records and over 30 Grammy Awards of experience. We were thrilled to get the chance to work with them.
- The album artwork featured in the press release is visually captivating. Can you tell us about the concept behind the artwork and how it relates to the music on the album?
I’m a big fan of vinyl albums, it’s what I knew as a teenager and I would sit on the floor and absorb every word of lyrics and remember all the liner notes and credits of the records I listened to growing up. And the artwork on those albums were incredible…so iconic! So I wanted our album to reflect all those influnces as well.
- What are your plans for promoting the album and connecting with your audience after its release? Will there be any live performances or other exciting events related to Nine Mile Station?
We are a live band first and our shows are explosive celebrations of life. So, we will definitely be out on the road performing and touring both here in the US and abroad. We’re also really excited to perform at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood for the first time on July 21st, 2023.
Information: https://www.ninemilestationmusic.com/
