Jana Hunter is an American songwriter and musician based in Baltimore.

Early life

Hunter was born in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. His family is Catholic, but he no longer follows Catholicism.

Recording and band membership

Hunter was signed to Gnomonsong, a record label run by

Devendra Banhart Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas and raised in Venezuela and California. In 2000, he dropped out of the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue a musical career. ...

and

Vetiver ''Chrysopogon zizanioides'', commonly known as vetiver and khus, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae. Vetiver is most closely related to sorghum while sharing many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as ...

Andy Cabic Andy Cabic is a folk rock singer-songwriter, and lead member of the band Vetiver. He was born in Virginia and attended school at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In the mid-1990s he was a member of the indie rock band The Raymond B ...

. Hunter's solo debut album ''

Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom Jana Hunter is an American songwriter and musician based in Baltimore. Early life Hunter was born in Texas. His family is Catholic, but he no longer follows Catholicism. Recording and band membership Hunter was signed to Gnomonsong, a reco ...

'' was the label's debut release. In 2007 Hunter founded an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

based in Houston, Texas, Feow! Records, with musicians Matthew Brownlie of Bring Back the Guns and Arthur Bates of Houston band Wicked Poseur. Hunter was the singer and primary songwriter for

Lower Dens Lower Dens was an American Alternative rock, alternative indie pop band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The band was formed in 2010 by Jana Hunter, Geoff Graham, Abram Sanders and Will Adams. Lower Dens has released four albums: their ...

. After releasing their debut, ''Twin-Hand Movement'', on Gnomonsong in 2010, Lower Dens were one of the first bands signed to the Ribbon Music label and released their second album, ''

Nootropics Nootropics ( or ) (colloquially brain supplements, smart drugs, cognitive enhancers, memory enhancers, or brain boosters) are chemical substances which purportedly improve cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, wakefulness, and self- ...

'', on Ribbon in 2012. Hunter has performed and/or recorded as a member of Jracula,

Castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

Matty & Mossy Matty is a given name or nickname, frequently of the male given name Matthew. It can also be a surname. People with the given name or nickname Notable people with the given name or nickname include: A–E * Matty Alou (1938–2011), Major League ...

, Ejaculette, Unitus, and Krazy Nerds, and played in/recorded for

Sharon Van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally from New Jersey, and currently based in Los Angeles, Van Etten's music is noted for its indie rock aesthetic and personal lyric ...

Trentemøller Anders Trentemøller (; born 16 October 1972) is a Danish indie artist , producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. History Trentemøller started music in the late 1990s with different indie rock projects. In 2006, follow ...

, Food Pyramid, Airwaves, Indian Jewelry, Matteah Baim, Metallic Falcons, Phosphorescent, and CocoRosie. Hunter is the inspiration for several characters in the stories of J.M. Appel, including providing the basis for Maggie in the novella ''Fallout'' (2010).

Touring

Hunter has toured with

Tara Jane O'Neil Tara Jane O'Neil (born November 22, 1972) (surname sometimes written as "ONeil"; sometimes credited as TJO) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, audio recording engineer, and visual artist based out of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...

, Rasputina,

Viking Moses Viking Moses (or The Viking Moses!) is a band fronted by Brendon Massei, an American songwriter noted for being on tour since 1993. Founded in 2003 and currently based in Baltimore, the group features a rotating cast of musicians. Viking Moses ha ...

, Deer Tick,

Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, ''The Path of the Clouds'', in October ...

, Peter & the Wolf,

Cass McCombs Cass McCombs (born November 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. Career McCombs has played in numerous bands in the Bay Area during the 1990s before relocating to New York City. He released his debut EP '' Not the Way E.P.'' (2002), d ...

, and Woozyhelmet, among others. In 2005, Hunter accompanied

Meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable condition ...

Lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Lighting * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian s ...

, and Mouth of Leaves on their Summer of Golden Blood tour throughout the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. In 2006, Hunter performed at North East Sticks Together. Hunter has appeared at Mad Vicky's Tea House in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, owned by "Mad Vicky", Bianca Casady of the musical duo CocoRosie. In 2019, Hunter created a special playlist for Billboards ''Summer of Pride'' event. The playlist, which can be found on Spotify, includes songs by various artists, including

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. Hunter said in the corresponding interview that these songs had both helped and inspired him whilst growing up. “I was wild and in a lot of pain as a kid; home life was very bleak", Hunter told Nick Williams, the article writer. "Pop songs were a guaranteed escape to a mental space where beauty, wonder, and love were possible." He continued on to tell of the inspiration they received, saying that he "wanted to write songs that might have the potential to do that."

Matty and Mossy

Hunter founded and played in the Houston band Matty & Mossy with Heath Flagtvedt, Matt Frey and John Hunter. Their album, ''Fraimers Haimey'', was recorded in Athens, Georgia with Chris Bishop and released on Fleece Records. The album reached #1 on the radio charts of Rice Radio and

KSPC KSPC is a non-commercial college and community radio station based in Claremont, California, broadcasting at 88.7 MHz on the FM band and streaming online. It was founded in 1956 as a Pomona College student organization and later expanded t ...

, and songs from the album were used in the soundtrack of

Andrew Bujalski Andrew Bujalski (; born April 29, 1977) is an American film director, screenwriter and actor, who has been called the "godfather of mumblecore." Life and career Bujalski, born in Boston in 1977, is the son of artist-turned-businesswoman Sheil ...

's films ''

Funny Ha Ha ''Funny Ha Ha'' is a 2002 American film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. It has been described as the first mumblecore film. It was shot on 16 mm film on a very low budget. It deals with the lives of people in their twenties as they try ...

'' and ''

Mutual Appreciation ''Mutual Appreciation'' is a 2005 independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed '' Funny Ha Ha'' (2002). The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is con ...

''.

Personal life

Hunter was assigned female at birth. In 2014, Hunter came out as

gender fluid Gender fluidity (commonly referred to as genderfluid) is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation. These fluctuations can occur at the level of gender identity or gender expression. A genderfluid person may ...

(or

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

), as well as being neither gay nor straight, stating that he "feel extremely fortunate in that I truly don’t give a fuck when it comes to the gender of the person I’m dating". He also identifies as

transmasculine A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes persons whose gender ...

. In August 2019, an article by

Billboard.com ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the ...

stated that Hunter preferred he/him pronouns. In an interview for the same magazine a month later, Hunter discussed his experience undergoing

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. Effects of menopause can include symptoms such ...

, disclosing he had undergone top surgery and discussing the difficulties of testosterone lowering both his speaking and singing voice. In 2021, Hunter revealed he had been diagnosed as having

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

Discography

Albums

* ''The Competition'' (with

) (Ribbon Music) September 5, 2019 * '' Escape from Evil'' (with

) ( Ribbon Music) March 31, 2015 * ''

'' (with

) (Ribbon Music) May 1, 2012 * ''Twin-Hand Movement'' (with

) (Gnomonsong) July 20, 2010 *''Carrion EP'' CD (Gnomonsong) September 18, 2007 *''Carrion EP'' LP (

Woodsist Woodsist is an American independent record label founded in 2006 by Jeremy Earl of the band Woods and based in Stone Ridge, New York. Artists * Alex Bleeker and the Freaks * Art Museums * The Babies * Blank Dogs * Blues Control * The Chris ...

) September 2007 *''There's No Home'' CD/LP (Gnomonsong) April 7, 2007 *''Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom'' CD (Gnomonsong) October 4, 2005 *'' Jana Hunter / Devendra Banhart'' LP (split with

) (

Troubleman Unlimited Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti. History The label started as an offshoot of a fanzine called ...

) 2005 * ''JH'' CD-R (self-released) 2004 * ''JH'' CD-R (self-released) 2003

Compilation appearances

*''The Enlightened Family'' CD (Voodoo-EROS), 2005 *''The Black and White Skins'' CD (

Les Disques du Crépuscule Les Disques du Crépuscule is an independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized ente ...

), 2005 *''

The Golden Apples of the Sun ''The Golden Apples of the Sun'' is an anthology of 22 short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. It was published by Doubleday & Company in 1953. The book's title is also the title of the final story in the collection. The words "the go ...

'' CD (Bastet), 2004

External links

Lower Dens site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Jana Year of birth missing (living people) New Weird America Living people Singers from Texas Musicians from Houston American transgender musicians American non-binary musicians American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters Transgender singers Transgender songwriters Non-binary singers Non-binary songwriters LGBTQ people from Texas Transgender non-binary people Autistic musicians People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder American musicians with disabilities Genderfluid writers Autistic LGBTQ people Transgender people with disabilities