Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Eclectic Rock/Folk Duo HuDost Has The Cure For Furor On "Acting Out the Outrage" Single

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Eclectic Rock/Folk Duo HuDost Has The Cure For Furor On "Acting Out the Outrage" Single
HuDost
Thu Jul 25, 2024
Cashbox Canada

Sommer and Hines say they were driven to write and release the song by the banning of drag performances in Tennessee, which clearly hit close to home for this Kentucky-by-way-of-Quebec outfit. The context is made plain by the accompanying music video, which features a breathtaking transformation by Canadian queen KIARA that develops into a full-on Pride parade. But the breadth and purposeful ambiguity of the lyrics reflects HuDost’s belief that performative uproar is distorting and delegitimatizing a host of other important issues, including women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, faith, race, education, and politics in general.

“We live in a time of challenge,” the group says. “Debates on social media rage on every issue, with little consideration of who those debates affect. What if we hear the perspective of people whose lives are truly being affected? What if we share the stage instead of stealing the spotlight?”

When it comes to their own music, HuDost is certainly willing to share the spotlight. They co-wrote the new song with Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay, and the recording itself finds them joined by a host of friendly collaborators. In addition to the bedrock contributions of Sommer (on vocals, keys and harmonium) and Hines (guitars, vocals, production), the track features Hasletine’s bandmate Charlie Lowell on keys, as well as Chris Powell (Brandi Carlile) on drums, Dan Walters on bass and Kai Welch (Kacey Musgraves) on horns. The “gang” backing vocals were supplied by Liza Holbrook (SHEL), Rachael Davis, Matthew Odmark, Bethany Bordeaux, and “Charlie” (with Sommer and Hines joining in to provide even more muscle).

That loosely collaborative approach is typical of the way HuDost works. Sometimes they’re a duo; at other times, they’re a full-on band, with guest musicians of varying sensibilities and backgrounds. Often, they widen their focus even further by incorporating dancers into their onstage presentation. The instrumentation makes room for vocals, harmonium (the Indian pump organ), live looping and beats, NORD Keys, guitars, Dulcinet, percussion and a slew of sonic ambient effects. The result is a unique blend of pop, rock, and more exotic elements, ranging from traditional Sufi music to the folk sounds of Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, and other far-flung locales.

Cultural curiosity has been good for this pair. They met when Sommer was just a teen, on an impulsive trip from her home in Montreal to a Rumi Festival put on by Turkish Sufis in North Carolina. Hines was playing frame drum there, and their meeting ended up blossoming into a partnership in every sense of the term: a band, a marriage, and a life together as activists fighting the good fight. Throughout their personal and professional relationship, they’ve been staunch supporters of initiatives like ONE, a nonprofit that works to end extreme poverty.

Their shared path took a rocky turn in 2008, when Sommer had to undergo a painful process of brain surgery to remove a tumor. In the aftermath, she had to re-learn her language skills, cope with the temporary loss of her proper sight and weather some nasty seizures. But despite the myriad challenges, the couple came out on the other side with two healthy children: son Kaleb, born in 2013, and baby Sylvan, who arrived in 2022.

Meanwhile, they’ve continued to thrive on the artistic front. Their albums have earned critical acclaim—writer Kristi Wooten called HuDost’s music “as sacred as a church service, [but] without the identifiers which can separate and shame non-believers”—while also making a big splash on the charts. They’ve hit #4 on the Canadian National Folk/Roots/Blues Chart, #9 on the U.S. Folk Radio Charts and #24 in the Billboard Folk/Americana chart. In the process, they’ve won an Independent Music Award for Social Action Song, and in 2020, they were honored to receive two “Best of Nashville” awards.

open.spotify.com/track/6N3cvlrluCC6cBMsP0giuG

Now that the new single is out, HuDost has a busy second half of 2024 lined up, with live shows booked all across the United States. Dates are as follows:

July 27-28 – Trails & Vistas, Tahoe, CA
July 31 – Oregon Shakespeare Fest, Ashland, OR
Aug/1 – New World Concerts, Corvallis, OR
Aug. 3 – Water Sines Studio, Seattle, WA
Aug. 9 – BlueMoon, Vancouver, BC
Aug. 31 – Floyd Yoga Jam, Floyd, VA
Sept. 13 – Allerton Park Concerts, Monticello, IL
Sept. 20-22 – Earthwork Harvest Gathering, Lake City, MI
Nov. 2 – The Pittsburgh Witches Ball, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov. 7 – The Ringling, Sarasota, FL
Nov. 8-9 – Gainesville, FL (location TBA)

After all that activity has subsided, 2025 will bring a new HuDost album, of which “Acting Out the Outrage” is but a tantalizing glimpse. And who knows? Maybe by then, the world will have learned to stop manufacturing drama and just live and let live. Okay, probably not. But spend a little time with this crew and see if you don’t come out feeling anything is possible.

facebook.com/hudost
instagram.com/_hudost/

Reviews
Album
HuDost
Month: Aug 2024
Frank Cosentino Blues rock guitarist Frank Cosentino ready to take over the…
Joel Lee Nanaimo’s JOEL LEE Releases Stellar Up-Tempo Country Rock Romp "Jump…
John Dawson Newmarket Roots Musician John Dawson Speaks To Life's Big…
 Mike Bern Mike Bern and the Muskrat Singers Capture the Lost Sounds of…
Saukrates Legendary Rapper Saukrates Shares Highly Anticipated Projects…
Sheena Legrand Winnipeg Singer-Songwriter Sheena Legrand Releases Anthemic New…
ADEOLUWA Saskatchewan Singer-Songwriter ADEOLUWA Releases Latest Afropop Hit…
MADARR AND THE KINDHEARTED Vancouver's MADARR AND THE KINDHEARTED Release Soulful New…
Michael Lawson Hoover, Alabama-Based Roots Rocker Michael Lawson Speaks To Small Town…
Bobbo Byrnes Anaheim, CA's Folk Artist Bobbo Byrnes Unveils Self-Titled Album,…
DARLING NIKKI Indie Groover DARLING NIKKI Pays Homage to Elvis and Prince with Debut…
Natalie Exora Natalie Exora's Musical Journey: From Life-Changing Advice to…
Shoemaker Levee Photo Credit Laurie Baker Tale of the Comet: Shoemaker Levee Returns with a Wallop on “Hinterlands”
SOHM Rockin’ Globetrotting Tunesmith SOHM Brings the “Thunder” With New Single
Son of James Son of James Unveils Powerful Cover of Queen's "We Will Rock…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 128
  • Page 129
  • Page 130
  • Page 131
  • Current page 132
  • Page 133
  • Page 134
  • Page 135
  • Page 136
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers