Since 2004, Dew Claw has been the music project for which Stephen Hunking has released his meditations on life, love, parenting, personal themes, and other abstract musings. Stephen has created 4 full-length releases plus various singles and EPs under the Dew Claw umbrella over the last 20 years, while also being a member of the NY combo, XL Kings during the ‘10s and their 2 full-length and 1 single releases. Also, during that time, Stephen was a creative force behind the intercontinental band Grand Union, a collaborative venture with Frode Strømstad (I Was A King), which vetted 3 single releases. Stephen initially honed his musical skills and songwriting chops as a member of the group Hypnolovewheel (1987-1994), with 2 albums independently released and another 3 albums on Alias Records, along with assorted singles and compilation appearances.

Chris Xefos is best known as a member of King Missile during their 1989-1994 era. This indie-to-major label period for KM brought about the college-rock smash “Jesus Was Way Cool” and alt-rock hit “Detachable Penis”. Post-KM, Chris settled into San Francisco as a producer, engineer, and musician, working on solo albums for former Camper Van Beethoven members: Victor Krummenacher, Jonathan Segel and Greg Lisher amongst other projects. Chris was also a performing member of guitar instrumental groups Flotation Device and Rattletrap, the latter featuring Bruce Anderson of art-punk legends MX-80 Sound. In 2019, Bruce drafted Chris into MX-80 Sound and Chris played an expanded role as both band and recording engineering team member for their 2024 (and swan song) release, Better Than Life on Byron Coley’s Feeding Tube Records.

Stephen and Chris have been good friends since high school, discovering and playing music together over this entire time. During their NY/NJ fertile alt-rock period, the King Missile-Hypnolovewheel mafia was STRONG. The 2 bands shared a member for a time and Chris lent a hand with production duties on the first Hypno/Alias release.

Cut to 2021: Stephen and his wife escape from NY/NJ to re-start their lives as newly minted flower farmers in Camas, WA, just outside Portland, OR. With Chris and Stephen now in the same time zone, their collaborations were also reborn. Chris assisted with mixing and mastering for the 2022 Dew Claw release, Horripilation. Their combined effort on that project cemented their full-throttled musical partnership. The pair decided to join forces as Dew Claw 2.0, and commence work on new, fully collaborative material.

For their 2024 release, Dew Claw culled two simple, but still raucous, pieces into a 7” single, “Mouse Trap” b/w “Fantastic Voyage”. The 7” is a limited edition, HQ lathe-cut vinyl single. The digital release of the single includes 5(!) remixes of “Fantastic Voyage”, several of which conjured up by High Tunnels (aka Dave Ramirez, Hypno/KM inter-member). 3 videos, directed by Stephen, were also created to accompany this release.

In 2025, Dew Claw is set to release their latest full length, titled E.L.F. The album contains 10 songs, ranging from Stephen’s personal recordings to full-band arrangements, realized by enlisting generous contributions from: Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen (Rural Tapes/I Was A King), Frode Strømstad, Dave Rick (King Missile), Kurt Bloch (Fastbacks), Gary Olson (Ladybug Transistor), Alison Faith Levy (Loud Family) bolstering DCs own instrumental talents in bringing these songs to life. For this record, Dew Claw formulated their initial musical inspiration from the transition period of classic English rockers The Move into Electric Light Orchestra. The Dew Claw team dabbles in traditional orchestral instrumentation in a very studio-built affair. However, when called upon by the song, they still can’t help but getting back to their roots and (alt) rocking out. Like traditional Dew Claw material, these songs come from a very personal place for Stephen. However, on E.L.F., Stephen has allowed himself to be more open to collaboration, to open up his perspective and allow these songs to breathe freer and grow in a new light. Farmer power!

Doug Gillard’s formidable body of recordings is as impressive as it is voluminous, encompassing his work asa key member of such notable combos as Guided by Voices, Nada Surf, Death of Samantha, Cobra Verde, and Gem, as well as an array of noted collaborations with the likes of Richard Buckner, Neko Case, Bill Fox, and The Hold Steady. Parallel Stride is the Ohio-bred, New York-based singer/songwriter/multi- instrumentalist’s fourth official solo album.

Although he’s well established as a luminary of the American indie-rock community, Gillard’s musical sensibility is firmly rooted in the time-honored old-school virtues of catchy melodic craft, emotionally resonantlyrics and emotion-charged performances. Parallel Stride standouts “Face Of Smiles”, “Yes, She Loves Me”and “Lost Alarmists” effortlessly embody the magnetic melodicism and vivid wordplay that have been constants in his work. “Wire backing Paul McCartney”, the apt shorthand that’s been used to describe Gillard’s output, is especially on-point in regards to parts of Parallel Stride, and his second and third albums, Parade On and Call From Restricted.

Growing up in the rock ‘n’ roll hotbed of Cleveland, Gillard’s talents established him early on as a major player in his hometown’s underground rock renaissance. He first gained attention as a charter member of seminal glam-punk iconoclasts Death of Samantha. Later, he co-founded the D.O.S. spin-off Cobra Verde and simultaneously recorded and released two albums, an EP and various singles of his own compositions with his combo Gem.

In 1997, Gillard began his first tenure as lead guitarist and occasional songwriter with Ohio lo-fi legends Guided by Voices. During that period, he penned the single “I Am A Tree” and was featured on six of theband’s albums as well as various singles, EPs and side projects. By the time they initially disbanded in 2004, Gillard had already branched out as a solo artist with the acclaimed Malamute Jute EP (1998). In 2005, he released Salamander, his first full-length album under his own name, after 15 odd years of contributing solo songs to various compilations.

Moving to New York in 2007 further intensified Gillard’s output. In addition to playing his own shows and releasing his 2009 solo album Call from Restricted, he also became a member of popular alt-rockers Nada Surf as well as all-star Beatles tribute combo Bambi Kino. He also composed and recorded the scores for the independent features American Cannibal and Donnybrook, as well as produced albums by Eternal Summers, The Bye Bye Blackbirds, and Sally Crewe and The Sudden Moves. Gillard rejoined GbV in2016. In 2023, he was listed in Rolling Stone’s list of 250 best guitarists, and was the subject of a multi-page feature in Guitar Player magazine in 2024.

His prestigious resume aside, the eleven effortlessly engaging tunes that comprise Parallel Stride rank withthe most compelling music that Gillard’s ever created. The album was recorded in the New York City area by co-producer Tom Beaujour at Nuthouse Recording, and Travis Harrison at Serious Business Recording.

Matt Hunter & the Dusty Fates formed just before the pandemic, as a vehicle for longtime indie rock musician Matt Hunter to lead a band again. 

“The idea for the Dusty Fates is that it would be an unstable, constantly changing cast of people, with me as the sole full-time member,” said Hunter. “I love the idea that a band’s dynamic can constantly be in flux, based on whoever’s around, who wants to play at a given time, and who might be best for a particular song.”

“It means that your songs can be completely different every time they’re performed, and you have to be ready for that. I find that thrilling.”

Hunter has a long pedigree in underground rock music. He was a co-founder of Western Massachusetts’ New Radiant Storm King, which put out nine records on many different labels over 20 years. The band toured extensively, playing with bands like Guided By Voices, Grifters, Polvo, Built to Spill, and many others. 

Independently, Hunter has played or recorded with J. Mascis & the Fog, Silver Jews, King Missile, the Wharton Tiers Ensemble, and SAVAK, and also is in New York City’s The Whimbrels. His first solo record, New Rotations, was released on Darla several years ago.

For his latest album, and the first one to appear under the “Dusty Fates” moniker, he recruited drummers Roger Murdock (of King Missile) and Hampus Öhman-Frölund. Hunter handled most of the guitar and bass duties, but other friends were brought along to fill various roles – including a number of NYC luminaries.

Hunter’s former (and sometimes current) New Radiant Storm King bandmate Peyton Pinkerton added chiming Irish concert scale bouzouki to the dreamy “Sandcastle Row.” Dave Rick, of NYC legends King Missile and Phantom Tollbooth, added his unique squealing guitar sounds to “Narrator.” Gerard Smith, formerly also of Phantom Tollbooth and the Royal Arctic Institute, added bass to “Narrator” and “Take Your Sweet Time.” Robert Poss, of Band of Susans, added drone and noise to “Weed Garden.” Matt Sutton’s jarring and anxious pedal steel added a unique flavor to “Reindeer Soul,” and Jennifer Coates’ Appalachian-tinged pentatonic violin playing appear all over the album. Jim Santo, co-producer, engineer, and mixer, added guitar on many tracks, bass on a few, and helped make the entire thing happen.

“I think this approach really worked on this record. The songs are really diverse stylistically, and the variety of players pushed things in directions I didn’t expect. But despite that, emotionally the record feels coherent, all of a single piece.”