True Lions
816 Day, City Market, August 16th, 6:00 PM
Bio: True Lions is the expansively nonconforming music project of Al Hawkins—songwriter, folk-punk fiddler, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and music teacher in KC. The band consists of Al and whoever is playing music with them, most often Fritz Hutchison and Carly Atwood. The band is constantly evolving, recently exploring noise art through amplified fiddle distortion, heavy drums, and bass synth.
Lately, True Lions is performing acoustic old-time and cajun-inspired tunes as a trio (fiddle, guitar, upright bass) for fun and to “make a living” as gigging musicians. In 2024, the band attended Blackpot Cajun Music Camp in Eunice,Louisiana, learning traditional dance styles, such as flat-footing, clogging, and tap dancing, to accompany their music playing. In 2025, True Lions will perform their acoustic tunes while rhythmically dancing! Using heavy boots on a plywood board, Al intends to flat-foot in time whilst singing/fiddling, with Fritz on banjo/guitar and Carly on upright.
In connection to the theme: Our performance will connect our regional tradition of Ozark fiddle music with southern Louisiana traditions of Cajun flat-footing and clogging. We will express our excitement for old-time music and wonder how we can preserve, protect, and embrace these artistic mediums contemporarily. Our performance will demonstrate a unity of music and dance; specifically, we will focus on how one body can both percuss rhythmically with feet, while simultaneously sing and fiddle countermelodies.
This musical expression will symbolize how we can all live with differences: within ourselves, within our musical groups, and within our larger communities. Our performance will demonstrate a curiosity and gratitude for multiple places—music from Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana—and provide thoughtful and surprising dances to relate the sounds with movements. What’s our next step moving forward together with differences? Let’s start with the rhythm in our feet!
Socials:
Instagram: @truelions
Artist Interview
By: Lilly Gerend
True Lions is a traditional folk, Ozark Old-Time style trio traditionally including acoustic guitar, bass, fiddle, and occasionally banjo. The band was originally created by Alison(Al) Hawkins as a means to explore guitar and expand her knowledge of traditional folk music. 
Growing up attending dance classes and taking piano lessons, music was heavily integrated into their life from a young age, especially with their father being a musician. Al’s love for music was fostered with a collaboration and connection to movement.
They mentioned they like to experiment with incorporating flat footing and clogging into her performance. “I think that Western American culture is very compartmentalized in its arts. There’s a lot of music that doesn’t seem to incorporate dancing. And that’s a status quo a lot of times”. They expand on this stating “In some cultures dance is so integral to the music that you wouldn’t even have music without dancing”. Bringing this element of movement into their music allows for an expansion of the performance and the audience experience.
Hawkins’ discovery of her love for traditional folk and Ozark Old-Time music comes somewhat recently and has allowed her to integrate themselves into the Kansas City performing arts community. “I really had
to seek out folk music,” they say. Al goes on to explain how attending a local open mic called Rural Grit Happy hour introduced them to this previously unknown sector of musical performers in KC. “It’s just a bunch of ringers that shred on all of their acoustic instruments and seeing people of all ages come together. It’s a community that I wanted to be a part of and so the music pulled me in that way.”
“Experimenting is like the spice of life,” just one of the quotes that stuck out to me while speaking with Hawkins. The idea of experimentation is something that seemed to be not only a priority but a cornerstone of the band True Lions and Al Hawkins story. They spoke about the importance of the history of folk music and preserving it while using it as a foundation for exploration, innovation, and modern nuance. “In order to preserve these traditions contemporarily, we need to be playing those old time tunes like today,” they say.
When it comes to the subjectiveness of art and what it is, Hawkins was clear about its importance in our world and society today in order to think critically not only about artist intentions but its commentary on today. “There are things that you can point out about the greater world around us that isn’t just saying it directly, but helping us see things creatively so that we can like have more creative solutions to our problems,” they say.
