Ontario country-Americana artist Hunter James turns three years of searching, setbacks, and self-discovery into his latest single, “Chasing A Sound.”
Bowmanville, Ontario country and Americana artist Hunter James is turning years of searching into something worth celebrating with his latest single, “Chasing A Sound.” Blending outlaw country grit, Americana storytelling, and a touch of rock and roll swagger, the track captures the long road James travelled to discover his musical identity.
After recording two EPs in Georgia and ultimately deciding to leave both unreleased, James found himself starting over. His journey took him through Nashville, Georgia, Kentucky, and beyond before he realized the sound he had been chasing was waiting for him back home in Ontario.
Working alongside longtime mentor and producer Markus Maar, James embraced old-school recording techniques and fulfilled a longtime dream of recording live off the floor with his own band. The result is a warm, authentic sound that reflects both his musical influences and the experiences that shaped him.
Since its release, “Chasing A Sound” has earned James the cover of Apple Music’s Canada’s Country playlist. He has also continued building his reputation onstage, joining Gord Bamford for select dates of the As Long As There’s A Bar tour and opening for The Reklaws at the Kee To Bala.
With “Chasing A Sound,” Hunter James proves that sometimes finding your way forward means returning to where you started.
Listen to Hunter James’ “Chasing A Sound”
We caught up with Hunter James to discuss his latest single, the challenges of finding his musical identity, recording with his own band, and the journey that ultimately brought him back home.
Hunter James Interview – The Story Behind “Chasing A Sound”
Hi, Hunter ! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
My name is Hunter James. I am an Outlaw/Americana artist from Bowmanville, ON. Growing up listening to a lot of the old greats in country music, it became easy for me to fall in love with the honest songwriting and raw performances of my musical idols. I think that shows in my music and songwriting today as I aim to pay homage to the artists that inspired me.
You spent three years travelling through Nashville, Georgia, Kentucky and beyond, searching for a sound you could hear in your head but couldn’t quite capture in the studio. What were you hearing that was missing from those early recordings, and how did you finally recognize it when you found it?
I think the thing that was missing from the earlier recordings was the realness and the raw emotion; not just in my vocals, but in the overall sound. It was almost like the soul of the songs had got lost in the effort to capture them. I love the sounds of the records that I idolize. They are so real it’s almost like you are there in the room with the band listening to them live. When I finally heard the final product of “Chasing A Sound” it transported me back to the moment when my band and I were in the studio recording it. It had that sound, just like the recordings that I have admired my whole life because of the way they make me feel.
You recorded two complete EPs and ultimately decided to walk away from both, despite the time, money and energy you’d invested. How difficult was that decision, and what did it teach you about trusting your instincts as an artist?
When I look back on the moment of making that decision to leave everything behind and go back to the drawing board, I remember having no second thoughts. Knowing that my sound was out there and that it was just going to take more time to get it kept the drive and the fire alive. Trusting myself as an artist has been the most important lesson I have learned in this journey because if I did not trust my artist intuition, I would still be in the search for that sound that was living in my head.
Your longtime mentor Markus Maar helped you experiment with everything from vintage instruments to microphone placement, and you insisted on recording live with your own band rather than session musicians. What happened in that studio that made everything finally click, and how did that experience change your relationship with your band?
Markus was the catalyst to making this whole thing happen. From the first pre-production meeting to the final studio day, Markus was able to get inside my head and figure out how to create that sound in the studio. Everything from old school recording techniques to bringing in vintage equipment and instruments, Markus had us almost work backwards from the way things are done in today’s studios. The combination of all these strategies made it all come together and click.
Having my band in the studio going through this journey of experimenting and learning together, creating this new sound, brought us closer on a musical and a personal level. All of us are a part of what came out of that studio and we are very excited to now take it to the live stage.
There’s something wonderfully ironic about travelling across America to find your musical identity, only to discover it back home in Ontario. Now that “Chasing A Sound” has earned you the cover of Apple Music’s Canada’s Country playlist, how has finding your sound changed the way you think about your future and the music you want to make next?
I don’t think that I will ever stop chasing my sound as I believe that it continuously evolves and changes over time just like the song says. I’m not sure what the future holds for my sound. Having so many influences from different genres such as country, rock, blues, bluegrass and even jazz, it’s hard to predict the exact direction my sound will lean towards, but I do know that the raw/real baseline that we achieved on this recording will always be a part of the music that I make.
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