James of New Weirdos on his artistic roots, bear representation, and latest track!
James, the lead singer of New Weirdos, chats with us about his artistic roots, bear representation, and his latest track!
New Weirdos are a 4-piece indie rock band from Atlanta, GA made up of lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist James Hunter, bassist Charles Bryant, guitarist Chris Kingsbury, and drummer Chris Deese.
We previously interviewed James in 2023, check that out by clicking here!
The creator of the band, James, has been releasing music for over a decade under New Weirdos along with his own solo projects too.
His experience as a musician is very evident in what he releases today with emotional vocal deliveries, creatively catchy songwriting, and a clear understanding of putting together music that just feels good to listen to.
Their last EP release titled “The Couch Is Calling Me” featured four songs that showcase the band’s gift for catchy uptempo rock (“I Don’t Wanna Do Anything Anymore”, “Inside Track”), breezy yacht rock (“Carried Away”) and gut-punching power balladry (“Nights Are Fun”).
The EP also has an iconic cover art that was illustrated by bear artist legend Drew Green.
They recently released their latest track “I Want You (I Want Him Too),” a song about falling in love with two guys and longing for a romantic and physical connection with them. The song starts with a catchy guitar riff and jumps right into the first verse with a strong vocal delivery from James.
During my first listen of this song, I was immediately enamored and obsessed once the track got into the first hook. As the song carried along into the second and third verses, I knew I’d be having this track on repeat. There’s an unforgettable guitar solo in the bridge too.
Not only did I feel connected to the lyrics but I also felt the emotional energy and love that James and the band put into this track! I’ve also suddenly wanted to fall in love with all of my friends.
Did I mention there’s a music video for the single too? Put yourself into the world of the song with James starting the video as a handsome yet frustrated package delivery guy who reluctantly throws a box onto a front doorstep.
The entire video is filmed from a front door camera with dozens of creative cuts showing James in different outfits and scenarios pouring his emotions into the track.
As much as I was swooning over how hot James looked in all of the characters he plays, I also felt the emotional predicament James gives visually, lyrically, and sonically on a personal level.
I found myself thinking “can the two guys this man is singing about just give him a hug and fall they’ll all fall in love already?!” You can tell song is good when it makes you feel something, and this track perfectly achieves that on all fronts.
I’ve been wanting to interview James for a while now and finally got the chance to chat with him about his origins as a musician, bear representation in the music industry, and his latest song. Check that out below!
Bryce Quartz: Hey there, James! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. How have you been doing lately?
James Hunter: I’ve been pretty good! It is hot in Atlanta, but pool party season is getting started, and I’m counting on those to get me through July and August.
Bryce: I always love to talk with musicians because there’s usually a backstory into how they got started. Could you tell me how you were introduced to the world of music and if anything in particular inspired you to start creating your own?
James: I fell in love with my parents’ CD collection when I was five or six. I started taking piano lessons when I was ten, and I got my first guitar when I was a teenager.
I began writing songs and recording music in high school, and I never really stopped. I grew up in a conservative Catholic family in the metro Atlanta suburbs, and music was a creative outlet for me before I really knew who I was, and before I really had the confidence to express myself.
Bryce: You are the lead singer of your band AND you play guitar too. That’s an acquired skill that’s very impressive, not everyone can just learn how to do that overnight! Can you tell us how you initially formed New Weirdos and how the band has progressed into what it is today?
James: Not to brag, but I also play keyboards too. For a long time, I couldn’t settle on a name.
There already is a well-known James Hunter, a blues musician out of England, so for awhile I went by James Hunter USA, and I did this thing where I dressed patriotically, but it led some folks in the scene to think I was a right-winger (I’m very much not), and I got tired of explaining, so I changed the name to New Weirdos (after a song I wrote).
That was right before the pandemic. The lineup of the band has changed over time, with me being the main guy. My bandmates are Charles Bryant on bass, Christopher Kingsbury on guitar and Chris Deese on bass. We also have Vic, our flute player.
I met the two Chrises and Vic while attending Georgia Tech, and Charles was a fan of my music before he joined the band. My bandmates are straight except Vic, who is trans. They are all cool with me, and they actively encourage me to be gayer musically.
Bryce: This is one my favorite questions to ask every musician I speak to. You’re a clever songwriter lyrically and sonically, I really enjoy listening to your discography. What does the songwriting process look like for you and how do you go about translating that to your bandmates?
James: Oftentimes a song will start as a riff I come up with or a melody that comes to my head. I’ll record it as a voice memo, and then I play around with it in my head.
At some point, I’ll record a demo and write lyrics, not always in that order. Then before we record, I’ll take it to my bandmates to flesh out the arrangement. It can take years for an idea to go from voice memo to recorded song.
Bryce: Having your own band comes with lots of different highs and lows. One of the things I’m most curious about is how studio sessions go for bands when there is several different instruments to record. What does a typical studio session look like for you and the band?
James: I have found the studio experience to be very enjoyable with my bandmates and with our producer, Greg Hendler. I feel like Greg is really good at hearing what I’m hearing. I’m the de facto leader, but I’m open to ideas from my bandmates.
Typically, a recording starts with a scratch track with just a basic template for the song. Drums get recorded first, then bass, keys, guitars and then I record my vocals. Then we add other stuff like backing vocals and rhythm percussion. We record it track by track.
Bryce: The music that you create covers so many different topics within our community, I feel like there’s a track for everyone that they can relate to! For potential first time listeners reading now who haven’t listened to a New Weirdos song, how would you describe your music to them?
James: If I only got two words, I would say “gay Weezer”. I love the combination of heavy guitars and power-pop songwriting, and I always have. We also have these dancey, discoey songs in the mix too. Our next single (which is already recorded and mastered) is going to be more electronic-tinged.
Bryce: We don’t see enough big boys, bears, and chubs who make rock music in our community. I love the visibility you give to our community and within the genre of music you make too. What does this representation mean to you personally and why is it important to the communities you’re in?
James: I remember when I was a teenager in the 2000’s, I stumbled across this Geocities-style site that had “rules for punk bands”. And I remember two of the rules were “If you’re fat, quit” and “if someone in your band is fat, fire them”.
Today, I have a lot of confidence and mental fortitude, but teenage me didn’t have any of that and I remember thinking I could never be punk and would mentally gatekeep myself from the music scenes that I loved.
I’ve been making music for a long time, but for awhile, I held back from putting my full self into it because I didn’t think I’d be accepted as a fat guy. Eventually I discovered I was gay and that there was a whole bear scene and I had my “wait, I’m HOT?” bear awakening.
Pre-pandemic, I compartmentalized my gay bear life from my music life, but my attitude changed after that. Who was I trying to fool? When I walk into a room, the first thing people will notice is that I’m a big fat guy, so there’s no point in trying to hide it or downplay it.
A few years ago I started playing shows open-shirted, and when photos started doing well on IG, and my bandmates and the scene didn’t mind, I kept going.
I want to be the fat rock star teenage me wanted to see, and I hope I inspire other bears and chubs to pick up guitars and start playing.
Bryce: You perform live with your band somewhat often and I’m dying to come see you live so I can vibe with y’all. You’re quite a sexy rockstar from what I’ve seen online! What can somebody expect when they come to a New Weirdos live show?
James: I like to play with a lot of energy. Our songs tend to be short, so we like to bang out 10 of them. A typical New Weirdos set lasts between 30 and 40 minutes. When you see New Weirdos, you can expect fat sweaty rock n roll. Our next show is July 30th at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta (the downstairs Atlanta Room).
Bryce: Let’s jump into the meat of the interview. You just put out your new track “I Want You (I Want Him Too),” a catchy rock track about wanting more two guys at the same time.
I think many of us can relate to this topic, and the hook of this song brings me back to being a third wheel and wanting to be a part of a hot couple. What inspired you to write this track and were you referencing anybody in particular?
James: I love the idea of the chosen family, and the song is about wanting to be part of a really close family, something more permanent than fuck buds or FWBs.
I’ve known a lot of great couples and throuples who inspired the song (won’t name them here), and the song is about wanting to be part of it, not wanting to go home and be alone.
I also wrote this song before I started dating my boyfriend. He loves this song btw!
Bryce: I’m a bit obsessed with the music video for this song. The POV style combined with your sexiness outside the front of a house connects the yearning of the lyrics in the song in such a cool way. There are some cheeky moments that I really like too.
How did you come up with this concept and what’s the cat’s name that makes a special guest appearance?!
James: I wanted to make something on a low budget with a concept. I liked the idea of the static shot, and the camera has sort of a fish eye distortion to it, which is fun and always looks good in a music video.
The cat is a stray I’ve been feeding, and I’ve named him Shrek.
Bryce: This is my favorite question to ask probably ever because I’m always hungry. What are some of your favorite foods, dishes, and restaurants? I want some reccomendations!
James: I’m a huge fan of ramen and pho, and my favorite spots for that in Atlanta are Hajime and Pho Dai Loi.
Bryce: Outside of being a rockstar, I want to know more about you personally. What are some of your hobbies and favorite things to do?
James: This ties into my music but I am a nerd for guitar gear, and I own way too many guitars. The guitars I have in the video are not even half of what I have, and I have a lot of pedals too. I enjoy going to used guitar stores and seeing what’s there and talking with other guitar nerds.
Bryce: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today, James! Is there anything you’d like to leave our readers with today?
James: Support gay musicians! The gays are famous for being obsessed with divas and pop girlies, and that’s not something I would want to take away from gay culture, but I would love to see a parallel effort to support our home-grown gay talent. Become a fan of a gay musician today!
Be sure to give New Weirdos a follow on social media by clicking their links below, buy their music on Bandcamp to show support, and listen to “I Want You (I Want Him Too)” on all platforms now!
Linktree – Bandcamp – Instagram – TikTok – Bluesky
