Hawk Nelson Biography

The Ontario foursome of Jason Dunn, Davin Clark, Daniel Biro and Matt Paige formed the Christian punk-pop group Hawk Nelson in 2003. The band release their first EP, Saturday Rock Action, under their own steam and landed a record deal with Tooth and Nail with the help of fellow Ontario native Trevor McNevan. The following year, the group released their debut album, Letters to the President. The subject matter wasn't obviously religious, but more subtle and generally uplifting.Later that year, the group made their television debut when they portrayed The Who in the series American Dreams and performed The Who's "My Generation." Hawk Nelson experienced a lineup change when Clark and Paige left the band and were replaced by guitarist Jonathan Steingard and drummer Aaron "Sqwid" Tosti in 2004. The band made their first appearance in a movie when they performed their song "Bring ‘Em Out," in the film Yours, Mine & Ours.In 2006, Hawk Nelson released their second album, Smile, It's the End of the World. The group showed a multitude of song styles and influences on the album and it's obvious that they're still honing their sound. Smile proved that Hawk Nelson's debut wasn't a fluke and that this group of Canadian youths is here to stay. The followed it up with 2008's Hawk Nelson is My Friend.The group's Christian roots come through in their music but the messages are not as straightforward as some of their Christian rock colleagues. Their sound resembles that of Good Charlotte with traces of punk-ska pioneers Goldfinger and groups like Slick Shoes. The members of Hawk Nelson are living out their dreams and they make sure to keep that in mind when they write their music. The pursuit of dreams and encouragement are recurring themes in their songs and the band hopes that listeners will take some sense of motivation away from their work.