Blood makes noise

Founded on pub rock energy and teeming with pop hooks, Robotic Hawks are a three-piece out of New Hampshire specializing in full-throttle rock n’ roll. Robotic Hawks aim to get you moving and leave you thoroughly exhausted! ROCK 'N ROLL FOREVER!

Tyler Pollard, vocals/bass: I posted a Craigslist ad for drummers. I ended up meeting drummer Brian Sturk who lives about five minutes away from me in Hudson, NH. Brian writes and records his own music, but he had also spent some time in a new wave cover band. Shawn Doherty, the guitarist, came in a few weeks later. Shawn had a similar background; but primarily cover bands. This was such a cool opportunity for all of us from the get-go. We just clicked.

We originally wanted to be The Hudson Hawks. Brian and I both live in Hudson, New Hampshire. I am a ‘not so’ closeted fan of the Bruce Willis turkey of the same name. Unfortunately, it was taken. We all liked the Hawk part so we went back to combination land. We ended up on ‘Robotic’ and we didn’t hate it. We like to think our band has some sort of resemblance to a machine anyway. Plus, it also lends itself to artwork opportunities, a la Judas Priest, Screaming for Vengeance, etc. Let me just dispel any talk of double entendre and the name. In all honesty, I assure you, it is simply happenstance.

Previous musical projects? How’d you first get into music?

I got a landscaping job at age 12 to start earning money for a guitar and an amp. My neighborhood friend and I began recording hours of nonsense, day after day under the name MFP. Then we saw The Replacements on SNL. They were wonderfully informal and clearly having so much fun together, we could do that. So, we got a band together immediately to play at our high school in Southbury, Connecticut, and that was it. The two of us have been in bands ever since. I moved to Boston in ’94 and started playing bass in a band called the doosies. The doosies eventually morphed into the control group. The control group opened for the likes of The Sheila Divine, Hybrasil and participated in the 1999 WBCN Rock ‘N Roll Rumble. I have also played bass for The Jack McCoys, Silent Service, The Beau Roland Band and Deadly Sins.

First concert that you ever went to? 

I saw Rick Springfield in 1982 at age 10. My mom took me and my cousin Barbara to the New Haven coliseum. It was amazing and my mother was terrified… by Rick Springfield.

What’s your writing process like?

Everything we write is done together in our space from the ground up. We play until we like something. Riffs are plucked out and then worked into templates. We all have to see the potential in a part for it to move forward. We all have equal veto power. Once we build up the structures, I develop the melodies and hammer out the lyrics.

What other artists or songs inspire your music? (Please talk about the artists you’ve chosen on your Spotify Playlist that you’ve given to us)

“Ascension Strut” by Drunk Horse: Drunk Horse are funky and heavy. They also have this great aura of humor and power that I think we tap into from time to time. Awesome stuff. ALL OF IT.

“Pink Turns To Blue” by Husker Du: Husker Du taught me to see the beauty through the filth. Grant is just so angelic on this one and he just shimmers through all that shrapnel. This drives home the need for a strong melody above all else.

“Eighties” by Killing Joke: We’ve talked about covering this one a few times. I’m usually the one that gets cold feet. It’s thumping and freewheeling, but it also requires a passion in the vocal delivery that I don’t think I can pull off. Great, great song.

“Mystery Achievement” by Pretenders: We’re all huge fans of the drummer Martin Chambers. This song grooves and ratchets up slowly as it moves along. Urgent, determined, and sweet all at the same time. Special mention to “Learning To Crawl” which is easily one of my favorite albums.

“Reaction” by The Figgs: The Figgs are the baddest. Two great frontmen in one little trio. “Reaction” is sung by the bassist Pete Donnelley in his trademark smokey gargle. This is an earworm like no other with Donnelly and Gent singing in effortless harmony. Inspiring stuff. This stuff always makes me want to go to the practice space.

“Everything Will Be Made Right” by Superdrag: Seeing Superdrag live was life affirming. This song was from their original line-up reunion album Industry Giants in 2009. They sound revitalized and out for blood on the entire thing. I find this song to be so uplifting and to me, stands as one of their finest.

“How Are You?” by Barkmarket: I am Barkmarket nut. D. Sardy was the singer/guitarist and recorded/mixed the L.Ron album that this song comes from. The sound is invasive and yet has the ability to reveal itself visually through the mix. I can see the band. If I could copy any production style for the Hawks, it would be this.

“Nothing is True” by The Jim Carroll Band: Jim Carroll is untouchable and the band just rocks. His lyrics and nowhere near my neighborhood, but wow I wish I could get close just once. This makes me want to sit and write.

“So It Goes” by Nick Lowe: Nick Lowe is the king of underappreciated power pop and new wave. This man never wrote a bad song in his life. I’ll never understand how he’s not a household name.

“3 Strange Days” by School Of Fish: I was a freshman in college when this came out. We all got to talking about it and shared a similar obsession. It’s mechanical and precise with all this wonderful candied vocal cooing over fudgy guitars. This might fall into the wish list for covers that go unrealized. There’s an earnest tone in his delivery that is essential, somehow. I think I’ve seen too much to pull that off.

What’s the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?

We have most definitely allowed ourselves some recorded frills along the way. In all cases we prioritize the live performance of each song, but we also want the song to be documented in its’ most realized form. There are times when the best recording is the bare bones, raw version.

Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?

We play primarily in the greater Boston area and Southern New Hampshire. Our shows have all been a blast, people seem to really get what we’re trying to do. We’re playing sweaty ROCK, not metal, not indie, but good ol’ rocked up pop songs. Rock is an energy, it’s real, you should feel it. The greatest show we’ve played to date was at a terrific new club in Lowell, Massachusetts called Taffeta. Great stage, sound and people. We played there back in October with Aaron & The Lord, Paper Tigers and Salem Wolves. That was one for the books.

What’s up next for the band?

The Minnesota Fats EP represents the last of the recorded music we wrote during the ‘Rona years. We spent last year honing all of the songs and playing anywhere we could. Now we’re going back to the bench. I feel like we have zeroed in on our strengths, our sound and can now write some new stuff to breathe life into our live set. At the core, that’s the priority, build an arsenal for the show.