"Winnipeg's Haunter has figured it out: the idea that a song can be a complete celebration of the unique combination of people involved in it's making, together for the moment. I'm overjoyed to see such a young band making such distinctively wild and beautiful songs, so freely.
- Bry Webb, Singer/Guitarist for Toronto band Constantines
A band is built from the pieces left over when a group of people collides. Late nights, broken hearts and your favourite records. Back lanes, lost words and long drives. The music is the living, breathing body formed by picking up all those pieces and putting them together. It’s a bipolar relationship, crashing down and pulling itself up again. It takes a lot of hard work to keep any relationship alive, and you have to be there and ready for the painful times just as much as the perfect moments.
Haunter is no stranger to this relationship. Since the winter of 2007 in frozen, desolate downtown Winnipeg, they have been creating energetic, sincere music and playing it loud for everyone to hear. From anthems for the long nights to ballads made out to ghosts, Haunter has been putting together songs that mean something to them and those around them.
Haunter's current line-up consists of: Matt Williams on lead vocals and guitar; Jory Hasselmann on guitar; Marie-France Hollier on Bass, Ryan Coates on drums, and their newest member, guitarist Cole Woods. They disagree about a lot but agree to love each other. Some of them have known each other forever and others for just a few years.
They are grateful to have shared the stage with artists such as Attack In Black, Julie Doiron, Oxford Collapse, Women, Hey Rosetta! and the Handsome Furs. They also love and draw influence from Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, The Replacements, Bruce Springsteen, Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies and Neil Young.
Haunter also has a western Canada tour under their belt, and a stop in Toronto for a showcase at NxNE in 2009. They’ve built a dedicated following in Winnipeg and hope to grow that following all over the world.
Through years of friendships and hard times, prairies and mountains, snow and sunshine, and everything else, Haunter is never going to give up. They are going to make it work. They are working with Disintegration Records in Winnipeg, planning to record their debut full-length album this summer, for release in late 2011 or early 2012. Expect to hear from them soon.