The Hawks

This Midwestern power pop quintet (keyboardist Dave Hearn, guitarists Dave Steen, and Kirk Kaufman, bassist Frank Wiewel, and drummer Larry Adams) came equipped with four strong songwriters/vocalists fighting for room on each of their two long players (only drummer Adams sat out on the songwriting duties). Through the course of two albums on Columbia (1981's self-titled debut and 1982's fantastic follow-up, 30 Seconds Over Otho), each of the band's creative forces fought for vinyl time, with Hearn taking a slight lead over the others. When neither album set the charts on fire, Columbia let the band go and they split up. Another victim of the "Two Album Deal" curse of the '80s (also see the Elektrics, the Deserters, the Laughing Dogs, Four Out of Five Doctors, etc.). ~ Stephen Schnee, All Music Guide