Hunters returns to BottleTree on Thursday, August 15. The band will take the stage second on a bill that includes three acts; Hunx and His Punx will headline, while The Shine Brothers will open. Doors are at 8 p.m. with the first band taking the stage at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
I spoke to Izzy Almeida, the band’s captivating lead vocalist about her style and when the band expects to followup its debut EP with its first full-length. And cassettes. We talked about cassettes.
Blake Ells:
How did Hunters begin?
Izzy Almeida:
Me and Derek were working together at an arcade in New York and we had become friends and were talking about forming a band and he had a couple of demos. We just sort of started jamming and playing together and from there, we became the band.
BE:
Forgive me, you said an arcade?
IA:
Yeah, an arcade in Chinatown. It was a really cool job because we never really had to do anything so we could chat all the time.
BE:
Right now, we only have the EP. When can we expect a full-length?
IA:
So, the record is coming out on September 24th, digitally, and then on October 8, we’ll have hard copies. Vinyl, cds, online, probably cassettes.
BE:
What do you think is drawing bands to the cassette thing these days?
IA:
I like cassettes. I actually have a Walkman. It’s different and it makes you care more about what you’re listening to; it’s not as disposable as sometimes an iPhone or an iPod where you can just skip songs. I think a cassette is something more personal. It’s hard to pass through songs, and I think that’s cool, too. I think a lot of younger kids are into it and it’s cheaper for some kids to buy.
BE:
You’re one of the most captivating women I’ve ever seen on stage. Was that something that was always in you, or has that evolved since you guys played your first show?
IA:
I think it was always in me, because I used to be this kid that would always perform to my parents, like, when I was six or seven I would just obligate the family to watch me perform. Like, I’d sing into a brush or something and just jump around the house. So, yeah, I think it was always something in me. I was the type of kid that would get sent home from sleepovers; their parents would call my parents and say, “Look, you have to come get her she won’t let anyone sleep.”
So, yeah, I think I was kind of annoying as a kid. So I think that was something that was always there.
BE:
Who have your allies been in the scene in New York?
IA:
We end up playing a lot of shows with bands outside of New York, bands from places like Nashville, because I think they have a lot heavier, a lot more punk rock bands. And we play a lot with bands from the West Coast, too; bands like Bleached, and we’re going on tour with Hunx (and His Punx). I think it’s a different scene in New York. I don’t think there’s a specific band that we play with there all the time. There was a band called Zulus and we’re friend with them, so we played with them a bunch.
But the biggest thing to happen to us in New York is that Edan (Wilbur) from Death by Audio (a warehouse space used for performing in Brooklyn) got really into us and helped us book shows and letting us play Death by Audio all the time, so that was big.
BE:
You mentioned Nashville bands, and I believe you are playing several shows with Diarrhea Planet. How do you maintain those relationships when you live across the country?
IA:
It’s weird because I feel like a lot of my friends now are people that we tour with, because you spend so much time with them and you have experiences together. So, you kind of keep in touch. It’s not like we get to talk all the time, but when we see each other again, it’s easy to pick back up really fast.
We’ve been to Nashville several times and we know some of the kids in Diarrhea Planet. They’re super nice.
BE:
Who are the top five American rock bands of all time?
IA:
American only?
BE:
That’s the tricky part!
IA:
Sonic Youth. Melvins. Nirvana. L7. Iggy Pop and the Stooges.
Blake Ells 