Elizabeth Hunter

Elizabeth Hunter Gauvey-Kern ’11, who goes by the stage name Elizabeth Hunter, has been performing all her life. After graduating from Wesleyan with a degree in Music and Government, she headed to New York City to pursue her career in songwriting and performing. The solo artist, who has performed with back up from notable musicians such as Steve Holley, released her first EP, Elizabeth Hunter, on August 9. She took the time to write in, discussing how she got her first gig, her musical style and influences, and what she learned at Wesleyan, musical and otherwise.

WESCONNECT: How long have you been performing in New York?

ELIZABETH HUNTER: I’d say about a year and a half now. I got my first gig when a couple heard me in the street around Greenwich Village. They asked a local French restaurant they frequented to give me a night. And I worked my way up to the venues I’m playing now: The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, Bowery Electric, etc.

WC: You describe your music on your website as “melody driven, bass heavy songs with echoes of jazz and Motown.” Can you elaborate? Who and/or what is your biggest influence?

ELIZABETH: Motown is a real influence. I can thank a Wesleyan campus cover band, Kinky Spigot, for exposing me to it. I was a bit sheltered growing up, and there was a lot of music I hadn't experienced, including Motown. I can remember going to a Kinky Spigot concert at Psi-U and dancing maybe 4 hours straight. Motown is just full of really tight, well-crafted songs. And it’s probably where my affinity for strong bass lines and ample horn sections began.

More modern? Well, the Dap Kings (who backed both Amy Winehouse, and Sharon Jones), are a real inspiration of mine. Whenever I’m writing horn parts I try to think what they would do. But beyond that I really just love good songs, no matter the packaging. I love Queen, Carole King, Norah Jones, and, as a student of Songwriting, I of course spent a long time with my Beatles songbook.

WC: What does your style mean to you?

ELIZABETH: The best way I’ve heard my style described is: somewhere between Motown and Norah Jones.

WC: What’s it like navigating the music scene in NYC as a young artist?

ELIZABETH: It’s hard to know where to begin. It’s definitely not easy. The music industry has changed a lot in a little space of time. There aren’t a lot of record deals anymore. You are expected to build yourself from the ground up; and the best way to do that isn’t set in stone yet—though it involves a lot of social media.

I was lucky to get in touch with The Song Writers Guild of America through a Wes alum and fall in with a strong community of musicians and songwriters. For me, I spent over a year making sure I had the best songs and was the best musician I could be. It’s hard to be succinct on this subject, but in short: I played open mics, I played in the street (there is no better test than if a busy person who didn’t want to hear you stops, listens, and pays), and I was lucky to have the opportunity to talk with musical heroes of mine and get their advice. I’d say it’s a lot about perseverance and not being precious about your material. If someone tells you your material isn’t good, that’s a great opportunity to ask them why, and improve.

WC: You were heavily involved in the music department at Wesleyan. How did your Wesleyan experience shape your aspirations and skills, musical and otherwise?

ELIZABETH: First, I have to give a shout out to Professor Jay Hoggard ’76. He directs the jazz orchestra at Wesleyan. I had sung with my jazz ensemble in high school, but he made clear that if I wanted to sing with the Wesleyan orchestra I’d have to meet with him once a week to work on repertoire and technique. He made me do breathing exercises and long-tones until I was brain-dead. But my voice really did improve because of it.

I think what I got out of Wesleyan was the spirit of whatever you want to do, you can do it, and Wesleyan will support you. The Wesleyan music department wasn't exactly geared to what I wanted to do, but when I knew what I wanted they all stepped up to help. My thesis was a 25-piece orchestrated work I composed and conducted. I got orchestration help from Professors Neely Bruce and Anthony Braxton, conducting lessons from Professor Angel Gil-Ordóñez, and support from all the professors and private teachers to get my orchestra together. Wesleyan is a place full of passionate people doing what they are passionate about. That’s something I keep with me. - Wesconnect, Wesleyan University

Ask any guy in Hoboken—it’s quite a challenge to get a New York City girl to come over to Jersey.

Elizabeth Hunter will be here tonight by choice, and she’s actually looking forward to it.

“I have seen Hoboken pretty much every day, from my run along the Hudson River on the other coast,” says Hunter. “I’m looking forward to making this less of a long-distance relationship.”

Elizabeth Hunter - Album Cover
Lead singer and wielding an electric bass, Hunter brings her ensemble band into Maxwell’s tonight for a strong set of what she likes to call “throwback pop,” along with Running Late and Motorboat.

“The sound is somewhere between Motown and Norah Jones, perhaps with a little Amy Winehouse thrown in,” says Hunter. “It salutes the old sound while doing something new and fun with it.”

While tonight will be Hunter’s first date with Hoboken, she’s already making plans for the future.
“I’m playing in Manhattan at Rockwood Music Hall on the 7th of July to celebrate the release of my new single “AMY,” says Hunter. “Music video forthcoming—which to tie everything up in a bow—we will be shooting in Hoboken!

Tonight’s show at Maxwell’s begins at 9:00.

Meanwhile, here’s Elizabeth Hunter with her single, “Move Like The Moon.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utCRR1Tuz2k - hMAG

Elizabeth Hunter to Release Series of Six Singles with Music Videos

New York, NY- Pop R&B music artist Elizabeth Hunter will be releasing a series of six singles, with accompanying music videos over the next year.

The first single set to be released is titled “AMY,” with an anticipated release date of July 16th, 2015. Hunter will perform the single live at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 on the Lower East Side at 7 PM on Tuesday, July 7th, 2015, followed by her release party on the second floor. Advanced releases of the single will be available to those in attendance.

Says David Amber, Elizabeth’s music producer, “I enjoyed working on ‘AMY’, first because Elizabeth wrote an amazing song, and second because we’ve really started to develop an ‘Elizabeth Hunter Sound’ which I think people are going to love. Elizabeth is a talented artist, who more and more people are discovering, and I look forward to working on the five singles to come.”

“AMY” will be available on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon commencing on July 16th, 2015. The music video for “AMY” will be released July 29th, and available on Vevo. The second single, “Coming for you,” is set to debut in late August, with its music video release scheduled for September.

“I would call ‘AMY’ a Motown infused pop single,” says Hunter. “It is about what goes through your mind when your guy is being sweet with you — and then calls you the wrong name. There are plenty of songs about love, this one is about suspicion. There is so much to explore with the subject matter-the sordid possibilities which race through your mind, the stupidity you feel at being duped, and that nagging supposition that it may all come to nothing and you are completely overreacting. In the studio David and I tried to translate this into the production, wrapping up the song in a school-yard stomp, and bringing in gang vocals on the choruses.”

Hunter describes her music as throwback pop. Her musical influences include Motown, the Beatles, Amy Winehouse and the Dap-Kings. She has been intrigued by Motown since high school, and adds a modernized twist to the upbeat rhythm and blues style, which is reflected in her music.

In addition to releasing new material, Elizabeth Hunter will be headlining performances throughout the summer. She will be playing at Street Gardens in SoHo on July 12th, 2015, Branded Saloon in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn on July 13th, and will be performing at The Bedford in London on August 25th. Her EP, along with the music video for “Move Like the Moon”, is currently in circulation.

For business inquiries, Elizabeth Hunter can be reached at info@elizabethhuntermusic.com. To connect with Elizabeth and her music, please visit http://www.elizabethhuntermusic.com and her Facebook page (ElizabethHunterMusic) for information on upcoming performances, song releases, and news.

Connect with Elizabeth Hunter:

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/elizabeth-hunter-ep/id904408587

Twitter: @ehuntermusic

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPTnoc7g5KAtOYmKVcvMv2g - Creative Spotlights