Joachim Cooder grew up surrounded by music. His father, legendary guitarist Ry Cooder, would take him on the road at an early age, first as a viewer, and then in his early teens, as a player.

Joachim’s first instrument was the drums, playing with Ry both live and in the studio. These touring and recording projects allowed him to share stages and recordings with Johnny Cash, Ali Farke Toure, V. M. Bhatt, Steve Earle, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Nick Lowe, and most notably the Buena Vista Social Club. Over the years Joachim has maintained this close relationship with his father, solidifying his reputation as a lyrical drummer, and branching out on projects of his own.

Joachim produced Carly Ritter’s self-titled debut album (Tex Ritter’s granddaughter), and composed the score for films such as the cult surf classic Shelter and Charged:The Eduardo Garcia Story, which recently premiered at The Santa Barbara Film Festival (Winner, Audience Choice Award). His collaborations have taken him into the world of dance where he teamed up with choreographer Daniel Ezralow (Across The Universe, Spider Man: Turn The Dark Off) to compose and perform live in an Ezralow Dance career retrospective.

But it wasn’t until his wife and long-time collaborator Juliette Commagere became pregnant that he began writing and singing his own songs. “We were in Nashville to produce a friend’s record in January – it was snowing – every morning I would wake up and play my electric mbira I brought through a little amp and start singing,” Joachim says. It became the beginning of his solo project and eventual EP titled Fuscia Machu Picchu. The songs are about longing, love, plants, and the inner life of inanimate objects.

The sound is very much inspired by the world music he grew up. “I’m always hearing some sort of defunct cosmic ice cream truck in my head – that’s the sound I’m after with my mbiras and tank drums and other tuned percussion. Hopefully people will get that."

Joachim Cooder has been immersed in the music life since birth. First as a boy observing his legendary father Ry Cooder, then in his early teens performing and recording with him (most famously on Buena Vista Social Club) and later his many collaborations and productions with the likes of The Haden Triplets, Matt Costa, Inara George, Carly Ritter, his wife Juliette Commagere and his brother-in-law Robert Francis.

But he moves into a spotlight of his own with the March 30th release of Fuchsia Machu Picchu, where for the first time he is front and center. The seven-song EP is a lush, dreamy, stunningly beautiful sojourn, inspired by the world music he grew up on, with touches of Psychedelia and Appalachian Folk. Musicians accompanying Joachim on the release is largely a family affair, with Ry Cooder appearing on every song alternating between guitar and bass and even banjo and mandocello, wife Juliette Commagere contributing backing vocals and bass, and brother-in-law Robert Francis adding backing vocals and guitar.

The EP is now available for pre-order from Bandcamp, and will expand to all digital retailers and streaming services on the 30th.

Billboard premiered the first song from the EP, “Everybody Sleeps In The Light” in their March 6th feature, and this week BlackBook debuted its title track.

A FREE record release show has been set for Monday, April 9th at Zebulon in Los Angeles, which will feature Sasha Spielberg’s new band Buzzy Lee as support, and with Max Goldblatt as DJ for the evening. Joachim and his band will also perform on NPR’s Mountain Stage on Sunday, April 15th with a broadcast date to be announced. He’ll then spend much of Spring and Summer continuing to support Fuchsia Machu Picchu on a tour with his father, pulling double duty both opening the shows with his band, and then immediately joining Ry’s band on percussion.

Fuscia Machu Pichu from Canyon Music on Vimeo.

Joachim Cooder tour dates:

Thurs. Apr. 5 – Fingerprints – Long Beach, CA [in-store appearance]

Mon. Apr. 9 – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA [record release event]

Sun. Apr. 15 – NPR’s Mountain Stage – Charleston, WV

 w/Ry Cooder:

Mon. Jun. 4 – Birchmere – Alexandria, VA

Wed. Jun. 6 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT

Thurs. Jun. 7 – Wilbur Theater – Boston, MA

Fri. Jun. 8 – Town Hall – New York, NY

Mon. Jun. 11 – Birchmere – Alexandria, VA

Tues. Jun. 12 – Tupelo Music Hall – Derry, NH

Fri. Jun. 22 – Michigan Theater – Ann Arbor, MI

Sun. Jun. 24 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL

Tues. Jun. 26 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON

Wed. Jun. 27 – Centrepointe Theater – Ottawa, ON

Fri. Jun. 29 – Montreal Jazz Fest – Montreal, QB

Sat. Jun. 30 – Flynn Theater – Burlington, VT

Fri. Jul. 13 – Moore Theater – Seattle, WA

Sat. Jul. 14 – Vancouver Island Music Festival – Cumberland, BC

Tues. Jul. 17 – Revolution Hall  – Portland, OR

Fri. Jul. 20 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA

Sat. Jul. 21 – Uptown Theater – Napa, CA

Tues. Aug. 14 – Paramount Theater – Denver, CO

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On May 15th, the band Hawk, led by the American artist David Hawkins, will release its highly-anticipated new album, Fly, featuring the all-star lineup of Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Elliot Smith) on drums, Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star) on bass, vocals, keyboards, synths and guitar, keyboardist Morgan Fisher (Mott the Hoople, Queen, Yoko Ono) and Hawk and Be guitarist Aaron Bakker. Hawkins, also leader of the orchestral folk-rock band Be, is an acclaimed abstract painter and co-founder of the avant-garde ‘happening’ group The Black Mountain Collective.

Fly is the follow-up to Hawk’s acclaimed albums Bomb Pop, I’m On Fire, Princess America (which featured a cameo in voice and word by Lawrence Ferlinghetti) and college-radio sensation Rock n Roll. “Somehow I ended up in one of the best bands in the world,” laughs Hawkins when talking recently about the band, “I’m really grateful. To have these guys playing with me is like a dream. I can finally capture the songs the way I hear them in my head.” Hawkins and Stringfellow have been recording together steadily since 2016 when they collaborated on the second Be album, You, and Stringfellow has now played on over a hundred of Hawkins’ songs. “He’s such a great player,” Hawkins says, “and musically we’re right in sync. It’s been such a blast. We’ve already recorded a ton of material.” The legendary Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas joined Hawk in 2017 before the Bomb Pop sessions, along with Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, and the press-coined ‘power pop supergroup’ moniker stuck. Already surrounded by some of his musical heroes, Hawkins welcomed another hero, Morgan Fisher, to the group on keyboards last year. Fisher, of Mott the Hoople & Queen fame, recorded his parts in Tokyo in between tour dates with Mott the Hoople.

A true international effort, Fly was recorded all around the world, including at ‘Dave’s Room’, the late David Bianco’s studio in L.A., (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, AC/DC, LL Cool J), Wonder Valley Sky, Hawkins’ secluded off-grid retreat deep in the California desert near Joshua Tree, Hawk Studios in Venice, CA, Ken Stringfellow’s studio in Tours, France, as well as at Fisher’s Morgan Salon in Tokyo and Mars Studio in Seattle. Louris was busy recording the new Jayhawks album at the time, so he doesn’t appear on Fly, but he has already recorded some vocals for Hawkins’ upcoming 3rd Be album, slated for an early 2021 release. Hawkins mixed Fly with his longtime collaborator Mike Hagler (Wilco, My Morning Jacket) at Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago, and Hagler mastered the album.

Fly comes on the heels of Hawk’s 2018 critically-acclaimed album, Bomb Pop, which was called “amazing” by Blurt Magazine in a full feature spread on the band and declared it “one of the year’s brightest records.” No Depression Magazine said "The upbeat, richly textured Bomb Pop delivers 10 impossible-to-resist bursts of pure ear candy” and The Big Takeover said Hawk brings “the crunch of AC/DC, the swagger of the Stones, and the melodies of Tom Petty.” Hawk quickly blew up locally, with the Chicago Sun- Times praising them for “Digging into the rich musical vein of the past from Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan to Hank Williams and Robert Johnson. Hawk’s music pulses with an infectious rock-pop beat, clever, meditative lyrics and finely honed melodies." Chicago powerhouse radio station WXRT and German Public Radio were other early champions, and Spanish bellwether Paisajes Eléctricos Magazine said that “Hawk honors the best tradition of the genre, with very powerful songs in the vein of the Rolling Stones of the Seventies.”

Now living in Venice, California, Hawkins grew up in Central Illinois, not far from where Michael Stipe and Jeff Tweedy went to high school, both of who would influence him greatly. A Dylan disciple from a young age, a pivotal moment was hearing REMs "Murmur" for the first time. REM in turn led him to the band that became his greatest influence; The Velvet Underground. "The VU changed my life", Hawkins said recently in an interview, “much like Dylan and the Beatles and Stones had earlier. The range of emotion, the darkness and beauty intermingled, the dissonance...they made everything else pale in comparison." As Hawk’s sound evolved, the harder rock influence of the Rolling Stones and AC/DC combined with those and other Power Pop and Garage Rock influences to solidify the band’s now trademark sound.

Fly charges out of the gate with the album’s first single, the hard and sweet power pop confection of “This Is It”, which hits like a rocking outtake from REM’s Monster, with Hawkins’ melodic counter-melodies snaking through slamming chords and sweet jangling guitar, hooking the listener with its infectious melody that sticks in the head long after the first listen. This is irresistible power pop for the new millennium; familiar yet singular. The hard-charging “I Still Want You” kicks off with driving drums and acoustic guitar and ignites at the choruses with layers of fiery Hüsker Dü-esque power chords and Hawkins’ yearning vocals of lost love. “What’s Your Name” recalls Fun House-era Stooges or the New York Dolls in its hard-glam crunch and Pete Thomas’ brutal drumming, which is showcased throughout the album like a rhythmic centerpiece. From the first razor chords of “I Believe In You,” with its undeniable rhythm, one hears traces of everything from The Jam to Ray Charles’ 50s swing (in Morgan Fisher’s ecstatic piano lines) to the pristine pre-rock pop of The Wrecking Crew with Hawkins’ mantric vocals and Stringfellow’s searing rock lead guitar lines converging into a tight and impactful piece that Hawkins penned as an encouragement to his daughter. The rocking “She’s An Angel“ draws on Bob Dylan’s ‘thin wild mercury sound’ in this ode to an elusive real-life Goddess, with Fisher’s driving piano, Stringfellow’s screaming guitar and Pete Thomas’ pounding beat adding an urgency to this emotional ode to Desire.

“You Are The One I Want” kicks off the second half of the album with an infectious New Order-meets-The Cure vibe that leads straight to the dancefloor, with its incessant rhythm, Hawkins’ devotional lyrics, soaring high 80s guitar runs and Stringfellow’s ethereal synth lines, coalescing to a powerful climax. The triumphant opening chords of "Truth to Power” ring out with urgency in this anthem for a new revolution, recalling early CSNY or The Grateful Dead in its call for unity and justice. It is a song truly of the moment and you can hear the weight of the times and a resilient idealism in Hawkins’ voice. On “Sick Of This Town,” the idealism gives way to anger and disgust at the rise of Fascism in the US. Melding doo-doo-doo bubblegum pop with hard-hitting punk vibes, Hawk again combines disparate elements into a unique and powerful punch that is as thought-provoking as it is toe-tapping. The mesmerizing “Everstill” is a dreamy VU-inspired song that speaks to eternal love in a beautiful metaphoric poesy and signals the beginning of the end of the album with its lush backing vocals and a lilting Vox organ, and makes way for the stunning climax of “Lost Our Way,” a sprawling psychedelic paean to the chaos of the current moment and fear for the future in a heartfelt sonic cry, spoken from father to daughter. This is an extremely powerful and poignant song cycle that takes the listener through a whole range of human emotions; joy, sorrow, yearning, fear, triumph, despair, and hope, and it will likely reverberate for decades to come.

On October 6th, American abstract artist and Hawk bandleader David Hawkins will release the stunning third album of his orchestral art-rock supergroup Be, Here, a lush and intricate song cycle inspired by The Beach Boys’ classic Pet Sounds and dedicated to Brian Wilson, though one can also hear traces of mystical Beatles psychedelia and The Velvet Underground’s tangled hum among its influences. (A companion album, There, featuring Hawkins’ recordings in Morocco with The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar, the legendary Moroccan Sufi Trance band known for their collaborations with Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones and Ornette Coleman and 2023 recipients of the Kennedy Center Gold Medal of the Arts Award, is due out next year.)

Besides Hawkins, Here features rock luminaries Morgan Fisher (Mott the Hoople, Queen), Brian Wilson’s musical director Paul Von Mertens, the legendary drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Elliot Smith), guest vocals by Gary Louris of the Jayhawks among others, and was mastered and co-mixed by Mike Hagler (Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Mekons). With the highly anticipated Here, Hawkins’ musical vision continues to expand, again proving himself to be a formidable rising voice in American music.

Hawkins began writing and recording Here in the fraught early days of the pandemic, crafting the songs and arrangements for days on end, absorbed in the process. Over the weeks and months, as he added layer after layer and started incorporating the other musicians’ parts, it evolved into a rich musical tapestry. There‘s a lush dream-like quality and otherworldly beauty to the album, with moments of touching vulnerability and of the raw emotions we all felt in those first weeks of COVID.

With themes like the triumph of love and hope in the face of our deepest fears, of yearning for deep connection with others and with the Spiritual, one catches glimpses of mystical vistas in these songs. Cosmic harmonies shimmer atop tapestries of timpani, brass and orchestra, punctuated with electronics, mellotron, vibes and even harp. Mertens’ vibrant horn arrangements and delicate finesse of the woodwinds shine, and he and trumpet player Max Crawford, both fresh off Wilco’s phenomenal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot residency in New York City, add a bright warmth and power with their lines, with the whole ensemble delighting us at every turn. This is a rich and dense song cycle full of depth and wonder. Put it on and let it take you away.

The album kicks off with “I Need You Like The Sun”, a tangly raga drone that quickly escalates into a VU- inspired primal pounding groove, with squeals of e-bow guitar and spoken word murmurings while Hawkins’ vocals transcend the din with their emotional intensity. “Don’t Cry” dazzles with it’s irresistible pop exuberance, soaring melodies and message of reassurance and love, familiar like a long-lost classic.

When the drum and horn intro of “Shine Your Love Light” kicks in, soaring Pet Sounds-esque harmonies envelope you, with Hawkins‘ and Gary Louris’ sublime layered vocals resonating on the message of celebrating the light in a lovers’ eyes. “Am I Not Dreaming” casts a spell of rhythmic imagination and love over a bed of rolling timpani and horns that blow through the yearning vocals like a warm summer breeze.

The infectious shuffle of “Mad About Zoe” recalls the Kinks in its lazing strut, while the epic “Can Dreams Come True” dives into an Indian mysticism reminiscent of George Harrison’s enlightened drones. This Rumi-like meditation envisions the Divine as a lover, a common theme in Hawkins’ work, which creates layers of meaning and archetypes in his songs.

“When You Shine” glows with the warmth of a cherished memory and feels like a cross between classic Bread and the Velvet Underground’s tender third album (one of Hawkins’ favorite records) and tips it’s hat to the great Leonard Cohen with a reference to Tea and Oranges. “All Alone With You” starts with a flute Mellotron that vaguely recalls the rich tone of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” then opens up into a lush, romantic paean to love and connection.

“Superterranean Homesick Blues”, which uses being in space as a metaphor for the isolation of lockdown, is one of the albums’ standout tracks. Morgan Fisher’s piano and bass harmonica fill out the dynamic Beach Boys’ bounce that the band channels, with Regan Souders’ bass and the vibrant woodwinds and horns leading the song to a dynamic climax. “No Way To Say Goodbye” is a gorgeous and soulful song about the passage of time and of regretful goodbyes, sounding like a long-forgotten Nick Drake song in its lush melancholy and showcasing Hawkins at his songwriting best.

“Only Time Will Tell” opens with a repeated line about William Blake’s writings on Innocence and expands into an interlocking vocal patterns while Hawkins ponders whether the current reality is “Heaven or Hell / It’s kind of hard to tell”. Grounded by the masterful drumming of the great Pete Thomas, chiming vibes, an intuitive B3 organ line and rolling timpanis below, this is truly a feast for the ears. “Falling In Love With You” feels like it’s been here forever; a modern love song with a pure heart and touching vulnerability about the hope, fear and reciprocal support in that unprecedented moment.

“You’re My Everything” is a sweet and profound message from father to daughter that speaks to the depth and magnitude of that love and the sacrifices he would make for it, while Zach Werner’s gorgeous cello flows beneath. The numinous Indian vibrations return as the sprawling “Don’t Keep Me Waiting” and “Waiting Reprise” wind down the album with a serpentine raga groove that starts softly and then builds to a powerful crescendo featuring Randy Morris’s masterful hand drum and tabla work and Matthew Pittman’s moving Bouzouki and guitar before descending into a sublime calm, rolling softly to its conclusion.

Here is truly a world in itself and an album for the ages. Written during one of the darkest moments in our collective history, it shines with the brightness of the sun and is destined to be an instant classic. In a world that can seem increasingly hopeless, Here is a ray of light and a pure shot of love. It lifts you up and takes you on a sonic and emotional journey of great magnitude. Put it on, turn it up, and be here now. (Headphones recommended.)