onurblues: The Nighthawks

May 09, 2022

The Nighthawks - American Landscape (2008)

Mark Wenner and… the Nighthawks

In 2022 the Nighthawks celebrate half a century of existence ! No need to say the band, or at least its leader, has gone through all kinds of experiences and knows each and every trick of the business. Founded in 1972 by harpist-vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, the Nighthawks have known a long series of member changes around Wenner after the departure of Thackery in 1986. The pillar, the heart, the soul and the driving force of the band, Wenner must have in store a huge amount of will, strength and health managing to keep his 30-album band alive for these 50 years !

Wenner, an upper-class kid from Bethesda, near Washington D.C., started to play harmonica in his teens. He got definitely caught by the blues and the instrument when struck by the lightning of a Paul Butterfield Blues Band concert in 1966 at Columbia University in New York which he had just entered. Rather than studying seriously, he spent most of his time haunting the Greenwich Village's blues clubs where he saw great bluesmen like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells or Buddy Guy play, practicing his harmonica intensively and jamming with student bands. After managing still to graduate from university, his mind made up to form a blues band, he returned to the D.C. area where he soon met a young impetuous guitar player named Jimmy Thackery. This was the sparkle that lighted the birth of the Nighthawks in 1972.

Thirty-six years later, the tireless, stainless Nighthawks released "American Landscape", their 15th studio album or so. The menu includes mostly covers from the Imperial Crowns (Jimmie Wood & J. J. Holiday), Tom Waits, Bob Dylan (twice) Ike Turner, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Louisiana record producer and songwriter Jerry West aka J.D. Miller, Steve Cropper and soul singer-songwriter-producer Dan Penn, and two original tracks due to bass keeper Johnny Castle.

A rather eclectic American landscape totally designed to put Wenner's harmonica and vocals up front, the rest of the band being almost confined to a backing part, except maybe Paul Bell on guitar.
This makes this album rather disappointing, despite a few outstanding tracks like Tom Wait's "Down In The Hole", Johnny Castle's "Where Do You Go?" and vintage rock'n'roll song "Jana Lea", or the too short acoustic jazzy outro track "The Fishin' Hole", actually the theme song for The Andy Griffith Show TV program.

Inspiration seems to have brought the band in scattered directions and the album lacks unity, from rocking and jumping numbers like "Big Boy" and "Matchbox" to blues-soul numbers like "Made Up My Mind" or "Standing In The Way" through a cool jazzy piece like "Try It Baby". Even Steve Cropper's "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" sounds a bit wheezy. Bob Dylan isn't allowed a better treatment, despite Paul Bell's guitar that reminds the Byrds' folk-rock sound style, not enough to catch the ears of Dylan's fans seriously.

Just like the front cover illustration showing a messy jumble of two or four-wheel vehicles (reflecting heavily tattooed biker Wenner's passion for motorcycles), this album is too dispersed to reveal the band's musical identity and really convince. ■

Interviews

● Wenner looks back on 50 years of The Nighthawks : https://www.theday.com/aemusic/20220501/qampa-mark-wenner-looks-back-on-50-years-of-nighthawks

● Wenner on The Nighthawks, performing, recording and rock'n'roll (audio) : https://youtu.be/-FerO3Bgl0o

● On BluesHarp Info : https://www.bluesharpinfo.com/interviews/mark_wenner.php

● On Blues.Gr : https://blues.gr/profiles/blogs/mark-wenner-of-nighthawks-interview

● On  Making A Scene! : https://www.makingascene.org/the-nighthawks-are-making-a-scene

Mark Wenner's side-band the "Blues Warriors"

● A Blue House Productions Live Stream Concert with Mark Wenner : vocals, harmonica - Mark Stutso : drums, vocals - Clarence “The Bluesman” Turner : guitar, vocals - Zach Sweeney : guitar -, Steve Wolf : upright bass : https://youtu.be/Xina6wqGB4k

Live versions of songs from the album