Mathis Hunter Lets His Mother Tongue Do the Talking

Atlanta musician Mathis Hunter’s latest ode to rock’s freewheeling, psychedelic past, Mother Tongue, shuns the bells and whistles of past releases. This time around, Hunter leads a straightforward four-piece band with two guitars, bass and drums across a 10-song odyssey.

The album sounds like a bunch of veteran musicians took a proverbial toke of the usual influences – Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Southern rock, funk, ‘60s psychedelia, garage nuggets, etc. – so they could exhale their own meandering, musical cloud.

Choice examples of this derivative yet different vision include off-kilter blues-rocker “Long in the Tooth,” guitar-slinging race to the finish “Hobby Horse” and a better example of blown-out garage nostalgia in “Cherokee Rose” than your straight-to-cassette favorites could ever muster.

Hunter’s supporting cast features drummer Lee Corum (Purkinje Shift), bassist Pete DeLorenzo (Lucius Flux) and guitarist Andy Morrison (Frosted Orange).

An album release show with Lucius Flux and GG King on the bill is scheduled for March 16 at the EARL.