Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Hawkins
Hi Mark, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Super Horndog started in 2017 when good friends Mark Hawkins (guitar), Carl Spaniola (bass), Ant Howell (drums), and Greg Brown (vocals) decided to start a new band. They had all been in various local bands, and a few of the guys were in other bands together. We’ve all known each other for years, but this was the first time we were all in a project together. After many years of trying to be successful and looking to make it into the big time, we decided this band would be for fun and to not take it too seriously. Super Horndog was also on a mission to write good original material unlike anything else going on in the area and carved a niche all our own. People would say “I don’t know what it is, but I like it!”.
We immediately started recording our first record “Beware Of Dog” and were picked up by some local radio and internet stations, and live shows stunned some people into loving this new sound. Our not so serious band was being taken seriously yet we are still just having fun and going with the flow. In 2018 we did a lyric video for “Mynd” and started writing for our second record “Wham Bam”. Greg parted ways with the band due to creative differences and we managed to continue as a three piece until this day.
Other records followed “Red Rocket” and “Boom Goes The Dynamite”. These records opened up some doors for us to perform at bigger venues such as The Token, The Vault, and The Machine Shop as well as quite a few festivals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Losing our original vocalist was a challenge in that we had to learn to sing and play a lot of the songs which ultimately made us stronger. We had to really practice to get our voices to do what was in our heads. Our first record was recorded at Studio 810 with Beau Garrow and was a great time for us and he did an awesome job. The rest of our records were done in house by us in our own space, so obtaining all of the studio gear and learning to do all of the recording, mixing, and mastering on our own definitely took some time and continues to get better. The music we write is sometimes very progressive, has sudden stops, and is always pushing the boundary of what people consider normal music, often times were exploring uncharted waters, making strange changes, and are always reminding ourselves that we have to be able to perform it live just like the record.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Super Horndog is a musician’s band. Often times we see other bands coming out to support us which to us is the ultimate acceptance. Fans love us because we just play and have a good time, with comedy rhetoric between songs and moving around the stage to put on a real rock show. We still don’t take ourselves seriously and sometimes it shows until were knee deep in a song. The one thing we do have, which is our “gimmick” is Carl plays a bass made out of a hockey stick for a couple songs and they are always the crowd favorites. We may have the only one in existence.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Were on all streaming services just about, have facebook, and an instagram as well as a bunch of videos on YouTube. Just look up Super Horndog, were the only one.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/super_horndog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superhorndog
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@superhorndog3596
- Other: https://linktr.ee/SuperHorndog
