Stepping away from their day jobs, members of Alexisonfire and Moneen recently teamed up to form the band Hunter before another group of the same name forced them to change their moniker. But the punk rockers are hardly letting something like a name change bring them down; they responded by rechristening themselves Cunter and are forging ahead with a new record, due out next month via Dine Alone.
Speaking with Exclaim!, Cunter bassist Kenny Bridges reveals that the band originally came together as a vehicle for singer Erik Hughes's impressive scream. "Me and [guitarist Greg Dawson] always talked about wanting to form a punk rock band just solely around Erik's voice," Bridges reveals. "He doesn't scream in Moneen all that much, but whenever he did, it was always so good."
This idea was eventually realized following a drunken conversation during a Halloween party in 2009. ("Where Erik was dressed as Spider-Man, Greg was dressed as some homeless guy, and I was dressed as a used condom," Bridges notes.) The next day, Hughes penned all ten songs that made up their first record, 10 (which you can stream below), and the band were born.
"He wrote them all in an afternoon," marvels Bridges, adding, "By the end of that week, we had the record done."
The album was released in spring 2010 under the handle Hunter, and it wasn't until recently that another group using the same name threatened legal action. "That was a real bummer," Bridges says. "You don't want to change your identity, but I understand the process and I understand where these other parties are coming from. They've invested money and time into keeping that name."
This outlook is a lot more level-headed than the musicians' original reaction to the name change. The bassist recalls, "I was so pissed off, that I was like, 'Screw it. We're Cunter. I don't fucking care. That's our band name. If we have to change our name, let's just fucking freak people out and make some people pissed off.'"
Now that they have a new name, Cunter are getting ready to drop their sophomore release. The record will be subtitled 20, although Bridges says that a new official title will be agreed upon soon. Containing ten new songs that blast by in less than 16 minutes of punishing hardcore riffs and gut-busting yells, the record is big step up from the first, according to Bridges.
"I think if that you're a fan of punk rock, especially more old school punk rock, you will really like these songs," he enthuses.
The album will be released in a limited run of 200 to 300 handmade CDs, with a possible future plan for both 10 and 20 to be pressed onto a single twelve-inch record. The new record will also be released online, but don't expect to see it in stores. Most shops probably wouldn't carry the album anyway, given its graphic cover art, which Bridges says is "amazing and offensive all in the same package."
He jokes, "I can't say too much because you need to see it, but there's crotches maybe exploding on the artwork, possibly."
You will also be able to pick up your copy at one of the group's upcoming live shows. Cunter plan to have them ready in time for an Ontario tour with A Wilhelm Scream in June. You can see all the dates below.
20:
1. "Q and Eh"
2. "Blackout"
3. "Seven Layer"
4. "The Dough"
5. "Glamping"
6. "Colic Kids"
7. "Teething"
8. "De(con)struction"
9. "Good Luck with That"
10. "A Decade in the Life"
Tour dates:
5/29 Brampton, ON - Good Times Cafe
6/3 Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dees Concert Venue
6/10 Orangeville, ON - The Wellington Room
6/19 London, ON - London Music Hall *
6/20 Hamilton, ON - The Casbah *
6/21 Barrie, ON - The Mansion Nightclub *
6/22 Montreal, QC - Foufounes Électriques *
6/23 Ottawa, ON - Mavericks *
* with A Wilhelm Scream
Speaking with Exclaim!, Cunter bassist Kenny Bridges reveals that the band originally came together as a vehicle for singer Erik Hughes's impressive scream. "Me and [guitarist Greg Dawson] always talked about wanting to form a punk rock band just solely around Erik's voice," Bridges reveals. "He doesn't scream in Moneen all that much, but whenever he did, it was always so good."
This idea was eventually realized following a drunken conversation during a Halloween party in 2009. ("Where Erik was dressed as Spider-Man, Greg was dressed as some homeless guy, and I was dressed as a used condom," Bridges notes.) The next day, Hughes penned all ten songs that made up their first record, 10 (which you can stream below), and the band were born.
"He wrote them all in an afternoon," marvels Bridges, adding, "By the end of that week, we had the record done."
The album was released in spring 2010 under the handle Hunter, and it wasn't until recently that another group using the same name threatened legal action. "That was a real bummer," Bridges says. "You don't want to change your identity, but I understand the process and I understand where these other parties are coming from. They've invested money and time into keeping that name."
This outlook is a lot more level-headed than the musicians' original reaction to the name change. The bassist recalls, "I was so pissed off, that I was like, 'Screw it. We're Cunter. I don't fucking care. That's our band name. If we have to change our name, let's just fucking freak people out and make some people pissed off.'"
Now that they have a new name, Cunter are getting ready to drop their sophomore release. The record will be subtitled 20, although Bridges says that a new official title will be agreed upon soon. Containing ten new songs that blast by in less than 16 minutes of punishing hardcore riffs and gut-busting yells, the record is big step up from the first, according to Bridges.
"I think if that you're a fan of punk rock, especially more old school punk rock, you will really like these songs," he enthuses.
The album will be released in a limited run of 200 to 300 handmade CDs, with a possible future plan for both 10 and 20 to be pressed onto a single twelve-inch record. The new record will also be released online, but don't expect to see it in stores. Most shops probably wouldn't carry the album anyway, given its graphic cover art, which Bridges says is "amazing and offensive all in the same package."
He jokes, "I can't say too much because you need to see it, but there's crotches maybe exploding on the artwork, possibly."
You will also be able to pick up your copy at one of the group's upcoming live shows. Cunter plan to have them ready in time for an Ontario tour with A Wilhelm Scream in June. You can see all the dates below.
20:
1. "Q and Eh"
2. "Blackout"
3. "Seven Layer"
4. "The Dough"
5. "Glamping"
6. "Colic Kids"
7. "Teething"
8. "De(con)struction"
9. "Good Luck with That"
10. "A Decade in the Life"
Tour dates:
5/29 Brampton, ON - Good Times Cafe
6/3 Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dees Concert Venue
6/10 Orangeville, ON - The Wellington Room
6/19 London, ON - London Music Hall *
6/20 Hamilton, ON - The Casbah *
6/21 Barrie, ON - The Mansion Nightclub *
6/22 Montreal, QC - Foufounes Électriques *
6/23 Ottawa, ON - Mavericks *
* with A Wilhelm Scream
