1. We’re excited to have some time today with acclaimed singer and songwriter Eric Hunker; greetings and salutations, Eric! Before we mosey on down the proverbial musical Q&A pathway, how has your summer of ‘23 been treating you?

Summer ‘23 has already been a kind of wild. I kicked off the Album tour in Alaska in late June, then played a few dates on the East Coast before settling into a Summer Camp in the Northeast teaching Music for a few weeks. I’ve spent about 4 days at home, in Tulsa, since the beginning of Summer. 

2. Congratulations on your upcoming freshly-minted single Get Better which is set to premiere this August 18! Can you take our ever-inquisitive readers behind the scenes and talk about the creation of this gem of a tune? 

Thank you! Yeah, of course. This album ended up getting delayed a number of times because of the Pandemic, so this Song wasn’t originally slated to be on the album. I wrote it after we started recording last Summer. I was teaching at a Summer Camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and I kept having what felt like the same conversation with teenagers, college students, and friends my age about the state of the world. Regardless of the generation I was talking to, everyone had this overarching feeling of helplessness waiting for the world to “get better.” The song came pretty quickly once I started writing it and I guess it feels like an anthem for the helpless but hopeful.

3. Who was your producer on Get Better and what did the collaboration between artist and producer look like in the studio?

I worked on this track with Kendal Osborne at The Closet Studios in Bixby, Oklahoma. He’s an unbelievably talented producer and engineer and an absolute wizard. He understood my vision from the get-go and brought up a couple good reference tracks from folks like Dashboard Confessional and Amos Lee. We ended up deciding to do two versions of the track: Full-band and Acoustic. The full-band version captured the energy and urgency of the song – which is why we chose it for the single.

4. In your humble opinion, what differentiates Get Better from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?

I think the song sticks to your bones. It’s not just catchy. People tell me that they just can’t shake the song. It’s speaking to a feeling a lot of people are living with these days. I guess it’s something like realistic optimism. 

5. On the heels of the August 18 release of the new single Get Better, you have an album entitled Beautiful Endings which is slated for an October release! Can you give fans a hint or three as to what they can look forward to from the new LP?

This album is the product of a decade of songwriting. If I had to sum it up in two sentences it would be: Endings aren’t always tragedies & Loves don’t have to last forever to be worthwhile. It’s split into two 8-song albums, Beautiful and Endings. Beautiful documents the feelings of falling in, being in, and looking for love. Endings explores the pain and beauty of loss. Both albums, in a way, are about living a life worth living. Musically, it’s a mixture of Indie-folk, Americana, and Pop. Lot’s of incredible players and a ton of storytelling.

6. How is Beautiful Endings similar to some of your past music such as All These Little Loves? How is it different?

I think, at it’s core, it’s still coming from the same heart and brain. There’s no doubt about that. But All These Little loves was the result of a couple years of songwriting and two weeks of recording. Beautiful Endings is made up of ten years of songwriting and a almost a year in the studio, on and off. I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve put together. The songs are more thoughtful, the sound is so much richer, and the album is much more cohesive. It’s still me. It’s just a much fuller picture of who I am. 

7. You’re based out of the beautiful city of Tulsa, Oklahoma! How do those particular stomping grounds inform you as an artist?

I moved to Tulsa from Austin, TX about seven years ago. It’s a really interesting town. Historically. Musically. Geographically. For me, Tulsa is the perfect home base for a songwriter. It sits at the intersection of American Folk Music (Woody Guthrie), Country Music/Americana (Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood), and the “Tulsa Sound” (Leon Russell, JJ Cale). More recently we’ve seen incredible Oklahoma artists like Zach Bryan, John Moreland, and Wilderado gaining national followings. It’s an inspiring place to be and it’s a really comfortable place to come home to when the tour winds down. 

8. On the heels of the release of the new August single and the October LP, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit in the coming weeks and months?

Yes! I’m going to be touring all over the U.S. through December 2023! You can catch all the dates at www.erichunker.com/tour

9. Who inspires you musically?

I like to keep a pretty wide base of inspiration. But lately, I’ve been really inspired by Noah Kahan, Dawes, Zach Bryan, Lizzy McAlpine, and John Moreland. Growing up, I honestly took a lot of inspiration from bands like The Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion. They showed me how much music could set your heart on fire.

10. As a respected singer/songwriter, which generally comes first for you – The lyrics or the music?

Most of the time, they come simultaneously for me. That being said, I do a lot of writing on planes these days. In that case, I’m writing the words and the melody at the same time, but the actual music or chords come later. 

11. At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a listen to the new single Get Better and the forthcoming album Beautiful Endings?

I hope they see themselves reflected in the music. I wrote these songs because they’re all true. True for me and, I hope, true for you. I hope they help people see their own lives in new ways. Or at least get stuck in their heads. 

12. Final – SILLY! – Question: Favorite movie about the music scene – This Is Spinal Tap, Almost Famous, La Bamba, The Buddy Holly Story or Walk the Line?

Oh, it’s gotta be Almost Famous. “One day…you’ll be cool…”