Nighthawks by Erik Friedlander

In September of 2012 New York City, and much of the Eastern US, was hit by Hurricane Sandy. It quickly became quite serious. Downtown Manhattan was plunged into darkness and without power for 5 days. Friedlander had set aside the time to work on Nighthawks and he quickly got used to life without power. Following the sun, he was up early and when the sun set, he’d work by candlelight. “My neighborhood was eerie and dark, and there were no streetlights, traffic signals or any stores or restaurants open. About every 10 or 15 minutes or so a police car would make an appearance, driving through the black with its emergency lights spinning, but no siren. It was in this odd environment of quiet and solitude that I finished writing Nighthawks.”
What began with Sandy and that experience of living without power led to other revelations about his new project. “I wrote “One Red Candle” and it started me thinking about night places -- places where people hang out, seedy places: pool halls, diners, gas stations, train and bus depots.” These became the environment for Nighthawks inspiring songs like Sneaky Pete (a high-quality cue disguised to look like a crummy house cue), Poolhall Payback, and 26 Gasoline Stations.
The title of the cd comes from one of Edward Hopper’s most famous paintings depicting four people in a diner late at night. A lot of what Hopper evoked: the mystery and solitude, was familiar to Friedlander. “I felt like I was living in a Hopper painting. The streets were empty and the days were getting shorter. One night an enterprising guy set up his falafel stand nearby using a generator. It was the only light source for a 20 block radius. A few people were waiting in line for a hot meal -- It was a modern-day Hopper come to life!”

Cellist Erik Friedlander is a prolific solo artist, bandleader and film composer. Having been a sought after studio musician and improviser in New York’s downtown music scene for years, Friedlander has recently become well known for his work scoring film and television. He most recently scored the film "Baby Ruby" by first time director Bess Wohl appearing now on Hulu.

erikfriedlander.com