Flying Fox and the Hunter/Gatherers

If you’ve ever thought of turning your weekly music jam session with a couple of buddies into a bona fide rock band, Flying Fox and the Hunter/Gatherers is proof that it’s possible. The Winnipeg six-piece decided to swap their weekly instrument swap for a something a little more serious in 2005 and have slowly become a unique group with jazz-influenced, folk-rock pop sensibilities. Drawing comparisons to other bands with slight throwback styles, like Beirut, FFATHG consist of Jesse Krause on bass, guitar, and lead vocals, Lindsey Collins on bass, Darren Grunau on keyboards, Bucky Driedger on drums, Paul Schmidt on trombone, and Steve Kay on trumpet.

FFATHG’s sound and songs are definitely playful and joyous. Their most well-known single, “Advent,” features a seductive yet playful Spanish guitar-sounding riff. With the addition of horns, the song erupts into a sexy, Latin-inspired number about waiting for a girl. Another single “Molly,” on the other hand, almost has a honky-tonk sound, showing Krause’s vast baritone to falsetto vocals.

If you’re looking for an evening of playful, throwback songs, catch FFATHG on their August-September tour. For a complete list of tour dates, visit the band’s MySpace at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=152556945.