Some musicians who have played together for nearly a decade, released five albums and played countless shows on countless tours, could turn to album six and toss it together in their sleep. They are pros. They’ve been doing this a long time; autopilot would actually produce some pretty good music.

But what if those musicians who had written and played together for years didn’t switch to autopilot and, instead, became more intentional in their music than ever before? The result would be a set of songs that sound, lyrically and musically, like each note and word were precisely paired. The result would be Hawk Nelson’s sixth studio album Made, releasing April 2013.


In 2008, when Nashville-based Satellites & Sirens singer Geoff Hunker was first looking to start a band, he did what any person might do, he put out a Craigslist ad.  It was at the very first round of auditions that he found drummer Jonathan Dimmel, who had only moved to Nashville 5 months prior.  It didn’t take long to round out the band with guitarist David Troyer, and former bassist Brandon Owens.  Within a year of that first Craigslist ad, S&S not only had a record deal with Word/Warner Bros, but they completed their first full length record.  Their self-titled debut was released in March 2010, and was a critical success, garnering 2 Dove Award nominations for “Rock Recorded Song of the Year” and “Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year”.  In July 2010, they were prominently featured as MTV’s “Needle In a Haystack” artist; the first time any artist on Word had ever been pursued by MTV.

Despite their early success, by January 2011, they found themselves without a label.  Due to a shakeup in management at Word, they were left on the cutting room floor.  Unwilling to accept defeat, the band raised money for a new record through Kickstarter.  They also found new bassist, Dave Willey, a childhood friend of Dimmel’s.  In Nov. 2011, they released their sophomore effort, “Frequency” to rave reviews.  Taking off where their first record left off, this record can best be described as more; more rock, more dancy, more worshipful, more personal.  It was again, a critical success.

2012 found S&S working harder than ever, as they toured relentlessly in support of “Frequency”.  Late summer 2012, they also released a surprise record aptly titled “The Covers”, an ambitious cover album featuring S&S’s own arrangements and versions of major hits by artists as varied as Taylor Swift, John Mayer, One Direction, Skillet, Maroon 5 and Chris Tomlin.  The record quickly became a fan favorite, as the S&S boys also put out a video on YouTube for every song on the record.  The videos showed a range of creativity, humor, and poignancy that had yet to be seen from the band.

The year of 2013 can best be described as a year of touring and writing, writing, writing, and more writing.  The band was determined to write their best record to date.  While pulling from their love for worship, pop, and rock music, they wrote a 12 song record, “One Noise”, that represents those influences equally well.   Teaming up with their brand new label, Dream Records, and with the help of some noted Nashville songwriters and producers, S&S has succeeded in crafting a record that is sure to turn the heads of the industry, as well as the buying audience.  From the ultra-catchy hooks of “Jump Start My Heart”, to the mellow worship of “We Are Yours”, to the electronic laden “Keep Running”, Satellites & Sirens is sure to find a quickly growing fan base.

2014 and 2015 were years spent on the road and the studio. It all started with the “We Won’t Be Shaken” tour where S&S played sold out shows with Building 429, Hawk Nelson and Family Force 5 all across the US as their single “Jump Start My Heart” climbed the Hot AC/CHR charts all the way to #5 and #1 in Australia.  This lead them to a tour in Australia headlining one of the nights of the Forest Edge Music Festival. Then came writing, S&S have been writing for more than a year on the upcoming 4th full length record “TANKS”.  “This record is different but familiar, it’s fun but challenging, it’s roll the windows down and cruise and close the door and think.” says Geoff. This is the bands favorite record to date, with feel good songs like “Who We Are” and “Waste Some Time” to the pop hooks of “Old Souls” and “Chasing Photos” to power and call to action of the new single “TANKS”. This upcoming 4th record brought the band out of their comfort zone and into another release that will make some waves in the industry.

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