Hello, everyone!

It’s almost August already.  Can You believe it?  What a summer.  The heat and the smoke have been hard on everyone, but it hasn’t stopped the music!

Thanks to everyone that has made it out to see the Dillos, Rocket Club and the CHB in the first half of 2026. 

Now, about the second half.

The response to my song “Get To” has been incredible.  Watching and hearing so many people sing along as we played it live last week at Summerfield Amphitheater literally brought tears to my eyes.  These days it’s almost impossible to gauge the impact of a song once it’s released.  The only way to know if it connects is if someone reaches out personally or you get a reaction to it at a show.  That song means a lot to me and it was simply wonderful to see that it means something to so many of you as well. 

I love writing, recording, and releasing music.  The things that I can communicate by song ar

e often things I can’t find a way to say out loud.  That expression, that connection to humanity, has been a life saver for me.

And that is why I have spent the better part of 2026 working on a new album with the talented Mr. Matt Kirkwold.

“Get To” was the first track from that forthcoming album, which we expect to have ready for release by late fall.

The second single, “Hard Things”, is out now.  I hope you’ll take a minute to find it (it’s available on every platform) and give it a listen.  If you do, you’ll probably notice a pattern.

Both of those songs reflect my new outlook on life and the message I am trying to communicate to friends and strangers alike.  Mindset is everything.  I have always been a pretty positive guy.  But it’s no secret that things have been topsy turvy for me over the last few years.  Heck, it’s no stretch to say that things have been topsy turvy for all of us.

I’m ashamed to say that I have spent some time swirling in the muck of self-pity.

But I’m done with that.

There’s no time to waste in this one little life.

The new record, which will be titled “Song and Dance Man”, will feature a lot of songs about picking yourself up and making your world, and the world at large, a better place. The new single, “Hard Things”, hits that point plainly.

“Do Hard Things.  Aim for something more.  If you’re down and depressed, go out and explore.  Sittin’ around sad will never make your heart sing. So get off your ass and go do Hard Things.”

That’s my mindset.  My mission.

Let’s make music, Make Moments, together.  Let’s do hard things.  Let’s feed the river.

Let’s make the world a better place.

It’s up to us.

I hope you will join us at the next Chris Hawkey Band show which will be in Waite Park, MN August 15^th opening for 38 Special at the Ledge Amphitheater.  It’s a big opportunity for us as we get the engines firing towards playing a lot more CHB shows in 2027.

I’ll also be all over the state of Minnesota with the Fabulous Armadillos for the rest of the summer and early fall as well.

Please consider coming out to a show.  Give my new tunes a listen.  And be on the lookout for another new single in the very near future.  That one will be a cover song duet with the supremely talented Sarah Kiroddy.  It’s pretty freaking cool.

Thank you for joining me on this incredible ride.

I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.

Much Love.

Hawkey