It's not surprising The High Hawks recorded a collection of songs that take the listener on a musical journey when you consider the group is a passion project comprised of six musical road warriors and friends who have logged hundreds of thousands of miles in their careers traveling the country from gig to gig. Herman is best known as one of the two frontmen for Leftover Salmon and many people know Staehly from the jam band supergroup Hard Working Americans, but it's the group they co-founded -- Great American Taxi -- that connects all the members of The High Hawks in one way or another. Bassist Brian Adams and drummer Will Trask were both members of Taxi, while vocalist-fiddler-guitarist Tim Carbone, best known as a member of Railroad Earth, produced two of GAT's albums. In addition, vocalist-guitarist Adam Greuel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades was influenced by Taxi in his teenage years and even played a few gigs with the group. The High Hawks easily traverse a variety of musical stylings on Mother Nature's Show -- from various rock flavors including Southern, country and psychedelic, as well as honky tonk and even a ballad and a waltz -- while maintaining a sonic cohesiveness that claims each style as their own. The band's performances throughout the record are top-notch, and there's very little overdubbing. What you hear are six superb musicians in the Pachyderm tracking room, looking at one another, reacting in real time to what is being played and capturing the kind of musical magic that eludes recording artists who build their records part by part. When asked about the authenticity of The High Hawks' new album, Herman assures with a laugh, AI had no part in the making of this record.
