By Jillian Dawson

Tonight’s the night for the RedHawks (Freddie Haas, Tate Sampson, Adam Bohnsack and Thomas Bishop) as they proudly present their newest album live from start to finish at Rock Garden Studio. “PHASE,” which was recorded in the spring of 2016, is the group’s third release and the first release on a record label – Tempers Flare.

The band opted to record the album live, in real time, with the entire band playing in the room together. Singer and guitarist Freddie Haas commented this recording style definitely had it benefits.

“It allowed us to play in real time together, to see each other. We take so many cues from body language and facial expressions. It resulted in songs that are wilder than we’ve ever done.

Haas admits the band was nervous entering the studio, though the feeling subsided once the recording process began.

“Marc Golde and Brandon Heise were great at letting us make our own choices while also keeping the overall cohesion and feel of the album in mind. They were very supportive.”

Described as a concept album, Haas notes this was not an album he intended to write, pulling inspiration from the sudden passing of his brother-in-law, Abraham Ace.

“It is the eulogy for Abe that I was unable to voice at the time of his death. There are some dark moments in these songs; they came out of the difficult aftermath but ultimately it's an album of atonement.”

The songs change from the narrative of Haas, his family members and Abe himself. Of the album’s sound, Haas notes, “This is the closest representation of what I hear in my head that we’ve been able to capture.” He adds the album has a heavy psychedelic approach with bits of post-punk and folk rock in the mix.

Over the course of the recording process, the band had additional help on the album from Christopher Gold to produce the album.

“He was a driving force and encouraged us to move quickly - he didn't allow us to second guess anything.” Haas adds, “I trust him to understand what I'm trying to do even when I don't which freed me to get lost in the performances. I knew he was keeping track of the bigger picture. We’d be listening to a lesser record if Christopher hadn’t been so involved.”

Additionally, Andrew Zimmerman lent his vocal harmonies to the records and often his first take was just what the song needed.

You can catch the RedHawks tonight at Rock Garden Studio at 7pm.

“We’re going to keep it as close to the original recording as possible,” says Haas. “The sound is going to be phenomenal!”

It’s sure to be a show you don’t want to miss.