The Sledgehammer

Disclaimer:
This post is best read whilst listening to "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel.

I have a nickname many of you may not know about...

I am The Sledgehammer.




I earned this nickname. I earned it.

Back when we used to drive around in a dirty van (not to mention live out of it), we used to find ourselves late to a show every once and a while. It was in these situations that I would become The Sledgehammer. I would get us there. By any means necessary. Speed Limits couldn't hold back The Sledgehammer.

I once drove the van and trailer 300 miles in 4 hours. It was then that I tried making the guys call me The Sledgehammer all the time. I wouldn't respond to Jon, Jonathan, or even Dude, Look Out We're Gonna Crash!!

While that didn't last, the guys still call me The Sledgehammer every now and then. Sometimes Jas likes to introduce me as The Sledgehammer when I'm going into a guitar solo... generally I start laughing enough to biff the solo.

So the next time you see me remember.... I don't answer to Jonathan.

It's The Sledgehammer.

the.sledgehammer.

Justin Take A Tumble

Justin, at the end of this show, takes a bow, blows a kiss, and takes a tumble.



j.

UNDER THE CANOPY AVAILABLE NOW

Well folks, I'm finally done this record.... It is now available as an mp3 download through my website.

I've also added another song to the previews available on the front page of my blog. Listen to "Everything / To Lose Myself" right here.



I somewhat feel like I haven't stepped outside my front door since I started working on this record, so its completion comes with a slight sense of relief. I can go hang out and have friends again! haha.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

If anyone has any trouble at all purchasing or downloading the record, please email me at jonathansteingard@gmail.com

Enjoy!

j.

Walkabout Portland

We played a show in Portland this weekend... and Portland is one of my favorite cities in the country... It has great public transportation, tons of cool little shops, and no sales tax. Plus, to me, the gloomy weather only adds to the appeal.











Portland is home to Powell's books, arguably the biggest and best used bookstore in the country. It spans an entire city block, and it's three stories high. You can find nearly any book here.... I picked up another book to add to my Isaac Asimov collection.

I also spent the weekend listening to mixes of this new record I'm wrapping up. I'll be tweaking mixes today, and putting it up for sale and download late tonight!

Thanks for all the positive feedback about the EP! The 3 song EP will remain free and downloadable once the record drops. Hope you like it!

j.

Under The Canopy - This Tuesday

Hey Guys...

Under The Canopy will be released this upcoming tuesday, November 25.




Yes, this is early... but it's done, so why not share it!

You can still find the Fox Run record at cdbaby.com/foxrun if you're looking for it!

jonathan

Spokane Revolve

Proof that I can jump off a platform and not die:

CLICK HERE

Go to 2:10.

It may not be spectacular... but I'm old. This is good for me. :)

jonathan

Under The Canopy Release Date

Hey Guys...

I've decided to release "Under The Canopy" a week earlier than planned. It will now be released on December 2.




One of the cool things about doing a record this way is that you can simply release it when it's done! The record is nearly there, and I'm just putting the finishing touches on it. I am looking forward to sharing it with all of you. The record will be available through my website as a high-quality mp3 download. There is no physical product, but a digital booklet is included with the record containing artwork, lyrics, and credits.

I am also working on making my older records available in the same way through this website. Stay tuned for that...

jonathan

It's All About The Condiments

Since moving to the U.S., I've had numerous people make the same observation about me, and by extention, all Canadians. They say...

"Dude... look at you. Canadians are all about the condiments!"

I've come to realize that there might be some truth to this.... I do love sauces. So many of my favorite foods are only my favorites because of the sauces I dip them in. I spent some time thinking about my favorite condiments yesterday, and here is my top 5.

Number Five: Tartar Sauce



I know it's pretty much just mayo and relish combined, so it's pretty basic... but this stuff is good! Fish and Chips with tartar sauce? Yum.


Number Four: Ketchup



Again, I know this is a basic choice, but how could it not make the list? This is my go-to sauce whenever I'm facing condiment-indecision. It's great on hamburgers and hot dogs, it's a must for french-fry dipping, and I love it on grilled cheese or mac n' cheese (Jess hates it when I do that one...)


Number Three: Chick Fil A's Polynesian Sauce



This sauce was a bit of an acquired taste for me. I initially didn't like it very much, but now I can't get enough. I'm not much for southern-influenced foods, but dipping nuggets, a chicken sandwich, or waffle fries in this stuff... that's a southern experience I can enjoy!


Number Two: Sweet and Sour Sauce



Sweet and Sour Sauce is one great condiment. I have favorites within this category.... Most Chinese restaurants have decent sweet and sour... but my favorites aren't from a Chinese Restaurant. Believe it or not, McDonald's and Wendy's both make killer sweet and sour sauces. I'll dip almost anything I can in that stuff. MMmm good.... and Yes, I will pay the 16 cents or whatever for extra sauces. Well worth it.


Number One: Swiss Chalet Sauce



Now this is my number one condiment, and I only get it once a year or so. It's a dipping sauce from Canada's own Swiss Chalet. This sauce is to DIE for. It's kind of a spicy gravy. It's somewhere between gravy, barbeque sauce, and sweet and sour. I can't really explain it... but IT IS GOOD! You can dip your chicken, fries, and buns in it. Basically anything. Solid foods basically become vehicles for sauce when this stuff is around.

Pretty much every Canadian I know loves this stuff.... but I'm yet to meet an American that likes it. It's odd. Jess hates it, my friends Aaron and Molly tried it and didn't care for it.

I still hold though... that this is the BEST. SAUCE. EVER!

Aaaaand those are my thoughts on condiments. MMmm Condiments.

j.

Atlantis EP Lyrics

Hey Guys....

I've had some questions about the lyrics on the Atlantis EP. The lyrics are actually included in the mp3 file of each song. On your iPod, you can click the center button several times, until you see the lyrics. It'll look like this...


(except it won't be these lyrics)

In iTunes, you should be able to ctrl+click (or right-click on a PC), and click on "Get Info". From there, hit the Lyrics tab.

The full record will also include a digital booklet in pdf form. All the lyrics will be in this digital booklet, as well as credits and artwork.

Thanks for your interest everyone... I've been hearing from a lot of you, and I'm enjoying it!

j.

Atlantis EP Available - FREE!

The Atlantis EP is now available as a free download!



You can also preview the EP on the website before downloading, if you'd like. I'm very excited to have this EP done, and I'm nearly done the full record, which will be available on this website on December 9th.

Since this is a free download... copy these songs all you'd like! Send them to your friends... burn CDs... do whatever you'd like. I'm just thrilled for people to hear them.

I've spent the last year writing these songs, and the last few months recording them, so it is a very special thing for me to share them with all of you. I hope you enjoy them.

j.

Philly Revolve / PRS Factory

So this weekend we played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... which is only about 2 hours away from Stevensville, Maryland.... which is where PRS guitars are made!

I had a few hours to spend down there, so I went down the factory.... Jack and Bev from PRS showed me around, and the place is amazing! It's like Santa's workshop in there. Everyone was so friendly... it seemed like a big family. The attention to detail in their workmanship is amazing... They are so good at what they do!

I got to meet the man... Paul Reed Smith himself, and a ton of other folks who were very kind. Peter, Larry, Winn, and everyone else... thanks for making me feel so welcome!

Anyways, it was an amazing experience, and I'm looking forward to the next time I can visit.

This Revolve weekend was the biggest of the tour so far. There were 10,000 in attendance, and you girls were about as loud as a crowd of 50,000! I recently got Evan Milby hooked on PRS while on this tour... Here he is with a MIRA he just bought!



Dan, Justin, and I are getting together this week to jam out some new ideas for next year's spring tours. We're excited to change a few things up and keep things fresh. Next year we're doing Winterjam, followed by a tour with Mercy Me. We'll be playing a ton of shows around the country, so check the Hawk Nelson website and myspace for tour dates!

jonathan

Studio Gear List

I had a question about the gear I use in the studio... So here's a partial list... Most of you will find this incredibly boring, so go ahead and skip this post... This is for the 2 or 3 studio rats like me.


Software:
Pro Tools 7.4
Waves Ren. Plugin Package
Reason 3.0 (pianos and strings)
Xpand (pads and synths)
Native Instruments Massive, B4, and Guitar Rig
and loads of others...

Hardware:
Digi 002
(bypassing all pres, converters, and clock)
Presonus Digimax FS into 002 via ADAT
(I use the converters and clock on the FS)
ART Pro Channel Strip
(I use the pre & comp, not the EQ)
TC Electronic M300 via SPDIF
(for reverb and delay)
M-Audio 66 key weighted midi controller
KRK V8 Studio Monitors
Alesis Quadrasynth

Mics:
Shure SM7 (my main voc mic)
Blue Bluebird (my main LDC)
Shure Sm58
Audix i5 x2
SDK sdc x2
karma micro x2
D112 kick mic
Apex LDC room mic (hanging from ceiling)

Guitars:
Paul Reed Smith SC245 Goldtop
Paul Reed Smith Singlecut Tortoiseshell
Paul Reed Smith Mira
Paul Reed Smith SE Singlecut
Gibson 1974 J40 Acoustic
Fender 1980s Parts Telecaster

Amps:
Marshall 1984 JCM 800
Peavey Classic 50 2x12 Combo
Heritage 2x12 Cab

So, as you can see... Nothing I'm using is incredibly great or expensive, but I do my best to make the most of what I have.

Thanks for your interest, Dusty!

Jonathan

The Studio Inanimate

I decided I wanted to take a picture of my little home studio, as I've put so much work into it. This is where I've spent the last couple months working on a new record... which is very nearly done, by the way!

Well, It turns out the studio didn't want to be photographed.

First it decided it was going to be messy. There were microphones and cables strewn about... Headphones carelessly tossed onto a keyboard, that sort of thing. Then I thought it might be fitting to take a photograph when it's in "work mode"... You know, the "studios are for free expression, not first impressions" sort of thing... So I decided not to let the mess stop me.

Then I actually tried to take the picture. Since I have no wide-angle lens, there was a problem. I could not seem to capture all the glory in a single photo... And nobody should have to see multiple photos of one room. That's lame... So I decided to take multiple photos, and stitch them together.

Now, have you ever tried this? In my head, it was simple... In reality not so much. Some of my speakers, computers, and keyboards were inexorably skewed. No matter what I did, 2 of these 3 items were maligned. Terrible.

Well, here it is anyways.

This photo cost me 30 minutes, an Alesis keyboard, and my trust that inanimate objects truly are inanimate.


I make the above statement because as I was writing this, my telecaster fell off the wall, crashed onto the alesis keyboard, and then tumbled to the ground...

Studio, why don't you want to be photographed?

jonathan.

Jesus Is My Friend

Someone sent me this video this morning.... and I've got to say, it's kind of eerie. I mean, it's not a far stretch from what they do to what I do.

I mean.... "Hawk Nelson is my friend." was our last record title. "Friend Like That" was the first single from said record. Eerie.



The guitar player is my favorite. I feel like he's going to break into a song about how he loves technology.

Eerie. Very eerie.

ZAP!

jonathan

Another New Song Preview - You Always You

I wanted to share another song with you guys. This song will also be included in the 3 song EP...

It's called You Always You.






Both the 3 song EP and the full length record will be gapless (which is why there's an acoustic at the end of this preview.. it's the acoustic from the next song).... Hope you like it.

Remember to check back on November 11th to download the Atlantis EP for free!

j.

p.s. gapless means that each song flows into the next... they are still on separate tracks, not all on track 1. "gapless" just means there are no gaps between songs...

New Site Layout / Atlantis EP

Hey Guys...

I'm formatting this site a little differently... I want to put more kinds of content up through YouTube, Flickr, and a few other places, so I've provided links above to my pages on these other sites. Also, there will be an album page up shortly... That's where you can go for information on my new album!

The Atlantis EP is the name of the 3 song EP that I will be giving away for free. It will be up for download on November 11th... in ONE WEEK! So stay tuned...



I'm also setting a tentative release date for the record... Tuesday December 2nd... So mark your calendars... and remember, it will be available as an INSTANT download through this website!

j.

You Have What I Need Video

How to play the intro to "You Have What I Need"...



I realize in retrospect that I really should have a part in this video where the riff is slowed down. I'm not sure why I never thought of that!

On the next video, I'll try to remember that!

One Little Miracle Solo

Hey Guys!

Here is the first of my little instructional videos... This is the solo for One Little Miracle...



j.

Guitar Videos?

Question...

I've been thinking about posting some instructional videos on how to play some parts of a few Hawk songs. Are there any particular riffs, solos, or parts that you would be interested in seeing?

j.

I Heart YouTube

I absolutely love YouTube. There is so much great stuff to watch on there!

This morning I found a video of a band called 3DaysRisen performing our song "Friend Like That". Stuff like this is so fun to watch...



Thanks for playing our song, guys! We're honored!

This is literally how we all got our start... We used to play songs at our home churches back in Canada. I think a lot of great bands start out this way... And hey, we still play on flatbed trailers from time to time!

Last spring, while we were on our spring tour, there was a band of young guys that had learned our song "The One Thing I Have Left". We brought them on stage to play it during our encore. I took a video of it, but I can't find it now, and I'm super bummed! I'm gonna try to dig it up, cuz it was awesome!

Thank you to everyone that makes us feel special by learning our songs!

j.