a conversation about roots, reinvention, and finding the sound that finally feels true

hawk in the nest is the stunning, full-band project of avi jacob, a boston-born songwriter shaped by a life spent moving through music communities up and down the east coast. raised in Massachusetts in a family that valued history, storytelling, and art, avi first performed original songs at age fourteen, before immersing himself in boston’s diy scene.

his path led him to charleston, south carolina, where he toured heavily, refined his craft, and shared stages with artists like the marcus king band, dr. john, the lone bellow, mipso, and susto. eventually he returned to his beloved new england, settling in providence and continuing to write songs grounded in emotion, spirituality, and human connection.

these chapters gather into a story that we love. it’s expansive, full of orchestral sweep, indie pop warmth, americana grit, and r&b heart. it is the most complete version of avi’s musical world to date.

hawk in the nest pulls together folk, indie pop, americana and r&b with a full horn section and orchestral sweep. when you began shaping this album, what part of your sound or story did you most want to push forward?

I tried to get to the heart of my songs and was harkening back to the music I grew up on. Motown was my first music love, and Boys II Men was a particular obsession of mine as a boy.

you describe this record as bridging the space between bruce springsteen and al green. what drew you to that particular crossroads, and how did it influence the way these songs came to life?

That was something Van Hunt said to me , I wouldn’t describe myself in such grandiose terms, but my favorite music is the blending of emotionally vulnerable meaningful lyrics with beautiful sounding instruments.

if someone walked into a hawk in the nest live show for the first time, which song from the album would you use to introduce yourself as a band, and why?

Dayenu maybe , it’s a chill sortve introduction to the whole thing

your journey spans boston’s diy scene, charleston’s music community, heavy touring, and then a return to new england. how do you hear these chapters shaping the person and artist you are on this record?

To be honest the biggest effect it has on my music is my accent , which seems to bounce around Boston and southern. When I visit my family in Nashville within a few days I’m practically Hank Williams .

we really, really love your voice. when did you realise you could sing?

I’ll tell you the truth , I couldn’t sing. But I was determined to. People asked me to stop but I didn’t listen, because I could hear that I didn’t sound good so I figured there must be a way to improve and I’d have the ear to discern when I was good enough to sing in public .

you’ve spoken about music as a point of movement and connection, and about your son being your north star. how do these threads feed into your hopes for what hawk in the nest will mean to listeners?

I’m happy if it makes them feel anything. I am extremely proud of the record , and I am confident that people will love it if they give it a chance.

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huge thanks to avi for opening up and sharing the world behind hawk in the nest.