25 Apr 2024
James Hunter and The Gatherers - Single Review: Revelation
17 Nov 2022 // A review by Kev Rowland
This four-piece alt folk
group was originally a solo venture by James Hunter, but he brought in others
to work with him, and The Gatherers are now Taylar Mallo (bass), Jacob Gates (lead
guitar) and Emerson McCullough (drums.) They say they are influenced by the
likes of Jeff Buckley, Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver, but there is also a major
influence which is somewhat out of left field, as whether they have recognised
it or not, Justin Hawkins of British rockers The Darkness has had an impact. When
they released Permission to Land back in 2003, everyone was blown away
by the use of falsetto and the very high notes indeed which Hawkins was
hitting, and the same is true here of Hunter. His style is cleaner and more direct
than Buckley, getting to the point in less of a roundabout manner.
The song commences in a straight folk manner with gentle acoustic and vocals with gentle drums in the background, but we soon have electric guitars and a manner which is more Eels than Woody Guthrie, with those vocals rising to a scream, and then we back to folk. Is this a rock group with folk elements, or the other way around? Who cares? This is a fascinating introduction to the band and their music and I look forward to hearing more.
Rating:
( 4 / 5 )
About James Hunter and The Gatherers
The abrupt appearance of COVID 19 allowed Hunter the chance to release Two EPs, Last Little While and You which were created entirely from a small room in his Wellington flat.
Hunter’s sounds are created in narratives that allow listeners to journey with him through vulnerable places in the human soul: love, fear, faith, joy, pain. He hopes to share his life with others, in the hope of growing with others and being able to connect with others in the process.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for James Hunter and The Gatherers
Other Reviews By Kev Rowland
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07 Jul 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was down to Tuning Fork for the first night of the second Crushfest festival. Tonight was going to be Wellington and Auckland bands, and then some of the same will be playing at the second night in Wellington next month.
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So it was down to Tuning Fork for the first night of the second Crushfest festival. Tonight was going to be Wellington and Auckland bands, and then some of the same will be playing at the second night in Wellington next month.
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It has been quite a while since I last heard from Wellington-based singer songwriter Cathy Elizabeth, and back then Rain was seen solely as a studio project with Cathy being accompanied by Thomas Te Taite, who provided all the instrumentation including digital drums. Now they are a full band who have been performing live, and it is the first time they have recorded as such, with Thomas now, just providing acoustic guitar (plus engineering and producing etc.
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01 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I must admit I was not that impressed when I first saw Lost Vessels play at Crushfest, something they later admitted to me was the worst gig of their career, but since then they have improved in leaps and bounds. This has been noticed by others on the Auckland circuit as they are getting more opportunities with better support slots, and I was not at all surprised when they won the Ding Dong Lounge Battle Of The Bands in November last year.
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28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I have caught Unwanted Subject in concert a few times over the last couple of years, and while they have been getting better each time I have seen them, I must admit that nothing prepared me for this, which right from the off is a monster. I have never heard them quite this is aggressive, nor as polished, and this multi-sectioned single sounds almost like a different band as they have pushed their metal roots to the max in this metalcore beast which sees them mixing and blending different genres to create something quite special.
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Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland - 26/05/2023
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was back to Ding Dong Lounge on a Friday night for one of their infamous Emo nights, which tonight was a three-band bill with Stray Dogs having an extended set, supported by Altaea and then up first we had Blindr, a band new to me. Blindr are a quartet featuring Bill Caldwell (vocals, guitar), Blake Woodfield (lead guitar), Jack Power (bass), and Charlie McCracken (drums).
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Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland - 27/05/2023
27 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Back up to Auckland Guide Centre in Mount Eden tonight for my second consecutive gig (Sol suggested it was a turkey sandwich as I am at Vader tomorrow) to see Taranaki’s finest, Turkey The Bird at The Ministry of Folk. Before that we of course had Hoop, who are Al Baxter (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo, mandolin), Nick Edgar (vocals, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica), Emily Allen (violin, viola), Glenn Coldham (bass) while tonight Gary Hunt was filling in for drummer Rusty Knox.
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This Silent Divide - Single Review: Beautiful Creature
25 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Here we have the latest single from Wellington-based melodic hard rock quartet This Silent Divide, entitled Beautiful Creature. I really enjoyed their Tall Stories EP, and they played a great gig at Dead Witch towards the end of last year, and this would have been recorded at about the same time.
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Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe - 24/05/2023
24 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Earlier this week I had a message from Emily Rice asking me if I lived in South Auckland. When I responded I did, she asked if I would be interested in coming along to an event she was putting on in a coffee shop in Pukekohe to celebrate the release of her new single, Warenoa.
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