The Hawthorne Experience

In 2019, two brothers, Will and Kenny Belcher, started fiddling with some cheap mics, a Scarlet interface and some musical instruments in their parent's spare room in their hometown of Austin Texas as a result of the global pandemic lockdowns. At the time, Will had just barely started his freshman year of college at The University of Arizona (Tucson) and Kenny was merely a junior at Veritas Academy high school. 

Something extremely unique about the band's founding brothers is that they began recording just months after picking up their instruments for the first time. This "record-first, learn-later" approach allowed the boys to bypass the imposter phase and get straight to songwriting. It also showed them that true inspiration doesn't have to come from a music classroom, but can be found by those who simply seek it out.  

The result of their first recording experiment was the band's first album, February '71. The album features 10 tracks that swerve, drag and miraculously come together in a hallowed churning soup of harmony, emotion and early inklings of some of the band's fundamental messages. Whistle In The Dark became a staple of the bands early discography. The song describes a metaphorical "whistle in the dark" as the universal force of guidance and encouragement through uncertain times. Will's lyricism reflects a certain "hopeless optimism" that has served as one of the core tenants of The Hawthorne Experience to this day. The rest of February '71 hits on topics as ancillary as the morning cup of coffee they adore so deeply or as resonant as learning to let go and allow the dance of life to take. It will always be revered as the band's most honest work - a simple reflection of their souls at a time in their lives where music was nothing more than an instinct - unfiltered, untainted, and driven by the pure thrill of creation.

After February '71 found its way into the hands of close friends and family—met with surprise, warmth, and unexpected admiration—its quiet success intensified the boy's newfound lust for creating music. But they wanted knew they had a lot of work to do. 

In 2022 after finishing high-school, Kenny moved from Austin TX to Tucson AZ and joined Will at the "Hawthorne House". 

The Hawthorne House is a story in its self. Located just off U of A campus, it served as the central oasis for creativity, community and debauchery for the band's early, explorative years. 

"The first time I played in front of people was in the Hawthorne living room, I've met countless best friends in her drunken hallways, I had my first heart break at Hawthorne, I came out the other side a better human at Hawthorne, I first saw cocaine & handled gunfire at Hawthorne. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about when I say that Hawthorne WAS the Experience. Hawthorne lives on in memory as that small slice of heaven that ushered us so gracefully from the wooly cotton brains of infancy into the big bright world."      (Will)

In October ‘24 Jonah, Kenny and Will took the first rendition of Surf-Funk to Star City Studios (El Paso, TX). With Eric Boseman at the helm and Victor Moreno’s engineering team capturing every warped note, they returned home triumphant with a 10-track odyssey that unravels the soul and pulls listeners deeper into the unknown. The band released their self-titled debut album in July 2025. 

After several tours for the debut album  in California and throughout the Southwest, Kenny decides to take a step back from the band. 

"There's no bad blood, my brother is focused on different things right now. He can have all the time he needs." (Will)

In February 2026 Nico Esparza joins the band on drums. The band will record their second album at the end of June '26 in Tucson at Saint Cecilia Studios with Steven Tracy.