The Hunts Bring Alternative-Folk Sound To Roswell

Staff Report

The Roswell Cultural Arts Center next month will present The Hunts, an alternative-folk band from Chesapeake, Virginia, as part of its LIVE! in Roswell concert series.

The Hunts will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Cultural Arts Center, located at 950 Forrest Street in Roswell.

With a breathtaking, sweetly ethereal, and harmony-laced take on indie-folk music, The Hunts band is made up of seven brothers and sisters who have been playing music together their entire lives.

Ranging in age from 16 to 24, twin sisters Jenni and Jessi and their five brothers Josh, Jonathan, Jordan, Justin and Jamison all learned to sing and play violin as kids and spent much of their childhood performing their signature bluegrass sound at festivals and colleges throughout the country.

The Hunts’ debut EP for Cherrytree Records/Interscope, Life Was Simple, was released in August 2014 and features the lead single “Make This Leap,” a lilting piece that was licensed for use in a nationally-televised MilkBone commercial, which helped catapult The Hunts on their track to stardom.

“Growing up the way we did, we had to learn to make do with what we had, so the stories from that time are incredibly special to us,” said Jessi, who explained that all seven members of The Hunts write each song together. “A lot of the time, we write about what we remember from being young — the things we went through that have drawn us together and stuck in our hearts and really made us who we are.”

This family-friendly show includes special discount pricing for youth under 21 years old and groups of 10 or more.

In addition to The Hunts, the remainder of the LIVE! in Roswell 2014-2015 season lineup includes:

Saturday, Dec. 20: Irish Christmas in America
Now in its 10th season, this family-friendly performance features evocatively-sung Irish ballads, lively instrumental tunes and thrilling Irish dancing. The 2014 tour brings back the amazing Seamus Begley (TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year) along with his daughter, Meabh Begley, to highlight this sparkling holiday event.

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015: Ruthie Foster
Two-time Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster brings her blend of soul, blues, rock, folk, and gospel to Roswell. With a strong, clear and impossibly soulful voice, Foster excels at richly-textured music painted in blues and has been compared to Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. She has received five trophies from the Blues Music Awards and was nominated for a Grammy most recently in 2013 for her album Let It Burn.

Saturday, May 9, 2015: Dirty Bourbon River Show
Since forming in early 2009, the Dirty Bourbon River Show has brought their blend of “New Orleans Gypsy Brass Circus Rock” all over the United States. Dirty Bourbon River Show pushes the boundaries of modern-day music, with its quintet of highly-versed multi-instrumentalists who utilize piano, guitar, accordion, trumpet, sousaphone, flute, bass, wind toys, saxophone, and clarinet in their shows, to name a few. Mature audiences only.

Saturday, June 13, 2015: An Evening with Shawn Mullins
Grammy-nominated, Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins will perform an intimate acoustic set here in Roswell. He recently found himself on top of the country charts as co-writer of Zac Brown Band’s “Toes”, making it his third #1 single, following 1999’s “Lullaby” and the 2006 Triple A/Americana chart-topper “Beautiful Wreck.” Mullins demonstrates a newfound level of musical and lyrical ambition with his new album Light You Up, which will likely be viewed as a flat-out revelation, even by Mullins’ most fervent fans.

Tickets for all shows are available on the Cultural Arts Center’s website. Each event starts at 8 p.m., runs approximately 90 minutes and features a full cash bar in the lobby one hour prior to show time. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain.

For more information, visit its website or call (770) 594-6232.

(Photo credit: The Hunts/city of Roswell)