Meet Hunter Porter of New Noise

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Porter.

Hunter, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
To my ears, there is nothing quite like the sound of a distorted guitar. It’s what made me pick up the instrument, study it in college, embark on several nationwide tours, record and release two of my own records and contribute to many others, and continue to write music to this day.

While I was on the road and releasing my own records as Hunter Porter, I found myself slipping in and out of depression. Up to that point, playing in bands had fulfilled me but as I grew in my musical development, the things I once viewed as necessary became menial and insignificant. I didn’t feel inspired. My goal has always been to create something artistically new with music as the underpinnings. It’s what led me to create NEW NOISE: The Podcast Saving Rock N’ Roll and it’s why I collaborated on the DRFTRS project with Five Horizons Media, started by my good friend Maxwell Hamilton.

Throughout my growth, I’ve learned the great artists innovate, they take their craft in a new direction, utilizing influence from any source. Subconsciously it had been something I’d been trying to emulate. In June of 2017, I was on tour playing guitar for a reggae band, we had a show in NYC so I was able to grab dinner with an old friend before we went on. We got to talking about his work and he mentioned that scripted podcasts were becoming increasingly popular within his field and happened to casually suggest I write one. Cue the mental lightbulbs. I would use podcasting as a sort of nontraditional distribution platform for my music.

Quickly the decision was made to make it a fictional story, a narrative with my original music as the accompanying score. The next year was spent agonizing over a script until mercifully my co-writer, Joey Bertolini, came on board and the project kicked into the next gear. By September of 2018, we began production on a six-episode pilot season.

It was cathartic because it felt like many of the disciplines I draw from were coming together into one project. In addition to being able to craft music in a way that suited my style, I could write a story, I could draw thematically from my philosophy background, I had tastes of acting from high school and college. Everyone who came on board represented a particular creative background. Alex Vergel, Julio Macias, and Max are skilled actors and gave these characters life. Joey brought the story into the realm of reality. Rob Nagelhout, who I’ve recorded with on pretty much every single record I’ve done, brought his skill set as an audio-recording engineer. The whole thing felt innovative, and it still does.

That same feeling was present in the DRFTRS project, which was Max’s creation and involved everybody I named above as well. Instead of a podcast, it was a short film that utilized music to drive the plot and create a deeper and more evocative narrative. I produced portions of the album recorded for the film and played the role of David. So essentially we both are recording albums to release in conjunction or combination with another media. They’re our own sort of hybrid.

We released the short film in August and season one in November of last year. I’m currently writing the script and score for a follow-up season whilst writing a new record and booking shows around LA.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve had to wear many hats. Writing the podcast is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Before Joey came on, I was sitting in my apartment in the middle of the day for half a year trying to yank words out of my brain and onto the computer. It made me feel incredibly alone.

When we recorded everything I handled the responsibility of producer as well as I could, but there were those Sundays I was lying on the editing room floor mentally and emotionally spent. It became all-encompassing, all of my energy was devoted to completing each episode and seeing this project realized. The last piece of dialogue we recorded was my character’s pivotal monologue in the show, and I had the flu. I ran myself into the ground.

I’ve had to walk away from other music opportunities, I’ve had to work three jobs at a time to try and raise money for the pod, but the sacrifices are necessary. We’re all constantly sacrificing time and money in order to invest it in these projects we care about. Because fulfillment is far more important.

Our challenge now is to find our audience. I don’t think we’re like a lot of other creatives out there so it’s hard for people to conceptualize.

Please tell us about New Noise.
NEW NOISE is a fictional podcast centered around two young musicians who take an online article literally when it says, “Rock N’ Roll is dead.” Believing it to be true they quit their 9-5 jobs in order to save the genre from full extinction.

Within this new format, I have tried to display original music of mine and others in new and unique ways. I can score a particular scene with a single instrument, use it to signify a plot device or theme, then weave in the whole song later in way that contributes to the plot and makes for a cool moment. One of the few benefits of being an over-thinker is that endless feed of music and lyrics that you cycle through daily. With the podcast I’m not limited to whittling it down to a 3:20 song if it feels like it needs to be longer, or shorter even. The change in format creates a new type of music consumption for a listener. Our goal with each episode is to feature original rock music while telling a fun, comedic story. To me, it’s the necessary progression of several mediums.

I’m incredibly proud of the quality of the first season given we had no outside support and only ourselves to motivate. We’re unlike anything out there right now and I think that’s what makes it so special.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Personally, I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many absurdly talented individuals. My work would not be what it is without those guys. I can’t reiterate enough how much of an impact their contributions had. The bar was set very high for our project’s first iterations and I’m so excited to see where we go next.

Contact Info:

• Email: hseporter@gmail.com
• Instagram: @hseporter /@wearenewnoise
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearenewnoise
• Twitter: @hseporter /@wearenewnoise

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.