"Well, besides the economics of it - music is my livelihood - I absolutely love playing music live, and I’m fortunate to be able to play the music I enjoy playing and make a living at it. For me, emotion is weighted more heavily than technique; virtuosic technique is always impressive, but an emotion expressed elegantly sticks with me and bears repeated listening."

Gerry Hundt: Roots Music... and More

Gerry Hundt and The Gerry Hundt Trio are active mainly in NW Indiana, Chicago, and Michigan. Gerry Hundt is a wunderkind of a blues and old-timey music multi-instrumentalist who plays as many roles as he does instruments, performing as a bandleader as well as a sideman, in full bands, quartets, trios, duos and solo. But his “Legendary One-Man Band” has become Hundt’s alter ego, just as, say, Spiderman is Peter Parker’s. And to see him in action on his guitar/harmonica/bass drum/snare rig one wonders if Hundt was bitten by a radioactive boll weevil in his youth, enabling him to tear it up on his own terms, transforming from merely Gerry Hundt, musician, into “Gerry Hundt the Legendary One-Man Band,” sprouting stringed instruments, rack attachments and foot devices, and bursting into a set of hot, rag-time blues. I mean, I don’t know, but then there was that time he “went to Colorado,” and came back a full-fledged one-man-band-kind-of a musician. I’m just sayin’.      

(Gerry Hundt/ Photo by Kyle Telechan)

Okay, then how and why does he do it? Is it just because he can—like chewing gum and walking at the same time—but while solving a Rubik’s Cube, giving a fiery filibuster and dancing a tarantella? You know, there are musicians, and there are performers. And then there are entertainers. Hundt is an entertainer—in the classic sense of “all-in and fully involved.” In the tradition of musical gizmo geniuses Jesse Fuller, Joe Hill Louis and Dr. Ross, he’s a guitar-pickin’, drum-thumpin’, kazoo-blowin’ kinetic combination of Rube Goldberg, Blind Boy Fuller, the Mississippi Sheiks and a medicine show at a tent revival meeting. The Gerry Hundt Trio (Gerry Hundt on vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin; Daniel Fastro on bass; Tom Lehnert on drums) released a new 11-tracks album, titled "Get Hip!" (2024), recorded live in studio by Tom Gatti in Luxembourg.

Interview by Michael Limnios               Archive: Gerry Hundt (Dig 3), 2022 Interview

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

If I really think about it, I’d say I’m far more open to incorporating influences outside the blues into my music these days. When I first started, all I wanted to do was play blues, as low-down as I could, with maybe a little jazz flavor every now and then. My love for the process of recording music is still very strong - I enjoy the technical aspects of it although I’m less fussy about the gear itself than I used to be. 

What's the balance in music between technique and soul/emotions? What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music?

Well, besides the economics of it - music is my livelihood - I absolutely love playing music live, and I’m fortunate to be able to play the music I enjoy playing and make a living at it. For me, emotion is weighted more heavily than technique; virtuosic technique is always impressive, but an emotion expressed elegantly sticks with me and bears repeated listening.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Seeing John Hammond live when I was 12 years old set me on the path of becoming a solo performer and that’s such a valuable skill for any working musician. Most recently, I had the pleasure of playing The Banana Peel in Belgium with my trio, Tom Lehnert and Renaud Lesire, and that was a total thrill, and thanks to my friend Franky Bruneel and the staff. They’ve been booking the best blues acts touring Europe for 60 years now, and it’s run by volunteers, and founding members still attend concerts. How cool is that?

"If I really think about it, I’d say I’m far more open to incorporating influences outside the blues into my music these days. When I first started, all I wanted to do was play blues, as low-down as I could, with maybe a little jazz flavor every now and then." (Gerry Hundt / Photo by Lola Reynaerts)

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

In general, I think it’s important for people to play and enjoy music. It’s powerful and necessary. The blues, in particular, is cathartic by nature, so it’s easy for people to find solace in it, whatever age they are. I don’t agree with the notion that young people don’t like blues - if they can afford to go to a show, they will, but it’s hard to sell them something they’re not familiar with or haven’t seen on Tiktok. If you can get them in the door, they enjoy themselves and will bring friends next time!          

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

I listen to and enjoy their music!  Michael Kiwanuka, Dua Lipa, Khruangbin and others are producing great music and live performances. A favorite is a young band from Alabama, The Brook & The Bluff, who draw from a variety of influences and recently and significantly stepped up their game for their live shows. I’m sure some of that filters into what I’m doing. I’m also relatively active on social media. I should probably post more than just gig promotion, but I do what I can. I didn’t grow up with the internet - I didn’t even have email until I went to college, so I’m simply not wired to constantly post.

Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your life and music?

I’d have to say the city of Chicago itself. The buildings, the lake, the people, the food, the seasons all play a role. I love traveling and bringing my music all over, but it’s definitely a Chicago point of view. New Orleans may be a distant second these days, and only recently - it’s been a real pleasure diving deeper into its history and culture, and I have my wife, Lola, to thank for that. Buy her book even if you don’t read French!  It’s called “New Orleans - 100 ans de musiques”.  

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really want to go for a whole day?

Havana, Cuba, before the US embargo started in 1958. I’d stay in a fancy hotel with afternoon cocktails, hit the cabaret for dinner and a dance band, find a dive bar, then a late-night feast somewhere that reeks of garlic and roasted meats. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

Gerry Hundt - Home

(The Gerry Hundt Trio are Gerry Hundt, Tom Lehnert and Renaud Lesire / Photo by Lola Reynaerts)