Castor Canadensis

I sat down with Eric and Justin of the Minneapolis band Hunting Club this week to talk about, what else, beavers, jerky and guns. Oh, and about their Saturday 12/6 EP release at the Uptown Bar (with The Van GoBots, John Snell the X and Self-evident, 5 bucks, 9:00).

Stuffed Pheasant: I kind of wish I was listening to Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver right now. Do you love that song or not so much?
Hunting Club: We live by the Primus creed.
SP: I think I spelled Wynona wrong. I think I might have spelled it like Wynonna Judd, and I don't want to know anything at all about her big brown beaver. Or red beaver. I think she's a ginger.
HC: Although, we must admit we're more big game hunters.
SP: Ah. Don't do do much trapping? No beaver chasing?
HC: Pelts are too small. We like 'em thick and furry. Adam is allergic to beavers.
SP: Buffalo are my favorite thick and furry animals. They are the thickest and the furriest. Who kills what in Hunting Club? I mean, like, who's most likely to be skipping out on practice during deer season versus say dove?
HC: None of us have ever shot a gun actually.
SP: Archers? Do you spear animals?
HC: Bob is an incredible nerf gun shot. I'm a pretty good roadkill artist.
SP: How so?
HC: I see an animal and instead of swerving I accelerate.
SP: Ah.
HC: Depending on the time of day, I'll vary my speeds to create different, distinct patterns. But we actually are sympathetic to guinea pigs.
SP: Hm. So you wouldn't make guinea pig art on the road?
HC: We've made a song about one in particular.
SP: Ah. Tell me about it.
HC: Well, it's kind of personal. Respect our boundaries please.
SP: Okay. Should we talk about beavers some more instead?
HC: Yes please.
SP: If I was a big brown beaver, how would I describe Hunting Club. You know, if I was a verbose big brown beaver?
HC: We are friends to the beaver, gentle souls if you will. I would encourage any beaver to pick up our new EP, Pretty Ugly, coming soon to a dam near you. It's good for a late night of beaver debauchery or a night in with the missus.
SP: Is it music to dance to, or more music to sway to? Seeing as how beavers enjoy dancing, but also swaying. Rocking is okay on occasion but it really depends on their hibernation cycle.
HC: It's music to polka. Soem waltzing may also be appropriate. I think the northern beaver is well-versed in the polka. So we'll go with polka.
SP: Beavers neither polka nor waltz, in my experience. Should they skip your EP release, or are you just being full of shit and so the beavers can expect to dance, sway and/or rock and should go ahead and come on down to your EP release which is... insert your EP release plug here... I'm sorry, I don't know you so perhaps I shouldn't be asking you to insert your plug anywhere... but carry on.
HC: Beavers can definitely expect dancing at our EP release, on Saturday, December 6th at the Uptown in Minneapolis. We'd suggest taking the Minnehaha Creek from the Mississippi or catching a cab from the Lake of the Isles area, if convenient.
SP: And say they had other friends from other communities of the animal kingdom. Which band are you playing with that the bluebirds would want to see? And the baby deer? And the mighty black bear?
HC: The Van GoBots, John Snell the X - Tenth for you non-Romans - and Self-evident. Those bands would be best enjoyed by terrestrial animals.
SP: I see. Do you hear that trout? STAY HOME. Can we talk about guns now?
HC: Yes, definitely.
SP: What's your favorite kind?
HC: Easy, AK-47 or any high-powered automatic assault rifles. We also know how to handle the magnum. If you know what I mean.
SP: If you can handle a beaver I'll trust you can handle a magnum. Can we talk about game meat now?
HC: Yes, but quietly. Adam doesn't like it when you say that three times fast.
SP: Yes but quietly. Yes but quietly. Yes but quietly. Is Adam upset now?
HC: It's semantics at this point.
SP: Okay.
HC: We like jerky. Slim Jims.
SP: Ooh, not game meat. Not interested. That corporate jerky'll kill ya. I've been eating elk like it's going out of style. Or like we have a freezer full of 700 lbs. of it har har har.
HC: We like Deerhunter. Deerhoof. White Rabbits. And definitely Grizzly Bear.
SP: Mmm. Fur eatin' er fur listenin'?
HC: Fur listenin'. Can't legally say we like eatin' - are they still on the endangered species list?
SP: We're Americans. We do as we please.
HC: We also like our rabbits frightened. We're also Americans, the most litigious society in the galaxy.
SP: Sure. So if you eat an endangered animal someone's likely to take you to court. So let's keep it on the DL and talk about something else. Can we talk about Ted Nugent now? Before we continue to devolve into more non-sequiturs?
HC: Yes, definitely.
SP: Okay good. So Ted Nugent once said this: "I am Classic Rock Revisited. I revisit it every waking moment of my life because it has the spirit and the attitude and the fire and the middle finger. I am Rosa Parks with a Gibson guitar." As with most things the Nuge says, it makes little sense.
HC: It really speaks to Justin's soul.
SP: Well then we'll just call Justin the Mill City Madman from now on. However, I want to learn a little more about your band. There are, what, five of you?
HC: Aye, five of us.
SP: So if each of the five of you was to identify with a civil rights activist or leader, a la the Nuge, who would it be.
(pause)
I realize this is a really deep, heavy question.
HC: What are civil rights?
SP: Okay. The Nuge also once said: "I hump the wild to take it all in, there is no bag limit on happiness." Let's stop talking about politics, and talk instead about humping the wild. Does this mean we've taken our interview full circle, right on back to beavers?
HC: Yes, definitely.
SP: Good! Now tell me where we can find your new EP. You know, me and the beavers.
HC: On our website. On amazon.com. Soon to be available on ITunes and at independent record stores near you.
SP: Fantastic! And will there be any bag limit on happiness at your show on Saturday?
HC: Check your reservations at the door. Sky's the limit.