We’re looking forward to introducing you to Parker Hawkins. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Parker, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
One of my absolute favorite feelings in the entire world is writing a new song. I think of them as “being revealed to me.” The process of getting the right words to fall into place, finding the melody, and then conceiving of and executing the instrumentation is endlessly infatuating to me. I will dedicate hours on end to getting the “bones” in place and then subconsciously keep tweaking things in my mind as I go about other tasks throughout the day until I can get back to my studio to keep fleshing out the ideas to create a rough demo. It always makes me fall back in love with making music.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Nashville-based singer/songwriter, but like most musicians in Nashville, I wear a lot of different hats. I am also on tour as a bassist for blues/rock band Piper & The Hard Times, I play bass and sing with a number of other artists/bands in town, I am a multi-instrumentalist and producer, and I am also an urban planner at Hawkins Partners, Inc. during the week, so I stay pretty busy, but I love what I do and wouldn’t change any of it!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
When I was in college, I loved to chat with a custodian there named Ed. I came from a public high school in Nashville (shout-out to Hillsboro High!) and I was often overwhelmed by the waspy northeastern pretense that was characteristic of my small, liberal arts school, so his perspective always helped to keep me grounded. One day, I was confiding in him that I was unsure where my life was leading me and felt like I was being pulled in a lot of directions. He considered this for a moment and finally said, “Man, it sounds to me like you know where you’re supposed to be. You love music, you’re good at it, and you’re from Music City! What else do you need?” Thanks Ed!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
In the course of my career, I have been in so many great bands that deserved so much more success than they ever got, and not for lack of trying! There are a million pitfalls along the road to success, and most people in this industry never make it where they are trying to go, but I truly believe that if I had found success early in my career, I wouldn’t fully appreciate where I am today. This business has taught me to be scrappy and always keep pushing forward!
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that real art & music created by real people that have real stories to tell will stand the test of time. There is a lot of pressure placed on the artistic community by AI generated content and the sheer volume of AI garbage flooding all of our social media feeds these days, but I believe that the ability to recognize the humanity in another person through their artwork and then recognize your inherent connection to that humanity is a core pillar of the human experience that humans will always seek out to enrich their own lives.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think anyone that sees me on stage or in the studio would agree that I am doing what I am born to do. There have been times in my life when I have questioned the decisions that led me where I am today, but I always knew deep down that I never had a choice. I was built for this!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nighthawk615band.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com_Nighthawk615_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parker.hawkins.509/
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/ETeTIcAeKLx3pgTEdd
Image Credits
(B+W photos) John Partipilo
(Color photos) Madison Thorn
(Album Artwork) Parker Hawkins
