Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters are back to fulfil all your blues needs. Hailing from Edinburgh, you can pint point their tight sound down to their relentless gigging schedule. Jed Potts also plays in The Blueswater, Swampfog and The Katet, advancing his musical skills even further.
‘After college I formed Jed Potts & the Hillman Hunters’ , explains Jed ‘……with Jonny and our original bassist Pauric Logue, who was eventually replaced by current bassist Charlie Wild.Most blues music these days, or even music in general, is recorded in a pretty sterile way. In other words, every instrument is recorded separately, with vocals and solos added on top. Our music was recorded almost entirely live (including vocals and solos) with everyone playing together. There’s a lot of mic spillage and roughness, which adds to the excitement.’
Their latest album "Swashbuckin’" is a well-flowing offering that has something for everyone on it. Tracks such as "Swashbucklin'" are just good-old blues tracks. Infectious guitar lines, grooving bass lines, playful drums and raw tinged vocals. However, tracks such as "To The Mountains" presents a more Rock 'n' Roll-infused sound with an irresistible melody.
As if there is any more to highlight about the professionalism and integrity of the guys, we can’t finish off introducing you to the Hillman Hunters without referencing what was mentioned at the outset, their love of their motorised namesakes! It is once again probably easiest for Jedd to explain –
“The name is very much in keeping with the overall aesthetic of the band; it’s very important that we weren’t named after an American car, which would be a much more obvious and cliched option. Although we play very American influenced music, we don’t try to portray ourselves as American with our branding. We’re snooker and cups of tea, not pool and bottles of Jack Daniels. When drummer Jonny Christie and I were playing as a two-piece in college, we were called the Holbay Hunters. (The Holbay Hunter was a special type of Hillman Hunter but when I formed what would become the Hillman Hunters we decided on the Hillman name.”
Yet that is not where the car references end, it even goes through to the album artwork which is a pastiche of an old British tax disc on the vinyl label/ CD face, and the JPHH badge on the grill of the car is in a colour we call “motoring club yellow”. So now you get it, this band are part blues innovators and part piston heads, not a bad combination and 100% music for those that love their music full of passion and intensity . So, check out the band links below and be sure to support them on their latest journey.