Music Minute - Hunter James: Chasing a Sound

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Two finished EPs, recorded in Georgia and paid for with years of time and money, sit on a shelf in Hunter James' world. He had to walk away from both to make “Chasing A Sound.” The Bowmanville, Ontario country and Americana artist’s new single is out now, and it’s the sound of a long, winding road finally leading home.

It’s a highway song in every sense, blending outlaw country grit with Americana honesty, a dusty twang and a little rock and roll swagger. “Spinning that radio dial / Making my way along,” James sings. “Somewhere in the static / Is where I’ll find my peace.”

“‘Chasing a Sound’ captures the struggles of the last 3 years of my life—riding the highways, travelling from place to place and refusing to settle until the music coming through the speakers matched what I felt in my soul and heard in my head,” he says. “Ironically, I was travelling the roads looking for my sound and I ended up finding it right here at home.”

“For years, my dream was to make a record with my own band, the way many of my idols did. I faced pushback and pressure to use studio musicians, but I knew in my heart that these guys were capable of making the record with me,” he says. “Somehow, it was the right fit, immediately.”

Since being released “Chasing A Sound” has earned James the playlist cover of “Canada’s Country” on Apple Music.

Most recently James has joined Gord Bamford for select dates on the “As Long As There’s A Bar” tour and opened for the Reklaw’s at the Kee To Bala. Other notable performances include North of Nowhere, Departure Fest and winding Roads Live. 

He chased it through Nashville, Georgia, Kentucky and everywhere in between. In the end, Hunter James found his sound waiting for him back home in Ontario, with his own band beside him.