Hawkes switched roles of frontman/songwriter to produce and play lead guitar for Five Times August, a previously solo project of singer-songwriter Brad Skistimas. The single "Better With You" was featured on MTV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County in its inaugural season.
A full length 2005 follow up album Fry Street, with performance and production by Hawkes,[3] received more play on cable and broadcast television. In 2007 tracks from Something Clever and Fry Street were compiled and released as The Independent.[4]
In 2005 Hawkes and other members, also known as Redtag, departed Five Times August and renamed as The Color Gray releasing 2005's self-titled EP and 2006 Control LP.[5] The release of The Color Gray's full-length album Control was preceded with the single "Nothing to Lose" released to commercial rock radio KTBZ-FM, KLAQ, KNCN, KEYJ and playlist rotation on KDGE The Edge Dallas.
Solo career
In 2007 Chris Hawkes released his first solo acoustic album Guitar and Voice[6]MTV featured "Falling Into Doubt" on episodes of the television series The Hills third and fourth season [7] and on Animal Planet show Jockey's in 2008.[8]
Hawkes released a second independent album Because I Feel That Way Too
in 2009. Tracks from the album were pre-loaded in AT&T smart phones, featured on MTV's Teen Mom 2 and radio stations in the U.S.[9]
While touring in 2010, Hawkes co-wrote and recorded "Mystery" with Annemarie Jensen releasing the song on her debut album, Melodies[10] and his third album, Broken Record. Shortly after its release, "Mystery" was added to rotation on Danish radio station DR P4.[11]Texas Music magazine featured another track from Broken Record, "From Love (Momma Song)", in their winter 2012 issue,[12] while the title track "Broken Record" was included on MTV series Teen Mom 2 and "Watch It Fall" and "Little Too Long" were featured in 90210.
Dawn and Hawkes
In 2011, Miranda Dawn and Hawkes collaborated for the recording of Dawn's debut album, Reason to Feel Alive.[13]
Dawn was recognized as a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting competition for her songs "Forever Happily" and "Made to Roam"[14] and performed with Hawkes at the festival in May 2012. Dawn and Hawkes continued co-writing and touring together and released a collaborative effort, Golden Heart, in June 2012.
In 2013, the duo auditioned for season 6 of the American reality talent show The Voice. Their audition was broadcast on NBC on February 24, 2014. Adam Levine and Shakira pressed the "I Want You" button, turning their chairs.
Their iTunes single for "I've Just Seen A Face" charted No. 1 in iTunes Rock sales and No. 22 across all genres, selling 24,000 copies in the first week as a Billboard charts "Hot Shot Debut".[15][16] Their previously-released "Golden Heart" EP followed.[17]
The duo continued touring throughout 2015 with appearances at music festivals like Folk Alliance International and South by Southwest while recording their first full-length album Yours and Mine.[28]
Dawn and Hawkes announced their marriage with the release of their new music video and single, "Yours and Mine", on August 21, 2015, via Huffington Post.[29] Their full-length album, also titled Yours and Mine, went on sale October 2 and followed with a second video release "Almost Mine" from Texas Monthly,[30] and third video for "Silver Line" from Acoustic Guitar.[31]
Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes recorded music and vocals for Daytime Emmy Award winning 2016 StoryBots series Ask The Story Bots and StoryBots Super Songs[32]
Dawn and Hawkes appeared, individually and together, in the 2017 documentary film, Albert E. Brumley: Songwriter of the Ozarks[32]
The duo stored their possessions and lived on the road full-time while starting their second full-length album The Other Side, released July 6, 2018.[33] The first video from the album, 'Trees' premiered on Billboard.[34]
In 2004, Hawkes established One Road Studio, for the recording and production of his own bands and other regional acts.[38] In 2006 Hawkes partnered with Disclive, a Dallas-based recording company, to record live performances of Thirty Seconds to Mars, Flyleaf, The Toadies, Sonic Youth, Cooder Graw, Spoonfed Tribe, and Edgewater.[39]
Discography
Albums
Released
Album title
Album/ EP
Artist
Singles/Feature Track
2004
Something Clever
EP
Five Times August
"Better With You"
2005
Fry Street
Album
Five Times August
2005
The Color Gray
EP
The Color Gray
2006
Control
Album
The Color Gray
"Nothing to Lose"
2007
The Independent
Compilation album
Five Times August
2007
Guitar and Voice
Album
Chris Hawkes
"Falling Into Doubt"
2009
Because I Feel That Way Too
Album
Chris Hawkes
"Again" "Falling Into Doubt" "Finally Free"
2011
Broken Record
Album
Chris Hawkes
"Mystery" (with Annemarie Jensen) "From Love (Momma Song)"
