By Will McGuirk
Its been some time since Hunter Sheridan threw his hat into the crowded singer/songwriter field, thinking March this year but so much has happened since then who knows it could have been yesterday or a hundred years ago, it was May actually. We had reached out to Hunter and yes we are slow but slow is ok - in fact we would argue its better. That’s the great thing about art, for artists right now, for those who choose to take time, to take their own path, there is no benefit to the urgency of hitting the charts, the airwaves, the tour schedule. All of that is gone and art, always, is outside of schedules. So take the time. Anyway there is a timelessness to Hunter’s tracks, a brightly musical guitar just cresting on surf twang, and the softest of harmonies. The songs crackle and burn and drift, carrying whatever cares you have up and out into the night sky. The perfect companion for some time to contemplate.
Slowcity.ca: Skin & Bones has been a long time coming, how do you feel now its out in the world?
Hunter Sheridan: “Over the last 5 years I’ve put out a few albums with West Hammock and even a live off the floor album with a side project, and those experiences really taught me a lot about the recording process, which inevitably influenced my writing and preparation going into my first album. I really needed it to set a foundation for what you can expect from me and I am looking forward to building on that with new music you can expect later this year.”
SC: Tell me how the album was written, solo? guests? producer? recorded where and how?
HS: “All of the song structures and main melodies were written solo, but the other instrumentation and production was done as a group including myself, Jules Hall, Ty Callan, and Jordan Moore. There is one song on the album that is actually an older West Hammock track that was never released and was part of a 3-track session near the end of the band’s time, which Sean Thornton plays keys on (‘What You Need’ – track 5). Jordan Moore and I were going through these sessions during some of the early mixing stages for the album and we thought that the message behind the song and the whole atmosphere fit really nicely within the ‘Life is a Dream’ track list. Aside from that song, all of the tracks were recorded in our home studios in Hamilton and Oshawa – Jordan is an amazing engineer who can make a studio anywhere, so the songs are all recorded in positive, familiar places that we were having a lot of fun with, which I think shows in the tones and rhythms of the album.”
SC: Just to clarify, Spotify has you listed as a Guelph artist - are you living there now, tell me about the whys of the move and how you are enjoying the Royal City
HS: “I’ve moved back and forth between Guelph and Durham Region over the last few years, but I originally moved there for school when I started at the university. I fell in love with the vibrance of the downtown core, the arts culture and the proximity of the city to some beautiful landscapes like Tobermory, Fergus and Elora.”
SC: With gigs shut down what have you been doing to share the music and how have you been coping with Covid-19?
HS: “We had a tour booked throughout May and June, and I was really looking forward to getting this album out and playing these songs live with the group. It took me a minute to figure out how we could still make this semi-possible and after a few calls with Jordan, we figured out how to set up a more polished live show with higher quality audio. This led me to promoting a virtual album release show where you could purchase a ticket to the show and a physical copy of the album. We did the show with Sidedoor Access and Zoom, so all of the audience members were live on camera during the show as well. It was really special, and I am thankful to everyone who supported.
“My time spent without performance opportunities has been really focused on writing. Jules and I have written a new album that we are looking to start recording sometime next year, and in the meantime, I have some singles coming out throughout the remained of 2020. There may be some virtual shows with a similar format to support those, however we will see where it all goes! Aside from music, I’ve been renovating a 1984 shorty school bus into a camper with my mom this summer! We had to completely gut it, cut out the old metal, learn how to weld the new stuff in and go from there. That has been a really fun experience.”
SC: Is there a physical album available - CD, Vinyl ?
HS: “There is! Physical CDs are available for $10 and I’d really love to do vinyl at some point, but I’ve got some merch ideas in the works before that. Digital copies are also available for purchase on Bandcamp for $7, or you can stream the album anywhere you listen to music.
If anyone reading is interested, they can e-transfer me at huntersheridan@gmail.com with their name and mailing address in the notes, and I will send a copy!”
SC: Who did the artwork, it’s really interesting
HS: “Jules Hall is responsible for all of the artwork. It was all hand drawn, even the text, then scanned. A lot of the concepts of the album draw from nature, space and time, so I wanted to incorporate this around an individual to demonstrate our connection to the universe and to each other. Jules did an awesome job and we will definitely be using some of her artwork on the album for merch that will be coming this Fall.”
