Drummer & Visionary Will Hunt Trying to put Will Hunt into a category is not only impossible, but foolhardy. Of course, we wanted to talk to him about his experiences starting with his high school days when he just happened to find himself in a band with Charlie Hall. Our conversation quickly turned to his Dove-nominated (not once, but twice) apt.core projects and his new recording studio (a joint venture with Shane and Shane). Not only do we appreciate the depth and breadth of his assistance with this article, we just have to love a Christian artist who was influenced by Kraftwerk. Let’s start at the beginning before we begin exploring your brave new worlds. When did you start playing the drums?

My grandparents bought me my first drum kit when I was 3 years old. They say that I would make a drum of anything I got my hands on, so that was the solution. I was in the school band, played at church camp, played in too many garages to count. I pretty much seized any and every opportunity to be involved in making music - or at least attempting to make music.

What was your first professional gig? My first paying gig was the summer before my senior year of high school. The bass player in my youth group band asked me to come play with him at this Saturday night worship event in Oklahoma City where I lived at the time. The drummer for the group had moved away. The artists I was playing for that night was my girlfriend’s (now wife) favorite group – Nathan and Charlie (Nathan Nockels and Charlie Hall). They had formed a new group called “Sons and Daughters” (which included

Christy Nockels). Nathan came up to me after the event and asked me if I wanted a job. I said yes, of course, and played my very first paid gig that next weekend… I think it was a junior high school cookout! As you may know, Nathan and Christy went on to become Watermark and Charlie Hall started a solo career. I was blessed to play for them both in the years following. How do you go from touring drummer with Charlie Hall, Rebecca St. James and Shane and Shane to a project like Apt.core? Did you always have these kinds of far-reaching musical ideas? I have always been experimental, yes. I love the creative process. It is really limitless what you can do with this creative medium. I just want to explore as much of it as I can in my lifetime. Aside from the obvious spiritual influences, who has inspired you musically? Bjork. Yeah, she is the Icelandic girl that wore the swan outfit to the Grammys a few years ago and then beat up a reporter in an airport. But, despite the odd behavior, she is a musical genius. I bought her first solo record, “Debut” in a pawn

shop when I was in high school. I bought every one of her records in the following months and have not lost my love for electronic music since. Her music is such a brilliant and brave fusion of so many genres.

I bought my first sampler/drum sequencer around that same time. That has led to my fascination with artists like Kraftwerk (pioneers of electronic music in the 70’s and 80’s), Matmos, and Frou Frou. Bands like Counting Crows and the Wallflowers taught me a ton about how the right parts, played with a great deal of conviction and emotion, far outweigh anything busy or technically impressive. And I will never forget the first time I heard Radiohead’s “Creep”. They have been affecting the way I do music ever since. As a touring drummer, you’re driving the rhythm section without getting in the way of the artist – you’re part of the band. But with your apt.core project, you’re everything – writer, producer, musician, chanter and tech whiz. How are you able to assume those two diverse roles? Is it hard to move from one role to the other? I have had to learn the art of serving the moment at hand. There are so many similarities in all of those roles. Whether you are writing, playing, producing, engineering or editing, it is all about the song. I have been producing full time for the last year but I still do a few live gigs with the Shanes and play on other producers’ sessions here and there. I just have to remember which hat I am wearing that day and submit to the responsibility that comes along with it.

I learn so much from the other artists and producers I work with by following their direction. Music is always a collaborative process for me so I freely offer ideas in every creative environment. The difference is that sometimes I am the boss and sometimes I am not! I just can’t be too attached to my own ideas. When you started playing drums in a band, what lessons did you learn? I learned about humility, and my lack thereof, very quickly. It was very hard to

jump from being praised by my family and friends as this great musician to the real world where I wasn’t really all that great among my new peers. I only respected what I liked (musically) and I thought I was pretty good at it. Most of the players I toured with when I was 19 and 20 had resumes that dated back before I was even in high school. Everyone was so patient and good to me, but I faced some very difficult internal struggles with respect to my abilities. Out of that came a deep respect for all music and those making it — a face-to-face encounter with how much I didn’t understand about my art. I guess another lesson I learned, and am still learning with every passing project, is the cliché statement “less is more”. Playing something cool just because it is cool is no way to make music. Every time I have done that, it has turned out sub par. My job is to serve the song… what is being said, what message needs to be conveyed, what emotion is present in the lyric and melody. Most of the time, a song does not

call for us to show what we’ve got in our bag of impressive tricks. When I began to approach music like that, the simple parts were just as exciting to play as something “cool”.

You’re obviously, and this is a pretty hackneyed phrase, “on the cutting edge” with apt.core. It’s the kind of dance-styled electronic music the uninitiated wouldn’t associate with Christian music and would certainly not expect to hear in church. What about that? I have always tried to challenge the thought that style or genre has anything to do with an art form’s spiritual validity. That would be like saying that God has limits. I think that God is evident and speaks through all types of art – Christian and secular. If King David were to play his music in a church today (very likely sounding like what we know as middle eastern music), I don’t think it would be anything like our Sunday morning worship band. He would have written in the style of the times and with the musical tools he had.

I am afraid we have attached a style to a belief system. The goal for the apt.core recordings was to create without boundaries (or to set our own) and put a soundtrack to the truths of my faith with other artists and players I admire. I didn’t think much about it’s place on Sunday morning at the time. It has found it’s way there in a few places though.

Is the laptop going to replace the Hammond organ or the electric guitar? Every generation, every culture, every individual will offer different types of music in their worship. Most of that is a result of trends in technology and culture. The Hammond organ was very present in the popular music of the 70’s. That is how it made its way into the church. Same with the electric guitar. My grandfather tells me stories of how freaked out some of his church members were when bongos and electric guitars surfaced at his church in the 70s. The important thing is that we, as believers, foster the creative despite style. We have to make the Christian community a safe place to explore and express the art that the “Creator” gave us. How do you think congregations can incorporate electronic music into worship services? I would say that the best way is to encourage those that are gifted with those skills to share them with the body. I heard that there were more turntables than electric guitars sold last year in major music stores. There are plenty of teenagers doing this thing. Programs like “Reason” are giving the every day laptop owner the ability to program loops and synth parts with very little learning curve. It seems like acquiring the technical skills to do the kinds of electronic things you’ve done so well is kind of a lonely experience. Trial and error. Not the sort of thing you can learn by taking lessons. Any advice on that? You’re right about that. There are some tricks of the trade that are helpful to know, but it is very trial and error based. I spent many hours working on programming something that I ended up deleting the next day. I learn a lot from failing and from listening. When I listen to programming that someone else has done, I try to imagine how they might have gotten there. I will then give it a go on my own, if it is something I would like to be able to do. Your freshman effort, apt.core, was nominated for a Dove Award two years ago. How is “2” different? Actually both were nominated for Dove Awards, but I never got to take a bird home though. When I wrote and recorded “rhythms of remembrance”, it had never been

done before. I really believed in the concept but I had no idea what I was doing or how it would turn out. I had a vision and a plan to carry out that vision but who knew? I think that is what makes that record what it is. There was such a risk taken by everyone involved and I think that raw energy is captured there.

With “2”, the pressure was much lower. I could think more clearly about each detail. As a result, “2” is a tighter record. Sonically more focused and each part seems to play a specific role in the song. Unlike the thick instrumentation on “rhythms of remembrance”, there are actually very few tracks on each song of “2”. I also leaned toward scripture that is more poetic in nature and took more liberty to write poetic interpretation of scripture for song lyrics. The process of making “2” was a great spiritual time as well as a rewarding creative journey. What does you gear list look like? I partnered with Shane and Shane in building a recording studio this past summer – “Space Way Studios” in Dallas. That is where I do all of the records that I produce and it is where we recorded “Clean”, the Shane’s latest release on InPop Records. You will be happy to know that we recorded that entire record with Shure mics – drums, acoustic guitars, amps, perc, vocals, the whole record! We were impressed by the KSM mics.

So there you have it – down-to-earth advice for all you emerging drummers and experienced music ministers that runs the gamut from learning to play the instrument to finding inspiration in unlikely places. Something to keep in mind – whether it’s Carl Albrecht or Will Hunt or Nate Winters or Sheila E — it all began with purpose, practice and passion.

Also in this issue: Keeping Focus: Nate Winters on What It Takes   The Other Met Drummer and Visionary Will Hunt The Shure Calendar     Product Spotlight: Drum Mic Kits Shure Notes™ Archive Change My Preferences    E-mail to a Friend     Privacy Policy