(funky music) - [Narrator] Coming up on Ocean State Sessions, ♪ My voice away ♪ - [Narrator] John Faraone.

♪ Sharing silence with the room ♪ ♪ But everything's better when you're around ♪ - [Narrator] And Hawk in the Nest.

♪ Everything's better when you're around ♪ ("Love Greets You") ("Love Greets You" continues) ♪ Lost in a crowd ♪ ♪ Their heads are hanging down ♪ ♪ What they don't see ♪ ♪ You shine like the moon to me ♪ ♪ The rows of trees ♪ ♪ Breathe in rhythmically ♪ ♪ Restlessly ♪ ♪ Just like I used to be ♪ ♪ But I know now that love greets you in your dreams ♪ ("Love Greets You" continues) ♪ A pink sunset ♪ ♪ This one I won't forget ♪ ♪ A crack in the sky ♪ ♪ Horizon stretched for miles ♪ ♪ And once in a while ♪ ♪ When the moon's too distant to shine ♪ ♪ In the darkest night ♪ ♪ I'll recall your light ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know now ♪ ♪ The love greets you with a smile ♪ ("Love Greets You" continues) ("Love Greets You" continues) (viewers applaud) - (grunts) All right, good to go?

(upbeat guitar music) There's a lot of opportunity for imposter syndrome and feeling like you're just, you're not as good as the thing that you're inspired by.

My name is John Faraone, I am a musician from Rhode Island.

So I got into music very young.

My parents got me a drum set probably when I was six or seven maybe.

But it wasn't until I started actually playing solo when I wrote my first song, it was like, that's what I want to do.

(light guitar music) ♪ If I had to go back, I don't think I'd change anything ♪ ♪ Maybe spend a little more time thinking of you ♪ - There are many challenges psychologically with doing this kind of thing.

It has to be its own reward, having issues with stage fright like I do, it takes a lot outta me.

It'll take an entire day of worrying about playing.

The only way out of that is to appreciate what you're making.

You have to enjoy doing it.

You have to enjoy making art, or painting, or writing songs 'cause it's not easy to keep loving the thing that you're doing when it's really, really hard.

But then once I start playing, it reminds me of why I do it.

(light guitar music) That sounds good to me.

Watching how my son reacted to music reinvigorated my interest in continuing to create.

I think all kids, especially now having a kid, if you put a drum set in front of a kid, they're gonna love it.

♪ And if there's a reason why ♪ ♪ This evening is burning bright ♪ - So I started writing a new album at the beginning of the pandemic.

For the past four years, I've been trying to get a new body of songs together.

I started recording it within the last couple months at Big Nice Studio in Rhode Island.

The entire album is basically strongly influenced by a book called "The Waves" by Virginia Woolf.

I read it at the very beginning of the pandemic and for whatever reason it was right place, right time.

It hit me and it was the only thing that I could read.

I read it four or five times and just was really sucked in to the story.

I'm hoping to spend the winter mixing it and getting it mastered and then having it come out soon after that.

The local music scene, any local music scene, tends to be a younger person's game and it's tough getting older and seeing yourself, or thinking that you are growing out of it.

But I think that really doesn't matter.

I think if playing music/ and writing music, and playing shows is still fun, there's always the opportunity to keep doing it.

There's no reason to stop doing it.

(light guitar music) ("Nothing Left Behind") ("Nothing Left Behind" continues) ♪ I hope I was never horrible ♪ ♪ Even when I got it wrong ♪ ♪ Life is like a tired, retreating thing ♪ ♪ We all are trying to hold on ♪ ♪ And here I am, I'm getting older, older, older, older ♪ ♪ And all the leaves are turning gold ♪ ♪ On the trees there on the city streets ♪ ♪ Planted dead, I feel like home ♪ ♪ And even as I try to sleep ♪ ♪ There's something on my mind ♪ ♪ But time we lost is time we had ♪ ♪ There's nothing left behind ♪ ("Nothing Left Behind" continues) ♪ Late night coffee burn my voice away ♪ ♪ Sharing silence with the room ♪ ♪ And the familiar smell of the windowsill ♪ ♪ Somehow reminded me of you ♪ ♪ Watching rain fall through the streetlight glow ♪ ♪ Twilight Kubrick indigo ♪ ♪ I wonder if this light once lent itself ♪ ♪ To help you find your way back home ♪ ♪ And even as I try to sleep ♪ ♪ There's something on my mind ♪ ♪ But time we lost is time we had ♪ ♪ There's nothing left behind ♪ ("Nothing Left Behind" continues) ("Nothing Left Behind" continues) (viewers applaud) ♪ Well baby, baby, baby, baby ♪ ("Baby, baby, baby, baby) ♪ I love you so ♪ ♪ And I'll never ♪ ♪ Never let you go ♪ ♪ It's the way you look at me ♪ ♪ I'm sparkling like the sea ♪ ♪ With the bright sun showing out ♪ ♪ After a long cold, lonely storm ♪ ♪ Baby, baby, baby, baby ♪ ("Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby" continues) ♪ My heart you have stolen ♪ ♪ And my body ♪ ♪ Longing to hold ♪ ♪ Because whenever you are near ♪ ♪ It's sweet music to my ears ♪ ♪ The way you breathe when I'm touching you ♪ ♪ Under the tin roof in the pouring rain ♪ ♪ Baby, baby, baby, baby ♪ ("Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby" continues) ♪ Girl, when I think of you ♪ ♪ All that I can do is cry ♪ ♪ For you have gone down done ♪ ♪ Gone on out of my life ♪ ("Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby" continues) ("Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby" continues) ♪ Now when I think of you ♪ ♪ All that I can do is cry ♪ ♪ For you have gone down done ♪ ♪ Gone on out of my life ♪ (viewers applaud) (car whooshing) - [Avi] We're at Myrtle in East Providence and I have a residency here.

It's something I knew I always have wanted to have a spot that's local, I can play regularly.

My name is Avi Jacob and I'm in Hawk in the Nest, or I am, Hawk in the Nest is like my moniker.

♪ I wanna be a hawk in the nest ♪ - [Avi] I always remember loving songs.

I loved the Beatles and when Motown would be on the radio.

When I started playing guitar when I was 11, I saw a video of Jimi Hendrix performing and I was like, that's something.

(guitar wailing) It was a video of him performing at Monterey.

(guitar wailing) He was lighting his guitar on fire.

I think I was more interested in the playing than the fire.

Performing my own songs that I wrote and singing them with guitar, I started doing at home when I was 11 or 12, but didn't start doing shows until I was, like, 15.

♪ Who's a glutton for pain ♪ - Definitely being Jewish was a big part of my life.

My grandparents spoke Yiddish and having Shabbat dinner and, I mean, being Jewish was just a big thing, part of life.

♪ If I'm really being honest ♪ ♪ It's clear that I'm not doing fine ♪ - [Avi] Every night of Hanukkah was a song that I wrote when I was on a plane.

♪ Think about you all the time ♪ - I think it's a good song, and it's very simple, so, there's nothing, there's not too much to it that I would feel bad about.

It's a little silly but my childhood rabbi really loves it.

(Avi sings in Yiddish) It was hard for me to decide to change to Hawk in the Nest.

♪ Still I'm drawn to you ♪ ♪ Like a moth to a flame ♪ - My booking agent was like, this can be a buffer for you.

I'm very uncomfortable talking into a phone and saying, "Hey, you should listen to my album "and you should come see me."

I hate asking for that, just it feels weird.

And so Hawk in the Nest is more of a conscious thing where it feels good, it feels like it has good intentions.

If you could do anything and be anywhere, for them to sit and listen to me sing, and be open to that connection, and that's something that it's really, it's a fun, awesome thing to do.

("Don't Leave Me This Way") ♪ Well, baby, you can call me anytime you want ne ♪ ♪ And I'll be there shortly ♪ ♪ And I know that before, love ♪ ♪ I was one foot out the door, love ♪ ♪ Afraid and unsure, love ♪ ♪ But everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ Everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ And I get it now ♪ ♪ Everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ Well come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ When things finally start to change ♪ ♪ And I know in the past, love ♪ ♪ I was one foot on the gas, love ♪ ♪ But would you be my last, love ♪ ♪ And you can put it all on me ♪ ♪ I take responsibility, I hurt you and I'm sorry ♪ ♪ But everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ Everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ And I get it now ♪ ♪ Everything's better when you're around ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ When things finally start to change ♪ ("Don't Leave Me This Way" continues) ♪ Well, you can call me when you leave him ♪ ♪ Days, months, years down the road ♪ ♪ I'll hold you in my arms ♪ ♪ I'll never let you go ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ When things finally start to change ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ Come on, don't leave me this way ♪ ♪ When things finally start to change ♪ (viewers applaud) - [Narrator] For more Ocean State Sessions, plus all your Rhode Island PBS favorites, visit RIPBS.org.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues)