I'm currently in the middle of the longest concert break of my year, so I needed to get on the blog to post something. Now you may remember that back in April I reviewed a Twenty One Pilots show from CT. The duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are one of my favorites, so I obviously arrived early to stage a good spot. I sure am happy now that I did that, because it introduced me to one of my favorite new bands of the year. Opening up for Twenty One Pilots was the new group - Hunter Hunted.
Based out of California, Hunter Hunted features vocalists Michael Garner and Dan Chang. The pair harmonize very well together, falling into the category of indie rock while showing off some folk-rock influences. They formed together in December of 2012 and have had substantial success getting the bands career started.
After acquiring early popularity in the LA area, Hunter Hunted have expanded their audience by touring with artists such as: Fitz & the Tantrums, The Mowgli's, Family of the Year, Weezer, American Authors, and FUN. They even have performed live on Conan.
After seeing Hunter Hunted open up for Twenty One Pilots, I have been lucky to see them twice since - at Big Guava Fest and Governor's Ball. On both occasions the California duo, backed by 3 additional band members, started off Saturday of each festival. They played for a decent crowd and I believe at both shows won over the audience that may have not been too familiar with the group's work beforehand.
The group performed tunes off their 2013 self titled EP, which contains 5 very easy-listening songs. My personal favorite was their closer, "Keep Together." They also mixed in an enjoyable cover to Pixies' "Where is My Mind?" and debuted a new song entitled "Ghost."
Garner informed the crowd at all shows that following the group's busy spring, they'd be returning to California to record their first full-length album. I'm looking forward to this debut, and I hope to see it's release sometime in 2014. Check these guys out!
